China has a wealth of classical literature, both poetry and prose, dating from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC) and including the Chinese classics texts, or Chinese canonical texts. Some of them are attributed to Confucius but he might only be the editor of them. One of the aspects of the culture that allows its continuity is the importance given to those ancient texts, that shape the philosophies of the culture. Chinese poetry can be divided into three main periods: the early period, characterised by folk songs in simple, repetitive forms; the classical period from the Han dynasty to the fall of the Qing dynasty, in which a number of different forms were developed; and the modern period of Westernised free... 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. ... [edit] Confucius (traditionally September 8? 551 BC–479 BC) was a famous thinker and social philosopher of China, whose teachings have deeply influenced East Asia for centuries. ... The Chinese Dragon, Fu dog and religious incense comprise three pervasive symbols of traditional Chinese culture. ... Yin/Yang symbol and ba gua paved in a clearing outside of Nanning city, Guangxi province. ...

Sì shū wǔ jīng (四書五經), 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 couldn't be one of the literati, or even a military officer, without knowing them perfectly. Confucianism (儒家 Pinyin: rújiā, literally The School of the Scholars; or less correctly: 孔教 kŏng jiào The Religion of Kong), sometimes translated as the School of Literati, is an East Asian ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of 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, they studied the following Classics, in order to climb the social hierarchy. Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... San Zi Jing (The three-characters classic) is a document in Chinese written in the 13th century containing Confucian ideas. ...

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 third 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 (大學, 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. ... 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. ... 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. ... [edit] Confucius (traditionally September 8? 551 BC–479 BC) was a famous thinker and social philosopher of China, whose teachings have deeply influenced East Asia for centuries. ... 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, Wǔjīng) 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 is any of the sixty-four sets of solid and broken lines used in the Chinese classic text I Ching. ... 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. ... 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 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. ... [edit] Confucius (traditionally September 8? 551 BC–479 BC) was a famous thinker and social philosopher of China, whose teachings have deeply influenced East Asia for centuries. ... 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. ... For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... 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 (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 or Lieh Tzu is a famous legendary Taoist sage mentioned several times in the Zhuang Zi. ... Founded by Mo Zi (whose actual surname was Di, and whose given name was Mo), Mohism (墨家), or Moism, is a Chinese philosophy that evolved at the same time as Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism (Hundred Schools of Thought). ... Mozi (c. ... In Chinese History, Legalism (法家; pinyin Fǎjiā) was one of the four main philosophic schools at the end of the Zhou Dynasty. ... 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: 韓非子 Simplified Chinese: 韩非子 Pinyin: Hán Fēizǐ Wade-Giles: Han Fei-tzu Han Feizi (韓非子) (d. ... 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 and of the diverse technical, psychological, and practical phenomena that encompass the events that make up warfare, especially armed combat. ... The Art of War (Chinese: 孫子兵法; pinyin: ; literally Sun Tzus Military Strategy) was a Chinese military text written during the 6th century BC by Sun Tzu. ... 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. ... China is one of the worlds oldest continuous major civilizations, with written records dating back at least 3,500 years, and with 5,000 years being commonly used by Chinese as the age of their civilization. ... 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) was the magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the mythical Yellow Emperor until his own time. ... Sima Qian (circa 145—90 BC) was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes (太史令) of the Han Dynasty. ... 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; 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; 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 (py. ... 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. ... 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

// Ancient texts The Four Books (四书, Sì shÅ«) are The Great Learning, (大学, Dà Xué). The Doctrine of the Golden Mean (中庸, Zhōng Yóng). ... The imperial examinations (科舉, kējǔ) in dynastic China determined positions in the civil service, which had promoted upward mobility among the people for centuries. ...

External links

• Wengu text database with Classic of Poetry, Analects of Confucius, Tao Te Ching and I Ching, in Chinese and translations.
• http://nothingistic.org/library 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)