Editing Confucius (section)

==Legacy==
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2018}}
[[File:Louvre Conseil Etat Confucius.jpg|thumb|Confucius together with [[Moses]] and [[Muhammad]] among the greatest legislators of the past, by [[Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse]] (1827), [[Louvre Palace]]]]

Confucius's teachings were later turned into an elaborate set of rules and practices by his numerous disciples and followers, who organized his teachings into the ''Analects''.{{sfn|Knechtges|Shih|2010|p=645}}{{sfn|Kim|Csikszentmihalyi|2010|p=25}} Confucius's disciples and his only grandson, [[Zisi]], continued his philosophical school after his death.<ref>{{cite book|title=Focusing the Familiar: A Translation and Philosophical Interpretation of the Zhongyong|last1=Ames| first1=Roger T.|author1-link =Roger T. Ames | first2= David L. | last2=Hall|publisher=University of Hawai'i Press|year=2001|isbn=978-0-8248-2460-0|page=132}}</ref> These efforts spread Confucian ideals to students who then became officials in many of the royal courts in China, thereby giving Confucianism the first wide-scale test of its [[dogma]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Dubs |first=Homer H.|author-link =Homer H. Dubs|date=1938 |title=The Victory of Han Confucianism |jstor=594608 |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=435–449 |doi=10.2307/594608 }}</ref>

Two of Confucius's most famous later followers emphasized radically different aspects of his teachings. In the centuries after his death, [[Mencius]] ({{lang|zh|孟子}}) and [[Xun Kuang|Xunzi]] ({{lang|zh|荀子}}) both composed important teachings elaborating in different ways on the fundamental ideas associated with Confucius. [[Mencius]] ({{BCE|4th century}}) articulated the innate goodness in human beings as a source of the ethical intuitions that guide people towards ''[[Ren (philosophy)|rén]]'', ''yì'', and ''[[Li (Confucianism)|lǐ]]'', while Xunzi ({{BCE|3rd century}}) underscored the realistic and materialistic aspects of Confucian thought, stressing that morality was inculcated in society through tradition and in individuals through training. In time, their writings, together with the ''Analects'' and other core texts came to constitute [[Four Books and Five Classics|the philosophical corpus of Confucianism]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-20 |title=Confucianism |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/confucianism |access-date=2023-04-30 |website= |publisher=[[National Geographic Society]] |language=en |archive-date=2023-05-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501010407/https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/confucianism/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=June 2024}}

This realignment in Confucian thought was parallel to the development of [[Legalism (Chinese philosophy)|Legalism]], which held that humanity and righteousness were not sufficient in government, and that rulers should instead rely on statecrafts, punishments, and law.{{Sfn|Chan|1969|p=22, 252–259}} A disagreement between these two political philosophies came to a head in {{BCE|223}} when the [[Qin (state)|Qin state]] conquered all of China. [[Li Si]], Prime Minister of the [[Qin dynasty]], convinced [[Qin Shi Huang]] to abandon the Confucians' recommendation of awarding fiefs akin to the [[Zhou dynasty]] before them which he saw as being against to the Legalist idea of centralizing the state around the ruler.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} {{anachronism inline|date=June 2024|reason= Neither of these schools had names as such nor clear delineation at this point}}

Under the succeeding [[Han dynasty|Han]] and [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] dynasties, Confucian ideas gained even more widespread prominence. Under [[Emperor Wu of Han]],  the [[Four Books and Five Classics#Five Classics|works attributed to Confucius]] were made the official imperial philosophy and required reading for civil service examinations in {{BCE|140}} which was continued nearly unbroken until the end of the 19th century. As [[Mohism]] lost support by the time of the Han, the main philosophical contenders were Legalism, which Confucian thought somewhat absorbed, the teachings of [[Laozi]], whose focus on more spiritual ideas kept it from direct conflict with Confucianism, and the new [[Buddhist]] religion, which gained acceptance during the [[Southern and Northern Dynasties]] era. Both Confucian ideas and Confucian-trained officials were relied upon in the [[Ming dynasty]] and even the [[Yuan dynasty]], although [[Kublai Khan]] distrusted handing over provincial control to them.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

During the [[Song dynasty]], Confucianism was revitalized in a movement known as Neo-Confucianism. Neo-Confucianism was a revival of Confucianism that expanded on classical theories by incorporating metaphysics and new approaches to self-cultivation and enlightenment, influenced by Buddhism and Daoism.{{Sfn|Oldstone-Moore|2003|p=18}} The most renowned scholar of this period was [[Zhu Xi]]. There are clear Buddhist and Daoist influences in the Neo-Confucian advocacy of "quiet sitting" (meditation) as a technique of self-cultivation that leads to transformative experiences of insight."{{Sfn|Oldstone-Moore|2023|p=153}} In his life, Zhu Xi was largely ignored, but not long after his death, his ideas became the new orthodox view of what Confucian texts actually meant.{{sfn|Gardner|2014|p=70}} Modern historians view Zhu Xi as having created something rather different and call his way of thinking ''[[Neo-Confucianism]]''. Neo-Confucianism held sway in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam until the 19th century.{{Sfn|Van Norden|2011|p=86}}

