Chinese classic texts or Chinese canonical texts are the classical literature in Chinese culture that are considered to be the best or the most valuable. These include both poetry and prose dating from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770–256 BCE). Some of them are attributed to Confucius, but he might only be their editor. One of the features of Chinese culture that allows its continuity is the importance given to these ancient texts, which shape the culture. Classics, particularly within the Western University tradition, when used as a singular noun, means the study of the language, literature, history, art, and other aspects of Greek and Roman culture during the time frame known as classical antiquity. ... Literature is literally acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has generally come to identify a collection of texts, which in Western culture are mainly prose, both fiction and non-fiction... Home to one of the worlds oldest and most complex civilizations, China boasts a history rich in over 5,000 years of artistic, philosophical, and political advancement. ... Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong Hand-painted Chinese New Years poetry pasted on the sides of doors leading to peoples homes, Old Town, Lijiang, Yunnan, China. ... Alternative meaning: Zhou Dynasty (690 CE - 705 CE) The Zhou Dynasty (周朝; Wade-Giles: Chou Dynasty) (late 10th century BC to late 9th century BC - 256 BC) followed the Shang (Yin) Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty in China. ... Confucius (Chinese 孔夫子, transliterated Kong Fuzi or Kung-fu-tzu, literally Master Kong, traditionally September 28, 551 BCE–479 BCE) was a famous Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings deeply influenced East Asian life and thought. ...

Sì shū wǔ jīng (四書五經), or the Four Books and the Five Classics, were mandated study of those Confucian scholars who wished to become government officials. Any political discussion was full of references to this background and one could not be one of the literati, or even a military officer, without knowing them perfectly. Confucianist temple Thian Hock Keng in Singapore Confucianism (Chinese: å„’å­¦, Pinyin: Rúxué‚ [ ] , literally The School of the Scholars; or, less accurately, 孔教 Kŏng jiào, The Religion of Confucius) is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the early Chinese sage Confucius. ... An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intellect to study, reflect, and speculate on a variety of different ideas. ...

Chinese children first studied the Chinese characters with the Hundred Family Surnames (Bai Jia Xing) and the Three Character Classic (三字經 San Zi Jing), then went on to study the other Classics, in order to ascend in the social hierarchy. Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... The Three Character Classic (三字經) is one of the Chinese classic texts, and was the first such text studied by school-children until it fell into disuse during the Cultural Revolution. ...

List of Chinese classic texts

• The Four Books (四書 Sì shū):
  • The Great Learning, (大學 Dà Xué), the name of a chapter in the Classic of Rites.
  • The Doctrine of the Golden Mean (中庸 Zhōng Yóng), the name of another chapter in the Classic of Rites.
  • The Analects of Confucius (論語 Lùn Yǔ), a book of pithy sayings attributed to Confucius and recorded by his disciples.
  • The Mencius (孟子 Mèng Zǐ), a book of conversations between Mencius and some kings of his time.

• The Five Classics (五經 Wǔ jīng):
  • The I Ching (易經 Yì Jīng; Classic of Changes or Book of Changes) is a manual of divination based on the eight trigrams attributed to the mythical emperor Fu Xi. (By Confucius' time these eight trigrams had been multiplied to sixty-four hexagrams.) The I Ching is still used by adherents of folk religion.
  • The Classic of Poetry or The Book of Odes (詩經 Shī Jīng), made up of 305 poems divided into 160 folk songs; seventy-four minor festal songs, traditionally sung at court festivities; 31 major festal songs, sung at more solemn court ceremonies; and forty hymns and eulogies, sung at sacrifices to gods and ancestral spirits of the royal house. This book is traditionally credited as a compilation from Confucius.
  • The Classic of Rites (禮記 Lǐ Jì), social forms and ceremonies (also spelled Liki), a restoration of the original Lijing, lost in the 3rd century BCE, describes ancient rites and court ceremonies.
  • The Classic of History (書經 Shū Jīng) is a collection of documents and speeches alleged to have been written by rulers and officials of the early Zhou period and before. It contains examples of early Chinese prose.
  • The Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋 Chūn Qiū, also known as 麟經 Lín Jīng), a historical record of the state of Lu, Confucius' native state, from 722 B.C. to 479 B.C. written (or edited) by Confucius, with implied condemnation of usurpations, murder, incest, etc.
  • The Classic of Music (樂經) (Yueh Ching) is sometime referred to as the sixth classic, but is lost by the time of the Han dynasty.

