According to records, Confucius has 3,000 disciples, which may not be true, but it is true that the sources of Confucius' disciples are very extensive. Confucius said, "I have never been ignorant of self-discipline." "Shuxiu" is dried bacon, which was a gift from the teacher at that time. As long as you have the gift of Shu Xiu, you are willing to receive education under Confucius, and Confucius will not refuse. In this way, there are disciples from all walks of life in Confucius' school, and there are also people who engage in various occupations after entering normal schools. There are also cases where father and son live together under Confucius' door, such as Yan Hui, a famous disciple of Confucius, and Yan Lu, Zeng Shen and Ceng Dian, his fathers, all of whom are students of Confucius. There is such a story, which can better explain Confucius' view on academic qualifications. There is a place called Xiangxiang, where people are not good and it is difficult to talk. A boy from his hometown asked to see Confucius, and Confucius accepted. Master is very puzzled. Confucius explained: "It is better to retreat than to advance." In any case, people are clean and motivated, and if they are not clean, they are not guaranteed to leave. "(The Analects of Confucius) That is to say, as long as people are willing to make progress, we should accept it, no matter what it used to be. Now we tidy ourselves up neatly in order to get an opportunity for education, and we should not give him up. Lutz, a student of Confucius, was also famous for his unruly behavior, and was later persuaded by Confucius to accept him as a disciple. Ran yong, a student of Confucius, had a mean and evil father, but ran yong was very kind. Confucius believed that such a person would never give up, and no one could deprive him of the opportunity of education. This is the truth that "there is no class in teaching", and Confucius himself is always proud of his tireless teaching.
Confucius' education of students is not to cultivate him into a professional with certain skills, but the purpose of education is to make him an adult, and the content of education is how to be a man. Fan Chi, a student of Confucius, was left out in the cold when he asked Confucius about crops and nurseries. If he knows about crops and nurseries, "old farmer" and "old nursery" are more proficient than Confucius. (See "The Analects of Confucius Lutz") This point is used to accuse Confucius of despising manual labor, which is not entirely correct. Confucius himself is "less and cheap, more can be despised." On the other hand, it can also be said that the educational content of Confucius is not these specialized skills. Ceng Zi, a disciple of Confucius, once said, "When it comes to beans, there is a secretary" (The Analects of Confucius Taber). "About beans" refers to the ceremony of addressing, and "a secretary" is the expert in charge of this ceremony. From this point of view, it's not that I despise courtesy, but that such specialized skills are managed by a secretary, and the "Tao" that a gentleman values is. The "Tao" valued by gentlemen is the basis of "adult" and "moral cultivation" and the important purpose and content of Confucius education. "Historical Records" contains: "Confucius taught music with poetry and books." (Historical Records Confucius Family) The Analects of Confucius also said: "Confucius teaches four things: literature, conduct, loyalty and faith." Although these contents focus on different aspects, they are common around the theme of "adult" and "virtue". For example, poetry and calligraphy are based on words, which is the basis of making statements. Rites and music are based on behavior, which is the basis of being a person and even an adult. The so-called "stand in poetry, stand in ceremony, and become happy." (The Analects of Confucius Taibo) Confucius taught his son Kong Li to learn poetry and etiquette, otherwise he could not make a statement or stand firm (see The Analects of Confucius Ji Shi). This is from the self-cultivation of "being alone". After establishing this point, Confucianism also emphasizes "saving the world at the same time", which shows that another main content of Confucius education is "political affairs". Politics is based on self-cultivation. Only after "self-cultivation" can we further "cultivate self-cultivation and protect the people" (See The Analects of Confucius) When being slaughtered by Fei, it is recommended that the lamb be slaughtered by Fei. Confucius accused the lamb of being harmed because he never learned. Lutz strongly argued: "People and countries have it, so why should we study and study again?" Confucius regarded Luz as a "deviant". (See Advanced Analects of Confucius) That is to say, only on the basis of self-cultivation, can you engage in political affairs to "help the world", otherwise it will harm others and yourself. In a word, Confucius' educational aim is mainly "adult", but because of the different qualities of students, each has its own emphasis, which is also an important educational method of Confucius, that is, "teaching students in accordance with their aptitude"; So his students also have different characteristics. Yan Yuan, Min Zikai, Ran Boniu and Zhong Gong are famous for their virtue. Those who kill me and Zigong are named after their words; You Ran and Lu Ji are famous for their politics; Ziyou and Xia Zi are famous for their literature. (See Advanced Analects of Confucius) These students can be said to be the most famous of Confucius. Their talents have their own characteristics, but what Confucius values most is their "virtue". For example, Confucius commented that Zi Gong was not as good as Yan Yuan. Although killing me is famous for its words, Confucius denounced it as "heartless" and felt at ease because of its three-year loss. He is good at "politics" and has accumulated a lot of wealth for the Ji family. Confucius said to his students, "If you are not my disciple, you can beat the drum and attack it" (Advanced Analects of Confucius). Xia Zi is good at "writing", and Confucius blames it as "being a gentleman and Confucianism, being inaction." Zhong Gong is virtuous, but he speaks slowly and acts quickly. At that time, people commented that he only knew "benevolence" and didn't know the change of "qi", while Confucius praised Zhonggong. Although it can't be called "benevolence", "qi" will not fail to do it. (See "The Analects of Confucius Gongye Chang") All these are enough to show that the focus of Confucius education is "adult" and "moral integrity".