[[File:LifeAndWorksOfConfucius1687.jpg|thumb|''Confucius, Philosopher of the Chinese'', published by [[Jesuit China missions|Jesuit missionaries]] at Paris in 1687]]
The works of Confucius were first translated into European languages by [[Jesuit China missions|Jesuit missionaries]] in the 16th century during the late [[Ming dynasty]]. The first known effort was by [[Michele Ruggieri]], who returned to Italy in 1588 and carried on his translations while residing in [[Salerno]]. [[Matteo Ricci]] started to report on the thoughts of Confucius, and a team of Jesuits—[[Prospero Intorcetta]], [[Philippe Couplet]], and two others—published a translation of several [[Confucian canon|Confucian works]] and an overview of [[history of China|Chinese history]] in Paris in 1687.<ref>{{citation |url=https://archive.org/stream/confuciussinarum00conf_0#page/n5/mode/2up |title=Confucius Sinarum Philosophus, sive, Scientia Sinensis Latine Exposita ''[''Confucius, Philosopher of the Chinese, or, Chinese Knowledge Explained in Latin'']'' |editor-last=Intorcetta |editor-first=Prospero |editor2=Philippe Couplet |editor3=Chrétien Herdtrich |editor4=François Rougemont |display-editors=1 |ref={{harvid|Intorcetta & al.|1687}} |date=1687 |location=Paris |publisher=Daniel Horthemels }}. {{in lang|la}}</ref><ref name=parker77-25>{{harvnb|Parker|1977|loc=25}}.</ref> [[François Noël (missionary)|François Noël]], after failing to persuade [[Pope Clement XI|Clement{{nbsp}}XI]] that [[Chinese ancestral veneration|Chinese veneration of ancestors]] and [[Confucianism|Confucius]] [[Chinese Rites controversy|did not constitute idolatry]], completed the Confucian canon at [[Prague]] in 1711, with more scholarly treatments of the other works and the first translation of the [[Mengzi (book)|collected works]] of [[Mencius]].<ref>{{citation |editor-last=Noël |editor-first=François |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0K0bjBLmMYC |title=Sinensis Imperii Libri Classici Sex ''[''The Six Classic Books of the Chinese Empire'']'' |location=Prague |publisher=Charles-Ferdinand University Press |date=1711 |access-date=2020-05-13 |archive-date=2020-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714131444/https://books.google.com/books?id=A0K0bjBLmMYC |url-status=live }}. {{in lang|la}}</ref> It is thought that such works had considerable importance on European thinkers of the period, particularly among the [[Deists]] and other philosophical groups of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] who were interested by the integration of the system of morality of Confucius into [[western world|Western civilization]].<ref name=parker77-25 />{{sfn|Hobson|2004|pp=194–195}}

In the modern era Confucian movements, such as [[New Confucianism]], still exist, but during the [[Cultural Revolution]], Confucianism was frequently attacked by leading figures in the [[Chinese Communist Party]]. This was partially a continuation of the condemnations of Confucianism by intellectuals and activists in the early 20th century as a cause of the ethnocentric close-mindedness and refusal of the [[Qing dynasty]] to modernize that led to the tragedies that befell China in the 19th century.{{Sfn|Van Norden|2011|pp=214–216}}

Confucius's works are studied by scholars in many other Asian countries, particularly those in the [[Chinese cultural sphere]], such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Many of those countries still hold the traditional memorial ceremony every year.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Among [[Tibetans]], Confucius is often worshipped as a holy king and master of magic, divination and astrology. [[Tibetan Buddhists]] see him as learning divination from the Buddha [[Manjushri]] (and that knowledge subsequently reaching Tibet through [[Princess Wencheng]]), while [[Bon]] practitioners see him as being a reincarnation of [[Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche]], the legendary founder of Bon.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lin|first=Shen-yu|title=The Tibetan Image of Confucius|journal=Revue d'Études Tibétaines|year=2005|number=12|pages=105–129|url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ret/pdf/ret_12_07.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913230941/http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ret/pdf/ret_12_07.pdf|archive-date=13 September 2017}}</ref>

The [[Ahmadiyya]] believes Confucius was a [[Prophets of Islam|Divine Prophet]] of God, as were [[Lao-Tzu]] and other eminent Chinese personages.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ahmad|n.d.|loc=[http://www.alislam.org/library/books/revelation/part_2_section_3.html online]}}.</ref>

According to the [[Siddhar]] tradition of [[Tamil Nadu]], Confucius is one of the 18 esteemed [[Siddhar]]s of yore, and is better known as [[Kalangi Nathar]] or Kamalamuni.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SHAKING THE TREE: Kundalini Yoga, Spiritual Alchemy, & the Mysteries of the Breath in Bhogar's 7000 |url=https://www.alchemywebsite.com/bhogar3.html |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=www.alchemywebsite.com |archive-date=2023-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414135003/https://www.alchemywebsite.com/bhogar3.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kamala Muni Siddhar @ Kalangi Nathar @ Kanja Malai Siddhar 5.1 |url=https://www.mail-archive.com/thatha_patty@googlegroups.com/msg10214.html |access-date=2023-05-30 |website=www.mail-archive.com |archive-date=2023-05-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530131831/https://www.mail-archive.com/thatha_patty@googlegroups.com/msg10214.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis |author= R. N. Hema |date= December 2019 |title= Biography of the 18 Siddhars |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338534110 |publisher= National Institute of Siddha |access-date= 2023-06-02 |archive-date= 2023-05-16 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230516054945/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338534110_BIOGRAPHY_OF_18_SIDDHARS |url-status= live }}</ref> The [[Thyagaraja Temple, Tiruvarur|Thyagaraja Temple]] in [[Thiruvarur]], Tamil Nadu is home to his [[Jiva|Jeeva]] [[Samadhi]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=18 Siddhars |url=https://soonyata.home.xs4all.nl/18siddhars.htm |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=www.satsang-darshan.com |archive-date=2023-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512081309/https://soonyata.home.xs4all.nl/18siddhars.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In modern times, [[7853 Confucius|Asteroid 7853]], "Confucius", was named after the Chinese thinker.<ref>[https://minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=7853IAU IAU Minor Planet Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121173846/https://minorplanetcenter.net/db_search |date=2022-01-21 }}. ''International Astronomical Union Minor Planet Center''. Accessed 12 September 2018.</ref>

