Four Books and Five Classics - (Complete Three Volumes)

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Publish Date: 1985-11-01
Features: The Four Books—It is said that anyone with a slight understanding of traditional Chinese culture knows the Four Books. It is the collective name for the four works: The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius, and Mencius. They are said to have originated from the four representative figures of early Confucianism—Zeng Can, Zisi, Confucius, and Mencius—hence the name "The Four Books of the Four Masters" (also known as "The Four Masters"), abbreviated as "The Four Books." In the late years of the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1190), the famous Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi compiled The Great Learning, The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, and The Doctrine of the Mean in Fujian, Zhangzhou, and published them as a set of classics. This Confucian scholar believed that "one should first read The Great Learning to establish its scope; then read The Analects of Confucius to determine its foundation; next read Mencius to observe its development; and finally read The Doctrine of the Mean to seek the subtleties of the ancients." He also said, "The Four Books are the stepping stones to the Six Classics" (Zhu Xi's Discourses). Zhu Xi's commentary on The Four Books with annotations had a revolutionary significance. The Han and Tang dynasties were the era of the Five Classics, while the Song Dynasty and later were the era of the Four Books.
The Great Learning: The Great Learning was originally an essay in the Book of Rites and was never published separately before the Southern Song Dynasty. It is said to have been written by Zeng Can, a disciple of Confucius (505 BC–434 BC). From the Tang Dynasty, when Han Yu and Li Ao upheld the Confucian tradition and promoted The Great Learning (along with The Doctrine of the Mean), to the Northern Song Dynasty when the two Cheng brothers highly praised and spread it, even calling it "the of Confucius and the gateway for beginners to virtue," and then to the Southern Song Dynasty when Zhu Xi inherited the thought of the two Chengs, The Great Learning was extracted from the Book of Rites and listed alongside The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, and The Doctrine of the Mean. By the time Zhu Xi compiled his commentary on The Four Books, it had become one of the Four Books. According to Zhu Xi and another famous scholar of the Song Dynasty, Cheng Yi, The Great Learning was the left by Confucius and his disciples, serving as an introductory text for Confucianism. Therefore, Zhu Xi ranked it as the first of the Four Books.
The Doctrine of the Mean: The Doctrine of the Mean was also originally an essay in the Book of Rites and was never published separately before the Southern Song Dynasty. It is generally believed to have been written by Zisi, the grandson of Confucius (483 BC–402 BC), as mentioned in the Records of the Grand Historian: "Zisi wrote The Doctrine of the Mean." From the Tang Dynasty, when Han Yu and Li Ao upheld the Confucian tradition and promoted The Doctrine of the Mean (along with The Great Learning), to the Northern Song Dynasty when the two Cheng brothers highly praised and spread it, even considering it "the heart of the transmission in the Confucian school," and then to the Southern Song Dynasty when Zhu Xi inherited the thought of the two Chengs, The Doctrine of the Mean was extracted from the Book of Rites and listed alongside The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, and The Great Learning. By the time Zhu Xi compiled his commentary on The Four Books, it had become one of the Four Books. From the perspective of the basic viewpoints of The Doctrine of the Mean and Mencius, they are largely similar. However, the existing The Doctrine of the Mean has been revised by Confucian scholars in the Qin Dynasty and was largely finalized shortly after the unification of China under the Qin. Therefore, each chapter no longer takes the first two characters of the correct principle as the title, but instead summarizes the central content of the article as the title.
The Analects of Confucius: The Analects of Confucius is a book recording the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples. Confucius (551 BC–479 BC), styled Zhongni, was a native of Zouyi in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period (now Qufu, Shandong). He was the founder of the Confucian school, one of the most famous thinkers, statesmen, and educators in ancient China, and had a profound and far-reaching impact on the development of Chinese thought and culture. The Analects of Confucius was compiled during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods by Confucius's disciples and their second-generation disciples. The Analects of Confucius covers philosophy, politics, economy, education, literature, and many other aspects, making it an extremely rich and important classic of Confucianism. In terms of expression, the language of the Analects is concise and vivid, serving as a model of colloquial prose. In terms of arrangement, the Analects does not follow a strict compilation system. Each entry is a chapter, chapters are collected into books, and there is no close connection between books and chapters, only a rough categorization, with some repeated chapters. During the Han Dynasty, there were three versions of the Analects of Confucius: the Lu Analects (20 chapters), the Qi Analects (22 chapters), and the Ancient Text Analects (21 chapters). In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Zheng Xuan used the Lu Analects as the basis, referencing the Qi Analects and the Ancient Text Analects to compile a new edition and add annotations. After Zheng Xuan's annotated edition was circulated, the Qi Analects and the Ancient Text Analects gradually disappeared. Later versions of the Analects of Confucius with annotations mainly included: He Yan's "Collected Explanations of the Analects" in the Wei Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period, Huang Kan's "Explanatory Notes on the Analects" in the Liang Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xing Yan's "Annotations and Explanatory Notes on the Analects" in the Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi's "Collected Annotations on the Analects," and Liu Baonan's "Corrective Explanations of the Analects" in the Qing Dynasty.
