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Chapter 5: Confucius and Mencius
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This chapter discusses to famous Chinese philosophers who made significant
contributions to Chinese education for nearly 2000 years. The Analects, the six classics
and the six arts formed the basis of Confucianism which had implications for
government, moral development, teaching, family relationships and so forth. Mencius
was a keen proponent of Confucius who wrote Mencius which had implications for the
goals of education, politics, teachers and teaching.

Chapter Outline

Who is Confucius?
His works
Goals of education
Curriculum
Teaching and teachers
Influence of Confucius
Who is Mencius?
His works
Goals of education
Moral curriculum
Teachers and teaching methods
Summary
Key Terms
References

Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:
Identify the goals of education according to Confucius
Justify the curriculum proposed by Confucius
Discuss the teaching-learning methods proposed by Confucius
List the goals of education according to Mencius
Explain the rationale for Mencius ideas on the curriculum
Discuss the teaching-learning strategies proposed by Mencius
Chapter 1:
Philosophy & the Malaysian Philosophy of
Education

Chapter 2:
Socrates, Plato & Aristotle

Chapter 3:
Al-Farabi and Ibnu Sina

Chapter 4:
Jean Rousseau and John Locke

Chapter 5:
Confucius and Mencius

Chapter 6:
Paulo Freire and Friedrich Froebel

Chapter 7:
John Dewey

Chapter 8:
Rabindranath Tagore and Vivekananda

Chapter 9:
Other Philosophical Traditions


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WHO IS CONFUCIUS?

Confucius (pronounced as conn-FYU-shuss in
English) and in Chinese is called Kung Fu Tzu was born
in 479 BC in Quyi in the principality of Lu (todays
Qufu in Shandong Province). His father, a minor
official, died when Confucius was still a child, leaving
the family in poverty. When Confucius finished school,
he went back to his home in Lu and became a teacher
there. He tried to enter politics and became the director
of public works in the city of Zhongdu, and then
minister of security and justice for the principality of Lu
when he was 50.
When it did not work he quit and left the city.
Confucius spent the rest of his life travelling from town
to town around China with his disciples unsuccessfully
expounding his political opinions and moral precepts to
leaders. Often they did not like his ideas: once he was
thrown in jail for five days! When he was 67, Confucius
went back to Lu and spent his final years writing and
teaching.
Confucius took lifelong delight in learning as well as teaching, and lived to see
his reputation as an accomplished polymath spread far and wide. Before his time,
under the Zhou Dynasty, schooling took place within government offices and was
dispensed by public officials. General education, the prerogative of the nobility, was
denied to the common people, and there was no such thing as a full-time teaching
profession. Young aristocrats received a civil and military education based on the six
arts: rites, music, archery, chariot driving, calligraphy and mathematics.
The end of the so-called Spring and Autumn Period, with which Confucius
life coincided, was marked by violent upheavals as Chinese society based on slave-
ownership was transformed into a feudal society. The political and economic
underpinning of education for and by the administration was collapsing and culture
was acquiring a more popular base. In breaking the aristocratic monopoly of learning
and setting up a private academy that was accessible to rich and poor alike, Confucius
was moving with his times. My teaching, he declared, is open to everyone, without
distinction.
He was in his 30s when he first accepted disciples; he took in 3,000 in all,
seventy-two of whom progressed to complete mastery of the six arts. In scope,
enrolment and quality of teaching, the school of Confucius was unique for its age;
both during and after its founders lifetime and posthumously, it exerted a
considerable influence in the political, economic, cultural, ethical and moral spheres.
Confucius devoted his energies to this undertaking for almost half a century and his
efforts were interrupted only by illness and death at the age of 72.

Confucius (551 479)
5.1 LEARNING ACTIVITY
Trace the life history of Confucius. Look up materials from
the internet.


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HIS WORKS

The sayings of Confucius were remembered by his followers and were later
compiled in a book of Analects (sayings), perhaps having been expanded on in the
meantime (see Figure 5.1). Through them we discover Confucius' notions of the
virtues, i.e., the positive character traits, to which we should aspire. Foremost among
these is filial piety, the respect which children owe to parents--and by extension,
wives owe to husbands, sisters to brothers, and everyone to ancestors. When such
virtue is cultivated in the home, it is supposed to carry over into one's relations in
affairs of state as well. Other issues discussed in the Analects related to goodness,
being a gentlemen, religion, government, education, ritual and music.