===Teaching and Disciples===
{{main|Disciples of Confucius}}Confucius was regarded as the first teacher who advocated for public welfare and the spread of education in China.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fung |first=Yu-lan |title=A short history of Chinese philosophy: a systematic account of Chinese thought from its origins to present day |publisher=The Free Press |year=1948 |isbn=978-0-684-83634-8 |editor-last=Bodde |editor-first=Derk |location=New York |page=48 |author-mask= Feng Youlan | author-link= Feng Youlan | editor-link= Derk Bodde}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Y. |first=L. S. |date=1949 |title=Review of Confucius, The Man and The Myth |journal=Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies |volume=12 |issue=3/4 |pages=537–540 |doi=10.2307/2718104 |jstor=2718104 |issn=0073-0548}}</ref> Confucius devoted his entire life, from a relatively young age, to teaching. He pioneered private education adopting a curriculum known as the [[Six Arts]], aimed at making education accessible to all social classes, and believed in its power to cultivate character rather than merely vocational skills. Confucius not only made teaching his profession but also contributed to the development of a distinct class of professionals in ancient China—the gentlemen who were neither farmers, artisans, merchants, nor officials but instead dedicated themselves to teaching and potential government service.{{sfn|Chan|1969|p=17}}{{sfn|Fung|1952|pp=47-49}}[[File:The Classic of Filial Piety (開宗明義章 畫).jpg|thumb|[[Zengzi]] (right) kneeling before Confucius (center), as depicted in a painting from the ''Illustrations of the [[Classic of Filial Piety]]'', [[Song dynasty]]]]

Confucius began teaching after he turned 30, and taught more than 3,000 students in his life, about 70 of whom were considered outstanding. His disciples and the early Confucian community they formed became the most influential intellectual force in the [[Warring States period]].{{sfn|Shen|2013|p=86}} The [[Han dynasty]] historian [[Sima Qian]] dedicated a chapter in his ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'' to the biographies of Confucius's disciples, accounting for the influence they exerted in their time and afterward. Sima Qian recorded the names of 77 disciples in his collective biography, while ''[[Kongzi Jiayu]]'', another early source, records 76, not completely overlapping. The two sources together yield the names of 96 disciples.{{sfn|Shen|2013|p=87}} Twenty-two of them are mentioned in the ''[[Analects]]'', while the ''[[Mencius (book)|Mencius]]'' records 24.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=30}}

Confucius did not charge any tuition, and only requested a symbolic gift of a bundle of dried meat from any prospective student. According to his disciple [[Duanmu Ci|Zigong]], his master treated students like doctors treated patients and did not turn anybody away.{{sfn|Shen|2013|p=87}} Most of them came from [[Lu (state)|Lu]], Confucius's home state, with 43 recorded, but he accepted students from all over China, with six from the state of [[Wey (state)|Wey]] (such as Zigong), three from [[Qin (state)|Qin]], two each from [[Chen (state)|Chen]] and [[Qi (state)|Qi]], and one each from [[Cai (state)|Cai]], [[Chu (state)|Chu]], and [[Song (state)|Song]].{{sfn|Shen|2013|p=87}} Confucius considered his students' personal background irrelevant, and accepted noblemen, commoners, and even former criminals such as Yan Zhuoju and [[Gongye Chang]].{{sfn|Shen|2013|p=88}} His disciples from richer families would pay a sum commensurate with their wealth which was considered a ritual donation.{{sfn|Shen|2013|p=87}}

Confucius's favorite disciple was [[Yan Hui]], most probably one of the most impoverished of them all.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=30}} Sima Niu, in contrast to Yan Hui, was from a hereditary noble family hailing from the Song state.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=30}} Under Confucius's teachings, the disciples became well learned in the principles and methods of government.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=32}} He often engaged in discussion and debate with his students and gave high importance to their studies in history, poetry, and ritual.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=32}} Confucius advocated loyalty to principle rather than to individual acumen, in which reform was to be achieved by persuasion rather than violence.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=32}} Even though Confucius denounced them for their practices, the aristocracy was likely attracted to the idea of having trustworthy officials who were studied in morals as the circumstances of the time made it desirable.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=32}} In fact, the disciple [[Zhong You|Zilu]] even died defending his ruler in [[Wey (state)|Wey]].{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=32}}

Yang Hu, who was a subordinate of the [[Ji (Zhou dynasty ancestral surname)|Ji family]], had dominated the Lu government from 505 to 502 and even attempted a coup, which narrowly failed.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=32}} As a likely consequence, it was after this that the first disciples of Confucius were appointed to government positions.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=32}} A few of Confucius's disciples went on to attain official positions of some importance, some of which were arranged by Confucius.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=31}} By the time Confucius was 50 years old, the Ji family had consolidated their power in the Lu state over the ruling ducal house.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=33}} Even though the Ji family had practices with which Confucius disagreed and disapproved, they nonetheless gave Confucius's disciples many opportunities for employment.{{sfn|Creel|1949|p=33}} Confucius continued to remind his disciples to stay true to their principles and renounced those who did not, all the while being openly critical of the Ji family.{{sfn|Creel|1949|pp=32–33}}

