The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Chapter 320 The Great Saint Teacher
Not long after the two movies in the afternoon ended, the evening live broadcast time arrived as scheduled.

People from all dynasties and generations have already made preparations in advance and are waiting for Su Chen to start.

"Good evening everyone, I am the anchor Su Chen. Welcome everyone to watch the live broadcast."

Su Chen started the live broadcast full of energy, and greetings from ancient people from various dynasties instantly filled the entire live broadcast room.

After a while, it was almost done, and Su Chen enthusiastically started tonight's live broadcast.

"The anchor knows that everyone is waiting impatiently, so he won't waste everyone's time and will directly start the first session tonight."

"In answering Confucius' question about the later development of Confucianism, the host will first give you a brief account of Confucius' life and deeds."

Confucius' Confucianism has influenced China for thousands of years, so it is necessary for Su Chen to focus on introducing Confucius' glorious deeds.

Confucius was a thinker, educator, politician, writer and founder of Confucianism in the Spring and Autumn Period. He was hailed as a sage born with divine gift during his lifetime.

After Emperor Wu of Han implemented the policy of promoting Confucianism as the only doctrine, later rulers elevated Confucius to an extremely high position.

"Confucius, surnamed Zi, clan Kong, given name Qiu, courtesy name Zhongni."

"In 551 BC, the nd year of Duke Xiang of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius was born in Qufu, Lu."

"Confucius was born into a declining aristocratic family. He was the fourteenth grandson of Wei Zhong, the second monarch of the State of Song."

"Confucius' father was originally a nobleman of the State of Song. His ancestors fled from Song to Lu to avoid the war."

"Confucius' father's wife gave birth to nine daughters, and his concubine gave birth to a son named Mengpi, but he was born lame."

"Confucius' father then proposed to Yan's daughter, Nüzheng, again, and the two got married and gave birth to Confucius."

"Confucius' mother Yan Zheng prayed at Mount Niqiu before giving birth to Confucius, and then gave birth to him."

"Confucius had a concave top on his head, so his mother named him Qiu."

"Since his childhood, Confucius has been fond of rituals and often displays ritual instruments to practice etiquette."

"Confucius' father died when he was three years old, but Yan Zheng did not tell Confucius where his father was buried."

"In 535 BC, the seventh year of Duke Zhao of Lu, Confucius' mother died."

"Confucius was cautious and did not rush to bury his mother."

"The mother of Wanfu, a fellow villager, told Confucius where his father's tomb was, so Confucius buried his mother with his father."

"In the same year, the noble Ji of Lu State hosted a banquet for scholars, and Confucius went to attend."

"As a result, Ji's retainers believed that Confucius was not qualified to participate and dismissed him."

"As Confucius grew up, he gradually emerged in the political arena of Lu. Two years after his mother's death, Confucius married Qi Guan from Song."

"When Confucius grew up, he first worked as an official in Ji's warehouse, counting the grain in the warehouse and keeping accurate accounts."

"He was also a minor official in charge of livestock. Under his management, the livestock were very productive."

"Because of his high efficiency, Confucius was appointed as Sikong."

"The young Confucius was even appreciated by the monarchs of other countries. Duke Jing of Qi and Yan Zi visited the State of Lu, and Confucius met with them."

"Duke Jing of Qi and Confucius discussed the reasons why Duke Mu of Qin was able to dominate. Confucius pointed out that Duke Mu of Qin appointed talented people and had lofty ambitions."

"But his level is only good enough to be a king, not a hegemon. Confucius' answer made Duke Jing of Qi very happy."

"Confucius was very interested in the Zhou rituals. In the 24th year of Duke Zhao of Lu, Confucius went to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and asked Laozi about the rituals."

"Since Zhou returned to Lu, more and more disciples have come to Confucius for advice."

"In the 25th year of Duke Zhao of Lu, Duke Zhao of Lu had a conflict with the Ji clan and was defeated and fled to Qi. Confucius also went to Qi with him."

