When Confucius was three years old, his father Shu Lianghe passed away. His mother Yan Zhengzai's family was a prominent clan in Qufu, so she moved with Confucius and his half-brother Meng Pi to Que Li, within the capital city of the State of Lu, Qufu. The State of Lu was the fiefdom of Bo Qin, the eldest son of the Duke of Zhou (Ji Dan) in the early Western Zhou dynasty, and it preserved the cultural relics and classical texts of the Zhou dynasty intact, earning the reputation of being the "Land of Rites and Music." In the 29th year of Duke Xiang of Lu (544 BCE), Prince Ji Zha of Wu observed the music in Lu and exclaimed that it was the ultimate perfection. In the 2nd year of Duke Zhao of Lu (540 BCE), Han Xuanzi, a senior official of Jin, visited Lu and after viewing the books, praised, "The Zhou rites are all preserved in Lu!" Such an environment rich in ancient cultural traditions greatly influenced Confucius's later education and growth. As a young child, Confucius did not play like ordinary children. He first learned the rites (Li, ritual propriety), both because he had a natural fondness for them and because as a youth he began working as a musician, witnessing many ceremonial occasions. After careful consideration, he ultimately chose to study "Ru" (Confucian learning), that is, the profession of mastering the rites. According to the "Records of the Grand Historian: The Hereditary House of Confucius": "When Confucius was a child at play, he often set out sacrificial vessels and assumed the postures of ritual." He would frequently arrange the square and round sacrificial vessels used to hold offerings and perform a game of ritual practice. This was quite natural in the aristocratic society of the time, which placed great importance on sacrificial rites. Yan Zhengzai hoped that Confucius would master these things as a stepping stone to return to the ranks of the aristocracy. Having received strict maternal instruction from childhood, and with his father's early death leading to the family's decline, Confucius "at fifteen set his heart upon learning." When Confucius was fifteen, his mother, relying on his father's old connections, asked someone to take him to study the rites under the Grand Master of Lu. Confucius learned from the Grand Master the types and uses of ritual implements, as well as the procedures for various ceremonies. This was one aspect of his study of the rites. As for theory combined with practice, the other aspect of Confucius's study of the rites was to participate in person and to seek advice from those involved. Even when ridiculed, he remained calm and never gave up. He said: "When walking with three people, there must be a teacher for me; I select the good and follow it, and the bad and correct it." Thus, he expanded the scope of his learning targets even more broadly.
Soon, his reputation for mastering Li (Propriety) spread throughout the capital of the State of Lu. Many nobles made special trips to study Li with him, and some fathers, even on their deathbeds, repeatedly urged their sons to become Confucius's students. At that time, Confucius was only seventeen years old.