===In the West===
The influence of Confucius has been observed on multiple [[Western philosophy|Western thinkers]], including [[Niels Bohr]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Allinson|first=Robert E.|title=Complementarity as a Model for Eastwest Integrative Philosophy |url=https://philarchive.org/archive/ROBCAA-5v1|date=December 1998}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Christianity and Confucianism: Culture, Faith and Politics|date=2020|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xKYFEAAAQBAJ&q=niels+bohr+confucius+schiller+only+wholeness+leads+to+clarity&pg=PA382|location=London, England|page=382|isbn=9780567657688|access-date=2021-05-03|archive-date=2021-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809162059/https://books.google.com/books?id=xKYFEAAAQBAJ&q=niels+bohr+confucius+schiller+only+wholeness+leads+to+clarity&pg=PA382|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Holton|first=Gerald|title=Niels Bohr and the Integrity of Science: Integrity in science involves not merely the avoidance of dishonorable behavior but also some principles of action that are exemplified in the life and work of Niels Bohr|journal=American Scientist|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27854096|date=June 1986|volume=74|issue=3|pages=237–243|jstor=27854096|access-date=2021-04-12|archive-date=2021-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809161834/https://www.jstor.org/stable/27854096|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Benjamin Franklin]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wang|first=Dave|title=Benjamin Franklin and China|url=http://www.benfranklin300.org/_etc_pdf/franklinchina.pdf|access-date=2021-04-11|archive-date=2021-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411003104/http://www.benfranklin300.org/_etc_pdf/franklinchina.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hornung|first=Alfred|title=Confucius and Benjamin Franklin: Chinese Ideas in the Foundation of the United States|url=https://owllife.kennesaw.edu/event/2893541|date=November 2018|access-date=2021-04-11|archive-date=2021-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411003104/https://owllife.kennesaw.edu/event/2893541|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Confucius and Benjamin Franklin|url=https://larouchepub.com/eiw/public/2017/eirv44n17-20170428/33-34_4417.pdf|date=2017-04-28|access-date=2021-04-11|archive-date=2021-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725073702/https://larouchepub.com/eiw/public/2017/eirv44n17-20170428/33-34_4417.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Allen Ginsberg]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ginsberg and China|url=https://allenginsberg.org/2017/09/s-s-9/|date=9 September 2017|access-date=12 April 2021|archive-date=12 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412010951/https://allenginsberg.org/2017/09/s-s-9/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jackson|first=Brian|title=Modernist Looking: Surreal Impressions in the Poetry of Allen Ginsberg|journal=Texas Studies in Literature and Language|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40928069|date=September 2010|volume=52|issue=3|pages=298–323|doi=10.1353/tsl.2010.0003|jstor=40928069|s2cid=162063608|access-date=2021-04-12|archive-date=2021-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809161613/https://www.jstor.org/stable/40928069|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Chan|first=Tsz Shan|title=Visions of Enlightenment: Aspects of Buddhism in Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48550408.pdf|date=January 2011|access-date=2021-04-12|archive-date=2021-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412010948/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48550408.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Thomas Jefferson]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Burstein|first=Andrew|title=Review: Jefferson in Confucian Relief|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25096753|date=October 2007|jstor=25096753|journal=[[William and Mary Quarterly]]|access-date=2021-04-12|archive-date=2021-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809161930/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25096753|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Confucius influenced America's founding fathers: scholar|url=http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2017-09/26/content_41649958.htm|date=2017-09-26|access-date=2021-04-12|archive-date=2021-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809161834/http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2017-09/26/content_41649958.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Thompson|first=Kirill|title=Traditional Chinese Concepts and 17th–18th Century Enlightenment Ideals: Reflections on the IHS Conference on Freedom, Equality, Democracy, and the Rise of Market Economy, October 2015|url=http://homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~ntuihs/10publications02_3806kirill.htm|date=October 2015|access-date=2021-01-01|archive-date=2021-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412010950/http://homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~ntuihs/10publications02_3806kirill.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz]], [[Robert Cummings Neville]], [[Alexander Pope]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Warburton|first=William|title=The works of Alexander Pope ... With notes by Dr. Warburton, and illustrations on steel by eminent artists. From designs by Weigall, Heath, & others.|url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=moa&cc=moa&view=text&rgn=main&idno=ABJ8179.0001.001|date=1779|access-date=2021-04-11|archive-date=2022-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121173839/https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=moa&cc=moa&view=text&rgn=main&idno=ABJ8179.0001.001|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Feng|first=Dong|title=The Great Harmony: An Essay on Man and Confucianism|url=https://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/86514/1/2(1)p53-97.pdf|date=December 2008|access-date=2021-04-11|archive-date=2021-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411181331/https://nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/86514/1/2(1)p53-97.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ezra Pound]], [[François Quesnay]], [[Friedrich Schiller]],<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Danton|first=George|title=Schiller and Confucius|journal=The German Quarterly|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/400763|date=November 1943|volume=16|issue=4|pages=173–182|doi=10.2307/400763|jstor=400763|access-date=2021-04-12|archive-date=2021-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809161803/https://www.jstor.org/stable/400763|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Schiller|first=Friedrich|title=Proverbs of Confucius|journal=The Open Court|url=https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ocj/vol1905/iss5/9/|date=2010-11-18|volume=1905|issue=5|access-date=2021-04-12|archive-date=2021-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412010950/https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ocj/vol1905/iss5/9/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Von Schiller|first=Johann Christian Friedrich|title=Proverbs of Confucius|url=https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/proverbs-confucius-1access=date-2021-03-02}}{{Dead link|date=May 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Voltaire]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=China, the Confucian Ideal, and the European Age of Enlightenment|url=https://moodle2.units.it/pluginfile.php/198219/mod_resource/content/1/Davis_China%2C%20the%20Confucian%20Ideal%2C%20and%20the%20European%20Age%20of%20Enlightenment_JHI_1983.pdf|date=December 1983|access-date=2021-04-10|archive-date=2021-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410160144/https://moodle2.units.it/pluginfile.php/198219/mod_resource/content/1/Davis_China,%20the%20Confucian%20Ideal,%20and%20the%20European%20Age%20of%20Enlightenment_JHI_1983.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rowbotham|first=Arnold H.|title=Voltaire, Sinophile|journal=PMLA|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/457929|date=December 1932|volume=47|issue=4|pages=1050–1065|doi=10.2307/457929|jstor=457929|s2cid=251028175 |access-date=2021-04-10|archive-date=2021-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503044603/https://www.jstor.org/stable/457929|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bailey|first=Paul|title=Voltaire and Confucius: French attitudes towards China in the early twentieth century|journal=History of European Ideas|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/019165999290168C|date=2002-07-19|volume=14|issue=6|pages=817–837|doi=10.1016/0191-6599(92)90168-C|access-date=2021-04-10|archive-date=2021-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410160142/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/019165999290168C|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Christian Wolff (philosopher)|Christian Wolff]].