"In Qi, Confucius heard Shao music and studied it with great concentration. He did not taste meat for three months."

"The monarch of Qi, Duke Jing of Qi, consulted Confucius on politics. Confucius explained to him the idea of ​​respect for rulers, ministers, fathers, and sons, as well as the political philosophy of frugality and financial management."

"Duke Jing of Qi admired Confucius very much and wanted to give him land."

"But Yan Zi believed that Confucius should not be entrusted with the government. He believed that Confucius's idea of ​​using rituals to reform folk customs was not suitable for the people."

"The ministers of Qi wanted to harm Confucius afterwards, so Confucius asked Duke Jing of Qi for help."

"Duke Jing of Qi said that he was old and had no intention of protecting Confucius, so Confucius left Qi and returned to Lu."

Su Chen recounted the deeds of Confucius in front of ancient people from various dynasties and received high praise from Confucius' disciples.

In the eyes of these disciples, their teacher Confucius is a sage, even better than the ancient wise kings Yao and Shun.

However, although they highly respected their teacher Confucius, thinkers during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period had mixed opinions about Confucius.

Yan Zi: Confucius's red tape and etiquette system are so complicated that ordinary people could not learn them all in their lifetime. It is impractical to use them to change customs. Moreover, many etiquettes waste money and weaken the country's financial resources.

He was not fond of Confucius. In his opinion, Confucius' political proposition of restoring rites to educate the people was not suitable for the current actual situation.

Mozi: Confucius had bad character. He and his disciples doubted Shun and Duke Zhou, which was a manifestation of their evil intentions.

Confucius instigated Tian Chang to rebel, and in times of crisis, he chose a monarch at random like a hungry person, which he disliked very much.

Moreover, in his view, Confucian scholars represented by Confucius advocated benevolence and righteousness on the surface, but in fact encouraged rebellion and harmed the world.

Han Feizi: Confucius is indeed a sage, but he is not without faults.

He recognized that Confucius was a wise and talented person who could be compared with Guan Zhong and Wu Zixu.

But he also believed that some of Confucius' remarks were self-contradictory and would lead to the destruction of the country.

Xunzi: Confucius is a sage who has achieved the pinnacle of all knowledge and an outstanding figure who stands out from the crowd.

As a representative figure of Confucianism, he naturally gave a high evaluation of Confucius.

His admiration for Confucius came completely from the heart.

Confucius was a great scholar at that time. Even though he lived in a shabby house, princes and ministers could not compete with him in fame.

Lao Tzu: Confucius is the wisest man I have ever met.

Although he was a historian of the Zhou Dynasty and not a high-ranking official, his learning and knowledge were widely praised by people.

It was for this reason that Confucius came to visit him specifically.

During this visit, he had a conversation with Confucius and gave him some parting words when they parted.

He heard that rich people would give money to others, while people who knew benevolence and righteousness would only give beneficial advice to others.

He was not a rich man, but people said he was a kind and righteous man, so he gave Confucius advice from the perspective of a kind and righteous man.

First, don’t think you are smart and like to talk about others.

Second, don’t think that you are knowledgeable and good at debate, so you can expose other people’s shortcomings.

Third, as a son of your father, you should not only care about your own ideas. As a minister of the monarch, you should not only care about your own ideas.

If you can do these three things, you will not harm others, nor will you come to harm yourself.

In addition, he also told Confucius about Taoist insights on life and society, which benefited Confucius greatly.

Liu Che: After experiencing the early rule of Huang-Lao thought, I adopted Dong Zhongshu's idea of ​​respecting Confucianism alone and elevated the status of Confucius.

In order to strengthen ideological control, Dong Zhongshu portrayed Confucius as a prophet and sanctified his image.

Even Dong Zhongshu explained Confucius' motivation for writing "Spring and Autumn Annals" as being appointed by Heaven to convey Heaven's will, and went on to define Confucius as a Su Wang who had the substance of a sage but not the title of an emperor.

He strongly supported Dong Zhongshu's practices.

