Confucius
Kong Qiu (Chinese: 孔丘; c. 551 – c. 479 BCE), generally known as Kongzi (孔子; lit. 'Master Kong') or Kong Fuzi (Chinese: 孔夫子) and commonly Latinized to Confucius, was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Confucius's teachings and philosophy underpin East Asian culture and society, and remain influential across China and East Asia to this day. His philosophical teachings, called Confucianism, emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, kindness, and sincerity, as well as an emphasis on a ruler's duty to their subjects.Confucius considered himself a transmitter for the values of earlier periods which he claimed had been abandoned in his time. The time immediately following Confucius's life saw a rich diversity of thought, and was a formative period in China's intellectual history.