Confucius: A Life of Thought and Politics
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- Create Date：2021-05-15 08:54:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Annping Chin
- ISBN：0300151187
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Summary
For more than two thousand years， Confucius （551–479 B。C。） has been a fundamental part of China's history。 His influence as a moral thinker remains powerful to this day。 Yet despite his fame and the perennial interest in his life and teachings， Confucius the man has been elusive， and no definitive biography has emerged。 In this book， the scholar and writer Annping Chin negotiates centuries of reconstructions， guess-work， and numerous Chinese texts in order to establish an absorbing and original account of the thinker's life and legacy。 She shows with new insight how Confucius lived and thought， his habits and inclinations， his relation to his contemporaries， his work as a teacher and as a counsellor， his worries about the world and the generations to come。
Chin brings the historical Confucius within reach so that he can lead us into his idea of the moral and explain his timeless teachings on family and politics， culture and learning。 Confucius is the culmination of years of research， a book that makes an important and fascinating contribution to biography and Chinese history。
Chin brings the historical Confucius within reach so that he can lead us into his idea of the moral and explain his timeless teachings on family and politics， culture and learning。 Confucius is the culmination of years of research， a book that makes an important and fascinating contribution to biography and Chinese history。
Reviews
Aria
，
A bit confusing & dull。 Didn't hold my interest。 Dnf p。33。 A bit confusing & dull。 Didn't hold my interest。 Dnf p。33。 。。。more
Daniel Macgregor
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Annping manages to provide a good mix of actual historical facts with dialogue on the philosophy of Confucius and his followers to where both strengthen the other。 Can be a little dense of a readd at times， but otherwise informative and fills in the gaps that other texts that focus more on the philosophy do while relying on the most signficant primary and early secondary sources possible。
Dmitri
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Confucius lived in northeast China during 500 BC， prior to China's first unification under the Qin dynasty in 221 BC。 One may wonder what can really be known about anyone alive that long ago。 Quite a lot， due to a contemporary book about his teachings， 'The Analects'， the later 'Records of the Grand Historian' written in 100 BC by Sima Qian， and other texts in between。 Born a gentleman commoner， Confucius had no hereditary privileges other than a chance for an education。 In a time of aristocrati Confucius lived in northeast China during 500 BC， prior to China's first unification under the Qin dynasty in 221 BC。 One may wonder what can really be known about anyone alive that long ago。 Quite a lot， due to a contemporary book about his teachings， 'The Analects'， the later 'Records of the Grand Historian' written in 100 BC by Sima Qian， and other texts in between。 Born a gentleman commoner， Confucius had no hereditary privileges other than a chance for an education。 In a time of aristocratic dissipation， factional infighting and dynastic decline， he sought no less than to redefine the values of virtue， worth and nobility。His essential argument， now self evident， was achievement， ability and character instead of heredity should determine rank in society。 This was a school of thought shared by people of similar station， and looked down on by nobles for obvious reasons。 He furthered a notion the unscrupulous or incompetent should be demoted regardless of rank， a dangerous idea indeed。 It was a concept that would resonate far beyond his time， changing the course of China and world history。 This element is often lost in the more common perceptions of Confucian family loyalty， scholastic cultivation， social conservatism and the golden rule。An important outcome of his philosophy was the later institution of civil service， examination systems and the idea of meritocracy。 Imperfect in execution， it may have been one of the greatest human aspirations alongside that of western democracy。 Both are currently challenged by the still more ancient systems of privilege and prerogative。 While the author offers no anachronistic analogies， it is clear that many similar issues faced people 2500 years ago as do today。 This book is not a study of future effects and their causes however。 The focus of the text is concerned with the life and times of Confucius （Master Kong）。Chin recounts the familiar legends of Kong， his birth out of wedlock from a rustic rendezvous， and the loss of his father at two。 Exiled from a political career at 55， he gained a philosophical following and posthumous fame。 Kong chose a historical character， the Duke of Zhou， from the Autumn and Spring Annals （c。 