Confucius' social influence is enormous, and he is the perfect person to govern the country.

Although the Qin Dynasty promoted the idea of ​​taking officials as teachers and governing the country with strict laws and severe punishments, Confucius' status in society was still very high.

When Qin Shihuang burned books and buried scholars alive, Fusu said that all students recited Confucius' teachings, and he was afraid that Qin Shihuang's use of harsh laws to punish Confucian scholars would lead to unrest in the world.

From this we can see that Confucius' social influence at that time was extraordinary.

"During the Spring and Autumn Period, powerful officials were in power, and Confucius was very angry about the collapse of rituals and music."

"In the sixth year of Duke Ding of Lu, Yang Hu, a retainer of Ji Huanzi, a powerful official of Lu, came to power."

"Confucius angrily denounced the fact that the state was controlled by the ministers, and thus withdrew from Lu's political arena."

"After Confucius returned home, he compiled poetry, books, rituals and music, and more and more disciples followed him."

"Powerful officials often lead to unstable power and civil unrest."

"In the eighth year of Duke Ding of Lu, Yang Hu fled to Qi. Another retainer of Ji Huanzi, Gongshan Buniu, took the opportunity to betray his master, Ji Shi."

"He recruited Confucius and wanted to use him for his own purposes."

"Confucius wanted to work for Gongshan Buniu, but Confucius's most senior disciple Zilu was unhappy, so Confucius was unable to go."

"In the tenth year of Duke Ding of Lu, Confucius finally got the opportunity to be reused. He was appointed by Duke Ding of Lu as the governor of Zhongdu. People from all over the country came to emulate Confucius' administrative achievements."

"That spring, Qi and Lu will meet in Jiagu."

"Duke Jing of Qi wanted to threaten Duke Ding of Lu with force, but Confucius saw through his plan."

"Confucius rebuked Duke Jing of Qi for his unceremonious behavior at the banquet, which made him feel very ashamed. In the end, Duke Jing of Qi returned some of the land he had occupied from Lu to Lu."

"A year later, Confucius was promoted to Sikong, and later to Da Sikou."

"After this, Confucius further implemented his reform plan."

"In the twelfth year of Duke Ding of Lu, Confucius prepared to demolish the private territories of the three hereditary noble families, Ji Sun, Shu Sun, and Meng Sun, in order to weaken the threat posed to Duke Ding of Lu."

"Confucius's approach was opposed by the three forces, and ultimately Confucius' plan failed."

"In the fourteenth year of Duke Ding of Lu, Confucius served as the prime minister in charge of the country."

"In order to clean up the political situation, Confucius punished his political enemy, the official Shao Zhengmao."

"At the same time, he managed the country in an orderly manner, so that no one would pick up lost items on the roads of Lu."

"The people of Qi felt that Confucius's governance of Lu would lead to Lu's dominance, so they wanted to stop Confucius from ruling."

"Qi will give beautiful singing and dancing girls and horses to Lu."

"Ji Huanzi, a powerful official of Lu, accepted the beauty of Qi and spent his days having fun."

"After the sacrifices were held in Lu, no sacrificial meat was sent to Confucius."

"Confucius was very disappointed with the ruler and ministers of Lu, so he led his students to leave Lu."

Li Shimin: Confucius' governance of the State of Lu was actually a very important matter, which best reflects Confucius' ability in governing the country.

After being governed by Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong, and then passed on for several generations to Duke Jing of Qi, the State of Qi became increasingly powerful and dominated the princes.

At this time, the State of Lu was very weak and had to maneuver between the three powerful states of Jin, Chu and Qi.

If it became dependent on Chu, Jin would be angry.

If we rely on Jin, Chu will attack us again.

If we don't guard against Qi, the Qi army will invade.

The state of Lu had no status and survival was difficult.

Later, Duke Ding of Lu employed Confucius and intimidated the powerful State of Qi. This was enough to show how capable Confucius was in governing a country.

Duke Ding of Lu employed Confucius, and within just one year, he had the country in order.