Figure 5.1 Confucius Analects

GOALS OF EDUCATION

Confucius demonstrated that education plays a fundamental role in the
development of society and of individuals alike. Not only does it offer a means
of ensuring the supremacy of virtue; it can also alter human nature and
improve it in qualitative terms.
By raising individual moral standards, it renders society in its entirety more
virtuous: the kingdom is well administered, orderly and law-abiding, to the
extent that all within it follow the path of righteousness.
Education should aim to raise the level of individual morality if dthe moral
level of society is to be raised.
The teachers and political leaders of the feudal era were all imbued with these
principles; most of them emphasised that education had an improving effect
on individuals, and promoted order and security throughout the land; hence it
should be developed.


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Concern for education gradually became one of the great traditions of Chinas
feudal society. The teachers task is to determine what type of person he is to
form.
Confucius denounced favouritism and the passing of office from one
generation of nobles to the next that prevailed during his time. He
recommended appointment according to merit and promotion of the ablest
(Analects, Zi Lu).
The goal of education was to produce capable individuals (xiancai) whom he
also called shi (gentlemen) or junzi (men of quality) who combined
competence with virtue and whose subsequent careers in administration and
government would bring about the ideal of a kingdom managed with integrity.
You believe you have studied enough? Then take up a post in the civil
service, he advised his disciples (Analects, Zi Zhang).
This radical stand against the principle of the hereditary transmission of posts
was reflected in the system of training and appointing officials that was later
adopted in feudal society, and served as the theoretical basis for the selection
process introduced under the Han Dynasty, and later for the imperial
examination procedure that would be followed throughout the Sui and Tang
Dynasties and up to the fall of the Manchus; it was also central to the feudal
education system as a whole.
Confucius stated that education was for all men, without exception (Analects,
Wei Ling gong). His pupils came from the lowest as well as the highest levels
of society, and access to education was thereby broadened considerably.
Opening the doors of learning more widely, he hastened the development of
general education in Ancient China, thus contributing both to political reform
and to the dissemination of culture.

CURRICULUM

According to Confucius, the twin pillars of education should be moral instruction,
which would have priority, and the imparting of knowledge.

A) MORAL EDUCATION
Moral instruction, which had to take pride of place, since what was needed
were individuals of outstanding virtue who would assist the prince in
governing with integrity, thus became the basis of Confucian teaching.
a) Look up the Analects from the internet for more details.
b) Comment on the aims of education according to Confucius.


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In deference to the interests of the feudal landowning class, Confucius
reshaped the moral concepts of the past, and proclaimed a series of new rules
designed to put an end to the political chaos and moral decadence of the times.
His concept of moral instruction rested on feudal morality and civilization
which was centred on humanity or benevolence (ren), which also signifies
love for ones neighbour.
This virtue manifests itself in all types of relations between human beings
consists of the following qualities:
o filial piety (xiao), - respect for the Elderly (ti),
o loyalty (zhong),
o respectfulness (gong),
o magnanimity (kuan),
o fidelity (xin),
o diligence (min),
o altruism (hui),
o affability (wen),
o kindness (liang),
o frugality (jian),
o tolerance (rang),
o indulgence (shu),
o wisdom (zhi) and,
o courage (yong).

It also helps in avoiding all forms of excess, promotes fearlessness in the face
of difficulties, assists in distinguishing what is to be cultivated from what is to
be eschewed, and encourages honest and righteous conduct.
All these qualities stem from ren, which enjoins human beings to show mutual
sympathy, solicitude and respect, and to watch over one another.
In order that all these precepts might serve to enhance the responsibility of
individuals and society alike, Confucius stressed that each man should
cultivate virtue and should receive a moral education.
Thanks to individual efforts in that respect, there would be order in family
affairs, the country would be well governed, the people would live in security,
and peace would everywhere prevail.
Moral education was thus for Confucius the means whereby his ideas
concerning virtue might be materialized.
As the founder of feudal Chinas education system he defined its basic content
by working out his concept of moral instruction, and established guidelines for
its further development.
His ethics can, moreover, be said to have codified the whole network of social
relationships in feudal China.