Mencius: The Mencius is a book recording the words and deeds of Mencius and his disciples. Mencius (c. 372 BC–289 BC), styled Ke, was a native of Zou in the Warring States period (southeast of Zoucheng, Shandong), not far from Confucius's hometown of Qufu. He was a famous thinker, statesman, and educator, and a successor to Confucius's teachings. During the Xiaozong era of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi compiled the Four Books and included Mencius, officially elevating its status to a very high level. After the Yuan and Ming dynasties, it became part of the imperial examination curriculum and a must-read for scholars. The Mencius is a book recording the words and deeds of Mencius and his disciples. Like Confucius, Mencius also led his students on tours to the states of Wei, Qi, Song, Lu,, and, and once served as a guest scholar in the court of King Xuan of Qi. Since his political views, like those of Confucius, were not highly regarded, he returned to his hometown to teach his disciples and wrote books with them, "sequencing the Book of Songs and the Book of Documents, explaining the meaning of Zhongni, and writing the Seven Chapters of Mencius" (Records of Mencius and Xun Qing). Zhao Ji, in the preface to the Mencius, compared it to the Analects of Confucius, considering it "a work imitating the." Therefore, although the Book of the Han Dynasty's "Arts and Sciences" merely placed the Mencius in the category of the Hundred Schools of Thought, viewing it as a work of the Hundred Schools, in the minds of the Han Dynasty people, it was already regarded as a "transmission" book assisting the "classics." Emperor Wen of Han established "transmission scholars" for the Analects of Confucius, the Classic of Filial Piety, the Mencius, and the Book of Rites. During the Later Shu Dynasty of the Five Dynasties, Emperor Meng Chang of Later Shu ordered the carving of eleven classics in regular script, which included the Mencius. This may have been the beginning of the Mencius being included in the "classics." During the Xiaozong era of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi compiled the Four Books and included the Mencius, officially elevating its status to a very high level.
II. The Five Classics—Confucianism originally had six classics: the Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Music, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. Qin Shi Huang's "burning of books and burying scholars" is said to have led to the loss of the Book of Music after the flames of the Qin. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Analects of Confucius and the Classic of Filial Piety were added, making a total of seven classics. During the Tang Dynasty, the Book of Rites, the Book of Rites, the Spring and Autumn Annals of Gongyang, the Spring and Autumn Annals of Guliang, and the Book of Rites were added, making a total of twelve classics. During the Song Dynasty, the Mencius was added, and the "Thirteen Classics with Annotations" were passed down. The Thirteen Classics are the basic works of Confucian culture. From a traditional perspective, the Book of Changes, the Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals are called "classics," while the Zuo Zhuan, the Gongyang Zhuan, and the Guliang Zhuan belong to the "transmissions" of the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Book of Rites, the Classic of Filial Piety, the Analects of Confucius, and the Mencius are all "records," and the Book of Rites is the work of Han Dynasty Confucian scholars on glossary. The later Five Classics refer to: the Book of Changes, the Book of Documents, the Book of Songs, the Book of Rites, and the Zuo Zhuan.
