The Analects

Confucius was an ancient Chinese thinker and the founder of Confucianism, a philosophical system that has had a profound influence on the culture and civilization of China and East Asia. Confucius’s ethical and political doctrine consists of spiritual and social rules for living—rules that have, for more than two thousand years, shaped how Chinese people perceive the world, think, and behave.

Confucius saw the main task of his teaching as preserving the traditions of ancient culture—traditions that help create a harmonious society and guide people toward achieving a certain social ideal. This ideal is the junzi, the perfect, noble person, endowed with five virtues and, through his conduct, maintaining order and balance in the world.

The core of Confucius’s views is presented in the book “Lunyu” (“Discourses and Conversations”)—a legendary work of literature containing sayings and conversations of Confucius, recorded by his students and followers.