Confucius

Confucius (c. 551-479 B.C.) was a Chinese philosopher and educator of the Spring and Autumn period, and the founder and main representative of the Confucian school of thought. Confucius started the tradition of private teaching, which broke the nobility's monopoly of knowledge. He reportedly had over 3,000 disciples, of whom 72 were outstanding. Confucius toured around the states with some of his disciples for 14 years, and in his later life, he revised the Six Classics (Shi, Shu, Li, Yue, Yi and Chunqiu). After his death, his disciples and the disciples of his disciples collected and compiled their ideas and activities, which gave birth to the Analects, a key work for understanding the life and teachings of Confucius.

Confucius advocated restoring the rites of the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 B.C.). He also proposed a creative philosophical system with "benevolence" and "rites" at its core. "Benevolence" refers to an individual's inherent moral consciousness, with filial piety and brotherly respect as the starting point and foundation of family ethics; "rites" refer to a reasonable social order, which is the external manifestation of "benevolence". "Benevolence" and "rites" are basic principles that run through family, social, and political life.

Confucian thought and the classics he compiled have been constantly studied and interpreted by later generations. They have had a profound impact on the development of Chinese civilization for thousands of years, and have left an indelible footprint across East Asia and even in Europe. The most influential figure in the history of Chinese civilization, Confucius was revered in ancient times as the "Supreme Saint and First Teacher", and is seen in modern times as the icon of Chinese civilization.

孔子

孔子（約前551—前479），春秋末期著名思想家、教育家，儒家學派創始人和主要代表人物。孔子開創了私人講學的風氣，打破了貴族對知識的壟斷。據稱，孔子有3000 多名弟子，其中賢能者有72人。他曾帶領部分弟子周游列國14年，晚年親自修訂了“六經”。孔子去世后，他的弟子 和再傳弟子將孔子及其弟子的言行記錄下來，整理編成《論語》一書。這是了解孔子生平和思想的主要文獻。

孔子主張恢復周禮，創造性地提出了以“仁”和“禮”為核心的思想體系。“仁”指個體內在本有的道德意識，以家庭倫理中的“孝悌”為起點和基礎；“禮”則指一種合理的社會秩序，是“仁”的外在表現。“仁”與“禮”是貫通家庭、社會和政治生活的基本原則。

孔子的思想和他整理的典籍經過后世的不斷研習和闡釋，深刻影響了中華文明數千年的發展，并對東亞、東南亞乃至歐洲文明發展影響深遠。孔子也因此成為對中華文明影響最大的歷史人物，在古代被尊崇為“至圣先師”，成為代表中華文明的標志性人物。