A Study Of Confucius' Family Style

Family principles is a transmission of traditional customs, culture and virtue, which is formed for a long time and can affect family members’ spirit, morality and action. Qu-fu Kong’s family is descendant of Confucius, whose unique family principles has been formed in Han dynasty. Confucius was progeny of King Tang of Shang and his ancestor migrated to Lu state without dominating position like they were in Song state. Although Kong’s family developed hard during Spring and Autumn period, it formed unique Kong’s family principles against a background of thriving Confucianism in Han dynasty. For studied less in academia, this paper focuses on Kong’s family principles before Han dynasty as the subject. We observed the characters of this big family principles in early times by discussing lineages, Kong’s family principles’ formation, content and influence factor, which had big value.In the first chapter, we talked about the formation of Kong’s family principles. From the family name of Kong, who was from the descendants of King Tang of Shang, Kong made the name of progenitor as its family name. Confucian progenitor had a clear lineages and left excellent custom to their sons. Kong’s family principles was formed and inherited from Confucius. The emphasis of this part is expounding the lineages and deed from the Spring and Autumn period to the end of Han dynasty clearly, and then summarize the development of Kong’s family principles in different times.In the second chapter, we talked about the main content of Kong’s family principles. We divide Kong’s family principles into three parts as family tradition, style of study and style of being manager. On family tradition, the Kong’s family took benevolence as the core, paid attention to amenity education and respected parents according to etiquette. On the style of study, the Kong’s family based on Confucianism and took poem ceremony as heirloom, which lead to the formation of Kong’s family’s style of study in Han dynasty. In the aspect of officer, many Kong’s family’s members, who were good at learning, were government’s Doctor. Putting study into action, they dedicated to their duty and went along with the historical tide.In the third chapter, we talked about the influence factor of Kong’s family principles. From troubled times of Spring and Autumn to flourishing age of Emperor Wudi, political factors is the main reason of Kong’s family principles’ development. The attitude of ruling class affected the development of Confucianism, and then affected the development of Kong’s family. The differentiation, rising and being respected of Confucianism were academic factor of Kong’s family rising their social status.In the conclusion, we analyze the differences between Kong’s family and magnates in Han Dynasty, and then extract the reason why Kong’s family principles can keep his family for thousands of years.This paper pays more attention on the formation of Kong’s family principles and puts particular emphasis on early times. The researches of Kong’s family’s family tradition and style of administer before Han dynasty were rarely involved by academic circle.