At this time, the people of Qi were a little worried, thinking that Lu's use of Confucius would pose a threat to Qi.

In order to eliminate the threat, Duke Jing of Qi decided to meet with Duke Ding of Lu in Jiagu to form an alliance.

The alliance was very particular about sitting in the right position according to official rank. The kings and ministers of the two countries had to bow to each other first before going up to the platform.

After the rulers and ministers of the two countries sat down, the Qi minister gave advice to Duke Jing of Qi.

Confucius was particular about etiquette but timid. He could let the people of Lai have fun and take the opportunity to capture Duke Ding of Lu. In this way, the state of Lu would be under the control of the state of Qi.

Duke Jing of Qi ordered the musicians from Laidi to perform on stage, waving flags, waving feathers and beating drums.

Confucius reacted quickly. When he saw the people from Lai, he walked up to the stage step by step quickly and politely.

When he reached the last step, Confucius stopped going up.

Because that was the position of Duke Ding of Lu and Duke Jing of Qi, and they could not transcend the etiquette system.

Confucius believed that when the kings of two countries met, the barbarian dance and music should not appear here and should be removed as soon as possible.

Duke Jing of Qi felt that his plan had been seen through and felt guilty. He waved his hand to signal the musicians to leave and ordered the artists performing singing and dancing to go on stage to perform.

At this time, Confucius climbed the stairs again like he did last time, and thought that these musicians were misleading the princes and should be beheaded.

So he sent people to behead all the musicians.

Duke Jing of Qi was extremely shocked, and after returning to Qi, he didn't know what to do.

The State of Lu treated him with the ways of a gentleman, but his ministers taught him with the ways of a villain, causing him to offend Duke Ding of Lu.

One of the ministers came up with an idea: instead of apologizing with sweet words like a villain, it would be better to apologize with practical actions like a gentleman.

After hearing this, Duke Jing of Qi returned the occupied cities of Lu.

Later, after Confucius governed the country for three months, prices were stable and merchants did not dare to raise prices.

The etiquette was in order, and men and women walked separately.

No one picks up lost items on the roads, and there are no thieves.

When the guests from all over the world came to Lu, they felt as if they were at home. When Duke Jing of Qi heard about this, he became even more terrified, fearing that Lu would become stronger under Confucius' governance and attack Qi.

At that time, some ministers advised Duke Jing of Qi that Lu would inevitably become a hegemon under the governance of Confucius, so it would be better for him to cede land and become dependent on Lu now.

Of course, this did not happen until a doctor came up with an idea.

It would be better to stop Confucius from governing Lu first. If that doesn't work, then cede the land.

The people of Qi had no other good ideas, so they resorted to the beauty trap.

He selected dozens of beautiful women from Qi, had them dress in gorgeous clothes, drive horse-drawn carriages, and go to seduce the ruler and ministers of Lu.

Sure enough, the powerful officials of Lu accepted these beauties and watched them with the king, ignoring the affairs of state.

In this way, Confucius resigned from his post and left the State of Lu.

Qi did not offer any land, and Lu did not seek hegemony.

He could only lament that Confucius was born at the wrong time and did not meet a wise master, which resulted in Confucius being unable to realize his ideals and ambitions throughout his life.

"In the fourteenth year of Duke Ding of Lu, Confucius left Lu and began his journey around the various states."

"In Wei, Confucius stayed at the home of his disciple Zilu's wife's brother."

"Duke Ling of Wei respected Confucius very much and treated him with the same salary as Confucius received in Lu."

"Someone slandered Confucius to Duke Ling of Wei, so he sent people armed with weapons to come and go near Confucius' residence."

"Confucius felt threatened and feared that he would offend Duke Ling of Wei, so he took his disciples and fled to the State of Chen."

"Confucius was in danger in Kuangcheng on his way to Chen."

"Because Confucius looked like Yang Hu, the people of Kuangcheng, who had a grudge against Yang Hu, besieged Confucius. Confucius was trapped for five days before he escaped."

