Collection: Confucius Prints

Confucius (551–479 BC) taught in the state of Lu during a period of political chaos, and his students recorded his conversations in the Analects. The sayings are practical rather than mystical: how to learn, how to treat others, how to correct a mistake.

The Chinese lines are set in traditional characters, vertically, in columns read from right to left, as classical texts were always printed. The print carries the characters and the author's name only; the English translation is on the product page. A dozen sayings best known in English appear horizontally. The prints suit a hall, a study or a classroom.

Three to start with

• 己所不欲，勿施於人 (Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire)
• 三人行，必有我師焉 (When three walk together, one of them is surely fit to be my teacher)
• 過而不改，是謂過矣 (To make a mistake and not correct it is the real mistake)

Questions people ask

Are these genuine sayings of Confucius? Most come straight from the Analects and are marked high confidence. A few lines attributed to him in English without a classical source are marked medium or disputed on the product page.

Why is the Chinese vertical? Because that is how classical Chinese is meant to be read. Vertical setting also gives a four-character saying real presence at poster size.

What sizes can I print? Eight, from 5 x 7 inches to 24 x 36 inches, plus A4, as a PDF download.