The Four Books (Si Shu)
The purpose of these works was to teach people about the basic Confucian values,
including propriety, righteousness, loyalty, and filial piety.
Da Xue (The Great Learning)
Da Xue is the first of the four books that was selected by Zhu Xi in the Song Dynasty
as a foundational introduction to Confucianism. It was originally one chapter in
the Book of Rites (Li Ji). The Great Learning consists of a short main text, attributed
to Confucius (Kong Zi) and nine chapters with commentaries by Zeng Zi (one of Confucius's
disciples). The Great Learning bridges the gap between the spiritual and the
practical aspect of Dao in both governmental and social terms. The Great Learning links
Confucianism to our world and refers to the practices of ancient kings rather than to
some external deity.
Zhong Yong (Doctrine of the Mean)
Zhong Yong is a part of the Confucian canonical scriptures. It is said to have been
composed by Confucius's grandson Zi Si (Kong Ji). This book contains twenty-three chapters,
that teach people how to apply a golden way to gain perfect virtue. According to Zhong Yong,
anyone can obtain Confucian virtue by following the instructions that have been laid down
by Heaven, but only if they are followed in the right way.
Lun Yu (Analects of Confucius)
Lun Yu is a record of speeches by Confucius and his disciples, as well as the discussions
they held. The Analects was written over a period of thirty to fifty years during the Spring
and Autumn Period/Warring States Period, and is regarded as the most importan work of Confucianism.
For almost two thousand years, the Analects had been the fundamental course of study for
any Chinese scholar. A man was not considered morally enlightened if he did not study
Confucius's works. The imperial examinations, which started in the Jin Dynasty (265 - 420
A.D.), emphasized Confucian studies and expected candidates to quote and apply the words
of Confucius in their essays. The chapters in Lun Yu are grouped by individual themes, but
the sequence of chapters, however, is completely random. In the Han Dynasty, there existed three versions of Lun Yu:
Lu Analects, Qi Analects, and Ancient Text Analects. However, towards the late Western Han
Dynasty, the Lu and Qi versions of Analects were combined into one by Zhang Yu, who named
it Marquis Zhang Analects. This is largely the version as we know it today. The Analects of
Confucius continues to have a huge influence on Chinese and East Asian thoughts and values today.
Book of Meng Zi
Mencius' (Meng Zi) interpretation of Confucianism has generally been considered the orthodox
version by Chinese philosophers, especially the Neo-Confucians of the Song Dynasty. The
Book of Meng Zi is a record of his conversations with kings of the Warring States Period.
In contrast to the sayings of Confucius which are short and self-contained, the Book of
Meng Zi consists of long dialogues, with extensive prose.
The Five Classics (Wu Jing)
These books were used by Confucianism as basis of studies. Yue Jing (Book of Music) is
sometimes referred to as the sixth Chinese classical text, but unfortunately it was
lost by the time of the Han Dynasty.
Yi Jing (Book of Changes)
Yi Jing is the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. The structure of Yi Jin is composed of
a set of 64 abstract line arrangements called hexagrams (gua). Each of these hexagrams is
subsequently composed by six stacked horizontal lines (yao). Each of these lines is either
Yang (unbroken, solid line) or Yin (broken line). Each hexagram is considered to be composed of
two three-line arrangements called trigrams. Each hexagram represents either a state, a process,
or a change happening. It was believed that the principles of Yi Jing was composed by the mythical
Chinese ruler Fu Xi (2852 - 2738 B.C.). According to the legend, Fu Xi found the trigrams (ba gua)
on the scales of a tortoise's back. Ba Gua is a fundamental philosophical concept in ancient
China. It is often pictured as an octagonal diagram with eight trigrams on each side. The
concept of Ba Gua is traditionally used in several domains, such as Feng Shui, Martial Arts,
and Navigation. By the time of the great ruler Yu, who was believed to be the founder of
Xia Dynasty (2033 - 1562 B.C.), the trigrams had been developed into hexagrams (Liu Shi Si
Gua), which can be found in the scripture Lian Shan. The hexagrams went through several
transformations after the Xia Dynasty, and it wasn't until the end of the Shang Dynasty (1600 - 1046 B.C.)
that the whole context of Yi Jing was fully understood. It was Zhou Gong Dan who managed to clarify
the significance of the horizontal lines in each hexagram, and thus created Yao Ci (Explanation of
the Horizontal Lines). The philosophy of Yi Jing influenced the literature and government
administration of the Zhou Dynasty (1122 - 256 B.C.). Later, during the Spring and Autumn Period
(722 - 481 B.C.), Confucius compiled Shi Yi (Ten Wings) as an introductory comment on Yi Jing.
By the time of the great ruler Han Wu Di of the Western Han Dynasty, Shi Yi was
combined with Yi Jing, and together they composed Zhou Yi (Changes of Zhou).
Shi Jing (Book of Odes)
Shi Jing is the first major collection of Chinese poems. It contains 305 poems divided into
160 folk songs (feng), 74 minor festival songs (xiao ya), 31 major festival songs (da ya), and
40 hymns and eulogies (song). The poems are written in four character lines. Shi Jing was canonized
by the Han Dynasty. Most of the poems had to be reconstructed from memory by scholars since
the Qin Dynasty had burned the poems along with other classical texts.
