Confucius (Kǒng Zǐ) is the honorific title of Kǒng Qiū (551–479 BCE), the foundational Chinese philosopher, educator, and political thinker. The character 孔 (Kǒng) is his family name, while 子 (Zǐ) is an ancient honorific suffix meaning 'master' or 'sage', traditionally appended to revered teachers and thinkers (e.g., Lǎo Zǐ, Mèng Zǐ). Together, 孔子 functions as a proper noun — not a descriptive phrase — and refers exclusively to this historical figure.

The term appears widely in academic, cultural, and philosophical contexts: in discussions of Confucian ethics (rén 仁, lǐ 礼), classical education, East Asian history, and moral philosophy. It is never used generically for 'any wise teacher'; it is strictly a proper name. In modern Chinese, 孔子 is standard and neutral in register — appropriate in textbooks, speeches, and everyday conversation when referring to the philosopher.