1000 BC， 500 years earlier） to teach ethics。 The Duke， credited with writing the I Ching， was regent for a young prince after the king died。 He put down rebellions of nobles and relinquished power peacefully when the prince came of age。 Kong used the Duke as an example of loyalty， piety and governance he saw lacking in his day。The author Annping Chin is a senior history lecturer at Yale， married to Jonathan Spence， a prominent historian of modern China。 She is a native Chinese speaker， and recently translated the Analects。 The book is well written， intended perhaps for undergraduate students or general readers。 At just over 200 pages it's not an academic tome， but a good introduction。 The analysis of period politics seems somewhat facile， not uncommon for ancient history。 An option is to engage in dubious speculation， thankfully avoided here。 Nylan and Wilson's 'Lives of Confucius' follows Confucianism through later ages if you need more。 。。。more
Jerrodm
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Not an easy book for me to read， and another in the long-running segment of "Books Jerrod probably doesn't relate well to because he's not from that culture"。 I was looking for a historical account of the life of Confucius that would bring in some of the information about his historical period， and help me understand something more about China's history， culture and traditions。 I do feel like I got some of that， but I feel like there was a lot less contextualization than I would have liked。 Not Not an easy book for me to read， and another in the long-running segment of "Books Jerrod probably doesn't relate well to because he's not from that culture"。 I was looking for a historical account of the life of Confucius that would bring in some of the information about his historical period， and help me understand something more about China's history， culture and traditions。 I do feel like I got some of that， but I feel like there was a lot less contextualization than I would have liked。 Not that that's the author's obligation to me as a reader， but I felt like I didn't have much of a scaffolding on which to hang the story。Also， I have to say I was pretty unimpressed by the figure of Confucius generally。 For someone who is largely seen as the founder of one of the great world socio-religious （if not spiritual） traditions， Confucius seems not to have been a particularly influential person in his own time - indeed， he was basically a counselor to a regional potentate， and for a good chunk of his career was floating around as a kind of consigliere-at-large。 I also wasn't particularly taken by his teachings as they were highlighted in the book， though to be fair I don't think I have anything like a thorough understanding of what they were （that wasn't the main thrust of the book， which focused largely on his life）。 Two main Confucian themes that the author did return to again and again were 1） the importance of respect for and adherence to "the rites"， which I take to be a set of rituals focused on key events （sacrifices， burials， etc。）， and the relative nature of all acts - Confucius was not one to identify grand principles of ethics by which one could guide conduct。 That's as may be （I actually think always and never are pretty tough words when applied to ethics myself）， but his stance on any given ethical question largely seemed to be， "I'll look at the specifics， and then wing it。" That doesn't strike me as the basis for a society-ordering ethical structure。 Confucius in this book struck me as a rather traditionalist version of Machiavelli， minus about a thousand years。 （Again， it's likely I'm missing key info about his teachings。）I did not love the way the author structured the book， insofar as it presumes a lot of pre-existing knowledge about the structure of "Spring and Autumn" China， the period in which Confucius lived， which was about contemporaneous with the height of classical Greek culture I think？ Confucius traveled in relatively rarefied circles of power， but it was difficult for me to keep those power structures straight， in terms of the difference between king and emperor， and what levels of powers interacted and clashed with each other。 I'd guess that someone who grew up in China or had a deeper grounding in its history would find the book much easier to interpret - for me it was a challenge to keep the different actors referenced straight。As far as the philosophical school that rose up after Confucius， it seemed to me from this book that it was more due to the work of his disciples， most of whom appear to have written hundreds of years after him。 That's certainly not a knock on the system itself， since many other traditions （notably Christianity） have much the same character。 It's just interesting。So， I did learn some things about Confucius。 But I can't really say I enjoyed the book。 It did have the virtue of being relatively short， but since those are about the only good things I can say about it， it only gets two stars。 It didn't change the way I think about the world （one hopes a book about a philosopher and his teachings would）， and I can't say it really helped me to understand the culture and society that draws its inspiration from him much better。 Maybe there's a better book on Confucius out there for me。 This one was just OK。 。。。more
