Confucius

Confucius (551 B.C—479 B.C.) is one of the most famous Chinese people. As the founder of Confucianism1, his thought has exerted a deep influence on China and its people. But Confucius was not his real name. It was a courtesy title, a Latinized form of “Kong Fuzi”, meaning “Master Kong”. His family name was Kong and his given name, Qiu. And he styled himself Zhongni. He was born at Zouyi, the State of Lu2.

孔子（公元前551年—公元前479年）是中国最著名的人物。作为儒家创始人，他的思想一直在中国有着深远的影响。但孔子不是他的原名，而是一种尊称，是孔夫子的拉丁文。孔子姓孔名丘，字仲尼，出生在鲁国陬邑（今山东曲阜东南）。

As one of the greatest thinkers and educators in the history of China, Confucius’ legacy lies in the following three aspects: Firstly, he compiled and preserved the literary works, The Six Classics, including Shi3, Shu4, Li5, Yue6, Yi7and Chun Qiu8, which are regarded as the classics of Confucianism. The accomplishment makes a large impact on the succession and development of the traditional Chinese culture.

作为中国历史上伟大的思想家和教育家，他整理了《诗》、《书》、《礼》、《乐》、《易》、《春秋》六部文献，被后代奉为儒家经典，合称“六经”，为传统文化的继承和发展做出了巨大的贡献。

Secondly, Confucius built up a system of philosophical thoughts with Ren as its basic virtue. This virtue is the central theme of his Analects9. He considered Ren as the first and highest criterion of man’s behavior and the core of morality. Ren meant to “love other men”；to help others to be established when one wished to be established oneself; and help others to be