B) VARIOUS SUBJECTS
Confucius was equally concerned with the intellectual development of his
disciples that is to say with the inculcation of culture, abilities and skills. In
order to instill the moral values of feudal society in them, the basics of an all-
round culture and the capacities required to exercise official responsibilities,


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he drafted six manuals which were considered to be the foundation of teaching
and learning:

o the Book of Odes (Shi);
o the Book of History (or Documents) (Shu);
o the Book of Rites (Li); (see Figure 10.2)
o the Book of Music (Yue);
o the Book of Changes (Yi); and
o the Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu).

These didactic works, which deal
essentially with social relations and
with ethics but also address a large
number of other subjects, including
philosophy, history, politics,
economics, culture and musicianship,
constituted the first relatively
comprehensive teaching manuals in
Chinese history.
The Book of music has been lost, but
the five other Confucian classics
served for more than 2,000 years as the
basis for education in feudal China until 1919. Nowhere in the world has any
other didactic work ever been referred to with such consistency over such a
long period.
Besides the six classics, which were designed to provide a general culture,
Confucius teaching also covered the six arts (rites, musicianship, archery,
chariot-driving, calligraphy and mathematics), the purpose of which was to
impart skills and know-how through practice; according to Confucius, study of
the six classics, coupled with mastery of the six arts, would inculcate sound
moral sense and a solid cultural grounding that were necessary for the
competent exercise of public office.
Rooted in political and moral principles, Confucian education is concerned
solely with what constitutes the makings of the man of quality and with the
tools that the official must master. Natural sciences are hardly touched upon;
trade and agriculture are completely ignored.
Another outstanding feature of the educational theory and practice of
Confucius and the feudal teachers who succeeded him is disdain for manual
labour and those engaged in it. Except for a few minor alterations, the content
of education continued to reflect the options and priorities established by
Confucius throughout the feudal period.

Figure 5.2 The Book of Rites
a) Discuss the views of Confucius on what should taught in
moral education. Are they similar with moral education
taught in your country?
b) Research further on the six classics and six arts on which
Confucian education is based.


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10.5 TEACHING AND TEACHERS

A) TEACHING
In the course of his lengthy career as a teacher, Confucius steadily put together a
system of teaching-learning principles which are as follows:
To provide students with an education that matched their aptitudes;
To inspire and guide them;
To lead them by stages;
To instruct oneself while teaching others;
To explain the present in the light of the past;
To devote oneself conscientiously to study and to take delight in it;
To combine theory with practice and applied study with abstract meditation;
To ensure that personal behaviour was in conformity with the principles
examined;
To encourage independent thought;
To take account of the age of the learners;
To practice self-control and self-analysis;
To set a good example;
To correct ones errors and improve oneself;
To curb evil and exalt the good;
To welcome criticism;
To accept correction;

For Confucius, all these principles were the product of a profound intuition frequently
confirmed by practice.

B) TEACHERS
Confucius had a great deal to say on this subject. Considered to be a remarkable
teacher himself, he was revered throughout feudal society and served as a model for
countless generations of his successors.
He believed that a good teacher should first and foremost be passionately and
conscientiously committed to his work.
His own knowledge must be broad in scope and fully mastered if his pupil was
to benefit from exposure to it.
Confucius further believed that in order to elicit good results, the teacher must
love his pupils, know them well, understand their psychological particularities,
give thought to ways and means of facilitating their access to knowledge and,
to that end, develop an effective methodology.
The hallmark of a teachers virtue, in Confucius eyes, was tireless
commitment through his lessons to his pupils development.
He must also possess firm political convictions; show modesty and discretion
in his relations with others; convey his knowledge in a disinterested fashion,
keeping nothing to himself; express himself elegantly and in lively fashion;
cultivate his own personal morality; and match his deeds with his words.