"One month after Confucius passed through Pucheng, he returned to Wei and stayed at Qu Boyu's house."

"Nan Zi, the wife of Duke Ling of Wei, sent someone to tell Confucius that any gentleman who wanted to become a brother to Duke Ling of Wei must first meet Nan Zi."

"In the fifteenth year of Duke Ding of Lu, Confucius went to see Nan Zi, the wife of Duke Ling of Wei."

"Duke Ling of Wei was traveling. He and Nan Zi rode in one carriage, and Confucius sat in the carriage behind."

"Confucius sighed that he had never seen a monarch who loved virtue as much as he loved beauty."

"So Confucius became disgusted with Duke Ling of Wei and left the state of Wei again."

"After Confucius left Wei, he passed through Cao and went to his hometown, Song."

"Confucius and his disciples were studying etiquette under a big tree. Sima of Song State wanted to kill Confucius and pulled up the tree."

"Confucius had no choice but to leave Song again."

"Confucius came to live in the State of Chen, but Chen was attacked by the States of Chu, Jin, and Wu."

"The country was in turmoil, so Confucius left the State of Chen in the first year of Duke Ai of Lu."

"Confucius passed by Puyi, and the people of Puyi blocked Confucius. Confucius' disciple Gong Liangru brought his private chariot to help Confucius out."

"The people of Pu made a pact with Confucius not to let him go to Wei."

"After Confucius left Puyi, he immediately went to Wei."

"Zi Gong felt that it was inappropriate and asked Confucius, can the covenant be broken?"

"Confucius believed that God would not recognize a covenant made under duress."

"Duke Ling of Wei personally went to the suburbs to meet Confucius and asked him if he could conquer Puyi. Confucius agreed."

"Duke Ling of Wei was old and lazy in his administration. Confucius sighed that if someone could appoint him, he would be able to implement good governance in just one year and achieve great results in three years."

"Zhao Jianzi's retainers rebelled and invited Confucius to serve in his county."

"Confucius was ready to go, but ultimately failed to do so. He then planned to go to the Jin State's minister Zhao Jianzi."

"After that, I heard that Zhao Jianzi had killed his retainers Dou Mingdu and Shunhua, so I didn't want to go to Zhao Jianzi anymore."

"So he composed a zither piece to mourn the two doctors and returned to Wei."

"In the second year of Duke Ai of Lu, Duke Ling of Wei asked Confucius about the knowledge of marching and fighting."

"Confucius said that he only knew about rituals and music, but not about marching and fighting."

"Duke Ling of Wei therefore distanced himself from Confucius, and Confucius left Wei again and went to Chen."

"In the third year of Duke Ai of Lu, Ji Huanzi, a powerful official of Lu, died of illness."

"His son Ji Kangzi invited Confucius' disciple Ran Qiu to return to Lu and asked Ran Qiu to be his retainer."

"Confucius agreed to let Ran Qiu return to Lu, and told Ran Qiu that Ji Kangzi would definitely make use of him."

"In the fourth year of Duke Ai of Lu, Confucius went from the State of Chen to the State of Cai."

"After that, there was civil unrest in Cai, and Chu took the opportunity to attack Cai."

"In the fifth year of Duke Ai of Lu, Confucius left the State of Cai and went to Ye County."

"Ye Gong asked Confucius about politics and asked Zilu about Confucius' character, but Zilu remained silent."

"In the sixth year of Duke Ai of Lu, Confucius left Ye County and settled between the states of Chen and Cai."

"The State of Chu attacked the State of Chen and stationed in Chengfu."

"King Zhao of Chu heard that Confucius was between the states of Chen and Cai, so he asked someone to invite Confucius to come to Chu."

"The ministers of Chen and Cai were worried that Confucius would be disadvantageous to them if he was appointed by Chu, so they surrounded Confucius and his disciples."

"Confucius and his disciples fasted for many days, but he still led them in chanting poetry and teaching them etiquette."

"Confucius knew that his disciples were resentful during the siege, so he talked to them one by one."

