Confucius(孔子)

Confucius (pinyin: Kongzi; lit. 'Master Kong'; c. 551 - c. 479 BCE), born Kong Qiu, was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in his philosophy and teachings called Confucianism, which emphasized personal and governmental morality, harmonious social relationships, righteousness, kindness, sincerity, and a ruler's responsibilities to lead by virtue. Confucius considered himself a transmitter for the values of earlier periods which he claimed had been abandoned in his time, advocating for filial piety, strong family loyalty, ancestor veneration, the respect of elders by their children and of husbands by their wives, while championing the Silver Rule advising not to do unto others what you do not want done to yourself. His ideas gained prominence during the Warring States period but faced setbacks after the Qin conquest, later receiving official sanction under Emperor Wu of Han, eventually developing into Neo-Confucianism during the Tang and Song dynasties, and becoming deeply integrated into Chinese social fabric. Traditionally credited with authoring or editing many ancient texts including all Five Classics, modern scholars are cautious about attributing specific writings to Confucius himself, with aphorisms of his teachings compiled in the Analects years after his death.