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INFLUENCE OF CONFUCIUS

The teaching of Confucius had a profound influence on the development of
Chinese society, and particularly that of its education and moral science, at different
times and under a variety of circumstances. The Confucian doctrine had major impact
on countries outside China. His ideas reached Korea and Vietnam more than 2,000
years.
From Viet Nam, they were transmitted to a number of South and South-East
Asian countries where, as the centuries passed, they entered the very fabric of national
customs and traditions, becoming; as in China; part of their fundamental culture.
Confucianism joined Buddhism, Christianity and Islam to become one of the
four major cultural systems of the planet. This was especially the case in Korea, Japan
and Vietnam which; when Confucianism arrived; were either in a state of transition
from a primitive to a slave-owning society, or moving from the latter into feudalism.
None of them had written languages.
With the introduction of the Confucian classics, they adopted Chinese
characters, started to publish books and followed the Chinese example in establishing
schools where the Masters doctrine was taught. The propagation of Confucianism
may thus be seen as being directly responsible for the emergence of their systems of
schooling.
Confucianism left its mark on the training of scholars as it did on the
recruitment of officials. Schooling in each of these countries, at central as well as
local levels, in public or in private establishments, at higher and at lower grades, and
whether in matters of goals, content, selection and promotion of teachers, or
assessment and placement of students, is characterised by a remarkable fidelity to
Confucian principles.
Indeed, Confucius became a cult figure in all schools and at all levels. In
Japan, he was revered as the Supreme Sage and Foremost Teacher; in Viet Nam, as
the Teacher of Ten Thousand Sovereigns. He was taken as a model by successive
generations, and the supreme incarnation of virtue, an object of veneration for
teachers, pupils and society as a whole.
Confucianism also permeated family and social education, the education of
women and small children, the education dispensed at the Imperial Court and the
education of expatriate students. In all these countries, as in China, the Confucian
classics served as didactic models during the feudal period, education being based on
respect for Confucius and the reading of his canonical works.
For example, in Japan, their supreme authorities down through the
administrative hierarchy at all levels, including the Shogun and their followers, were
the first to venerate Confucius and to practice the classics. Familiarity with
Confucius ideas and canonical works was also an important criterion for the
appointment of officials.
Today, Confucius still has an important place in the education system of
countries of the region. Japan, Singapore, Korea and South Vietnam (before the
reunification of the country) remained particularly faithful to his thought, especially in
the domain of moral education. In 1982, the Government of Singapore exhorted its
citizens to study and to disseminate Confucius teachings, which were described as


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embodying the essentials of the art of government as well as the moral rules of life
in society; classes in Confucian ethics were subsequently included in secondary
education, with large-scale promotional campaigns.
In the other Asian countries, the past and present influence of Confucianism
on education, although less far-reaching, is nevertheless to a greater or lesser extent
perceptible, pointing inevitably to the conclusion that no other teacher has been as
influential as Confucius in this part of Asia.

a) Discuss the pedagogical strategies proposed by Confucius.
To what are these adopted in your school or educational
institution?
b) What should be the role of the teacher according to
Confucius? Are they applicable in your school or
educational institution?
c) What impact has Confucianism on countries outside
China?


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WHO IS MENCIUS?

Mencius (Mengzi), a thinker and
educator was a key proponent of
Confucianism. All his life he revered
Confucius. He is on record as saying For
as long as humanity has existed, no one
has yet equalled Master Kong, and My
sole ambition is to follow the example of
Master Kong.
Mencius, whose first name was
Ke, was a native of Zou (a district in
Shandong province which still bears the
same name), in the land of Lu. He was
born in 372 B.C. and died in 289 B.C. at
the age of 83.
His father died young and his
mother made great sacrifices to educate
him, moving house on three occasions to
offer her son a more propitious learning
environment, and severing the thread on
the shuttle of her loom whenever Mencius neglected his lessons to make him
understand the need to persevere. Read this amusing story about Mencius.

