Confucius

American  

[kuhn-fyoo-shuhs] / kənˈfyu ʃəs /

noun

1. Kǔng Qiū, 551? b.c.–478? b.c., Chinese philosopher and teacher.

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Confucius British  

/ kənˈfjuːʃəs /

noun

1. Chinese name Kong Zi or K'ung Fu-tse. 551–479 _bc , Chinese philosopher and teacher of ethics (see Confucianism ). His doctrines were compiled after his death under the title The Analects of Confucius

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Confucius Cultural  

1. A Chinese philosopher of the sixth century b.c.; the founder of Confucianism. His teachings have come down to us as a collection of short sayings.

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Etymology

Origin of Confucius

First recorded in 1770–80; Latinization of Chinese Kǔng Fūzǐ “Master Kung” (birth name Kǔng Qiū ) by European Jesuits in China in the 17th century

Example Sentences

In her book, Dunlop cites one of her readers suggesting that Beijing could more effectively project its soft power by "changing its controversial overseas Confucius Institutes into top-notch Chinese restaurants".

From BBC • Aug. 16, 2025

By October, nearly all Confucius Institutes, a Beijing-backed Chinese language and culture program, had closed on American university campuses.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 23, 2023

FBI Director Christopher Wray has described China’s Confucius Institutes as an element of Beijing’s attempts to wield its soft power.

From Washington Times • Oct. 31, 2023

Beijing projects soft power and positions itself as a leader in the Global South, paying for thousands of Chinese university scholarships, cultural exchange programmes and Confucius Institutes.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2023

So he came back and made a Confucius joke, that if the words were wrong, then his intentions must also be wrong.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan