Though the ancient texts there were regarded by some as irrelevant relics of the past, Confucius was inspired by them. Through study and reflection,

Confucius came to believe that human character is formed in the family and by education in ritual, literature, and history. A person cultivated in this way works to help others, guiding them by moral inspiration rather than brute force. To put his philosophy into practice, Confucius became an advisor to the ruler of his home state of Lu.

虽然数据库中的许多古籍被当时的人嗤之以鼻，但是孔子从这些书中得到很多启发。随着学习和自我省思，孔子深刻地体会到人的个性和特质 是在家庭中形成的，加上宗教仪式，文学和历史中的教育意义，一个人可以学着如何帮助他人，并以道德感念们，而不是暴力。为了实践他的理念，孔子为了当时鲁国的掌权者效力。

But after another state sent Lu’s ruler a troop of dancing girls as a present and the ruler ignored his duties while enjoying the girls in private, Confucius resigned in disgust. He then spent the next few years traveling from state to state, trying to find a worthy ruler to serve, while holding fast to his principles.

但是在其他国送了鲁国掌权者 一大批美丽的舞女后，鲁国的掌权者便开始玩忽职守， 整天沉浸于美色。孔子因而辞职。接下来的几年， 孔子周游列国，期望找到值得他跟随的主公，同时也宣扬着他的理念。

It wasn’t easy. In accordance with his philosophy, and contrary to the practice of the time, Confucius dissuaded rulers from relying on harsh punishments and military power to govern their lands, because he believed that a good ruler inspires others to spontaneously follow him by virtue of his ethical charisma.

这个过程是艰巨的。他的理念与当时 普罗大众的想法背道而驰。孔子试着劝告掌权者不要以 严厉的惩处和军事刑罚来管制他们的国家，因为他相信一位好的统治者是依靠他的美德和人格魅力让其他的人愿意追随他。

Confucius also believed that because the love and respect we learn in the family are fundamental to all other virtues, personal duties to family sometimes supersede obligations to the state.

孔子也深信人们从家庭中学习到的爱与尊敬是道德的根本，人们对于家庭的责任有时甚至会大于对于国家的责任。

So when one duke bragged that his subjects were so upright that a son testified against his own father when his father stole a sheep, Confucius informed the duke that genuinely upright fathers and sons protected one another. During his travels, Confucius almost starved, he was briefly imprisoned, and his life was threatened at several points. But he was not bitter.

所以当一位侯爵自夸于他的一位下属因举报了自己的父亲偷了一只羊，而有着大义灭亲的美德，孔子说，一对真正正直的父子是会保护彼此的。在他的旅途中， 孔子受过饥饿，遭到过短暂的监禁，还有数度与死神擦肩而过，但是他并不以为苦。

Confucius had faith that heaven had a plan for the world, and he taught that a virtuous person could always find joy in learning and music. Failing to find the ruler he sought, Confucius returned to Lu and became a teacher and philosopher so influential, that he helped shaped Chinese culture and we recognize his name worldwide, even today.

孔子相信老天爷自有他的安排，他也教导他人，一个具有美德的人可以透过学习和音乐来找到乐趣。在寻找值得他追随的人无果之下，孔子回到了鲁国，他成了最具影响力的夫子和哲学家，也塑造了中国文化，也因此名留千古。

For the disciples of Confucius, he was the living embodiment of a sage who leads others through his virtue, and they recorded his sayings, which eventually were edited into a book we know in English as “ The Analects. “

对于孔子的学生来说，他是一位至圣先师， 以他的美德服众，他们记载了孔子所说过的话，集结成篇，也造就了我们所熟知的”论语”。

Today, millions of people worldwide adhere to the principles of Confucianism, and though the precise meaning of his words has been debated for millennia, when asked to summarize his teachings in a single phrase, Confucius himself said, “ Do not inflict upon others that which you yourself would not want. “ 2, 500 years later, it’s still sage advice.

时至今日，仍有数以万计的人遵从着孔子的教诲，虽然对于孔子的话的真正含意有许多争议，但若要总结为一句话，孔子他说，”己所不欲，勿施于人”。在两千五百年后的今天，它仍是一句至理名言。