The Four Books and Five Classics (Imitation of four-volume line-bound edition)

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Features: Parallel two-column collation of classical and vernacular versions
The Great Learning (Spring and Autumn Period), Confucius
The way of the Great Learning is to manifest virtue, to renew the people, and to reach perfection. To achieve these three goals of self-cultivation, one must practice in a progressive manner according to eight items: "investigation of things," "extension of knowledge," "sincerity of heart," "rectification of mind," "self-cultivation," "regulating the family," "governing the state," and "bringing peace to the world."
The Analects (Spring and Autumn Period), Confucius
In the eyes of the ancients, this book was considered a treasure manual for self-cultivation and governing the state. Therefore, for over two thousand years, it has been regarded as the sacred text of the Chinese people. It has had a profound and lasting influence on China's historical course, later earning the name "governing the world with half the Analects."
The Doctrine of the Mean (Spring and Autumn Period), Zisi
A sincere person is the way of Heaven; to achieve sincerity is the way of man. The human heart is perilous, the way of Heaven is subtle; only by being refined and unified can one faithfully uphold the mean.
Mencius (Warring States Period), Mencius
After Confucius, Mencius was the most influential Confucian master, revered as the "Second Sage." The Tang Dynasty thinker Han Yu believed that only Mencius inherited the essence of Confucius. "When Mencius died, the transmission was lost," demonstrating his status.
The Book of Documents (Warring States Period)
The Book of Documents is the oldest and most complete surviving historical record in China, providing the earliest and most authentic account of China's primitive society, slave society, and the early feudal period. It preserves extremely valuable historical materials from ancient times, holding great importance. In the preface to his compilation Collected Interpretations of the Book of Documents, Cai Shen of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote: "The great principles and laws of the world are all recorded in this book."
The I Ching (Shang Dynasty), Jiang Zhaosi
Composed by Jiang Zhaosi, the I Ching was used by successive emperors to divinate the rise and fall of dynasties, the length of reigns, and the fortune of officials in office. Common people relied on it for divinations regarding daily.
The Book of Songs (Spring and Autumn Period), Confucius
Liang Qichao said: "Among the pre-Qin classics that survive today, almost none are free of issues—only the Book of Songs is truly flawless, word for word reliable."
The Book of Rites (Western Han Dynasty), Dai Zhen
Everyone has desires; competition brings chaos, but propriety brings stability. When the ruler is benevolent and ministers are loyal, fathers are and children, elder brothers are friendly and younger brothers are respectful, and husbands and wives respect each other, the world can be governed.
The Zuo Zhuan (Spring and Autumn Period), Zuo Qiuming
Zuo Qiuming timely proposed the themes "the people are the masters of the gods" and "what the people desire, Heaven must follow." He recorded and affirmed the "emphasis on the people" advocated by political figures such as Zū Wéngōng, Zhèng Zǐchǎn, and Qí Yàn’yīng. He boldly upheld and protected the interests of the common people, emphasized the role of "human affairs," and dared to question the authority of "Heaven’s will." His words brim with the spirit of ancient democratic thought and the essence of humanistic philosophy.