Three Character Classic · Thousand Character Classic · Hundred Family Surnames

Author: Zheng Min
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: In traditional Chinese learning materials, the "Three Character Classic," "Hundred Family Surnames," and "Thousand Character Classic" are the most widely circulated early childhood enlightenment textbooks for thousands of years, commonly known as the "Three, Hundred, Thousand." It is said that "reading the Three Character Classic to learn about the world; reciting the Hundred Family Surnames for daily use; understanding the Thousand Character Classic to grasp the principles." The Three Character Classic is a "" – a timeless masterpiece! It is said to have been written by Wang Yinglin, a southern scholar, and became widely known after the Song Dynasty. It contains extensive content: "first listing worldly affairs, then followed by classics, histories, and the teachings of various schools, observing their distinct categorization without mixing. Although the characters are repeated, they lack literary elegance, yet their ability to enlighten knowledge surpasses it." It discusses both teaching and learning, as well as etiquette norms and names of things, history, and tales of diligent pursuit of knowledge. The Hundred Family Surnames were written and popularized earlier than the Three Character Classic. According to Wang Mingqing of the Song Dynasty: "The Hundred Family Surnames printed in the marketplaces were once examined by Wang Mingqing, who believed they were written by commoners during the time when the Qian family ruled in the Lingjiang region. Why? Because it begins with 'Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li,' as the Qian family followed the legitimate calendar, and Zhao was the imperial surname of our dynasty, so Qian comes next." The entire book compiles four hundred and thirty-eight surnames into four-character rhyming verses, making it easy to recite and remember, and enjoyed by both the refined and the common. The Thousand Character Classic was compiled by Zhou Xingsi during the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang. It is said that Emperor Wu ordered the selection of one thousand characters from Wang Xizhi's calligraphy and tasked Zhou Xingsi with compiling them into a text. Zhou completed the rhyming verses overnight, but by then, his hair had turned white. The Thousand Character Classic has no repeated characters, not only featuring elegant parallelism and logical coherence but also outstanding literary talent, earning admiration. It is known as the "Letter from a Scholar" and has been passed down for thousands of years without fading.