When straw sandals vanish at Mencius’ lodging, people suspect his students. Mencius holds an inclusive teaching ethos: he never chases departing pupils nor turns away earnest learners, tolerating flawed newcomers while trusting his school’s moral integrity.
Confucius (551–479 BC) was a thinker, statesman, and educator of the late Spring and Autumn period, as well as the founder of the Confucian school of thought. Born Kong Qiu, with the courtesy name Zhongni, he was a native of Zouyi in the State of Lu (located in present-day southeast Qufu, Shandong Province).