Confucius (551 479)
Mencius was a wise and kind-hearted
man who never compromised with evil.
When he was a child, his family lived near a
cemetery, and for amusement Mencius often
staged the rites which he saw in funeral
processions or in burial services. His mother
said, "This is not the place where I want to
raise a child."
Later on they moved to a
marketplace, and Mencius began to imitate
merchants doing business. "This is not the
place where I want to raise my child, either."
his mother said.
Again they moved, but next to a
school. All eyes and ears, Mencius naturally
began to imitate the courtesies and study
habits of the students. Observing this, his
mother happily said, "This is where we live
from now on."
[source: Chinese School of San Diego:
http://www.chineseschoolsd.com/stories/mencius.html]


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Mencius dedicated most of his life to teaching. On reaching adulthood, he
spent more than twenty years travelling around the various kingdoms with his
disciples to spread his political ideals. His reputation was such that dozens of chariots
and hundreds of people are said to have followed him. In the twilight of his life, he
returned to his homeland to divide his time between education and writing.

HIS WORKS

In the last few years of his life, Mencius gathered pupils around him, put down
his thoughts in writing and, with the help of Wan Zhang, Gong Sunchou and other
disciples, compiled the anthology called The Mencius which relates his
conversations with the feudal princes and his replies and arguments on various points
of doctrine (see Figure 5.3). As well as setting out Menciuss educational work and
ideas, this work conveys a striking picture of the intellectual ferment of the time.
Mencius developed Confucius philosophical doctrine, elaborating a system
related to the school of thought known as subjective idealism. His theory of
the natural goodness (xingshan) of human nature is based on the idea that the
other cardinal virtues, benevolence (ren), righteousness (yi), respect for rites
(li) and wisdom (zhi), are innate and should be cultivated by each and every
person.

The ruling feudal power saw him as the Second Sage, and from the end of
the Song Dynasty, when the feudal political and economic system was on the
decline, the Mencius (his collected writings) was raised to the rank of a
classic, making it compulsory reading for the imperial civil service
examinations or promotion. Mencius was regarded as the only orthodox
perpetuator of Confucianism, second only to the Supreme Sage himself, and
Figure 5.3 The Mencius


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their two doctrines were combined under the joint designation The way of
Confucius and Mencius (Kong Meng zhi dao).
In the sphere of education, Mencius took up Confucius ideas and developed
them, leaving a priceless legacy to posterity. He occupies an outstanding place
in the history of education of ancient China.

GOALS OF EDUCATION

Mencius believed that education played an important role in social
development. Its primary function was to develop the mind and strengthen the
cardinal virtues of benevolence, righteousness, respect for rites and wisdom.
Mencius held that the purpose of education was to cultivate good people who
knew their station in society. He took up the concept of ren (humanity or
benevolence) so dear to Confucius, feeling that the unification of China called
for virtuous leaders like the sovereigns of former times.
He therefore emphasised that, in order to govern with benevolence, it was first
necessary to provide a good education, the purpose of a good education being
to win hearts.

A fundamental aim of education is to teach sons their duties towards their
fathers and younger ones their duties to their elders. That meant respect for
ones father and mother and obedience to ones elder brothers and superiors.
VIRTUOUS AND BENEVOLENT
GOVERNMENT
Mencius suggested that those in
power govern with benevolence. They
should punish as little as possible,
refrain from levying excessively high
taxes, and ensure that people were
assigned five mu of land to live on and
100 mu to cultivate and that they eat
their fill in fat years and do not starve to
death in lean years.
In Mencius eyes, a benevolent
government and virtuous administration
will come about through good
education.
a) Trace the life history of Mencius.
b) Mencius is described as the Second Sage. Discuss.


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When those in power understand human relationships and have a sense of
decorum, the common people will manifest their devotion. If the ruling clas
follow these principles, the internal contradictions among the people would
disappear and there would be harmony.
He held that the human beings were naturally good, that virtues were innate
and simply needed cultivating. Whosoever cultivated them would become a
good man, a sage or even a saint. He who debased himself and failed to
cultivate his virtues or lost them could only become a scoundrel, a savage or
even a creature indistinguishable from an animal.
These innate virtues could not be developed unless they were reinforced by the
knowledge acquired through education.
Mencius conceived of education as self-cultivation and self-improvement.
What did he mean by this? A man who loses his chickens or dog will go off in
search of them, so why should he not do the same when he loses the sense of
goodness?
In other words, a person should preserve good-heartedness and learn to know
oneself. Just like you would look for your lost dog or cat, you should make an
effort to retrieve your natural goodness which is the role of education.

