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The Master Said: Sourcing the Analects of Confucius

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The Master Said: Sourcing the Analects of Confucius

Source an adapted excerpt from the Analects and place it in China's dynasties.

Source the excerpt

Read the sourcing note and the excerpt. Then answer the questions.

Sourcing note. Confucius (about 551–479 BCE) was a teacher and adviser in the small state of Lu during the Zhou dynasty. He did not write the Analects himself. After his death, his students and their followers wrote down sayings they remembered, and the collection grew over many years. Most sayings begin "The Master said," and some name the student or official who asked a question. The excerpt below is adapted from English translations.

Excerpt: Five Sayings (adapted from translations of the Analects)

1The Master said: "Is it not a pleasure to learn something and then practice it at the right times? Is it not a joy to have friends come from far away?"

2The Master said: "Lead the people with laws and keep them in line with punishments, and they will try to stay out of trouble but will feel no shame. Lead them with virtue and keep them in line with proper ritual, and they will feel shame and will set themselves right."

3Ziyou asked about filial piety, the duty children owe their parents. The Master said: "Today people think it means feeding one's parents. But dogs and horses are fed too. Without respect, what is the difference?"

4Ji Kangzi, a powerful official in Lu, asked: "What if I killed those who do wrong, to help those who do right?" The Master answered: "Why use killing to govern? If you truly want good, the people will be good. The character of a ruler is like the wind, and the character of the common people is like grass. When the wind blows over the grass, the grass bends."

5Zigong asked: "Is there one word that can guide a whole life?" The Master said: "Perhaps it is consideration. Do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself."

1.

Most sayings begin "The Master said." What does this opening best show about the source?

A. The sayings were carved on oracle bones by Shang kings.B. Confucius wrote each saying down in his own hand.C. A Han emperor wrote the sayings to praise himself.D. The sayings were recorded by people who learned from him.

2.

Based on the sourcing note, how should a historian use the Analects as evidence?

A. As evidence of what his followers remembered him teachingB. As a record invented by Qin officials to mock ConfuciusC. As evidence of how Legalist judges ran their courtsD. As a word-for-word record of speeches Confucius wrote out

3.

Match each situation to the saying it fits best. Use the saying numbers.

4.

In saying 4, Ji Kangzi suggests killing wrongdoers. What does Confucius's answer show about his view of government?

A. A ruler should hand his decisions to the common people.B. A ruler wins respect mainly by passing harsh laws.C. A ruler's own good conduct shapes how people behave.D. A ruler should kill wrongdoers to protect good people.

Place the sayings in China's history

Read the background and the table. Then answer the questions.

Background: From Oracle Bones to Paper

1The earliest Chinese writing that survives comes from the Shang dynasty. Shang kings had questions carved on animal bones and turtle shells, called oracle bones. They believed the cracks that formed when the bones were heated gave answers from their ancestors.

2The Zhou kings who overthrew the Shang said they ruled by the Mandate of Heaven. Heaven, they claimed, gave the right to rule to a just ruler and took it away from one who was cruel or careless. By Confucius's time, though, Zhou kings held little real power, and rival states fought one another. Confucius traveled to the courts of several states hoping a ruler would follow his advice, but none gave him lasting power.

3In 221 BCE the state of Qin conquered its rivals and united China. Qin rulers followed Legalism, which taught that people obey only strict laws and harsh punishments. The First Emperor made one form of writing standard across China and had older walls in the north linked into a long barrier, an early Great Wall, against horse-riding peoples.

4The Han dynasty that followed chose Confucian teaching for its officials, and students preparing for government posts studied the Analects. Han China also traded silk, a cloth the Chinese had woven for thousands of years, to lands far to the west. Silk could be written on, but it was costly. Bamboo strips were cheap but heavy and bulky. Paper, made in China during the Han dynasty, was light and cheap. In 105 CE an official named Cai Lun reported an improved way to make it from bark, hemp, rags and old fishing nets.

Dynasties and Writing Surfaces (early dates are approximate)
Dynasty	Dates	Common writing surfaces
Shang	About 1600–1046 BCE	Oracle bones, bronze vessels
Zhou	About 1046–256 BCE	Bamboo strips; silk for some texts
Qin	221–206 BCE	Bamboo strips
Han	206 BCE–220 CE	Bamboo, silk and paper

5.

Use the dates in the sourcing note.

Confucius lived to be about years old.

6.

In about 500 BCE, one of Confucius's students wants to write down a saying. Using the table, what would the student most likely write on?

A. Oracle bonesB. Bamboo stripsC. Clay tabletsD. Sheets of paper

7.

Match each development to the dynasty in which it happened.

8.

A Qin official reads saying 2 and rejects it. Underline the sentence from paragraph 3 of the background that best explains why.

9.

Sort each idea: does it fit Confucius's teaching or Legalism?

10.

Paper became common in Han China. What was the most likely effect on the Analects?

A. More students could afford their own copies to study.B. Fewer officials studied the sayings than under the Qin.C. The sayings had to be rewritten in the oracle-bone script.D. Copies on bamboo became more valuable than paper ones.

11.

Claim: Confucius's ideas had more influence after his death than during his lifetime. Do you agree or disagree? Give two pieces of evidence from the sourcing note, the excerpt, the background or the table, and explain your reasoning.