Confucius

IPA/kənˈfjuː.ʃəs/
KK[kənfjˈuʃəs]IPA/kənˈfjuː.ʃəs/

Confucius — noun

1. an ancient Chinese thinker and teacher, born in 551 BCE, whose ideas about ethic

1.noun
Definition

an ancient Chinese thinker and teacher, born in 551 BCE, whose ideas about ethics, family, and good government shaped East Asian culture for over two thousand years

Example

Mei-Lin's grandmother often quoted Confucius when giving advice about family.

quoted Confucius — attribution pattern

Rashid wrote his university essay on the teachings of Confucius.

teachings of Confucius — common collocation

Common collocations
  • teachings of Confucius
  • sayings of Confucius
  • Confucius believed
  • according to Confucius

Common Mistakes

I read a quote from Confucious.
I read a quote from Confucius.
the name ends in -ius, not -ious.

Word family

Common collocations

Phrases

  • teachings of Confucius
  • sayings of Confucius
  • the wisdom of Confucius
  • Confucius once said
  • according to Confucius

Etymology

ChineseLatinEnglish

The name Confucius is the Latinised form of Kǒng Fūzǐ (孔夫子), meaning 'Master Kong'. Jesuit missionaries who arrived in China in the 16th century created this Latin version, which then passed into English and other European languages.