MORAL EDUCATION

Mencius admitted that everything that surrounds us, everything that makes up our
environment, has an effect on our character, our moral qualities and our will power,
but such an influence, however great it may be, is not decisive. For example, he
recognised the direct effects of a good or bad harvest on the peoples morals. Mencius
considered that character is something innate in every human being. Wealth or
poverty is conferred on us by heavenly command and beyond our control. What we
must do, however, is seek within ourselves, trying to develop and bring out the
tendencies towards goodness over which we have some control. The following are
several principles of moral education proposed by Mencius:

Preserving ones natural goodness and controlling ones desires. Mencius
thought that the best way of developing ones good tendencies was to resist
domination by material desires. Those who have few desires will lose little, if
any, of their natural goodness. On the other hand, those with excessive desires
may keep only some the good traits.
Seeking within oneself. Mencius saw this as an important means of moral
self-improvement:
a) What is the underlying philosophy of the goals of education
according to Mencius?
b) Why was importance given to educating the rulers?


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o If I treat someone with love and he remains aloof, I must ask myself
whether I am being generous enough;
o If someone is placed under my authority but does not obey me, I must
ask myself if I am acting as wisely as I should;
o If I show consideration to someone but he does not reciprocate, I must
ask myself if I am being sufficiently respectful.
In short, whenever my conduct does not produce the expected results, I must
seek the reasons for this within myself.
Repenting and mending ones ways. Mencius thought that those who refuse
to recognise their material desires and lose the virtue of repentance are liable
to commit reprehensible acts. These who act wrongly but are ashamed of
themselves can recover their propensity for goodness. One must endeavour to
correct any errors one has committed and always take the merits of others as a
model, trying to better oneself and join others in seeking goodness.
Seeking to recover lost qualities. Mencius saw regaining a pure heart as one
of the keys to moral self-improvement. It meant controlling ones desires,
examining ones conscience, repenting and correcting ones faults.
Developing the natural nobility of the soul. Human beings must show
strength of character and not go about their business half-heartedly and
apathetically. They must display energy (qi) and not give way to despondency.
In moral terms, they must possess the noble-mindedness that makes it possible
to combat evil with justice.
Strengthening ones resolve. This concept was crucial to Menciuss idea of
moral education. The hardships and misfortunes by which all are confronted in
the course of a lifetime are conducive to meditation on the vicissitudes of fate,
and this is how one acquires the wisdom (dehui) and thirst for knowledge
(giuzhi) that will enable one to understand the world and improve ones ability
to cope with it. The human being must have passed a thousand tests before
being truly seasoned.

TEACHERS AND TEACHING METHODS

A) TEACHING
Mencius attached great importance to teaching dispensed by a master. The teacher
derives immense pleasure from transmitting the gifts received from Heaven. He
believed that virtue required fathers and elder sons to see to the education of their
sons or younger brothers. Those who behaved badly had to be guided along the right
path, and those lacking in talent had to be educated. That was a duty that a good father
could not shirk.

a) What is Mencius conception of moral education?
b) Why was importance given to educating the rulers?


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B) TEACHING METHODS
Mencius gave a great deal of thought to teaching methods and learned from his own
great experience in this field. These are some of his precepts:

Know to whom you are talking and adapt your teaching to each individuals
aptitudes, adopting a lively and flexible approach that can be varied, according
to the pupil.
Lay down strict criteria and encourage personal initiative, setting the aims and
then leaving pupils to practice and learn their lessons by themselves.
Say profound things simply, speak knowledgeably and in great detail, teaching
pupils what they do not know on the basis of what they do know.
Use simple words to explain complex ideas and make sure that your own
knowledge is extensive, so that you are able to give detailed explanations.
Base your arguments on analogy and use comparisons to explain things;
illustrate the most complex concepts with common examples taken from
everyday life.

