Confucius

Confucius was a descendant of a noble clan Kun . His pedigree, very well studied by Chinese medieval authors, goes back to the faithful follower of the Zhou Chen-wan emperor, named Wei-tzu, who was bestowed for loyalty and valor by the inheritance (kingdom) of Song and in this case the title of Zhu Hou . However, over generations, the Confucius clan lost its former influence and became impoverished; one of his ancestors named Mu Jingfu had to flee his native principality and settle in a foreign land, in the kingdom of Lu ^[5] .

Confucius was the son of the 63-year-old military Shuliang He (叔 梁 纥, Shūliáng Hé) and a seventeen-year-old concubine named нь ц 在 Yán Zhēngzài. The father of the future philosopher died when his son was only one and a half years old. Relations between the mother of Confucius Yan Zhenzai and two older wives were tense, which was caused by the anger of the older wife, who could not give birth to a son, which is very important for the Chinese of that period. The second wife, who gave birth to Shuliang He, a weak, sickly boy (who was named Bo Ni), also did not like the young concubine. Therefore, mother Confucius with her son left the house in which he was born, and returned to their homeland, in Qufu , but did not return to their parents and began to live independently ^[6] .

From early childhood, Confucius worked hard, because a small family lived in poverty. However, his mother, Yan Zhenzai, offering prayers to her ancestors (this was a necessary part of the ancestral cult throughout China), told her son about the great deeds of his father and his ancestors. Thus, Confucius gained the awareness that he needed to take a worthy place of his kind, so he began to engage in self-education, first of all - to study the art necessary for every Chinese aristocrat of that time. Hard training paid off and Confucius was first appointed the barn manager (official responsible for receiving and distributing grain) in the Ji clan of the kingdom of Lu (Eastern China, present-day Shandong province) ^[7] , and then as the official in charge of livestock. The future philosopher then turned out - according to various researchers - from 20 to 25 years old, he was already married (from 19 years old) and had a son (by the name of Li, also known by the nickname Bo Yu) ^[8] .

It was the time of the decline of the Zhou empire, when the emperor’s power became nominal, the patriarchal society collapsed and the rulers of individual kingdoms surrounded by noble officials came to the place of clan nobility. The collapse of the ancient foundations of family-clan life, internecine strife, venality and greed of officials, disasters and suffering of the common people - all this caused sharp criticism of the zealots of antiquity.

Realizing the impossibility of influencing state policy, Confucius resigned and went with his students on a trip to China, during which he tried to convey his ideas to the rulers of various areas. At the age of about 60, Confucius returned home and spent the last years of his life educating new students, as well as systematizing the literary heritage of the past Shi-ching (Book of Songs), I ching ( Book of Changes ), etc.

Confucius’s students, based on the teacher’s statements and conversations, compiled the book “ Lun Yu ” (“Conversations and Judgments”), which became a particularly revered book of Confucianism (among many details from Confucius’s life, Bo Yu 伯 魚, his son - also called Li 鯉; other details of the biography are concentrated for the most part in “Historical Notes” by Sima Qian).

Of the classical books, Confucius's work can undoubtedly be considered only Chunqiu ("Spring and Autumn", the chronicle of the inheritance of Lu from 722 to 481 BC); then it is very likely that he edited Shi-ching ("Book of Poems"). Although the number of students in Confucius is determined by Chinese scholars to 3,000, including about 70 closest, in reality we can count only 26 of his undoubted students known by their names; my favorite was Yan-yuan . His other close students were Zengzi and Yu Jo (see en: Disciples of Confucius ).

Although Confucianism is often called religion , it lacks the institution of a church, and theological issues are not important to it. Confucian ethics are not religious. The ideal of Confucianism is the creation of a harmonious society according to an ancient model in which every personality has its own function. A harmonious society is built on the idea of ​​devotion ( zhong , 忠) - loyalty in relation between the boss and subordinate, aimed at maintaining harmony and this society itself. Confucius formulated the golden rule of ethics : “Do not do to a person what you do not want for yourself.”

The Five Persistences of a Righteous Man

• Ren （仁） - “human principle”, “love for people”, “humanity”, “mercy”, “humanity”. This is the human principle in man, which is at the same time his duty . This is not to say what a person is without simultaneously answering the question of what is his moral calling. In other words, a person is what he makes of himself. As Li follows from And , so follows from Ren . Following Ren means being guided by compassion and love for people. This is what distinguishes a person from an animal, that is, that which opposes the bestial qualities of savagery, meanness and cruelty. Later, the Tree became a symbol of permanence of Ren .
   

