Table of Contents
Definition of Confucianism
(noun) The ethical and philosophical system based on the teachings of Confucius (551–479 BCE), a Chinese philosopher, who emphasized devotion to family (including ancestor worship); education; love for humanity; and morality.
Confucianism Pronunciation
Syllabification: Con·fu·cian·ism
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /kuhn-fyOO-shuh-niz-uhm/
- British English – /kuhn-fyOO-shuh-ni-zuhm/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /kənˈfjuʃəˌnɪzəm/
- British English – /kənˈfjuːʃənɪz(ə)m/
Usage Notes
- Plural: Confucianisms
- Whether Confucianism is a religion or something akin to an ethical system is often debated.
- A type of belief system and cosmogony.
- A (noun) Confucianist follows (adjective) Confucian principles.
Additional Information
- Religion Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “Confucianism” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Chang, Chung-Wu. 1974. Confucianism and Sociology.
- Erbschloe, Michael. 1978. Comte and Confucius: A Comparative Study of Family Systems.
- Kuo, Eddie C. Y. 1987. Confucianism and the Chinese Family in Singapore: Continuities and Changes. Republic of Singapore: Dept. of Sociology, National University of Singapore.
- Takebe, Tongo, Teruhito Sako, and Suzanne K. Steinmetz. 2007. Japanese Family and Society: Words from Tongo Takebe, a Meiji Era Sociologist. New York: Haworth Press.
- Weber, Max. 1915. The Religion of China: Confucianism and Taoism.
Related Terms
Works Consulted
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 5th ed. 2011. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Kimmel, Michael S., and Amy Aronson. 2012. Sociology Now. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Macionis, John, and Kenneth Plummer. 2012. Sociology: A Global Introduction. 4th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Marsh, Ian, and Mike Keating, eds. 2006. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. 3rd ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Shepard, Jon M., and Robert W. Greene. 2003. Sociology and You. New York: Glencoe.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Cite the Definition of Confucianism
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “Confucianism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved September 17, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/confucianism/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
Confucianism. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/confucianism/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “Confucianism.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed September 17, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/confucianism/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“Confucianism.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 17 Sep. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/confucianism/>.