Disciples Code · Three Character Classic · Thousand Character Classic · Confucian Classic of Filial Piety

Author: Beijing Siha Children's Classic Reading Education Center
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: China is one of the few ancient civilizations in the world, with its traditional culture uninterrupted for thousands of years, a miracle in the history of world culture. The other ancient civilizations mostly had a beginning but no end, declining and perishing one after another. Only China endured through ups and downs, with its cultural center never leaving the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins. Chinese culture is both ancient and young, never becoming an object of archaeology. Ancient Chinese poetry and prose are part of this precious culture.
"Dizigui" (The Rules for Students) was first written by Li Yuxiu in the Qing Dynasty and later revised by Jia Youren. It consists of three-character sentences, compiled from the "Analects of Confucius," "Mencius," "The Book of Rites," "The Classic of Filial Piety," and Zhu Xi's sayings, serving as a code of conduct for students.
"The Three-Character Classic" is said to have been written by Wang Yinglin, a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, and is one of the most representative ancient textbooks for young learners. Each sentence has three characters and is rhymed, totaling over a thousand words. Its purpose is to emphasize the importance of education, covering ethics, morals, historical reforms, and everyday knowledge.
Writing "A Thousand Characters Without Repetition" overnight in four-character sentences, with no repeated characters, was a remarkable feat. The author Zhou Xingsi also went gray overnight, as legend has it that he was a minister of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty and committed a mistake. The emperor offered him a deal: if he could compose a good essay using one thousand different characters within a single night, he would be spared punishment; otherwise, he would be penalized. The result was a timeless encyclopedic masterpiece.
Ancient China prioritized education to build the nation. The "Jiashu" (Records of the Rites) states, "To establish a state and govern its people, education must come first." The character "teaching" () on the left is composed of "filial piety" (). Learning filial piety is the foundation of education, with the saying, "Respecting one person can make thousands happy."
"The Classic of Filial Piety" records a dialogue between Confucius and his disciple Zengzi, explaining that "Filial piety is the root of virtue, and the source of education." The authorship of "The Classic of Filial Piety" is debated, with some saying it was written by Confucius, Zengzi, or a disciple of Mencius.