The teachings of Confucius
Confucianism grew from the teachings of the Chinese thinker CONFUCIUS, who lived more than 2,500 years ago, and this word search gathers its key ideas. You'll be finding CONFUCIUS himself, the book of his sayings, the ANALECTS, the later teacher MENCIUS, and the idea of the JUNZI — the ideal, well-mannered person.
Each puzzle pulls a fresh selection from the list, so the words change every time you play — gentle on Easy, and a longer-word challenge once the diagonals and backwards words appear on Hard.
Respect, virtue and harmony
Confucianism is all about how to live well together, and the words are here. It teaches RESPECT and FILIAL piety (honouring your parents and ANCESTOR-s), the importance of VIRTUE, BENEVOLENCE and good MANNERS, and the value of LEARNING from a TEACHER or SCHOLAR. You'll also find the goals of HARMONY, ORDER and LOYALTY in SOCIETY, the role of RITUAL and TRADITION, the study of ETHICS, the wisdom of the SAGE, and WISDOM itself.
A guide for living well together
Confucianism is a little different from many faiths: rather than focusing on gods or the afterlife, it's mostly a guide to how people should treat one another. CONFUCIUS was a teacher in ancient China who lived through troubled, warlike times, and he became convinced that society would be peaceful if everyone behaved with RESPECT, kindness and good MANNERS. He never wrote a book himself — his students collected his sayings into the ANALECTS after he died.
One of his most famous ideas you may already know: 'Do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself' — a version of the Golden Rule. He taught that strong families are the foundation of a good SOCIETY, which is why FILIAL piety (honouring your parents and ANCESTORS) and LEARNING are so valued. His ideas shaped China, Korea and Japan for over 2,000 years and still influence how schools, families and workplaces work across East Asia today, making Confucianism a thoughtful RE or world-cultures topic.
Great for a world-cultures topic
It's a great fit for an RE or world-cultures lesson — Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words. Play online, print a PDF pack, or use Make Your Own to build a grid from your own RE words.
Frequently asked questions
What's in the Confucianism word search?
Key ideas of Confucianism — the teacher Confucius and his Analects, the philosopher Mencius and the ideal junzi, plus values like respect, filial piety, virtue, benevolence, harmony, ritual and learning. Each puzzle uses a fresh mix.
Which Confucian ideas can you find?
The teacher CONFUCIUS and his ANALECTS, the philosopher MENCIUS and the ideal JUNZI, plus values like RESPECT, FILIAL piety, VIRTUE, BENEVOLENCE, HARMONY, RITUAL and LEARNING.
Is it good for a world-cultures topic?
Great fit for an RE or world-cultures lesson. Easy mode keeps the grid small with no diagonals or reverse words.