In ancient China，it was common that the eldest son should look after the parents. But Confucius' elder brother was disabled，so Confucius（孔子）had to take care of his mother till she died in 535 BC. （One of his teachings was that a person should feel or express great sadness for their parents' death for three years. The reason was that they looked after the child completely nilit was three. Filial piety（孝道）is very important in Confucius' thought.

After he had finished mourning（守孝）for his mother，he began to teach and got followers around him. How many students did Confucius get？We are not sure. It is believed that 72 of them were very famous. Some of his students came from poor families，others were from rich families. He thought everyone should have a right to receive education.

Confucius lived in a time of being unstable（不稳定的），so many of his teachings were connected to social harmony（和谐）. He thought，in a family，parents should behave like parents，caring for the young，while children should behave like children，knowing how to look after the old. If such relationships are remained，a country will be peaceful and a family will be harmonious（和睦的）.

“Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself. ”

“When one's parents are alive，one should not go far away. ”

These sayings, together with many others, were beautifully written in Chinese ancient texts. They have been learned by Chinese people over the centuries.

【小题1】How long should a person mourn for his parents' death according to the passage?
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【小题2】Did Confucius have only 72 students?
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【小题3】What was Confucius' idea about receiving education?
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【小题4】Why were many of his teachings connected to social harmony?
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【小题5】Where were many of Confucius' sayings written?
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