Confucius

Name: Confucius
ISBN: 9787301305263

蒙培元Peking University Press · ChinaAug 2025

4.0

Word count: 607K words
Chapters: 49
ISBN: 9787301305263

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Summary

Confucius is a thinker who has been endlessly discussed and studied from antiquity to the present, and at the same time a thinker who resists definitive judgment. Even today his thought influences every aspect of Chinese culture, and Confucian culture, represented by Confucius, has made a distinctive contribution to the process of equal dialogue and mutual understanding between Western and other cultures. This book is an academic introduction to Confucius. Taking the Analects as its primary text and drawing on relevant historical records and existing scholarship, the author systematically presents Confucius's life and explains his main ideas—his learning of Heaven and humanity, the doctrine of benevolence, the doctrine of ritual, the theory of governance by virtue, his views on literature and art, and his educational thought—objectively and fairly introducing the immense contributions and scholarly achievements of Confucius as the founder of the Confucian school.

Editor's review

This book is an accessible scholarly introduction to Confucius by Mr. Meng Peiyuan, grounded in the Analects and informed by historical records and existing scholarship. It does not chase novelty or sensational claims; instead it systematically traces Confucius's life and core ideas—Heaven and humanity, benevolence, ritual, governance by virtue, literature and arts, and education—weaving scattered concepts from the classics into a coherent, intelligible thread. For general readers its value lies in offering a reliable entry path: they see Confucius whole as the founder of Confucianism and grasp how the parts of his thought connect. The author is objective and fair, affirming contributions while not shying from points in Confucius's thought that resist definitive judgment. It suits slow reading in a quiet setting, with the Analects at hand for comparison, turning a scholarly overview back into a felt encounter with the classics.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Confucius and Confucian culture who want a systematic introduction
Middle-school teachers and lower-division university students seeking a reliable scholarly introduction
Traditional-culture enthusiasts who want to understand Confucius as a whole thinker rather than through scattered maxims

Not a good fit for

Specialist researchers expecting new textual research or颠覆性 views
Readers who want only light stories and do not wish to engage with conceptual argument

Reading tips

Read the life section through first, then the chapters on benevolence, ritual, and Heaven and humanity in order to build an overall framework
Keep a copy of the Analects nearby and turn back to the original passages when they are discussed, to deepen understanding
After each chapter, summarize the key points in a few sentences to check whether you have truly grasped how the concepts relate

About the publisher

Peking University Press China · Founded in 1979

Peking University Press is a comprehensive university press whose publishing areas cover classical literature, popular science, social culture, world history, Western philosophy, and culture. Its catalogue contains 6,031 titles, with representative books including A Dream of Red Mansions, Relativity: The Special and General Theory (15th Edition) (with Einstein's classic papers on unified field theory and other topics), Elements, Conics, The Aristocratic Families of the Eastern Jin, The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume I), The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume II), and The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Representative authors include Cao Xueqin, Zhou Ruchang, Albert Einstein, Euclid, Apollonius, Tian Yuqing, Schelling, and Xian Gang. The press has developed distinctive strengths in classical Chinese literature and in the translation of Western philosophical classics, while also covering scientific classics and social and cultural studies. As public information is limited, this description is based only on the books in the catalogue and offers no further extrapolation.

版权信息
序
第一讲孔子评传
一、家庭背景
二、少年时代
三、勤奋学习
四、收徒讲学
五、从政仕鲁
六、周游列国
七、晚年生活
第二讲天人之学
一、天的意义
二、“性与天道”之说
三、存在与价值的统一
四、关于“知天命”
五、关于“畏天命”
第三讲仁的学说
一、仁如何贯通天人
二、仁与知
三、仁与礼
四、孝与忠恕
五、仁与生态
第四讲礼的学说
一、向往和谐统一的社会秩序
二、“正名”说
三、人文关怀
四、宗教精神
第五讲德治学说
一、“修己以安百姓”
二、主张“富民”，反对“聚敛”
三、主张“德化”，反对“刑罚”
四、“德性”与“德治”的关系
第六讲文艺思想
一、广义的艺术观
二、诗论
三、乐论
第七讲教育思想
一、教育理念
二、教育目的和原则
三、教育内容和要求
四、教育方法
第八讲历史地位
一、“百家争鸣”中的孔子
二、汉代宗教化中的孔子
三、儒、道、佛并存时期的孔子
四、宋明儒学中的孔子
五、近代变革中的孔子
六、改革开放中的孔子
后记

FAQ

Can I understand this book without a classical Chinese background?

Yes. This is an accessible scholarly work that explains Confucius's life and thought in modern Chinese; no prior classical training is required. Passages from the Analects are explained in context, so readers need only be patient and slow down at quotations. For a firmer grasp, keep an annotated edition of the Analects at hand for reference.

How is this different from an ordinary biography of Confucius?

An ordinary biography emphasizes personal story and historical background. This book takes the Analects as its primary text and focuses on systematically presenting the structure of Confucius's thought—Heaven and humanity, the doctrine of benevolence, the doctrine of ritual, governance by virtue, ideas on literature and arts, and educational thought. It introduces Confucius as a thinker, suited to readers who want to understand his conceptual system rather than only biographical anecdotes.

How can I go deeper after finishing it?

Return first to the Analects itself, reading chapters by theme; then, following the historical records and scholarship mentioned in the book, choose a more fully annotated edition of the Analects or a history of Confucian thought to continue. It is better not to plunge into abstruse textual criticism at the start; a gradual, step-by-step pace is more effective.

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About the author

蒙培元 Author

Meng Peiyuan is an author whose writing centers on Eastern philosophy, with a particular focus on the Confucian thinkers Mencius and Confucius. Public information about him is limited: his dates of birth and death, nationality, and educational background are not clearly documented, and only two works can be confirmed, namely Mencius and Confucius, with his titles classified under Eastern philosophy and general biography. Based on the available information, his writing is figure-centered, presenting philosophical thought within the life and historical context of each thinker and combining intellectual analysis with biographical narrative. His style is plain and clearly organized, making the books suitable for readers who wish to approach Confucian thought through its key figures. Spanning philosophy and biography, these works suggest a approach that lies between academic discussion and popular introduction, offering some reference value for making Confucian figures and their ideas more accessible.