Confucius
With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my crooked arm for a pillow - is not joy to be found therein? Riches and honors acquired through unrighteousness are to me as the floating clouds. –Confucius
Confucius was born KÇ’ng QiÅ« (in pinyin) in the Shandong Province of China around 550 BC. Legend has it that he came from a rich family that had fallen on hard times, and spent most of his life working various tradesman jobs. In later life he began speaking, teaching, and traveling widely in China, espousing his philosophy. At that time he began to be called KÇ’ng FÅ«zÇ, “Master KÇ’ng” (note the zÇ element, which is identical with the zÇ in LaozÇ (Lao Tzu), “Old Master”).
His writings came to the attention of the West in the 1600’s through Jesuit translations of Chinese works into Latin. KÇ’ng FÅ«zÇ was Latinized as Confucius.
The original Chinese KÇ’ng is a common family name, one which, like English king, is a container of energy — “k” is a container, and “ng” is too, but one that is more active in gathering energy to itself. The word FÅ«zÇ “master”, which combines zÇ with a somewhat obsolete prefix fÅ«, has a sense of directed control, and one that derives from the free action of the master (”f”). Together, the names suggest a master of contained energy.
