Greek thinker Socrates was eighty years younger than the Chinese philosopher Confucius, but nevertheless they belonged to one era, which is commonly called "axial time": the time of the search for the meaning of life, the emergence of new ideas about justice, truth and salvation. They were both teachers, both taught contemporaries to pay attention not to the specifics of life, but to general ideas and rules, did not impose their opinions, trying to awaken his own in a person. At the same time, Confucius and Socrates went in different ways: the first looked back at history and wanted to see the harmony inherent in the Chinese mentality in everything, and the second was looking for truth in logic and fidelity of judgments.