• The classics of Taoism:
  • The Classic of The Way and Its Virtue or Tao Te Ching (道德經 Dao De Jing), attributed to Lao Zi.
  • Zhuang Zi, attributed to the philosopher of the same name, Zhuang Zi.
  • The True Classic of Perfect Emptiness, attributed to Lie Zi.

• The classic of Mohism:
  • Mozi, attributed to the philosopher of the same name, Mozi.

• The classics of Legalism:
  • Guan Zi, attributed to Guan Zhong.
  • Han Fei Zi, attributed to Han Fei.
  • Shen Zi, attributed to Shen Buhai, is lost.
  • Shen Zi, attributed to Shen Dao, is presumably lost.
  • The Book of Law or Fa Jing, attributed to Li Kui.

• Classics of military science:
  • The Art of War, attributed to Sun Tzu.
  • Thirty-Six Strategies, recently uncovered.
  • The Three Strategies of Master Yellow Stone (黃石公三略, Huangshigong sanlüe)
  • Li Weigong answering the questions of Tang Taizong (唐太宗李衛公問對, Tang Taizong Li Weigong Wendui), attributed to Li Jing
  • The Methods of the Minister of War (司馬法, Sima Fa), attributed to Sima Rangju (司馬穰苴)/Tian Rangju (田穰苴)
  • Wuzi (吳子), attributed to Wu Qi (吳起)
  • Weiliaozi (尉繚子, also pronounced Yuliaozi), attributed to Wei Liao (尉繚)

• Classics of the history of China:
  • Twenty-Four Histories, a dynastic format collection of authoritative references of the history of China, including the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian and the Book of Han by Ban Gu.
  • The Spring and Autumn Annals of Zuo, Annals of Zuo or Zuo Zhuan, attributed to Zuo Qiuming.
  • The Discourses of the States or Guoyu, a collection of historical records of numerous states during the Spring and Autumn Period.
  • The Strategies of the Warring States or Zhan Guo Ce, attributed to Liu Xiang.
  • The Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue or Wuyue Chunqiu, a historical record of the states of Wu and Yue during the Spring and Autumn Period, attributed to Zhao Ye.
  • The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms or Shiliuguo Chunqiu, a historical record of the Sixteen Kingdoms, attributed to Cui Hong, is lost.
  • The Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government or Zizhi Tongjian, attributed to Sima Guang.
  • The Annals of Lü Buwei or Lüshi Chunqiu (呂氏春秋), attributed to Lü Buwei.

• Other classics include:
  • The Classic of Filial Piety or Xiao Jing (孝經 Xiao Jing)
  • The Thousand Character Classic (千字文)

