Confucius (Kǒngzǐ, 孔子) was born about 2,500 years ago in a small kingdom called Lu, in eastern China. As a young man, he saw that society around him was full of fighting and confusion. He believed people could live in peace if they learned to respect each other, behave well, and never stop learning.

He spent his whole life travelling from kingdom to kingdom, teaching anyone who came to him — rich or poor, smart or slow. He had over three thousand students, and his ideas became the foundation of Chinese education for the next two thousand years. Even today, kids in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan grow up reading his short, wise sayings.

In Taiwan, September 28 is celebrated as Teachers' Day, because this is the day Confucius was born. Special ceremonies are held at Confucius temples across the country. But for most schoolkids, this is also a day to do something very simple: thank your own teacher for a whole year of patience.

孔子（Kǒngzǐ）約兩千五百年前出生於東方小國「魯」。年輕時他看到社會紛亂，相信只要人們懂得彼此尊重、行為端正、永不停止學習，就能和平共處。他一生周遊列國授課，無論貧富智愚都願意教導，門下弟子三千。他的思想成為華人教育兩千年的基礎。在臺灣，每年 9 月 28 日是教師節，因為這是孔子的生日。全臺各地的孔廟會舉行祭孔典禮，但對小朋友來說，這也是一個簡單而美好的日子——跟自己的老師親口說一聲「謝謝」。