"Later, Confucius sent Zigong to the State of Chu to ask for help, and King Zhao of Chu sent troops to rescue Confucius."

"After Confucius was rescued, King Zhao of Chu originally wanted to grant him a fief of 700 li."

"But the ministers of Chu believed that Confucius and his disciples were so virtuous that no one in Chu could match them. Giving them so many fiefs was not a good thing for Chu, so the king of Chu gave up."

"That year, King Zhao of Chu died in Chengfu."

"Confucius left Chu and went to Wei again."

"Confucius's disciple Ran Qiu worked under the powerful official Ji Kangzi of the State of Lu and displayed his outstanding political and military talents."

"In the eleventh year of Duke Ai of Lu, Ji Kangzi's army, under the command of Ran Qiu, defeated the army of Qi."

"Ji Kangzi learned about Confucius's talent and character during his conversation with Ran Qiu, so he sent someone to bring gifts to summon Confucius back to Lu. This was the end of Confucius' 14-year journey around the countries."

"Duke Ai of Lu and Ji Kangzi consulted Confucius on government, but did not employ him."

"Confucius did not seek to be an official, but edited the Six Classics at home."

"Ji Kangzi wanted to implement a policy of collecting land taxes, but Confucius opposed it and angrily rebuked Ran Qiu for assisting Ji Kangzi in his pursuit of profit."

Zhu Di: Confucius traveled around the countries, but unfortunately no monarch was willing to use him.

In order to promote his political ideas, Confucius traveled around the countries with a group of students.

The main reason why Confucius traveled around the countries was that he was defeated in the political arena of his native Lu State and had no place to stay, so he had to consider looking for a way out in other countries.

Therefore, Confucius hoped to be valued in other countries so that he could promote his Confucian political ideas.

But it is regrettable that Confucius's travels around the countries did not have good results.

Confucius led his disciples to leave Lu and arrived at Wei as their first stop.

Duke Ling of Wei's wife, Nan Zi, summoned Confucius. Duke Ling of Wei also respected Confucius very much and treated him preferentially according to the salary standards of the State of Lu.

However, Confucius was not given any official position, nor was he allowed to participate in political affairs.

Later, someone made false accusations against Confucius, so Duke Ling of Wei became suspicious of Confucius and sent people to monitor his actions.

It was obvious that he could no longer stay in Wei State, so Confucius took his disciples and planned to go to Chen State.

On the road, he was surrounded by people due to a misunderstanding.

After escaping, Confucius returned to Wei State, and Duke Ling of Wei personally went out of the city to greet him.

After that, Confucius left Wei several times and returned to Wei several times.

This was mainly because Duke Ling of Wei had an unstable attitude towards Confucius, and Confucius had nowhere else to go.

When Confucius arrived in Cao State, the monarch Cao Boyang did not receive him.

When he arrived in Song State, the Sima of Song State hated Confucius and threatened to harm him.

When they arrived at the State of Chen, unexpectedly, the State of Chen sent people to surround Confucius and his disciples halfway. As a result, they used up all the food they brought with them and were out of food for seven days, almost starving to death.

When passing by Zheng State, Confucius lost contact with his disciples in the capital, so he waited alone at the east gate for his disciples to come and look for him. His dejected look was laughed at by passers-by as a stray dog.

It can be seen that only the monarch of Wei State respected Confucius.

But respecting it but not using it is met with indifference in other countries.

The reason why Confucius went to the small countries was that he did not go to the big countries.

It was only because Confucius knew himself that his political ideas were difficult to implement under the circumstances at that time.

At that time, the royal family of the Zhou emperor was weak, warlords were fighting for supremacy, and each country was working hard to expand its strength.

However, Confucius' political ideas and thoughts that emphasized etiquette were difficult to reconcile with the turbulent and turbulent times at that time, and of course no one accepted them.

On the contrary, the imperial tactics and Legalist thought are quite popular.

In an era and environment where fists are everything, talking about etiquette, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness is obviously like talking to a deaf person.