===Visual portraits===
[[File:孔子聖蹟圖.png|thumb|Portrait by [[Qiu Ying]] (1494–1552), [[Ming dynasty]]]] 
No contemporary painting or sculpture of Confucius survives, and it was only during the [[Han dynasty]] that he was portrayed visually. Carvings often depict his legendary meeting with [[Laozi]]. Since that time there have been many portraits of Confucius as the ideal philosopher. An early verbal portrayal of Confucius is found in the chapter "External Things" ({{zh|labels=no|c=外物|p=Wàiwù}}) of the book ''[[Zhuangzi (book)|Zhuangzi]]'' ({{zh|labels=no|c=莊子|p=Zhuāngzǐ}}), finished in about 3rd BCE, long after Confucius's death.<ref>''Zhuangzi'', "External Things". [https://ctext.org/zhuangzi/what-comes-from-without#n2947 Chinese original] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011205422/https://ctext.org/zhuangzi/what-comes-from-without#n2947 |date=2022-10-11 }}: 「老萊子之弟子出薪，遇仲尼，反以告曰： 『有人於彼，'''修上而趨下，末僂而後耳，'''視若營四海，不知其誰氏之子。 』老萊子曰：『 是丘也，召而來！』」. [[Burton Watson]]'s [https://terebess.hu/english/chuangtzu3.html#26 translation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027094515/https://terebess.hu/english/chuangtzu3.html#26 |date=2022-10-27 }}: "A disciple of Lao Lai-tzu was out gathering firewood when he happened to meet Confucius. He returned and reported, 'There's a man over there '''with a long body and short legs, his back a little humped and his ears set way back''', who looks as though he were trying to attend to everything within the four seas. I don't know who it can be.' Lao Lai-tzu said, 'That's Kung Ch'iu. Tell him to come over here!'"</ref> The oldest known portrait of Confucius has been unearthed in the tomb of the [[Han dynasty]] ruler [[Marquis of Haihun]] (died {{BCE|59}}). The picture was painted on the wooden frame to a polished bronze mirror.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kaogu.cn/en/News/New_discoveries/2017/0221/57185.html |title=Confucius depicted on mirror |language=en |website=The Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences |access-date=22 February 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222200723/http://www.kaogu.cn/en/News/New_discoveries/2017/0221/57185.html |archive-date=22 February 2017 }}</ref>

In former times, it was customary to have a portrait in [[Temple of Confucius|Confucius Temples]]; however, during the reign of [[Hongwu Emperor]] (Taizu) of the [[Ming dynasty]], it was decided that the only proper portrait of Confucius should be in the [[Temple of Confucius, Qufu|temple]] in his home town, [[Qufu]] in Shandong. In other temples, Confucius is represented by a memorial tablet. In 2006, the China Confucius Foundation commissioned a standard portrait of Confucius based on the [[Tang dynasty]] portrait by [[Wu Daozi]].

The South Wall [[Frieze]] in the courtroom of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] depicts Confucius as a teacher of harmony, learning, and virtue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/northandsouthwalls.pdf|title=US Supreme Court Courtroom Friezes|access-date=19 February 2019|archive-date=13 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713031226/https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/northandsouthwalls.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Fictional portrayals===
There have been two film adaptations of Confucius' life: the 1940 film [[Confucius (1940 film)|''Confucius'']] starring Tang Huaiqiu,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1616538/ |title=Kong Fuzi |publisher=[[IMDb]] }}</ref> and the 2010 film [[Confucius (2010 film)|''Confucius'']] starring [[Chow Yun-fat]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1397498/ |title=Confucius |publisher=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>

Confucius appears as a leader in ''[[Civilization VII]]'', leading China.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gamerant.com/historical-leaders-confirmed-civilization-7/|title=8 Historical Leaders Confirmed for Civilization 7|last=Hitchcock|first=John|date=September 19, 2024|access-date=December 1, 2024|publisher=Game Rant}}</ref>

===Memorials===
[[File:First Entrance Gate of the Temple of Confucius, Ching-hai.jpg|thumb|First entrance gate of the [[Temple of Confucius]] in [[Zhenhai]]]]
[[File:20130918-嘉定孔庙-2.jpg|thumb|The [[Temple of Confucius]] in [[Jiading District|Jiading]], now a suburb of Shanghai. The Jiading Temple of Confucius now operates a museum devoted to the [[imperial exam]] formerly administered at the temples.]]

Soon after Confucius's death, [[Qufu]], his home town, became a place of devotion and remembrance. The [[Han dynasty]] ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'' records that it had already become a place of pilgrimage for ministers. It is still a major destination for cultural tourism, and many people visit his grave and the surrounding temples. There are also numerous [[Temple of Confucius|temples]] dedicated to Confucius and distinguished Confucian scholars. These temples have been used for ceremonies paying tribute to Confucius as a revered Master, honoring his guiding principles that have shaped Chinese society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=文庙祭祀的文化意义 - 孔庙 |trans-title=The cultural connotation of ceremonies at Confucian Temples |url=http://www.chinakongmiao.org/templates/T_CatalogList/index.aspx?nodeid=149&page=ContentPage&contentid=9308 |access-date=2024-07-04 |website=www.chinakongmiao.org}}</ref>

