Conversations

His name in Chinese sounds like Kongzi, and translates as Master Kong. He is called the Master of Masters. He was the greatest scholar and thinker of his time, a spiritual leader, mentor, and an ideal for many generations. His teachings have long spread beyond the Celestial Empire and gained supporters, admirers, and followers around the world. The judgments and conversations of Lunyu are a foundational written monument of Confucianism. In the 5th century BC, Confucius's students recorded the teacher's monologues and dialogues in the style of brief sayings. The Russian translation of Lunyu was done in 1910 by Pavel Stepanovich Popov, the greatest Russian sinologist of his time, translator of many works of ancient Chinese philosophers, and compiler of a Russian-Chinese dictionary, who served in the diplomatic mission in Beijing. His translation is distinguished by its accuracy, expressiveness, and closeness to the original.