Confucius, whose given name was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi in the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period (modern-day southeast of Qufu, Shandong Province). Historians have long debated the exact dates of his birth and death, but the differences amount to only a year or two. Most scholars agree that he was born in the twenty-first year of King Ling of Zhou and the twenty-second year of Duke Xiang of Lu (551 BCE), and died in the forty-first year of King Jing of Zhou and the sixteenth year of Duke Ai of Lu (479 BCE), at the age of 73.
Confucius was a descendant of the Shang dynasty. After King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang, he enfeoffed Weizi Qi (a son of the last Shang king) in the State of Song. Confucius's ancestors were members of the Song royal house. Later, his family declined and lost its aristocratic status. Confucius's father, Shuliang He, served as the local official of Zou (in present-day Qufu County, Shandong), but died when Confucius was three years old. From childhood, Confucius lived alone with his widowed mother. Confucius once said, "When I was young, I was of humble status, so I was able to do many menial tasks" (Zihan). He had to engage in various kinds of labor and had extensive contact with lower society. By his youth, he was already broadly learned and skilled in many arts, and he began teaching disciples. Around the age of thirty, Confucius started accepting students and lecturing, establishing the first private school in Chinese history. With the spirit of "learning without satiety and teaching without weariness," he cultivated "seventy worthy disciples and three thousand students." At age fifty, Confucius served as an official in the State of Lu, holding positions as Governor of Zhongdu, Minister of Public Works, and Grand Minister of Justice (in charge of judicial affairs), but this did not last long; he eventually left Lu due to political turmoil. Thereafter, he traveled through various states, including Wei, Cao, Song, Chen, and Cai, promoting his ideas of establishing social order and respecting and caring for people to their rulers, but none adopted them. At sixty-eight, Confucius returned to Lu and devoted himself to education and the collation and transmission of ancient culture. It was precisely because of Confucius that ancient Chinese culture was preserved and popularized. As an earlier saying goes, "If Heaven had not given birth to Zhongni (Confucius), the ages would have been as long as a dark night." Confucius's radiance will never be extinguished.
Confucius: A Brief Outline of His Life
In his youth, Confucius was poor and of humble status, yet he was diligent and eager to learn.
