University, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Book of Documents

Author: Zhong Lei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: The Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean were originally two chapters of the Book of Rites. Since the Han Dynasty, there has been a notion that the Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals were considered the "Great Classics," while the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean from the Book of Rites, along with the Analects and the Mencius, were collectively referred to as the "Small Classics." During the Tang Dynasty, scholars like Han Yu and Li Ao regarded the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean as equally important as the Mencius and the Book of Changes, classifying them as "classics." In the Song Dynasty, the brothers Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi inherited this perspective and vigorously upheld their status as "classics." The great scholar Zhu Xi followed the views of the Cheng brothers and particularly revered the Mencius and the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean from the Book of Rites, placing them alongside the Analects and collectively naming them the Four Books. He then annotated and compiled them into the Collected Annotations on the Four Books. From then on, the name Four Books was established and became the fundamental textbook for transmitting and teaching Confucianism. For centuries, the Four Books have been widely circulated in China, with many of their phrases becoming well-known maxims and aphorisms. Today, they are essential reading for learning traditional Chinese culture and have had an extremely profound impact on improving the moral and cultural standards of the Chinese people.
The Book of Documents was originally called the Book of Documents. In the early Western Han Dynasty, the character "Shang" was added before "Shu," considering it as the book of ancient times. Later, when the Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, and the Book of Music were officially recognized as Confucian classics, the Book of Documents was renamed the Book of Documents. It is the earliest historical document preserved in China, a compilation of historical records from ancient China and some works that recount past events. The Book of Documents preserves a wealth of political, philosophical, astronomical, geographical, and legal materials from ancient times, making it highly valued by scholars throughout history. During the imperial examination era, which was primarily based on studying classics, the Book of Documents was always a required textbook for ancient scholars. However, after the Republic of China abolished the study of classics in 1912, the Book of Documents, like other classics, fell into neglect and spent nearly a century in obscurity. As humanity enters the 21st century and enjoys modern civilization, people have suddenly realized that the classics left by our ancestors are being studied by only a small number of experts. When the information superhighway connects people in our "global village," we discover that the charm of our nation still lies in its unique traditional Chinese culture. However, what deeply worries us is that Chinese people, after the abolition of the study of classics, have become largely unfamiliar with these classics. We know that the few fragmented phrases like "zhi," "hu," "zhe," and "ye" learned in middle school Chinese classes are simply not enough to solve the problem. It seems that the culture of our ancestors is on the verge of being lost. Fortunately, some insightful individuals, both at home and abroad, have shown keen vision and have brought the long-missing sound of studying classics back into the campuses of primary and secondary schools. The study and teaching of classics have also gained favor among people in modern cities. To study classics and inherit the excellent cultural heritage of our motherland, the Book of Documents is undoubtedly a must-read.