  Homes of the descendants of Confucius in his hometown of Qufu .
• And (义 [義]) - “truth”, “justice”. Although following And out of one's own interests is not a sin, a just person follows And since it is right. And based on reciprocity: so, it's fair to honor your parents in gratitude for the fact that they raised you. Balances the quality of Ren and gives the noble person the necessary firmness and rigor. And opposes egoism. “A noble man seeks And , and a low one seeks profit.” Virtue And was subsequently linked to Metal .
• Li (礼 [禮]) - literally "custom", "rite", "ritual". Fidelity to customs, observance of rituals, such as respect for parents. In a more general sense, Lee is any activity aimed at preserving the foundations of society. Symbol - Fire . The word "ritual" is not the only Russian equivalent of the corresponding Chinese term "li", which can also be translated as "rules", "ceremonies", "etiquette", " rite " or, more precisely, " custom ". In its most general form, a ritual refers to specific norms and patterns of socially decent behavior. It can be interpreted as a kind of lubrication of the social mechanism.
• Ji (智) - common sense, prudence, "wisdom", prudence - the ability to calculate the consequences of their actions, look at them from the side, in the future. Balances the quality AND , preventing stubbornness. Ji resists stupidity. Zhi in Confucianism was associated with the element of Water .
• Xin (信) - sincerity, “good intention”, ease and honesty. Xin balances Lee , preventing hypocrisy. Blue corresponds to an element of the earth .

Moral duties, since they materialize in the ritual, become a matter of upbringing, education, culture. These concepts were not divorced from Confucius. All of them are included in the content of the “wen” category (originally this word meant a person with a painted body, tattoo). "Wen" can be interpreted as the cultural meaning of human existence, as upbringing. This is not a secondary artificial formation in man and not his primary natural layer, not bookishness and not naturalness, but their organic alloy.

In the middle of the XVII century in Western Europe there was a fashion for everything Chinese, and in general for oriental exoticism . This fashion was accompanied by attempts to master Chinese philosophy, which was often talked about sometimes in sublime and admired tones. For example, the Englishman Robert Boyle compared the Chinese and Hindus with the Greeks and Romans.

In 1687, the Latin translation of "Lun Yuya" by Confucius was published . The translation was prepared by a group of Jesuit scholars . At this time, the Jesuits had numerous missions in China. One of the publishers, Philippe Coupe, returned to Europe, accompanied by a young Chinese man baptized under the name Michelle. The visit of this guest from China to Versailles in 1684 additionally added interest to Chinese culture in Europe.

One of China's most famous Jesuit scholars, Matteo Ricci , tried to find a conceptual connection between Chinese spiritual teachings and Christianity. . Perhaps his research program suffered from Eurocentrism , but the researcher was not ready to abandon the idea that China could successfully develop without becoming part of Christian values. At the same time, Ricci said that “Confucius is the key to Sino-Christian synthesis” . Moreover, he believed that any religion should have its founder, who received the first revelation or who came , so he called Confucius the founder of the "Confucian religion."

The French philosopher Nicolas Malbranche in his book "Conversation of the Christian Thinker with the Chinese", published in 1706 , led a polemic with Confucianism. Malbranche argues in his book that the value of Christian philosophy lies in the fact that it is based both on intellectual culture and on the values ​​of religion. Chinese mandarin, on the contrary, provides an example of naked intellectualism in the book, in which Malbranche sees an example of deep, but partial wisdom, achievable with the help of knowledge alone. Thus, in the interpretation of Malbranche, Confucius is not the founder of religion, but the representative of pure rationalism .

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz also devoted much time to the teaching of Confucius. In particular, he compares the philosophical positions of Confucius, Plato and Christian philosophy, concluding that the first principle of Confucianism, “Lee” , is Reason as the foundation of Nature . Leibniz draws a parallel between the principle of rationality of the created world, adopted in the Christian worldview, the new European concept of substance as a knowable, supersensible basis of nature, and the Platonic concept of the “highest good”, by which he understands the eternal, uncreated foundation of the world. Consequently, the Confucian principle of "Lee" is similar to the Platonic "highest good" or Christian God.

A follower and popularizer of the metaphysics of Leibniz, one of the most influential philosophers of the Enlightenment , Christian von Wolf inherited from his teacher a respectful attitude to Chinese culture and, in particular, to Confucianism. In his essay “The Speech on the Moral Teaching of the Chinese,” as well as in other works, he repeatedly emphasized the universal significance of the teachings of Confucius and the need for its careful study in Western Europe.

The famous German historian Johann Gottfried Herder , who critically assesses Chinese culture as divorced from other peoples, inert and undeveloped, also said a lot of unflattering things about Confucius. In his opinion, the ethics of Confucius is able to give birth only to slaves who are closed from the whole world and from moral and cultural progress.

In his lectures on the history of philosophy, Hegel skeptically assesses the interest in Confucianism that took place in Western Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. In his opinion, there is nothing remarkable in Lun Yue, but there is only the totality of the platitudes of “walking morality”. According to Hegel, Confucius is an example of purely practical wisdom, devoid of the merits of Western European metaphysics , which Hegel praises very highly. As Hegel observes, "for the glory of Confucius it would be better if his works were not translated."

