What is the Analects of Confucius and the four books together?

The four books are the general names of the four books: Daxue, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius. It is the most famous classic of Confucianism, and it is also a must-read book for ancient scholars in China, with far-reaching and extensive influence.

1) What is Confucianism?

Confucianism is a school or ideological system founded by Confucius, which draws lessons from the benevolence and righteousness of ancient saints and inherits the spirit of the golden mean to implement morality and ethics from individuals to groups.

(2) Who is Confucius?

Confucius was the founder of Confucianism and a great thinker, politician and educator in the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

(3) Try to briefly introduce the central idea of Confucianism.

The core of Confucianism is "benevolence", and its connotation has the following points:

Family love means filial piety, respect for the elders and love for the younger generation.

Extend love to everyone.

From the concept of "benevolence" to moral character.

Perfect the ideal realm of morality, and achieve the goal of returning to humanity.

(4) What are the Four Books?

The four books are the general names of the four books: Daxue, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius. It is the most famous classic of Confucianism, and it is also a must-read book for ancient scholars in China, with far-reaching and extensive influence.

(5) What is A Collection of Notes on Four Books and Chapters?

During the Southern Song Dynasty (1 127- 1279), the famous scholar Zhu (1 130- 1200) absorbed and applied the research results of the sages, and while compiling their notes, he put forward. This book devoted Zhu's life energy and became a must-read for imperial examinations and intellectuals in Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

(6) What is The Analects?

The Analects of Confucius is a record of Confucius' words and deeds, which was compiled by Confucius' disciples according to records and rumors. The book basically adopts the question-and-answer genre. There are twenty articles in this edition, each of which is named after the previous two or three words. This book is short in words, but it contains rich ideas, involving politics, ethics, education, philosophy and other aspects. In the Analects of Confucius, Confucius put forward the ethical thought with "benevolence" as the core, and then talked about etiquette and its binding effect on moral behavior. Of course, this book also discusses Confucius' great educational thoughts and principles. The Analects of Confucius has been included in Confucian classics since the Eastern Han Dynasty, and has been included in four books since Zhu's comments in the Southern Song Dynasty. There is a saying: "Half of the Analects of Confucius governs the world", which fully illustrates the important value of The Analects.

(7) What is Mencius?

Mencius is the beginning of Confucian benevolent government thought. This book consists of seven articles, each with 14 volumes. It was compiled by Mencius and his disciples during the Warring States Period (475-22 BC1) and has since become one of the important works of Confucianism. The ideological content of this book mainly discusses that human nature is good, advocates benevolent government and how to perfect ideal personality.

(8) What is a "university"?

"University" is the most comprehensive and systematic article of Confucianism on the theory of governing the country and leveling the world. It was originally an article in the Book of Rites. The word "university" refers to the higher education received by adults. In the Southern Song Dynasty, when Zhu sorted out Da Xue, he divided it into one chapter, Jing, and ten chapters, Biography. He thinks that the Classic is the words relayed by Confucius, while the Ten Chapters are recorded by his disciples. The full text of "University" is only over 2,000 words. The program of this book expounds the Confucian theory of "inner saints and outer kings": to level the world, we must first govern the country; Governing the country must first govern the family; If you want to get married, you must cultivate yourself first; Self-cultivation, first of all, integrity; To be honest, you must be sincere first; To be sincere, you must first know; And that's the key to knowing. This is a complete system from the inside out, showing a logical relationship from near to far and indispensable.

(9) What is the golden mean?

The Doctrine of the Mean, like The University, is one of the Book of Rites and a Confucian paper on life philosophy. This book is said to have been written by Zi Si, the grandson of Confucius and a student in Ceng Zi. The word' golden mean' first appeared in The Analects of Confucius Yongye (6.29), which can be said to be the most systematic exposition of the golden mean thought since The Analects of Confucius. Zhu's The Doctrine of the Mean is divided into thirty-three chapters. The Doctrine of the Mean focuses entirely on personal cultivation and perfection, so as to expound the theory of practical ethics. This book holds that "Heaven" and "Tao" are closely related to people. It regards "sincerity" as the moral cultivation of the unity of man and nature.