This can be said to be the sorrow of Confucius and the regret of the times.

However, after Confucius' death, the value of his Confucianism was gradually discovered and then adopted by emperors of all dynasties.

"After Confucius returned to Lu, he concentrated on editing the Book of Songs, Book of History, Book of Rites, and Book of Music, and studied the Book of Changes and compiled the Spring and Autumn Annals."

"In the fourteenth year of Duke Ai of Lu, a man was hunting in the wilderness and killed a strange beast."

"Confucius went to check it out and thought it was a Qilin."

"Confucius was very sad. He thought it was a bad omen that such a beast was killed. He said that his teachings had reached the end of their rope and stopped writing the Spring and Autumn Annals."

"In the same year, Confucius' favorite disciple Yan Hui died."

"Confucius was very distressed and said sadly that it was God who wanted my life."

"In the fifteenth year of Duke Ai of Lu, Confucius's great disciple Zilu died due to unrest in the State of Wei."

"Confucius was very sad and cried out, 'God is going to kill me.'"

"Under the blow of the successive deaths of his disciples, Confucius' health deteriorated."

"Zi Gong came to visit Confucius, and Confucius was sad that Mount Tai was about to collapse, the beams and pillars were about to be broken, and the wise men were about to wither away."

"And Confucius also told Zigong that he dreamed of himself sitting between two pillars and offering sacrifices."

"In the 73th year of Duke Ai of Lu, Confucius died of illness at the age of ."

"After Confucius' death, his disciples and their disciples recorded the words, deeds and thoughts of Confucius and his disciples and compiled them into the Analects, which is regarded as a Confucian classic."

"Confucius has had a profound and lasting influence on later generations, and the Six Classics he compiled have become a must-learn classic for ancient Chinese Confucian scholars."

"The benevolence, virtue and propriety it advocated were regarded by later generations as the principles for scholars and officials to behave in the world, and are also the core ideas of Confucianism."

"In the more than 2,000 years since Confucius' death, his image has gradually been sanctified, becoming the personality symbol and totem of Confucian culture, and he is revered as the most holy teacher."

"During the thousands of years of feudal dynasties, emperors, ministers and common people of all dynasties would offer sacrifices to Confucius."

"The eldest son of his direct descendants was honored as Duke Yansheng by Emperor Renzong of Song, and this title was passed down through the dynasties until the Republic of China abolished it in 1935."

Ordinary people in many eras have great respect for Confucius, but ordinary people in modern times have quite complicated views on Confucius.

As Western powers blasted open China's door with guns and cannons, Western ideas were introduced, challenging the dominance of Confucianism.

Some scholars have even begun to reflect on Confucius' influence on Chinese culture and the value of his thoughts.

Some scholars call Confucius an innovator who reformed the system and even founded democracy.

Some scholars believe that Confucius' conservative views caused later intellectuals who followed his example to become very cautious and even depressed.

Confucius's views can only regulate the behavior of people at that time, and can definitely not serve as a code of conduct for people thousands of years later.

However, as the discussion intensified, there was a new change in the evaluation of Confucius, and people gradually became more rational.

A two-pronged evaluation of Confucius' achievements was given, pointing out the need to view Confucius' role comprehensively and to acknowledge the progressiveness of Confucius' thoughts in the historical development.

Confucius' political ideas were utopian and unrealistic.

However, his theory of benevolence is progressive and has made great contribution to the development of China's education.

The educational concepts proposed by Confucius, such as teaching without distinction of classes and teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, have had a profound impact on later generations. Confucius' educational methods have profoundly influenced later Chinese education.

In particular, Confucius's refusal to talk about supernatural things had a greater impact on later generations and avoided religiousization.

Confucius taught practical things such as self-cultivation, managing the family, governing the country and pacifying the world, and did not talk about ghosts and gods.

This idea has profoundly influenced the development of Chinese culture, making it focus on real politics and secular life rather than pursuing a religious or theological world that transcends reality.

(End of this chapter)