Editing Zhou dynasty (section)

====''Fengjian'' system and bureaucracy====
There were [[Chinese nobility#Peer ranks of the Zhou dynasty|five peerage ranks]] below the royal ranks, in descending order with common English translations: ''gōng'' 公 "duke", ''hóu'' 侯 "marquis", ''bó'' 伯 "count", ''zǐ'' 子 "viscount", and ''nán'' 男 "baron".<ref>ChinaKnowledge.de encyclopedia, [http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Zhou/zhou-admin.html] Alternatively, the sequence was translated as '''prince, lord, elder, master, chieftain''': Brooks 1997:3 n.9.</ref> At times, a vigorous duke would take power from his nobles and centralize the state. Centralization became more necessary as the states began to war among themselves and decentralization encouraged more war. If a duke took power from his nobles, the state would have to be administered bureaucratically by appointed officials.

Despite these similarities, there are a number of important differences from medieval Europe. One obvious difference is that the Zhou ruled from walled cities rather than castles. Another was China's distinct class system, which lacked an organized clergy but saw Shang-descent yeomen become masters of ritual and ceremony, as well as astronomy, state affairs and ancient canons, known as ''ru'' ({{lang|zh|儒}}).<ref>{{cite book |last=Rosenlee|first=Li-Hsiang Lisa  |title=Confucianism and Women: A Philosophical Interpretation |year=2012 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0-791-48179-0 |pages=21–24}}</ref> When a dukedom was centralized, these people would find employment as government officials or officers. These hereditary classes were similar to Western knights in status and breeding, but unlike the European equivalent, they were expected to be something of a scholar instead of a warrior. Being appointed, they could move from one state to another. Some would travel from state to state peddling schemes of administrative or military reform. Those who could not find employment would often end up teaching young men who aspired to official status. The most famous of these was [[Confucius]], who taught a system of mutual duty between superiors and inferiors. In contrast, the [[Legalism (Chinese philosophy)|Legalists]] had no time for Confucian virtue and advocated a system of strict laws and harsh punishments.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}