Li Ji (Book of Rites)
Li Ji describes social forms, ancient rites, and court ceremonies. It was lost during the
burning of the books by the Qin Dynasty in 213 B.C. The book, as we know it today, was
reconstructed from memory by Gao Tang.
Shu Jing (Book of History)
Shu Jing is a collection of documents and speeches that were composed by rulers and officials
of the early Zhou Dynasty and before. The Book of History contains examples of early Chinese
prose.
Chun Qiu (Spring and Autumn Annals) aka Lin Jing
Chu Qiu is the official chronicle of the state of Lu (722 - 481 B.C.). It is the earliest
surviving Chinese historical text to be arranged on annalistic principles (historical events
were recorded chronologically). The text is extremely concise, and it's meaning can only
be fully understood with aid of ancient commentaries, such as the Zuo Zhuan (Zuo Commentary).
The Spring and Autumn Annals is mostly focused on the diplomatic relations between feudal states, as well as
the births and deaths among the ruling families.
Other Classics
Dao De Jing (The Book of the Way and it's Virtue)
It is said that this work was written around 600 B.C. by the famous sage Lao Zi. Lao Zi is
said to be a record-keeper of the Emperor's Court of the Zhou Dynasty. Dao De Jing is
divided into two sections: Dao, containing chapters 1-37; and De, containing chapters 38-81,
and is composed of five thousand Chinese characters. Dao De Jing is believed to be both the
counterpart and complement to the Annalects of Confucius. The Book contains everything from
practical wisdom for the common man to advices intended for kings and even strange medical recipe
as well.
Lie Zi (The Treatise of Perfect Emptiness)
Lie Zi was a famous daoist sage who was mentioned several times in Zhuang Zi.
Xiao Jing (Book of Filial Piety)
Xiao Jing describes how people of all ages should respect their parents and ancestors in
the rightful way. Over the last two thousand years, filial piety has always been regarded
as a fundamental part of any education.
Bai Jia Xing (Book of Hundred Family Names)
It is believed that Chinese surnames was originated from the mythical Chinese Emperor
Fu Xi. The Book of Hundred Family Names was compiled during the tenth century. The
work contained about five hundred Chinese surnames, and they were all arranged in rhymed
lines without repetitions.
San Zi Jing (Three Character Classic)
San Zi Jing was compiled in the 13th century and was attributed to Wang Yinglin (1223 - 1296 A.D.).
The Three Character Classic has always served as study material for Chinese school children.
By studying the book, the children was able to learn common characters, grammar structures,
elements of Chinese history, and even the basis of Confucian morality. San Zi Jin was
banished during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Other Ancient Texts
Zhuang Zi
It is believed that the famous philosopher Zhuang Zi wrote the first chapters
(inner chapters) in this book and his disciples were responsible for the other parts
(outer chapters). Zhuang Zi believed that our limited mind cannot be used to pursue the
things that we do not know, meaning the unknown and unlimited. There is a famous section
in the book called "Zhuang Zhou Meng Die" (Zhuang Zhou dreamt he was a butterfly), where
he questioned a dream that he had one night. Zhuang Zi dreamt that he was a butterfly, but when
he woke up, he started to wonder if it was he who dreamt about being a butterfly, or
was it the butterfly who was starting to dream that it was Zhuang Zi.
The Writings of Xun Zi
The Chinese philosopher Xun Zi, who lived in the Warring States Period, wrote a book where
he described a doctrine that was based on realism and materialism. His work was later passed
down to his students, Li Si and Han Fei Zi, who developed it into the doctrine that was
eventually embodied in the concept of Legalism.
Sun Zi Bing Fa (Art of War)
The Art of War was written by Sun Zi during the 6th century. It contains 13 chapters,
and has always been considered as the greatest work on military organization, leadership,
and battlefield tactics. Famous leaders, such as Napoleon Bonaparte and Mao Zedong have claimed to have drawn inspiration
from the Art of War. Some people believe that the Art of War also teaches us how to develop
social strategies in terms of developing relationships and succeed in competitive business
situations.
Thirty-Six Strategies (San Shi Liu Ji)
The origin of this book is unknown. The 36 Strategies is merely a collection of
ancient Chinese proverbs, that can be applied in the areas of espionage, policy, and
diplomacy. The original text is said to contain 138 Chinese characters.
Tang Shi Bai Shou (The Three Hundred Tang Poems)
This work was compiled by a scholar named Sun Zhu, who lived in the Qing Dynasty. Sun Zhu
did not like the anthology Qian Jia Shi (Poems from a thousand scholars), that was written
during the Southern Song Dynasty, and so he decided to compile his own collection of poems.
The Three Hundred Tang Poems was published in 1764 and has been widely known to every
Chinese ever since. Sun Zhu divided his anthology into six different styles, comprising
old style poems (gu shi), regular poems (lü shi), and short poems (jue ju).
