Rúism,¹⁾ historically Confucianism, is a Chinese religion and philosophy, founded by Confucius (孔夫子, Kǒng Fūzǐ), that was preserved in the Four Books and Five Classics. It is one of the three teachings, along with Buddhism and Daoism.

The primary themes of Rúism are civility, connections, and social harmony, which led to the belief that it would help people, namely politicians, make ethical and moral decisions. This is why Imperial China made it a prerequisite for civil service careers through the imperial examination system, becoming a huge influence in the Sinosphere, and it went unchallenged for two millennia until the century of humiliation.

“子不语、怪、力、乱、神。”
“Confucius would never discuss anomalies, strength, unrest, or the supernatural.”
– Analects (Book 7, Chapter 20)²⁾

“子曰、譬如为山、未成一篑、止、吾止也、譬如平地、虽 覆一篑、进、吾往也。”
“Confucius said, 'For example, consider mound building. If I need to carry a single bucket of soil, but I stop, then the stoppage is my doing. On the other hand, consider terrain leveling. It may require a bucket of soil at a time, but if I empty more, then the advancement is my doing.'”
– Analects (Book 9, Chapter 19)

“曰：无恒产而有恒心者，惟士为能。若民，则无恒产，因无恒心。苟无恒心，放辟邪侈，无不为已。及陷于罪，然后从而刑之，是罔民也。焉有仁人在位，罔民而可为也？”
“Mencius replied, 'A person with no steady livelihood and a fixed heart can only become a 'shi' (士). If the people lack a steady livelihood, they won't have a fixed heart. If they don't have a fixed heart, nothing will stop them from committing criminal, evil, and selfish acts. If they're caught guilty under these circumstances, then you've set the people up for entrapment. How can a 'benevolent' ruler treat people this way?'”
– Mencius (Liang Huiwang)³⁾

“It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop.”
– Possible reinterpretation of Analects (Book 9, Chapter 19)

“It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works.”
– Unverified source

Since the century of humiliation, Rúism took the brunt of Imperial China's failures and gathered the reputation of being a 'conservative' or 'despotic' ideology. Rúism has also been criticized for their views on women, being such a huge influence on kinships and outlining a social code for women, it is often cited as a root cause for gender inequality in China and South Korea.

• This is the main reason why a number of Chinese insults and profanity are aimed at one's mother.
• If you hate either of your parents or the idea of gender roles, then this probably isn't for you.
• Despite everything, the Temple of Confucius across China, not just the temple in Qufu, have remained a popular destination for students to pray for luck on their exams.⁴⁾⁵⁾⁶⁾
• Honestly, I can't take Rúism seriously after hearing that it was the 'city slicker' equivalent to Daoism, though I do intend to sift through the divination-heavy Yijing at some point.