(10) What are the Five Classics?

The Five Classics contains all the main ideas of Confucianism. These five classics are Zhouyi, Shangshu, Shijing, Book of Rites and Chunqiu. The Book of Changes consists of two symbols, namely, hexagrams and quatrains, and two characters, namely, hexagrams and quatrains. It was used for divination in ancient times. Shangshu (also known as Book Classic) is a compilation of ancient historical documents and works in China, which is said to be selected by Confucius. The Book of Songs is more than 3,000 poems handed down by Confucius in ancient China. Among them, 305 poems with educational significance were selected and compiled into a collection of poems. The Book of Rites is an anthology of various etiquette works before Qin and Han Dynasties. Spring and Autumn Annals is a chronicle of Shandong history. According to legend, it was compiled and revised by Confucius according to the Spring and Autumn Annals compiled by Lu historians. Its characters are short and contain the meaning of praise and criticism, and later people call it "Spring and Autumn brushwork".

(1 1) What are the Six Classics?

The above five classics and the Confucian music education classic Jing Yue are collectively called the Six Classics. However, due to the burning of books by Qin Shihuang, the original Jing Yue has been lost, and some of its contents can be found in relevant pre-Qin classics.

(12) What is the Seven Classics?

The Seven Classics * * * has the following statement:

The "Seven Classics" in Han Dynasty generally refers to the "Five Classics" plus "Filial Piety Classics" and "The Analects of Confucius".

Book of Songs, Book of Songs, Three Rites (Zhou Li, Yi Li, Li Ji), Biography of Ram, Analects of Confucius.

Five Classics plus Zhou Li and The Book of Rites.

Seven kinds selected from thirteen classics can be compiled into seven classics.

(13) What is the Nine Classics?

The Nine Classics also has the following different versions:

In the Tang Dynasty, The Book of Rites and Zuo Zhuan were great classics, The Book of Songs, Zhou Li and The Book of Rites were classics, and The Book of Changes, The Book of Songs, Yang Gongzhuan and Gu Liang were minor classics.

The Nine Classics of Song Dynasty include Zhouyi, Book of Songs, Zhou Li, Book of Rites, Zuo Zhuan, Yang Gongzhuan, Gu Liangzhuan and Mencius. There are also nine classics: The Book of Songs, The Book of Changes, The Spring and Autumn Annals, Three Rites (Zhou Li, Yi Li and Li Ji), The Analects of Confucius and Mencius.

In the Ming Dynasty, the Five Classics and the Four Books merged into the Nine Classics.

The Book of Changes, The Book of Songs, The Book of Songs, Zhou Li, The Book of Rites, Zuo Zhuan, Yang Gongzhuan and Gu Liangzhuan in Qing Dynasty are nine classics.

Where nine kinds are selected from thirteen classics, they can be called nine classics.

(14) What is the Eleven Classics?

In the Five Dynasties, the Eleven Classics referred to the Book of Changes, The Book of Songs, Sanli, Three Biographies of the Spring and Autumn Period, The Analects of Confucius and The Book of Filial Piety.

In Song Dynasty, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius were excluded from the thirteen classics as eleven classics.

(15) What are the Thirteen Classics?

Before the Song Dynasty, Zhouyi, Shangshu, Shijing, Yili, Zhou Li, Li Ji, Chunqiu Zuoshi Biography, Chunqiu Yanggong Biography, Chunqiu Guliang Biography, Xiaojing, Analects of Confucius and Erya were listed as twelve classics, which were popularized in the Song Dynasty.

(16) What are the Six Arts?

Six arts are six learning contents of Confucius' education for students, which mainly include the following two types:

One refers to the Six Classics, namely the Book of Changes, the Book of Songs, the Book of Songs, the Book of Rites, the Book of Music and the Spring and Autumn Annals.