Confucius is credited with editing a number of classical works, but at present, most scholars agree that the only text that truly represents his ideas is Lunyu (Conversations and Judgments), composed of Confucius’s school notes by his students after death thinker.

Many statements of Confucius are contained in other early texts, for example. "Kung Tzu Jia Yu" 孔子 家 語. Jokes with his participation, sometimes of a parody nature, appear in Taoist literature.

The separation of the person of Confucius into the title figure of classical Chinese education took place gradually. Initially, his name could be mentioned in combination with Mo-tzu (Kun-mo 孔墨) or in the list of other intellectuals of the pre-imperial period. Sometimes it correlated with the term ju儒 - however, it is not completely clear whether it implied other intellectual traditions besides Confucian (for further equating this concept with Confucianism, see ).

The popularity of Confucius is affirmed in din. Han: in the literature of this era, he is no longer only a teacher and politician, but also a legislator, prophet and demigod. The interpreters of the comments on Chunqi conclude that Confucius was honored to receive a “ heavenly mandate, ” and therefore they call him “an uncrowned van .” In 1 g. e. he becomes an object of state veneration (title 褒 成 宣 尼 公); from 59 n. e. he is affirmed by regular offerings at the local level; in 241 (Three Kingdoms) there is consolidation in the aristocratic pantheon, and in 739 (dyn. Tan) the title of van is fixed. In 1530 (dyn. Ming) Confucius received the nickname 至聖 先 師, "the supreme sage [among] teachers of the past."

This growing popularity should be compared with the historical processes that took place around the texts from which information about Confucius and his attitude to it is gleaned. Thus, the “uncrowned king” could serve to legitimize the restored Han dynasty after the crisis associated with the usurpation of the throne by Wang Man (then the first Buddhist temple was founded in the new capital).

Along with the development of the examination system , temples dedicated to Confucius ( en: Temple of Confucius ) spread throughout China. The most famous among them are the Temple of Confucius in his homeland, in Qufu , in Shanghai , Beijing , Taichung .

The variety of historical forms in which the image of Confucius has been clothed throughout Chinese history has provoked an ironic commentary by Gu Jieguang prescribing "to accept one Confucius at a time."

• 2010 - Confucius / Confucius / Kong Zi (dir. Hu Mei / Hu Mei) - artistic, in the role of Confucius - Chow Yun-Fat / Yun-Fat Chow
• 2015 - Confucius / Confucius (directed by Hugo MacGregor / Hugo Macgregor) - documentary, in the role of Confucius - Minlin Qiao / Minglin Qiao

• Confucian Shrines in Qufu
• Confucius Ancestral Tree (NB Kun Chuichang孔 垂 長, b. 1975, Advisor to the President of Taiwan)

• The book “Conversations and Judgments” by Confucius, five translations into Russian “on one page”
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• Confucius proceedings and related materials in 23 languages (Confucius Publishing Co. Ltd.)
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Онлайн-публикации

• Ahmad, Mirza Tahir Confucianism (неопр.) . Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (???). Дата обращения 7 ноября 2010. Архивировано 15 октября 2012 года.
• Baxter-Sagart Old Chinese reconstruction (неопр.) (20 February 2011). Archived October 15, 2012.
• Confucius descendents say DNA testing plan lacks wisdom (неопр.) (недоступная ссылка) . Bandao (21 August 2007). Архивировано 7 июля 2011 года.
• Confucius family tree to record female kin (неопр.) . China Daily (2 February 2007). Архивировано 16 октября 2012 года.
• Confucius' Family Tree Recorded biggest (неопр.) . China Daily (24 September 2009). Архивировано 16 октября 2012 года.
• Confucius family tree revision ends with 2 mln descendants (неопр.) . China Economic Net (4 January 2009). Archived October 15, 2012.
• DNA Testing Adopted to Identify Confucius Descendants (неопр.) . China Internet Information Center (19 June 2006). Archived October 15, 2012.
• DNA test to clear up Confucius confusion (неопр.) . Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China (18 June 2006). Archived October 15, 2012.
• Riegel, Jeffrey. Confucius // The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy . — Stanford University Press , 2012. Архивировано {a.
• Qiu, Jane Inheriting Confucius (неопр.) . Seed Magazine (13 August 2008). Archived October 15, 2012.
• Yan, Liang Updated Confucius family tree has two million members (неопр.) . Xinhua (16 February 2008). Archived October 15, 2012.
• Zhou, Jing . New Confucius Genealogy out next year , China Internet Information Center (October 31, 2008).

• Confucius // Great Soviet Encyclopedia : in 66 volumes (65 volumes and 1 additional) / Ch. ed. O. Yu. Schmidt . - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1926-1947.