Great Learning: Book of Rites

The
Four Books (四書; Sìshū) are Chinese classic texts illustrating the core value

and belief systems in Confucianism. They were selected by Zhu Xi in the Song
dynastyto serve as general introduction to Confucian thought, and they were, in
the Ming and Qing dynasties, made the core of the official curriculum for the civil
service examinations.[2] They are:
Great Learning
Originally one chapter in the Book of Rites. It consists of a short main text
attributed to Confucius and nine commentary chapters by Zeng Zi, one of
the disciples of Confucius. Its importance is illustrated by Zeng Zi's foreword
that this is the gateway of learning.
It is significant because it expresses many themes of Chinese philosophy and
political thinking, and has therefore been extremely influential both in classical
and modern Chinese thought. Government, self-cultivation and investigation
of things are linked.
Doctrine of the Mean
Another chapter in Book of Rites, attributed to Confucius' grandson Zisi. The
purpose of this small, 33-chapter book is to demonstrate the usefulness of a
golden way to gain perfect virtue. It focuses on the Way (道) that is prescribed
by a heavenly mandate not only to the ruler but to everyone. To follow these
heavenly instructions by learning and teaching will automatically result in a
Confucian virtue. Because Heaven has laid down what is the way to perfect
virtue, it is not that difficult to follow the steps of the holy rulers of old if one
only knows what is the right way.
Analects
A compilation of speeches by Confucius and his disciples, as well as the
discussions they held. Since Confucius's time, the Analects has heavily
influenced the philosophy and moral values of China and later other East
Asian countries as well. The Imperial examinations, started in the Sui
dynasty and eventually abolished with the founding of the Republic of China,
emphasized Confucian studies and expected candidates to quote and apply
the words of Confucius in their essays.
Mencius
A collection of conversations of the scholar Mencius with kings of his time. In
contrast to the sayings of Confucius, which are short and self-contained,
the Menciusconsists of long dialogues with extensive prose.
The Five Classics (五經; Wǔ Jīng) are five pre-Qin Chinese books that form part of
the traditional Confucian canon. Several of the texts were already prominent by
the Warring States period. Mencius, the leading Confucian scholar of the time,
regarded the Spring and Autumn Annals as being equally important as the semi-
legendary chronicles of earlier periods. During the Western Han dynasty, which
adopted Confucianism as its official ideology, these texts became part of the state-
sponsored curriculum. It was during this period that the texts first began to be
considered together as a set collection, and to be called collectively the "Five
Classics".[3]
The Five Classics are:
Classic of Poetry
A collection of 305 poems divided into 160 folk songs, 105 festal songs sung
at court ceremonies, and 40 hymns and eulogies sung at sacrifices to heroes
and ancestral spirits of the royal house.
Book of Documents
A collection of documents and speeches alleged to have been written by
rulers and officials of the early Zhou period and before. It is possibly the
oldest Chinese narrative, and may date from the 6th century BC. It includes
examples of early Chinese prose.
Book of Rites
Describes ancient rites, social forms and court ceremonies. The version
studied today is a re-worked version compiled by scholars in the third century
BC rather than the original text, which is said to have been edited by
Confucius himself.
I Ching (Book of Changes)
The book contains a divination system comparable to Western geomancy or
the West African Ifá system. In Western cultures and modern East Asia, it is
still widely used for this purpose.
Spring and Autumn Annals
A historical record of the State of Lu, Confucius's native state, 722–481 BC.
The Classic of Music is sometimes considered the sixth classic
but was lost in the Burning of the Books.
Up to the Western Han, authors would typically list the Classics in
the order Poems-Documents-Rituals-Changes-Spring&Autumn.
However, from the Eastern Han the default order instead became
Changes-Documents-Poems-Rituals-Spring&Autumn.
Authors and editors of later eras have also appropriated the terms
"Book" and "Classic" and applied them ironically to compendia
focused on patently low-brow subject matter. Examples include
the Classic of Whoring (Piao jing 嫖經) and Zhang Yingyu's A
New Book for Foiling Swindles (Du pian xin shu 杜騙新書, ca.
1617), which is known colloquially as The Book of
Swindles or The Classic of Swindles

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Four Books (四書; Sìshū) are Chinese classic texts illustrating the core value

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