The Book of Changes (also known as the Book of Changes or the I Ching): It is also called the Book of Changes or the I Ching and is ranked first among the Confucian classics. The Book of Changes is a divination book with an external layer of mystery and profound and vast philosophical meaning. Its author should be the diviner, and it was completed by multiple people. It extensively records various aspects of Western Zhou society, including historical, philosophical, and literary value. People's understanding of the laws of nature and the transformation of the sage before the time had never surpassed the framework of yin and yang and the eight trigrams. According to legend, the Dragon Horse carried the "He Tu" to appear in the Yellow River, and the ancient sage Fuxi created the eight trigrams. The Records of the Grand Historian also mentions, "King Wen of Zhou was imprisoned and developed the Book of Changes" (another theory holds that Fuxi refined the trigrams, and yet another holds that Shennong did), and wrote the hexagram terms (or attributed to the Duke of Zhou). Later, in the Spring and Autumn Period, there was the theory that Confucius wrote the "Ten Wings," and the world called it "Three Saints Changing Through Three Ages" (Records of the Han Dynasty's "Arts and Sciences"). The Book of Changes consists of two parts: the "Book" and the "Transmission." The "Book" consists of sixty-four hexagrams, their corresponding names, hexagram terms, line names, and line terms. The "Transmission" consists of seven types and ten chapters: the upper and lower chapters of the Tuan, the upper and lower chapters of the Xiang, the Wenyan, the upper and lower chapters of the Xisi, the Shu Gua, the Za Gua, and the Xu Gua. Ancients called these ten chapters the "Ten Wings," meaning that the "Transmission" was the wing attached to the "Book," used to explain the content of the "Book."
The Book of Documents (also known as the Book of Documents or the Shang Shu): In ancient times, it was called the Book of Documents or the Book of Documents. "Shang" means "upper" or "ancient," and this book is the earliest collection of historical documents. It records events from the legendary era of Yao and Shun to the Eastern Zhou (mid-Spring and Autumn Period), covering about 1,500 years. The basic content is records of the decrees of ancient emperors and conversations between rulers and ministers, indicating that the author should be a historian. The Records of the Grand Historian mention that Confucius "sequenced the Book of Documents, starting from the era of Yao and Shun to Qin Mu, arranging the events in order," and it is said to have been compiled by Confucius. The Book of Documents has two transmitted versions: the "Present Text Book of Documents" and the "Ancient Text Book of Documents." The current circulating version of the "Thirteen Classics with Annotations" is a compilation of the "Present Text Book of Documents" and the "Pseudo-Ancient Text Book of Documents." In ancient times, people praised someone who had read extensively as "well-read in poetry and documents," where "poetry and documents" referred to the Book of Songs and the Book of Documents.
The Book of Songs (also known as the Book of Songs or the Book of 300 Poems): In the pre-Qin period, it was called the Book of Songs or the Book of 300 Poems, and is the earliest collection of Chinese poetry. It collects 305 poems from the early Western Zhou to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period, covering more than 500 years. "In ancient times, the Book of Songs had over 3,000 poems, and when it reached Confucius, he removed the duplicates" (Records of the Grand Historian), and it is said to have been compiled by Confucius. The Book of Songs is divided into three parts: "Feng," "Ya," and "Song." "Feng" refers to folk songs, "Ya" refers to the proper music of the Western Zhou royal domain, and "Song" refers to dance songs and lyrical texts used in temple sacrifices by the upper class. This book extensively reflects various aspects of social life at the time and is known as the "encyclopedia of ancient society," with a far-reaching impact on later generations. Those who enjoy poetry are sure to have read it.
The Book of Rites (also known as the Book of Rites): It is a collection of articles by Confucian scholars from the Warring States to the Han and Tang dynasties explaining and annotating the Book of Rites. "The Book of Rites is just an explanation of the Book of Rites" (Discourses of Zhu Xi, Volume 87), and is a collection of materials on Confucian thought. Although the Book of Rites is just a book explaining the Book of Rites, due to its wide scope, its influence went beyond the Book of Rites and the Book of Rites. The Book of Rites has two transmitted versions: one compiled by Dai De, with 85 chapters, of which 40 are preserved, called the "Great Dai Liji"; the other, which is what we see today, is a selection of 49 chapters by Dai De's nephew, Dai Sheng, called the "Small Dai Liji."
The Zuo Zhuan (also known as the Zuo Shi Chunqiu, the Ancient Text of the Spring and Autumn, or the Spring and Autumn Zuo Zhuan): It is an ancient chronicle-style historical work. The Records of the Grand Historian attributes its authorship to Zuo Qiuming of the Spring and Autumn Period. Qing Dynasty Confucian scholars who believed in the present text considered it to be revised by Liu Xin, and modern scholars believe it was compiled from historical materials of various states in the early Warring States period (some say it was written by successive historians of the Lu state). Its sources included royal archives, Lu historical records, and the histories of various states. The events are generally arranged in the order of the twelve rulers of Lu in the Spring and Autumn Annals, including visits, alliances, wars, marriages, and coups, having a significant impact on later historiography and literature. The Zuo Zhuan was not originally a Confucian classic, but after it was established in the schools and later attached to the Spring and Autumn Annals, it gradually became regarded as a classic by Confucian scholars.