Confucius

Confucius, or Kongzi (551–479 BC), was a Chinese teacher and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period whose ideas became the foundation of Confucianism. Born in the state of Lu, in present-day Shandong, he lost his father early and grew up in modest circumstances with a deep love of learning. After serving in office in Lu, he left his home state around 497 BC and spent some fourteen years traveling among the feudal states, seeking rulers who would govern by virtue. Returning to Lu in old age, he devoted himself to teaching students of every background. His sayings, gathered by his disciples in the Analects, teach benevolence, righteousness, ritual propriety, filial piety and the cultivation of the exemplary person. Honored as the "Teacher of Ten Thousand Generations," he shaped education, ethics and family life across East Asia for more than two thousand years.