Confucianism

An ethic of virtue, ritual, and right relationship that ordered East Asian civilization.

c. 500 BCE → · East Asia · East Asian

More an ethical and social vision than a theistic religion, Confucianism teaches that harmony flows from cultivating virtue (ren), honoring ritual propriety (li), and fulfilling one's roles — above all filial piety. Rooted in the teachings of Confucius and elaborated by Mencius and later scholars, it shaped the governance, family life, and education of China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam for two millennia.

Key figures

• Confucius (Kongzi)
• Mencius
• The scholar-officials

Texts

• The Analects
• The Five Classics

Beliefs

• Ren — humaneness and virtue
• Li — ritual propriety and roles
• Filial piety and social harmony
• The Mandate of Heaven

Rituals

• Ancestral and Confucian rites
• Study and self-cultivation
• Ceremonies of respect

Grew from

• Chinese Folk Religion

Connections in the atlas

• Zhu Xi
• Qufu: Temple and Cemetery of Confucius
• Temple of Heaven, Beijing: cardinal north
• The Analects of Confucius
• Matteo Ricci into China
• Bagua (eight trigrams)
• Chinese astrology and the Five Phases
• The Koreans
• Where people lived
• ▶ The Axial Age
• Choe Je-u
• Temple of Heaven, Beijing