Alfhar MacGreager
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Realistic interpretation of Confucius far from the false image that has been bestowed upon him he is far from a mystic or a sage however a futilist slave driver with his own set of moral principle and dogma that is quite enslaving in itself metaphorically as the man was pro slavery and execution and in favor of bestowing "riches from heaven" however could not find his way to the ferry when scorned for asking by the villagers。 Had no means of toiling for himself at all。 I am much myself as Confuc Realistic interpretation of Confucius far from the false image that has been bestowed upon him he is far from a mystic or a sage however a futilist slave driver with his own set of moral principle and dogma that is quite enslaving in itself metaphorically as the man was pro slavery and execution and in favor of bestowing "riches from heaven" however could not find his way to the ferry when scorned for asking by the villagers。 Had no means of toiling for himself at all。 I am much myself as Confucius as we are all stuck in the slave society system。 Confucius， was one privileged and at times not so fortunate and privileged， resorting to the role of Diogenes poverty back to power when a slaving prince or governor of the region would be willing to take Confucius on。 It's more sad yet disillusioning learning the truth of people who seemed heroic or in the way saint like when they were all so ordinary for we are all in the gutters looking up at the cosmos what makes any of us different？ Nothing but Confucius is an example of sock puppet politicians and powers at be we have always had today but a milder archaic example of the aforementioned。 There needs to be more non biased accounts of real world history but it has been lost sullied and now is up for the interpretation of intellectual minds who can extrapolate the other details with intuitive reasoning。 。。。more
Willis
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This was a pretty dense coverage of Confucius and it is hard to follow without some previous knowledge of Chinese history and the man。 No gentle introduction and unlike many books the beginning was harder to get through than the ending。 The ending was much more about Confucius as a person while the beginning was a history of his times which was really difficult to follow。
Graham Bates
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The Authentic Confucius a Life of Thought and Politics provides a narrative view of the life of Confucius and his immediate disciples。 Annping Chin presents a compelling， humanizing tale of Confucius' life from his tragic loss of his father at three， through his ups and downs as a professional， to the last days of his life。 An interesting read that is a break from the mostly-dry tomes of other introductions。 The Authentic Confucius a Life of Thought and Politics provides a narrative view of the life of Confucius and his immediate disciples。 Annping Chin presents a compelling， humanizing tale of Confucius' life from his tragic loss of his father at three， through his ups and downs as a professional， to the last days of his life。 An interesting read that is a break from the mostly-dry tomes of other introductions。 。。。more
Margaret Sankey
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Chin attempts， using recently recovered ancient fragments of manuscripts， as well as the traditional compilations of the Analects， to reconstruct the political and social world of Confucius。 This is in many ways a work of historiography--at what point were certain anecdotes embroidered upon， edited or added entirely， and for what reason？ It is also fascinating to see how a man very much of his time and place became a timeless political philosopher。
Jane Jimenez
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It's an interesting book， but I just can't seem to really read through the whole book。 I just browse and read a page or two now and then。 It's an interesting book， but I just can't seem to really read through the whole book。 I just browse and read a page or two now and then。 。。。more
Don
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The legacy of Confucius （Kong Fuzi， 孔夫子） permeates the cultures of China， Japan， Korea， and Vietnam。 However influential his teachings have been， Confucius the man has been obscured for millennia。 Using the earliest source materials as her basis – the Analects and the Zuo Commentary – the author unravels the myth and embellishment to give us a portrait of the man and his times。 This is an engrossing look at the cultural morals and political intrigue of the late Spring and Autumn period of the Zh The legacy of Confucius （Kong Fuzi， 孔夫子） permeates the cultures of China， Japan， Korea， and Vietnam。 However influential his teachings have been， Confucius the man has been obscured for millennia。 Using the earliest source materials as her basis – the Analects and the Zuo Commentary – the author unravels the myth and embellishment to give us a portrait of the man and his times。 This is an engrossing look at the cultural morals and political intrigue of the late Spring and Autumn period of the Zhou Dynasty， an era in many ways not unlike our own。 。。。more