Followers of Confucianism have a tradition of holding spectacular memorial ceremonies of Confucius ({{lang|zh|祭孔}}) every year, using ceremonies that supposedly derived from Zhou Li ({{lang|zh|周禮}}) as recorded by Confucius, on the date of Confucius's birth. In the 20th century, this tradition was interrupted for several decades in mainland China, where the official stance of the Communist Party and the State was that Confucius and Confucianism represented reactionary [[Feudalism|feudalist]] beliefs which held that the subservience of the people to the [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocracy]] is a part of the natural order. All such ceremonies and rites were therefore banned. Only after the 1990s did the ceremony resume. As it is now considered a veneration of Chinese history and tradition, even Communist Party members may be found in attendance.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

In Taiwan, where the Nationalist Party ([[Kuomintang]]) strongly promoted Confucian beliefs in ethics and behavior, the tradition of the memorial ceremony of Confucius ({{lang|zh|祭孔}}) is supported by the government and has continued without interruption. While not a national holiday, it does appear on all printed calendars, much as [[Father's Day]] or Christmas Day do in the Western world.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

In [[South Korea]], a grand-scale memorial ceremony called [[Seokjeon Daeje]] is held twice a year on Confucius's birthday and the anniversary of his death, at [[Hyanggyo|Confucian academies]] across the country and [[Sungkyunkwan]] in Seoul.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dunbar|first1=Jon|title=Sungkyunkwan Confucian Ceremony|url=http://www.raskb.com/content/confirmed-pls-pay-upon-registration-sungkyunkwan-confucian-ceremony|website=RASKB|publisher=Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch|accessdate=8 April 2015|archive-date=18 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418040456/http://www.raskb.com/content/confirmed-pls-pay-upon-registration-sungkyunkwan-confucian-ceremony|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Descendants===
{{See also|Family tree of Confucius in the main line of descent}}

Confucius's descendants were repeatedly identified and honored by successive imperial governments with titles of nobility and official posts. They were honored with the rank of a [[marquess|marquis]] 35 times since [[Gaozu of Han|Gaozu]] of the [[Han dynasty]], and they were promoted to the rank of [[duke]] 42 times from the [[Tang dynasty]] to the [[Qing dynasty]]. [[Emperor Xuanzong of Tang]] first bestowed the title of "Duke Wenxuan" on Kong Suizhi of the 35th generation. In 1055, [[Emperor Renzong of Song]] first bestowed the title of "[[Duke Yansheng]]" on Kong Zongyuan of the 46th generation.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

During the [[Southern Song dynasty]], the Duke Yansheng Kong Duanyou fled south with the Song Emperor to [[Quzhou]] in Zhejiang, while the newly established [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)]] in the north appointed Kong Duanyou's brother Kong Duancao who remained in Qufu as Duke Yansheng.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npm.gov.tw/hotnews/9910seminar/download/en/B10.pdf |title=Descendants and Portraits of Confucius in the Early Southern Song  |access-date=2016-05-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913134503/http://www.npm.gov.tw/hotnews/9910seminar/download/en/B10.pdf |archive-date=2016-09-13 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://aas2.asian-studies.org/absts/1995abst/china/csess45.htm |title=AAS Abstracts: China Session 45 |first=B. Paul |last=Banning |website=aas2.asian-studies.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006175402/http://aas2.asian-studies.org/absts/1995abst/china/csess45.htm |archive-date=2016-10-06 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.asian-studies.org/absts/1995abst/china/csess45.htm | title=On Sacred Grounds: The Material Culture and Ritual Formation of the Confucian Temple in Late Imperial China | website=Association for Asian Studies | access-date=2014-08-05 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://archive.today/20150318220616/https://www.asian-studies.org/absts/1995abst/china/csess45.htm | archive-date=2015-03-18 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248653434|title=The Ritual Formation of Confucian Orthodoxy and the Descendants of the Sage|website=ResearchGate|access-date=2016-05-03|archive-date=2018-10-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025071014/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248653434|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://academics.hamilton.edu/asian_studies/home/CultTemp/sitePages/temple.html|title=Cult of Confucius|first=Thomas A.|last=Wilson|website=academics.hamilton.edu|access-date=2016-05-03|archive-date=2016-03-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318225825/http://academics.hamilton.edu/asian_studies/home/culttemp/sitePages/temple.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.chinatefl.com/Platform/cityfeature_241_5_48.html|title= Quzhou City Guides |website=China TEFL Network|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065123/http://en.chinatefl.com/Platform/cityfeature_241_5_48.html|archive-date=2016-03-04}}</ref><!-- Self-published source: <ref>{{cite web|url=http://kfz.freehostingguru.com/article20.php|title=Confucianism|website=kfz.freehostingguru.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313043230/http://kfz.freehostingguru.com/article20.php|archive-date=2016-03-13}}</ref> --><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/2006/Sep/182656.htm|title=Confucius Anniversary Celebrated |website=China Internet Information Center|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914162656/http://www.china.org.cn/english/2006/Sep/182656.htm|archive-date=2015-09-14}}</ref><!-- Incomprehensible due to invalid encoding: <ref>{{cite web |url=http://book.mihua.net/book/4/4190/798538.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-05-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610090321/http://book.mihua.net/book/4/4190/798538.html |archive-date=2016-06-10 }}</ref> --> From that time up until the [[Yuan dynasty]], there were two Duke Yanshengs, one in the north in Qufu and the other in the south at Quzhou. An invitation to come back to Qufu was extended to the southern Duke Yansheng Kong Zhu by the Yuan-dynasty Emperor Kublai Khan. The title was taken away from the southern branch after Kong Zhu rejected the invitation,{{sfn|Jansen|Klein|Meyer|2014|pp=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GNlXAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA187 187–188]}} so the northern branch of the family kept the title of Duke Yansheng. The southern branch remained in Quzhou where they live to this day. Confucius's descendants in Quzhou alone number 30,000.<ref>{{cite news|title=Confucius Anniversary Celebrated|url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/2006/Sep/182656.htm|agency=China Daily|date=September 29, 2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914162656/http://www.china.org.cn/english/2006/Sep/182656.htm|archive-date=September 14, 2015}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=November 2021}} The [[Hanlin Academy]] rank of Wujing boshi [[w:zh:五經博士|五經博士]] was awarded to the southern branch at Quzhou by a Ming Emperor while the northern branch at Qufu held the title Duke Yansheng.<ref name="Wilson2002">{{cite book|author=Thomas A. Wilson|title=On Sacred Grounds: Culture, Society, Politics, and the Formation of the Cult of Confucius|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T4XXAAAAMAAJ&q=wujing+boshi+descendant|year=2002|publisher=Harvard University Asia Center|isbn=978-0-674-00961-5|pages=69, 315|access-date=2016-04-21|archive-date=2021-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809161803/https://books.google.com/books?id=T4XXAAAAMAAJ&q=wujing+boshi+descendant|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Jansen|Klein|Meyer|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GNlXAwAAQBAJ&q=wujing+boshi+descendant&pg=PA188 188]}} The leader of the southern branch was 孔祥楷 Kong Xiangkai.{{sfn|Jansen|Klein|Meyer|2014|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=GNlXAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA189 189]}}