The Four Books, or the Four Classics, are the Chinese classic texts selected by Zhu Xi in the Song dynasty to serve as an introduction to Chinese philosophy and Confucianism. ... The Great Learning (Chinese: 大學, pinyin: Dà Xué) is the first of the Four books which were selected by Zhu Xi in the Song Dynasty as a foundational introduction to Confucianism. ... Classic of Rites The Classic of Rites (禮記 Lǐ Jì, or Liki) was one of the Five Classics of Confucianism; it described social forms, ancient rites, and court ceremonies. ... The Doctrine of the Mean (中庸, py Zhōngyōng) is one of the Four Books, part of the Confucian canonical scriptures. ... Classic of Rites The Classic of Rites (禮記 Lǐ Jì, or Liki) was one of the Five Classics of Confucianism; it described social forms, ancient rites, and court ceremonies. ... Engraving of Confucius. ... Confucius (Chinese 孔夫子, transliterated Kong Fuzi or Kung-fu-tzu, literally Master Kong, traditionally September 28, 551 BCE–479 BCE) was a famous Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings deeply influenced East Asian life and thought. ... Mencius (most accepted dates: 372 BC – 289 BC; other possible dates: 385 BC – 303 BC or 302 BC) was born in the State of Zou (鄒國), now forming the territory of the county-level city of Zoucheng (邹城市), Shandong province, only 30 km (18 miles) south of Qufu, the town of Confucius. ... The Five Classics (五經, WÇ”jÄ«ng) is a corpus of five ancient Chinese books used by Confucianism as the basis of studies. ... Alternative meaning: I Ching (monk) The I Ching (Traditional Chinese: 易經, pinyin y jīng; Cantonese IPA: jɪk6gɪŋ1; Cantonese Jyutping: jik6ging1; alternative romanizations include I Jing, Yi Ching, Yi King) is the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. ... The bagua (Chinese: 八卦; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: pa kua; literally eight trigrams) is a fundamental philosophical concept in ancient China. ... Fu Hsi (伏羲; pinyin fú xī; Pao-hsi), was the mythical First Emperor of China. ... A hexagram (also known as sexagram or a magicians/sorcerers star) is a six-pointed star, a type of complex star polygon. ... Shī Jīng (詩經), translated variously as the Classic of Poetry, the Book of Songs or the Book of Odes, is the first major collection of Chinese poems. ... Classic of Rites The Classic of Rites (禮記 Lǐ Jì, or Liki) was one of the Five Classics of Confucianism; it described social forms, ancient rites, and court ceremonies. ... (4th century BC - 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - other centuries) (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events The first two Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome over dominance in western Mediterranean Rome conquers Spain Great Wall of China begun Indian traders regularly visited Arabia Scythians occupy... The Classic of History (書經/书经 Shū Jīng) is a collection of documents and speeches alleged to have been written by rulers and officials of the early Zhou period and before. ... Alternative meaning: Zhou Dynasty (690 CE - 705 CE) The Zhou Dynasty (周朝; Wade-Giles: Chou Dynasty) (late 10th century BC to late 9th century BC - 256 BC) followed the Shang (Yin) Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty in China. ... The Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋 ChÅ«n QiÅ«, also known as 麟經 Lín JÄ«ng) is the official chronicle of the state of Lu covering the period from 722 BCE to 481 BCE. It is the earliest surviving Chinese historical text to be arranged on annalistic principles. ... Lu (Chinese: 魯國; pinyin: ) was an ancient state in China during the Spring and Autumn Period. ... Centuries: 9th century BC - 8th century BC - 7th century BC Decades: 770s BC 760s BC 750s BC 740s BC 730s BC - 720s BC - 710s BC 700s BC 690s BC 680s BC 670s BC Events and Trends 728 BC - Piye invades Egypt, conquering Memphis and receives the submission of the rulers... 479 pr. ... Confucius (Chinese 孔夫子, transliterated Kong Fuzi or Kung-fu-tzu, literally Master Kong, traditionally September 28, 551 BCE–479 BCE) was a famous Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings deeply influenced East Asian life and thought. ... The Classic of Music (樂經) is sometime referred to as the sixth chinese classic text, but is lost by the time of the Han dynasty. ... The Han Dynasty (Traditional Chinese: 漢朝; Simplified Chinese: 汉朝; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Han Chau; 206 BC–AD 220) followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. ... Taoism (sometimes written as Daoism) is the English name for: (a) a philosophical school based on the texts the Dao De Jing (ascribed to Laozi) and the Zhuangzi. ... The Tao Te Ching (道德經, Pinyin: D Jīng, thus sometimes rendered in recent works as Dao De Jing; archaic pre-Wade-Giles rendering: Tao Teh Ching; roughly translated as The Book of the Way and its Virtue (see dedicated chapter below on translating the title)) is an ancient Chinese scripture... Lao Zi (Chinese 老子, also spelled Laozi, Lao Tzu, or Lao Tse) is a major figure in Chinese philosophy whose historical existence is debated. ... // The Person Zhuāng Zǐ (pinyin), Chuang Tzu (W-G), or Chuang Tse (Chinese 莊子, literally meaning Master Zhuang) was a famous philosopher in ancient China who lived around the 4th century BC during the Warring States Period, corresponding to the Hundred Schools of Thought philosophical summit of Chinese thought. ... Lie Zi (列子) or Lieh Tzu is a famous legendary Taoist sage mentioned several times in the Zhuang Zi. ... Founded by Mozi, Mohism (墨家), or Moism, is a Chinese philosophy that evolved at the same time as Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism (Hundred Schools of Thought). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Legalism, in the Western sense, is an approach to the analysis of legal questions characterized by abstract logical reasoning focusing on the applicable legal text, such as a constitution, legislation, or case law, rather than on the social, economic, or political context. ... Guan Zhong (管仲) (died in 645 BC) was a politician in the Spring and Autumn Period. ... Traditional Chinese: 韓非子 Simplified Chinese: 韩非子 Pinyin: Hán Fēizǐ Wade-Giles: Han Fei-tzu Han Feizi 韓非子 (d. ... Traditional Chinese: 韓非 Simplified Chinese: 韩非 Pinyin: Hán FÄ“i Wade-Giles: Han Fei Han Fei (韓非) (c. ... Shen Buhai (simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese: 申不害) (d. ... Shen Dao (simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese: 慎到) (ca 350 BC-275 BC) was an itinerant Chinese philosopher from Zhao who also served at the Jixia academy in Qi. ... Li Kui was a character in the Chinese folklore novel Water Margin. ... Military science concerns itself with the study of the diverse technical, psychological, and practical phenomena that encompass the events that make up warfare, especially armed combat. ... A modern edition of The Art of War translated into English by Samuel B. Griffith. ... Sun Tzu (孫子 also commonly written in pinyin: Sūn Zǐ) was the author of The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy (for the most part not dealing directly with tactics). ... The Thirty-Six Strategies is a Chinese collection of 36 proverbs commented as militaristic tactics. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ... Wu Qi (died 381 BC) was a Chinese military leader and politician in the warring states period. ... The history of China is detailed by historical records dating as far back as 16th century BC. China is one of the worlds oldest continuous civilizations. ... The Twenty-Four Histories is a collection of historical books covering a period of history from 3000 B.C. to the Ming Dynasty in the 17th century. ... The Records of the Grand Historian or the Records of the Grand Historian of China (Chinese: 史記; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shih-chi; literally Historical Records), written from 109 BCE to 91 BCE, was the magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the mythical... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Book of Han (Ch: 漢書, Hanshu) is a classic Chinese historical writing covering the history of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BCE-9 CE). ... Ban Gu (班固, Wade-Giles Pan Ku) was a 1st century Chinese historian. ... The Zuo Zhuan is a Chinese historical work covering the period from 722 BCE to 463 BCE. It was traditionally believed to have been written by Zuo Qiuming as a commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals, although this has been questioned by some modern scholars. ... Guoyu (國語, Wade-Giles: Kuo-yü) can refer to: a classical history book of ancient China. ... The Spring and Autumn Period (Chinese: 春秋時代; Hanyu Pinyin: ) represented an era in Chinese history between 722 BC and 481 BC. The period takes its name from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the period whose authorship was traditionally attributed to Confucius. ... Zhanguoce (simplified Chinese: 战国策, traditional Chinese: 戰國策, pinyin: Zhànguócè) (ZGC) was a renowned ancient Chinese historical work on the Warring States Period compiled in late Western Han Dynasty by Liu Xiang (劉向). ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Liu. ... Wu was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. ... Yue was a state in China which existed during the Spring and Autumn Period. ... The Spring and Autumn Period (Chinese: 春秋時代; Hanyu Pinyin: ) represented an era in Chinese history between 722 BC and 481 BC. The period takes its name from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the period whose authorship was traditionally attributed to Confucius. ... The Sixteen Kingdoms, or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereignities in the China proper and neighboring areas from AD 304 to 439 after the retreat of the Jin Dynasty (265-420) to South China and before the establishment of the Northern Dynasties. ... Zizhi Tongjian (traditional Chinese character: 資治通鑑; simplified Chinese character: 资治通鉴; pinyin Zīzhì Tōngjìan, Wade-Giles Tzu-chih tung-chien) is known to be a important Chinese history text of annual chronology. ... Sima Guang (Chinese:司马光; Wade-Giles:Szuma Kuang, 1019-1086) was a Chinese historian, scholar and statesman of the Song Dynasty. ... Lü Buwei (Chinese: 呂不韋; pinyin: lÇš bù wéi) - according to Chinese beliefs, he was the real father of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng. ... The Thousand Character Classic (千字文) is a Chinese poem used as a primer for teaching Chinese characters to children. ...

See also

• Chinese literature
• Imperial examination

// Classical texts Main article: Chinese classic texts China has a wealth of classical literature, both poetry and prose, dating from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 B.C.) and including the Classics attributed to Confucius. ... The imperial examinations (Chinese: 科舉; Hanyu Pinyin: ) in dynastic China determined positions in the civil service based on merit and education, which promoted upward mobility among the population for centuries. ...

External links

• Wengu text database (Classic of Poetry, Analects of Confucius, Tao Te Ching and I Ching, in Chinese and translations)
• Chinese Classics (James Legge's translations of the Analects of Confucius, the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Works of Mencius and the Tao Te Ching)
• Chinese classic text online (in Big5 Chinese encoding)
• Chinese Literature Classics (listed in English, with links to Chinese texts and translations in several languages)