The educational method adopted by Confucius is mainly the "teaching students in accordance with their aptitude" mentioned above. There is a story in The Analects: Luz and You Ran asked Confucius the same question and heard something. Should they do it at once? Confucius said to Luz, "You can't treat your father and brother like this." But he said to You Ran, "You can do it." Gong Xihua, another student of Confucius, questioned this. Confucius said, "I have retired, so I encourage him to make progress;" Lutz went forward bravely, so he knew how to retreat. " This story is a typical example of teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. As mentioned above, the reason why Confucius' students have their own strengths is also the result of his teaching in accordance with his aptitude. The other is to have an honest attitude towards learning. Confucius taught Luz: "Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing, knowing is also." Another example is to educate Zhang Yi to "be suspicious" and "be suspicious" (the Analects is political). This frank attitude is a kind of moral behavior in itself, which conforms to the norm of "courtesy". When Confucius entered the ancestral temple, some people questioned: "Who said he knew the ceremony? Go into the ancestral hall and ask everything. " Confucius said, "It's a gift." (The Analects of Confucius Eight Shu) That is to say, this attitude itself conforms to the norms of "courtesy". Thirdly, attaching importance to practical education, including the evaluation of historical events, historical figures, current affairs and Confucius' personal character, is an important means to educate students. There are many chapters about people and things in The Analects of Confucius, so I won't repeat them here. Regarding Confucius' behavior, Confucius himself said to his students, "Do you take me as a secret, my second son and my third son?" I have nothing to hide, and I have nothing to do without two or three sons. This is Ye Qiu. "(The Analects of Confucius) That is to say, I have nothing to hide from you. What Confucius did was also recorded in The Analects. Some students are proud of it, while others question or even criticize it. However, this open mind is enough to be a teacher.
The most essential feature of Confucianism with Confucius as its founder is heuristic education, which is related to its theory of mind and nature. The so-called "adult" and "moral" teaching, its standard is in everyone's heart, education is to help people find their own "goodness", and the key to "adult" and "morality" depends on the subject itself. Confucius said, "If you don't get angry, you won't get angry. If you don't get angry, you won't lift it. If you don't lift it, you will get a corner." This means that inspiration is only the help of "adult" and "moral" education. If learners can't draw inferences, there is nothing to say. In this way of education, everyone can speak freely, question teachers and even argue with each other. Ruruz often questioned and even accused Confucius' behavior. Another example is that I have doubts about the loss of three years. Confucius just asked me if I could feel at ease after losing three years, and told me to be safe. Confucius said, I forgot when I was at ease. Because the loss of three years was originally due to the sadness that I couldn't have in my heart, and there was no such sadness. What's the point of barely serving for three years? Another example is Confucius' praise of Yan Yuan's eagerness to learn, pointing out that an important feature of his study is that the teacher always listens to him patiently, which seems to be beyond doubt and extremely stupid, but when he looks back and thinks, he can often make further inventions. Because of this, Zi Gong is not as good as himself, because Yan Yuan can "know ten things and smell one thing". In addition, Confucius often asked students to explain their aspirations, or praise or derogate, but "each said his own aspirations." Why didn't you say it? When Ceng Dian talked about his ambition, he replied forcefully with drums, like a madman, but his ambition won the praise of Confucius. This is a highlight of Confucius' teaching method.