Mencius himself often used analogy to support his arguments and simple images to
clarify obscure points. Likewise, he often used easily understandable comparisons to
reply to questions or to solve problems.

SUMMARY

Confucius (pronounced as conn-FYU-shuss in English) and in Chinese is
called Kung Fu Tzu was born in 479 BC in Quyi in the principality of Lu
(todays Qufu in Shandong Province).

He broke the aristocratic monopoly of learning by setting up a private
academy that was accessible to rich and poor alike.

Confucius was moving with his times. My teaching, he declared, is open to
everyone, without distinction.

His teachings exerted a considerable influence in the political, economic,
cultural, ethical and moral spheres of China.

a) What should be the role of teaching according Mencius?
b) What were the teaching methods proposed by Mencius?


16

The sayings of Confucius were remembered by his followers and were later
compiled in a book of Analects (sayings).

The Analects we discover Confucius' notions of the virtues, i.e., the positive
character traits, to which we should aspire. Foremost among these is filial
piety, followed by goodness, being a gentlemen, religion, government,
education, ritual and music.

He drafted six manuals which were considered to be the foundation of
teaching and learning:

o the Book of Odes (Shi);
o the Book of History (or Documents) (Shu);
o the Book of Rites (Li); (see Figure 10.2)
o the Book of Music (Yue);
o the Book of Changes (Yi); and
o the Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu).

Confucius demonstrated that education plays a fundamental role in the
development of society and of individuals alike.

By raising individual moral standards, it renders society in its entirety more
virtuous.

Confucius denounced favouritism and the passing of office from one
generation of nobles to the next that prevailed during his time. He
recommended appointment according to merit and promotion of the ablest.

Rooted in political and moral principles, Confucian education is concerned
solely with what constitutes the makings of the man of quality.

In the course of his lengthy career as a teacher, Confucius steadily put together
a system of teaching-learning principles.

The teaching of Confucius had a profound influence on the development of
Chinese society and his ideas reached Korea and Vietnam more than 2,000
years.

Mencius (Mengzi), a thinker and educator was a key proponent of
Confucianism.

Mencius dedicated most of his life to teaching and spent more than twenty
years travelling around the various kingdoms with his disciples to spread his
political ideals.

Transmitting the gifts received from Heaven was a great joy to him. He is
deservedly regarded as one of the great figures of education of his time.


17

Mencius believed that education played an important role in social
development; to develop the mind and strengthen the cardinal virtues of
benevolence, righteousness, respect for rites and wisdom.

He therefore emphasised that, in order to govern with benevolence, it was first
necessary to provide a good education, the purpose of a good education being
to win hearts.

Mencius admitted that everything that surrounds us, everything that makes up
our environment, has an effect on our character, our moral qualities and our
will power, but such an influence, however great it may be, is not decisive.

Mencius gave a great deal of thought to teaching methods and learned from
his own great experience in this field.

KEY TERMS
Confucius Book of changes Second sage
The Analects Mencius Man of quality
Book of rites Moral education Confucianism outside
Filial piety Natural goodness China
Benevolence Good heartedness Political principles


18

REFERENCES

Chen Jinpan. Educational ideas of Confucianism. Wuhan, Hubei Educational Press,
1985.

Du Jenzhi; Gao Shuzhi. The finest system of Confucianism. Xian, Shanxi Peoples
Publishing House, 1985.

Ge Zhengming (1994). MENCIUS (372-289). Prospects: the quarterly review of
comparative education. International Bureau of Education), vol. XXIV, no. 1\2, 1994,
p. 121-130.

Mao Lirui; Chen Guanqun, (eds.). Zhongguo jiaoyu tongshi [General History of
Education in China]. Shandong jiaoyu chubanshe, 1986. 2 v.

McIntyre. S. (2003). The Analects.
http://nothingistic.org/library/confucius/analects/toc.html

Yang Huanini (1993). CONFUCIUS (KUNG TZU) (551-479 BC). Prospects: the
quarterly review of comparative education. International Bureau of Education), vol.
XXIII, no. 1/2, UNESCO: Paris

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