In 1351, during the reign of Emperor [[Toghon Temür]] of the [[Yuan dynasty]], 54th-generation Kong Shao ({{lang|zh|孔昭}}) moved from China to Korea during the [[Goryeo|Goryeo dynasty]], and was received courteously by [[Princess Noguk]] (the Mongolian-born queen consort of the future king [[Gongmin of Goryeo|Gongmin]]). After being naturalized as a subject of Goryeo, he changed the [[hanja]] of his name from "昭" to "紹" (both pronounced ''so'' in Korean),<ref>Due to a [[naming taboo]] regarding the birth name of the fourth king of Goryeo [[Gwangjong of Goryeo|Gwangjong]], born "Wang So" ({{Korean|왕소|王昭}}).</ref> married a Korean woman and bore a son (Gong Yeo ({{Korean|공여|孔帤}}), 1329–1397), therefore establishing the Changwon Gong clan ({{Korean|창원 공씨|昌原 孔氏}}), whose ancestral seat was located in [[Changwon]], South Gyeongsang Province.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qz.gov.cn/English/Recent/201405/t20140519_278510.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150204113943/http://www.qz.gov.cn/English/Recent/201405/t20140519_278510.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2015-02-04|title=Descendants of Confucius in South Korea Seek Roots in Quzhou|date=2014-05-19|website=Quzhou.China|access-date=February 4, 2015}}</ref> In 1794, during the reign of King [[Jeongjo of Joseon|Jeongjo]], the clan then changed its name to [[Qufu Kong clan|Gokbu Gong clan]] ({{Korean|곡부 공씨|曲阜 孔氏}}) in honor of Confucius's birthplace [[Qufu]] ({{ko-hhrm|곡부|曲阜|Gokbu}}).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Doosan Encyclopedia 공 孔|publisher=[[Doosan Encyclopedia]]|url=http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1062982&cid=200000000&categoryId=200000185&mobile|access-date=2017-10-20|archive-date=2022-01-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121173837/https://terms.naver.com/entry.naver?docId=1062982&mobile=&cid=40942&categoryId=31639|url-status=live}}</ref>

Famous descendants include actors such as [[Gong Yoo]] (real name Gong Ji-cheol (공지철)) and [[Gong Hyo-jin]] (공효진); and artists such as male idol group [[B1A4]] member [[Gongchan]] (real name Gong Chan-sik (공찬식)), singer-songwriter [[Minzy]] (real name Gong Min-ji (공민지)), as well as her great aunt, traditional folk dancer {{ill|Gong Ok-jin|ko|공옥진}} (공옥진).

Despite repeated dynastic change in China, the title of Duke Yansheng was bestowed upon successive generations of descendants until it was abolished by the [[Nationalist government]] in 1935. The last holder of the title, [[Kung Te-cheng]] of the 77th generation, was appointed [[Sacrificial Official to Confucius]]. Kung Te-cheng died in October 2008, and his son, Kung Wei-yi, the 78th lineal descendant, died in 1989. Kung Te-cheng's grandson, [[Kung Tsui-chang]], the 79th lineal descendant, was born in 1975; his great-grandson, Kung Yu-jen, the 80th lineal descendant, was born in Taipei on 1 January 2006. Te-cheng's sister, Kong Demao, lives in mainland China and has written a book about her experiences growing up at the family estate in Qufu. Another sister, Kong Deqi, died as a young woman.<ref name="Demao">{{Harvnb|Kong|Ke|Roberts|1988|loc=}}.{{Page needed|date=March 2012}}</ref> Many descendants of Confucius still live in Qufu today.

A descendant of Confucius, [[H. H. Kung]], was the [[Premier of the Republic of China]]. One of his sons, {{ill|Kong Lingjie|zh|孔令傑}} (孔令傑), married [[Debra Paget]]<ref name=i>{{cite news|last1=Bacon|first1=James|title=Debra Paget Weds Oilman, Nephew of Madame Chiang|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2595390/independent/|location=Long Beach, California|newspaper=Independent|date=April 21, 1962|page=11|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|access-date=June 11, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613031957/http://www.newspapers.com/clip/2595390/independent/|archive-date=June 13, 2015}}</ref> who gave birth to Gregory Kung ({{lang|zh|孔德基}}).

