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Confucianism Facts & Worksheets

Confucianism is a system of social and ethical philosophy that originated from an ancient Chinese religion.

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Confucianism is more than a religion. It is a system of social and ethical philosophy. It is built on an ancient religious foundation to establish institutions, transcendent ideals of traditional Chinese society, and social values.

See the fact file below for more information on Confucianism or you can download our 24-page Confucianism worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

WHAT WAS TRADITIONAL CHINA LIKE?

  • For thousands of years, China had experienced stability before it was forced to deal with the West. Chinese people followed the customs and traditions of their ancestors. The most fundamental unit in traditional China is family. The notion of filial piety was one of the most vital features of every Chinese family. 
  • Filial piety is a value system based on accepting the father as a figure of authority in the family and respecting elders’ views. This view helped the traditional society of China create a culture that accepted authority and resisted change.
  • The most important Chinese traditional value is harmony. It comprises Chinese traditional values like harmony, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, honesty, loyalty, and filial piety are embodied in China’s diplomacy through the concept of harmony. 

CONFUCIUS

  • Confucius, originally known as Kongqiu, was born in 551 BCE in Shandong province, China. He died in 479 BCE.
  • He grew up in an impoverished family. Growing up, one distinct trait of Confucius was being a dedicated student. There are no official records of how he acquired his formal education, but he mastered many subjects, including mathematics, music, history, and poetry. 
  • He also served in minor government positions before becoming a teacher.
  • He was a famous philosopher, teacher, and political theorist in China. 
  • Confucius’ ideas profoundly influenced civilizations in East Asian countries, especially in China.
  • Confucius did not know the impact of his teachings. It would transform Chinese life and way of thinking. Confucius was buried in his family’s tomb following his death in 479 BCE.
  • After several centuries, his stature grew, and he became the subject of worship in schools during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). During the Tang dynasty, temples were established in all administrative Capitals in his name.

CONFUCIUS AND SOCIETY

  • Thinkers devised ideas about restoring order in China during the late Zhou period. By this time, Confucius was the most influential teacher in Chinese history. 
  • He felt that rude and dishonest people had overrun China, which would lead to disorder and lack of decency in people. With this, Confucius said that there is a need for the Chinese to return to ethics or moral values. 
  • Confucius wanted Chinese society to return to ideas and practices from when people knew their proper roles in the community.

TEACHINGS OF CONFUCIUS

  • Confucius believed that people should strive to achieve the highest attainable level in ethics, the “ren.” 
  • In Chinese, the meaning behind the word “ren” is “benevolence,” “humanity,” or “kindness.”
  • According to Confucius, for people to practice “ren,” they must know how to love other people, honor their parents, adore their siblings, and do what is right.
  • As a teacher, he had extensive conversations with his students on this topic. There was a time wherein one of his disciples asked if there was a word a person could use as a rule of conduct. He then replied, “reciprocity.” According to Confucius, “What you do not want to be done to yourself, do not do to others.” 
  • This simple verse underlies the core meaning of “ren.” These ideas of Confucius are known as Confucianism. 

WHAT IS CONFUCIANISM?

  • The term “Confucianism” originates from the West and has no equivalent in Chinese. It is a social ethic, a political ideology, a scholarly tradition, a worldview, and a way of life. Confucianism can be considered to be an all-encompassing method of thinking and way of life that includes ancestor reverence and profound human-centered religiousness. 
  • It is viewed as a philosophy at times and as a religion at others. East Asians may identify as Shintoists, Daoists, Buddhists, Muslims, or Christians, but they rarely stop being Confucians once they declare their religious affiliations.
  • Although it has changed over time, it continues to be the foundation of Chinese education, the source of Chinese values, and the basis of Chinese society. The influence of Confucianism has also extended to other countries, particularly Japan, Vietnam, and Korea. Having a good moral character is the core of Confucianism. The idea of “cosmic harmony” can affect the world around an individual.

