CONFUCIUS (552?–479 BCE), known in Chinese as Kong Qiu (also styled Zhongni); preeminent Chinese philosopher and teacher. The name Confucius is the Latin rendering of Kong Fuzi ("Master Kong"). Confucius was born in the small feudal state of Lu, near modern Qufu (Shandong Province). Little can be established about his life, forebears, or family, although legends, some of very early origin, are abundant and colorful. The biography in Sima Qian's Shi ji (Historical Annals, second century BCE) is unreliable. The Lunyu (Analects), a record of Confucius's conversations with his disciples, likely compiled in the third century BCE, is probably the best source, although here, too, apocryphal materials have crept in. The Analects may be supplemented by the Zuo zhuan, a commentary to the Chun qiu (Spring and Autumn Annals; also third century BCE), and by the Mengzi (Mencius; second century BCE).

In all these accounts, fact and legend are...