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Biography · Noble People · 17 / 100

Confucius

551–479 BCE · Philosopher and teacher

Portrait of Confucius
Anonymous Chinese painter of the Western Han period · Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Bio

Chinese philosopher and teacher whose sayings, collected by followers in the Analects, centre on ethical conduct, family obligation, ritual propriety and learning. His thought became the organising framework of Chinese imperial administration and examination systems for roughly two millennia and shaped social and political life across East Asia, including Korea, Japan and Vietnam.