1. Section 4 Notes

2.  Life during the Zhou times in China was very
chaotic with war and social changes disrupting the
old ways of life
 Confucius was born to a poor family in 551 BC and
became a teacher
 Two other teachers of the same time: Buddha in
India and Socrates in Greece
 His saying were written down in the Analects after
his death
 He developed a philosophy that was concerned
with worldly goals, especially how to ensure social
order and good government

4.  Confucius taught that harmony resulted when
people accepted their place in society
 He stressed five key relationships: father to
son, elder brother to younger brother,
husband to wife, ruler to subject, friend to
friend
 Superiors should care for their inferiors and
set a good example, while inferiors owed
loyalty and obedience to their superiors

5.  The highest duty according to Confucius was filial
piety---respect for parents
 Confucius believed that government leaders and
officials should be well educated
 Confucian ideas influenced every area of Chinese
life after his death
 The Confucian emphasis on filial piety bolstered
traditional customs such as reverence for
ancestors
 Spread to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam; close to a
third of the world’s population came under the
influence of his ideas

6. Hanfeizi created the idea of legalism
He taught that the “nature of man is evil
and his goodness is acquired”---greed was
the motive for most actions and the cause
of most conflict
Hanfeizi insisted that the only way to
achieve order was to pass strict laws and
impose harsh punishments

8. The founder of Daoism was Laozi
Wrote The Way of Virtue---had enormous
influence on Chinese life
Daoists sought to live in harmony with
nature
Focus on the Dao or “the way”
Believed the best government was the one
that governed the least

10. By 100 AD, missionaries and merchants
had spread Mahayana Buddhism from
India into China
Buddhism became popular especially
during times of crisis
Its great appeal was the promise of escape
from suffering
Offered the hope of eternal happiness
Through prayer, good works, and
devotion, anyone could gain salvation

11. Neither Daoism nor Confucianism
emphasized this idea of personal salvation
By 400 AD, Buddhism had spread
throughout China
Buddhism absorbed any Confucian and
Daoist traditions and Chinese Buddhist
monks stressed filial piety and honored
Confucius