1. Why are Confucius and Mencius respected by later generations respectively?

Confucius and Mencius, the Gemini of Confucian culture in China, are two masters and two peaks. Confucius' Confucianism deeply influenced the culture of China and the cultural character of China people. However, Confucius and Confucianism did not reach their peak at the beginning. Confucius' thought was not the mainstream in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. By the time of the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had ousted a hundred schools of thought, and Confucianism was the only one. Confucius and his Confucianism began to reach the peak of history. After that, Confucius' position gradually rose to the point of being close to God. He has been respected by later rulers as Confucius, the most holy, the most holy teacher, Dacheng, the most holy teacher and the eternal teacher.

Mencius is the most outstanding disciple of Confucius' Confucianism. He not only inherited Confucius' thought of "benevolence", but also creatively put forward the theory of benevolent government and the ideal of kingly way, and took the lead in putting forward China intellectuals' theory of good nature and ideal personality. He is a far-reaching thinker in the cultural history of China. Because he is a disciple of Confucius, later generations respectfully call him Yasheng. In other words, his position is second only to Confucius.