Confucius' economic viewpoints

Confucius seldom dwelled on issues related to the economy, but this does not mean that he had no economic viewpoints of his own.

In terms of production, Confucius proposed keeping abreast with farming seasons and rational utilization of resources. He reiterated that the state should make use of the slack season for capital construction and never conscript peasants for forced labor during the busy season, for fear that agro-production would be affected. He also attached great importance to a rational utilization of resources. During his tenure in office as Minister of Works in the State of Lu, he saw that the arable land was divided into five grades, and each grade of land was planted with a suitable crop.