K'ung-tzu

English

Etymology

Transliteration of Mandarin 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ) Wade–Giles romanization: Kʻung³-tzŭ³.

Proper noun

K'ung-tzu

1. Alternative form of Kongzi (Confucius)
   • 1968 [1964], Jacques Gernet, “The Progress of Ideas During the Formation of the Military States”, in Raymond Rudorff, transl., Ancient China: From the Beginnings to the Empire [La Chine Ancienne]‎^[1], Faber and Faber, →OCLC, page 115:

     The earliest leader of a school of thought was Confucius (K’ung-tzu).

   • 1980, Stephen Fulder, “The Chinese Alternative”, in The Book of Ginseng: and Other Chinese Herbs for Vitality‎^[2], Rochester, Vermont: Healing Arts Press, published 1993, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 56:

     The earliest fundamental understanding of the nature of health and disease, expounded by the Nei Ching, would have been forgotten were it not for an element peculiar to Chinese culture: the worship of their ancestors, a practice which runs far deeper than the respect shown for Western patriarchs. It was formalized by the teaching of K’ung-tzu, whose Latinized name is Confucius.

   • 1991, A Southern African Guide to World Religions‎^[3], →ISBN, →OCLC, page 109:

     So, K’ung-tzu says: 'To master oneself and return to propriety is humanity' (Bk 12.1).
     We see, in this view, that humaneness was a quality which K’ung-tzu believed to be embodied in li, tradition and custom.

Further reading

• “K'ung Fu-tzu”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “K'ung-tzu”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “K'ung Tzu” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.