Four Books and Five Classics

Author: Li Zhimin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-10-01
Features: In thousands of years of feudal society, the "Four Books and Five Classics" were revered as the golden rules by successive rulers, forcing Confucian scholars to express their thoughts only through annotations, becoming a major phenomenon in the history of classical studies. These classics and their interpretations vividly reflect the spiritual essence of Confucianism. This primarily includes the ideal pursuit of "inner sage and outer king" and the thinking pattern of "unity of heaven and man." From a philosophical perspective, Confucianism highly values explaining human existence from the perspective of the cosmic substance to establish human status and value, filled with rational humanistic spirit. The "Four Books and Five Classics" are the main classics of Chinese Confucianism, and Confucianism is the main school of Chinese traditional culture, making the "Four Books and Five Classics" the main classics of Chinese traditional culture, holding an unparalleled position in the entire Chinese traditional culture.
The Great Learning was originally the 42nd chapter of the Book of Rites. It focuses on elaborating the relationship between personal moral cultivation and social chaos or order, primarily discussing the way of governing through people, which is a political treatise on how to govern the world.
The Doctrine of the Mean was originally the 31st chapter of the Book of Rites. It discusses the Confucian philosophy of dealing with life. The phrase "Zhongyong" (moderation and appropriateness) roughly corresponds to "moderate and proper," explained by Zhu Xi as "not leaning to one side, without excess or deficiency." Confucianism believes that people should follow this principle in dealing with others and matters, achieving the optimal state and striking the right balance.
The Analects is a record of the sayings and deeds of Confucius and his later disciples, written in a (recorded speech) style. Its authors are the disciples and retransmitted disciples of the Confucian school. The Mencius was written by Mencius and his students Wan Zhang and Gongsun Chou. Originally consisting of seven chapters, it was annotated by Zhao Ji of the Eastern Han Dynasty, dividing each chapter into upper and lower parts, making the modern Mencius fourteen chapters. It includes Mencius's political activities and his thoughts on politics, law, philosophy, ethics, and education.
The Book of Changes was originally a divination book, where the correspondence between hexagrams and hexagram terms had no necessary logical connection. The Book of Documents was originally called the Book, renamed the Book of Documents in the Han Dynasty, and later referred to as the Classic of Documents after becoming a Confucian classic, with the name Book of Documents still in use today.
The Book of Songs is the earliest collection of Chinese poetry, comprising 305 poems. Its content includes three parts: Gufeng (), Ya (), and Song (). The Book of Rites is a compilation of materials. Its main theme is Confucianism's theory of ritual governance.
The Zuo Zhuan is the world's earliest annalistic history book. It records important events in the 255 years from the first year of Lord Yin of Lu to the 27th year of Lord Ai of Lu, covering the state of Lu and other vassal states, as well as the Zhou royal family.