John David
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With the ascendancy of New Age religion and metaphysics， if one can even bear to grace them those names， it has been increasingly difficult to discern the scholarly from the hogwash， the learned from the those whose aimless spirits are drawn to the next universal panacea。 The problem is only compounded when we see the convergence of these ideas with those in Buddhism， Hinduism， and other Asian traditions。 Thankfully， Annping Chin provides us with a carefully thought out perspective， a deep rever With the ascendancy of New Age religion and metaphysics， if one can even bear to grace them those names， it has been increasingly difficult to discern the scholarly from the hogwash， the learned from the those whose aimless spirits are drawn to the next universal panacea。 The problem is only compounded when we see the convergence of these ideas with those in Buddhism， Hinduism， and other Asian traditions。 Thankfully， Annping Chin provides us with a carefully thought out perspective， a deep reverence for the history of both China and Confucius’ life in particular， and the much-appreciated scholarly credentials。 After studying mathematics， she received her Ph。D。 in Chinese Thought from Columbia， and has taught at both Wesleyan and Yale。 Her husband， renowned author and sinologist Jonathan Spence， who is also at Yale， wrote one of my favorite books， “The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci。” （Incidentally， Ricci， a sixteenth-century Italian Jesuit priest， was the first to Latinize Confucius’ name from the original Chinese Kung Fuzi， and would also later translate much of the Confucian corpus into Latin。） Chin does a sublime job at contextualizing Confucius’ political thought。 He was born in the time commonly referred to as the Spring and Autumn period， spanning some three-and-a-half centuries， when China was in a state of existential crisis， riven by familial conflict and discord。 Matters came to such a head that he spent 14 years， from 497 to 484 B。 C。， in exile passing from feudal state to feudal state。 Only later does he return to his home state of Lu as a reluctant political advisor。 In such a mess， the principle concerns of Confucius’ thought make much more sense。 In emphasizing the rites， customs， and social mores that he saw as the fabric of Chinese society， he thought that he could restore order， propriety， and that piety that had been lost in all of the fighting。 These inherently conservative ideas （in the purest sense of the word） were utterly essential to work one’s way into Chinese civil service up until the end of the Qian Dynasty， which fell in 1912 （with a moribund resurgence five years later）。 While that is no longer the case， the ripples of his influence are still very noticeable Chinese culture。Ping’s ability to marshal the gaps in ancient Confucian historiography is just as remarkable。 Her primary sources are small in number， almost wholly limited to the Analects， the Zuo Zhuan， and Sima Qian’s biography， all of which date anywhere from one hundred to five hundred years after the Confucius’ death。 The hagiographic nature of a lot of these materials， especially those written by his students， makes painting an accurate portrait even more difficult。 Ping uses these sources not only to create a biography， but to provide illustrative vignettes that shed a lot of insight into what Confucius considered the most important in both the individual and the state。This is a highly reliable introduction to the history， thought， and influence of Confucius， all couched nicely within the political context he was continually at odds with， and should come highly recommended for anyone interested in the historical Confucius or the history of the Warring States period。 。。。more
Wan Peter
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"Their good points，I would try to emulate;their bad points，I would try to correct in myself"。 The chapter on 'teaching' is my most favourite topic。 This book has all the ingredient that Confucius teaches related by the author。 She constructed the history so well that I cannot find any story telling that was hyperbolized。 "Their good points，I would try to emulate;their bad points，I would try to correct in myself"。 The chapter on 'teaching' is my most favourite topic。 This book has all the ingredient that Confucius teaches related by the author。 She constructed the history so well that I cannot find any story telling that was hyperbolized。 。。。more
Mike
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