Confucianism in the Ancient World.

Confucius (551-479 b.c.e.) was a product of the Chinese Warring States period, which despite its social and political upheaval, was one of the most productive periods of Chinese philosophy. Confucius is most accurately described as an itinerant teacher, although he may have held one or more minor political posts. He sought a role as a government adviser but did not convince the local authorities of his value. Regarding himself as a failure, he returned to his home in what became the province of Shandong and ended his years teaching his disciples. After his death, his disciples began compiling his thought in the Lunyu (later sixth-early fifth centuries b.c.e.; The Analects, 1861) and amplifying them—and his legend—in a process that may not yet have ended.