TEACHINGS OF CONFUCIANISM

  • According to Confucianism, basic guidelines would help restore family order and social harmony. These are the guidelines:
    • The father should display high moral values to inspire the family.
    • Children should respect and obey their parents.
    • All members of the family should be loyal to each other.
  • Also, Confucianism’s ideas about government were similar to the arguments about family:
    • To restore order in China, there is a need for moral leadership, not laws. 
    • The king should display behavior that will inspire all of his subjects to lead a good example. 
    • By following the example of their superiors, the lower class is expected to learn from it.
  • The emperor’s rule will be peaceful and benevolent if he has moral perfection. Straying from ancient teachings might cause natural disasters and conflict. 
  • Through the virtue of ren, or “humanity”, good moral character can be achieved and will lead to more virtuous behaviors, like altruism, humility, and respect. 
  • This is because Confucianism emphasizes the importance of education to create this virtuous character.
  • The family unit was considered the primary social unit; relationships within the family were important to all others and comprised three of the “five relationships” that became the models for all others: husband-wife, brother-younger brother, parent-child; sovereign-subject; elder friend-friend. Based on this hierarchy of social relations, each role had clearly defined duties, and mutual responsibility, or reciprocity, between subordinates. The Confucian concept of human relations is superior.
  • Confucianism expounded on the importance of four virtues that we all possess: righteousness (i), observance of rites (li), benevolence (jen), and moral wisdom (te). Later on, a fifth was added – faith – that neatly corresponds to the five elements (in Chinese thought) of earth, metal, wood, fire, and water. 
  • It demonstrates how closely the physical and moral domains are related. All men possess virtues, which implies two ideas: first, that all men are equal—”within four seas all men are brothers”—and second, that education must nourish and nurture these virtues.
  • Anyone can become a sage (sheng) by having a suitable application and proper behavior. Innate talent is not essential, but an individual’s will to mold their character into the most virtuous one possible.

CONFUCIANISM AND MODERN SOCIETY

  • Confucianism dominated the Han dynasty and held a pre-eminent position for over 2,000 years.  The influence of Confucianism penetrated all streams of thought and all walks of life in Chinese society for generations to come. 
  • For example, children in a Wuhan classroom (modern China) are seated on a round red cushion while wearing a gray robe and chanting the old Confucian analect.
  • Confucianism matters not only to China but also to the whole world. According to the seventy-five (75) Nobel prizewinners in 1988, if humankind is to survive, it must go back twenty-five (25) centuries in time to tap into the wisdom of Confucius.
  • At present, foreign dignitaries worldwide frequently quote extracts from Confucianism in their speeches or talks. Some of these famous extracts are:
    • Learn, and practice what you have learned. Isn’t it pleasant?
    • You can predict the future by taking the past into account.
    • If the government is not trustworthy, the people cannot rely on it. 
  • Confucianism’s lessons are available to people all around the world in Chinese Culture Centers and Confucius Institutes abroad.
  • These institutes and centers serve as non-profit public institutions to help foreigners better understand China through culture introduction and language teaching.

Confucianism Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Confucianism across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Confucianism, which is a system of social and ethical philosophy that originated from an ancient Chinese religion.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Confucianism Facts
  2. Vocabulary
  3. Think About It
  4. Find the Right Heading
  5. What Did Confucius Say?
  6. What is your Interpretation?
  7. Confucian Solution
  8. Confucianism in Real Life
  9. Lens from Afar
  10. My Symbol
  11. Popular Culture

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Confucianism best known for?

Confucianism has been one of Chinese history’s most formative religious philosophies for over two and a half millennia. It emphasizes interior righteousness, morality, and reverence for communal values.

What is the main point of Confucianism?

The key aim of Confucianism is to foster harmony, the most respected social value. Mercy is also strongly emphasized by this philosophy.

Why did Confucianism start?

Master Kong, the founder of Confucianism, never sought to find a new religion but revisited and updated an unnamed faith from the Zhou dynasty. Many people had concluded that this ancient system of spiritual governance was beyond repair. However, Master Kong set out to prove them wrong.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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