Four Books and Five Classics Annotations (Complete 4 Volumes)

Author: Chen Shuguo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Today, there are few middle school students who do not know what the "Four Books" are. Most middle school students know that the "Four Books" (also known as the "Four Classics"), are the collective title for the Analects of Confucius, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, and Mencius. The Analects is mostly the words of Confucius, and the Mencius is mostly the discourses of Mencius. Many middle school students also know that the author of The Great Learning was traditionally believed to be Zengzi, a student of Confucius, and that the author of The Doctrine of the Mean was Kong Ji (known as Zisi), the grandson of Confucius. This is not because the "Four Books" have once again become a stepping stone for scholars to find their way, but because the ideas promoted by the "Four Books" largely belong to the excellent traditional cultural heritage of ancient China, which is the same as the "Five Classics" in this regard. If not so, how would modern citizens (including the young people who carry the hope of the Chinese nation) accept such ancient classics as the "Four Books"? What use would the "Four Books" (along with the "Five Classics") be in modern China after the reform and opening-up? The "Four Books and Five Classics" (set of 4 volumes) (annotated edition) is an annotated version of these works. During the Tang Dynasty, Han Yu, Li Zhizhi, and in the Song Dynasty, Sima Guang and the Two Cheng brothers attached great importance to the ancient texts later known as the "Four Books." Especially after Zhu Xi promoted them in the Southern Song Dynasty, until the late Qing Dynasty, the "Four Books" were required reading and had to be thoroughly studied by scholars. Because if not, the numerous scholars would have no way to advance. At that time, the ruling class wanted to utilize Confucianism and Mencianism, and these philosophies were contained in the "Four Books." Scholars who studied the "Four Books" well would be recognized and rewarded. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, a few people opposed the Confucianism and Mencianism in the "Four Books" and mocked the Confucian scholars who were confined by the "Four Books." After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the Confucianism and Mencianism promoted by the "Four Books" were subjected to two large-scale and severe criticisms: one during the May Fourth Movement in the 1910s, and another during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. After these two major criticisms, especially after the second "revolution," the "Four Books" were included in the list of books to be eradicated, and their status plummeted. This fate was the same as that of the "Five Classics." Until the late 1970s, among the millions of young people, most did not know what the "Four Books" were. However, today, there are few middle school students who do not know what the "Four Books" are. Most middle school students know that the "Four Books" (also known as the "Four Classics"), are the collective title for the Analects of Confucius, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, and Mencius. The Analects is mostly the words of Confucius, and the Mencius is mostly the discourses of Mencius. Many middle school students also know that the author of The Great Learning was traditionally believed to be Zengzi, a student of Confucius, and that the author of The Doctrine of the Mean was Kong Ji (known as Zisi), the grandson of Confucius. This is not because the "Four Books" have once again become a stepping stone for scholars to find their way, but because the ideas promoted by the "Four Books" largely belong to the excellent traditional cultural heritage of ancient China, which is the same as the "Five Classics" in this regard. If not so, how would modern citizens (including the young people who carry the hope of the Chinese nation) accept such ancient classics as the "Four Books"? What use would the "Four Books" (along with the "Five Classics") be in modern China after the reform and opening-up?