Confucius's family, the Kongs, have the longest recorded extant pedigree in the world today. The father-to-son family tree, now in its 83rd generation,<ref>{{Harvnb|China Economic Net|2009|loc=[http://en.ce.cn/National/culture/200901/04/t20090104_17866318.shtml online]}}.</ref> has been recorded since the death of Confucius. According to the [[Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee]] (CGCC), he has two million known and registered descendants, and there are an estimated three million in all.<ref name=yanl>{{Harvnb|Yan|2008|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080226170803/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/16/content_7616027.htm online]}}.</ref> Of these, several tens of thousands live outside of China.<ref name=yanl /> In the 14th century, a Kong descendant went to Korea, where an estimated 34,000 descendants of Confucius live today.<ref name=yanl /> One of the main lineages fled from the Kong ancestral home in [[Qufu]] during the [[Chinese Civil War]] in the 1940s and eventually settled in Taiwan.<ref name="Demao" /> There are also branches of the Kong family who have converted to Islam after marrying Muslim women, in Dachuan in Gansu province in the 1800s,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jing|first1=Jun|title=The Temple of Memories: History, Power, and Morality in a Chinese Village|date=1998|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-6492-6|page=26|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3leAld7M7p0C&pg=PA26|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017235941/https://books.google.com/books?id=3leAld7M7p0C&pg=PA26|archive-date=2015-10-17}}</ref> and in 1715 in [[Xuanwei]] in Yunnan province.<ref name="Zhou">{{cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/china/features/content_16696029_3.htm|title=New Confucius Genealogy out next year|last=Zhou|first=Jing|publisher=china.org.cn|access-date=2010-06-28|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010100750/http://www.china.org.cn/china/features/content_16696029_3.htm|archive-date=2016-10-10}}</ref> Many of the Muslim Confucius descendants are descended from the marriage of Ma Jiaga ({{Lang|zh-hant|馬甲尕}}), a Muslim woman, and Kong Yanrong ({{Lang|zh-hant|孔彥嶸}}), 59th generation descendant of Confucius in the year 1480, and are found among the [[Hui people|Hui]] and [[Dongxiang people|Dongxiang]] peoples.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://culture.people.com.cn/n/2014/1214/c172318-26204615.html|title=孔子后裔中有14个少数民族 有宗教信仰也传承家风 – 文化 – 人民网|website=People's Daily|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819191838/http://culture.people.com.cn/n/2014/1214/c172318-26204615.html|archive-date=2016-08-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://big5.taiwan.cn/zppd/MMWZ/201412/t20141215_8361279.htm|title=孔子後裔有14個少數民族 外籍後裔首次入家譜_台灣網|last=李典典|website=big5.taiwan.cn|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006175521/http://big5.taiwan.cn/zppd/MMWZ/201412/t20141215_8361279.htm|archive-date=2016-10-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://culture.people.com.cn/GB/7158766.html|title=西北生活着孔子回族后裔 – 文化 – 人民网|website=People's Daily|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409143206/http://culture.people.com.cn/GB/7158766.html|archive-date=2016-04-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://unn.people.com.cn/GB/7119528.html|title=孔子后裔有回族 – 地方 – 人民网|website=People's Daily|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828231811/http://unn.people.com.cn/GB/7119528.html|archive-date=2016-08-28|access-date=2016-03-29}}</ref> The new genealogy includes the Muslims.<ref>[http://www.rmhb.com.cn/chpic/htdocs/english/200704/9-1.htm rmhb.com.cn] ({{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }})</ref> Kong Dejun ({{lang|zh-Hant|孔德軍}}) is a prominent Islamic scholar and Arabist from Qinghai province and a 77th generation descendant of Confucius.

Because of the huge interest in the Confucius family tree, there was a project in China to test the DNA of known family members of the collateral branches in mainland China.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ministry of Commerce of the PRC|2006|loc=[http://ye2.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/chinanews/200606/20060602462372.html online]}}.</ref> Among other things, this would allow scientists to identify a common Y chromosome in male descendants of Confucius. If the descent were truly unbroken, father-to-son, since Confucius's lifetime, the males in the family would all have the same Y chromosome as their direct male ancestor, with slight mutations due to the passage of time.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/171840.htm | title=DNA Testing Adopted to Identify Confucius Descendants | publisher=China Internet Information Center | date=19 June 2006 | access-date=31 May 2009 | archive-date=12 January 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112213638/http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/171840.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> The aim of the genetic test was to help members of collateral branches in China who lost their genealogical records to prove their descent. However, in 2009, many of the collateral branches decided not to agree to DNA testing.<ref name=seedmagazine>{{Harvnb|Qiu|2008|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090722140229/http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/inheriting_confucius/ online]}}.</ref> [[Bryan Sykes]], professor of genetics at [[Oxford University]], understands this decision: "The Confucius family tree has an enormous cultural significance ... It's not just a scientific question."<ref name=seedmagazine /> The DNA testing was originally proposed to add new members, many of whose family record books were lost during 20th century upheavals, to the Confucian family tree.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bandao|2007|loc=[http://eng.bandao.cn/newsdetail.asp?id=4644 online]}}.</ref> The main branch of the family which fled to Taiwan was never involved in the proposed DNA test at all.

In 2013, a DNA test performed on multiple different families who claimed descent from Confucius found that they shared the same Y chromosome as reported by [[Fudan University]].<ref>{{cite news |last= Chen |first= Stephen |date= 13 November 2013|title= Study finds single bloodline among self-claimed Confucius descendants |url= http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1354787/study-finds-single-bloodline-among-self-claimed-confucius |newspaper= South China Morning Post |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150403044929/http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1354787/study-finds-single-bloodline-among-self-claimed-confucius |archive-date= 3 April 2015 }}</ref>

The fifth and most recent edition of the Confucius genealogy was printed by the CGCC.<ref name=zhouccgc09 /> It was unveiled in a ceremony at Qufu on 24 September 2009.<ref name=zhouccgc09>{{Harvnb|Zhou|2008|loc=[http://www.china.org.cn/china/features/content_16696029.htm online]}}.</ref> Women are now included for the first time.<ref>{{Harvnb|China Daily|2007|loc=[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-02/02/content_800011.htm online]}}.</ref>