It also refers to ceremony, music, shooting, control, writing and counting.

(17) What are the three immortals?

The allusion of "Three Immortals" comes from Zuo Zhuan: "There is virtue in the world, then there is merit, then there is words. Although it will not be abolished for a long time, this is called immortality. " Lide refers to Lide, that is, to improve moral cultivation and set a moral example for people. Meritorious service means doing good deeds for the people and making great contributions. To make a statement is to write a book with the heart of saving the world.

(18) What is "teaching without discrimination"?

Confucius said in The Analects of Confucius, Wei Linggong, that "education has no class", which means that education should have no status, so that more civilians can get the opportunity to receive education. This has played a positive role in promoting the development and popularization of education.

(19) what is "three cardinal guides and five permanents"?

"Three cardinal guides" means: (1) the monarch is the minister, (2) the father is the son, and (3) the husband is the wife. This became the core of Confucian ethics after the Han Dynasty.

The "five permanents" refer to the five virtues: benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith. Confucius has a lot to say about these five virtues in The Analects of Confucius. Mencius turned these five concepts into "four ends" (Mencius Gao Zi Shang). Benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom are the natural good aims of human beings, and they are not produced through social education. The purpose of all moral cultivation is to maintain the goodness in nature. "Trust" is a principle to follow when dealing with friends.

(20) Briefly describe the development history of Zhouyi.

The development history of Zhouyi can be summarized as follows: "Man is more saint, and history is three ancient";

In ancient times: Fuxi painted hexagrams and opened eight diagrams. Everything happened in the Ming Dynasty was a thought of heaven. The painting of gossip begins with the cosmic observation of heaven, earth, people, me and everything. The second chapter of Yi Zhuan's copula says: "The ancients held the monarch of the family to worship the world. When looking up, looking up at the sky, looking down, taking the method of land, observing the articles of birds and beasts, adapting to the world, and taking everything far away from them, so they started gossip to communicate the virtues of gods and the feelings of all things."

In the Middle Ages, it has been more than 3,000 years since the king of Wen played the king of foreigners, and Zhou Wenwang played foreigners to meet the needs of personnel. Interpretation of Yi by Wen Wang means that the Eight Diagrams evolved into sixty-four hexagrams, creating hexagrams and divination, which is the name of Yi. Zhou Wenwang was the first sage to introduce Yi-ology into his life. His Yi-ology is manifested in educating people to improve their moral quality and rational understanding, and it is also a manifestation that saints care about and love the people. Therefore, Confucius later praised him: "It makes Yi scholars worry" ("Xiasi"), "The saints use Shinto, and the world is smooth." ("The Biography of Watching Melons")

In ancient times: after Confucius praised Fu and Fu, it was Confucius who inherited and carried forward Yi-ology, which was called "Confucius praised Yi" in history. His main contribution to Yi-ology is embodied in his philosophical thought, which makes Yi-ology a far-reaching knowledge. In Yi Zhuan, Confucius pointed out the future for people and planned the ideal goal of future life. People should devote themselves to moral life, be a gentleman, be a saint and be an adult, so as to achieve the realm of harmony between man and nature. Confucius finally completed the humanistic thought of Yi-ology. Mencius praised Confucius' contribution and said, "Confucius is a masterpiece." ("Mencius Zhang Wan")

(2 1) Explain the meaning of gossip.

Eight diagrams are eight images, namely, heaven (dry), earth (Kun), thunder (earthquake), wind (invertors), water (candy), fire (Li), mountain (gen) and ze (society). In order to remember the image of the eight diagrams conveniently, Zhu specially composed a "Eight Diagrams Song" with the original meaning of the Book of Changes, attached it to the name of the hexagram, and made a simple explanation.

Gangua (Gansanlian)

Dry divination, overlapping three yang, symbolizing the rising of yang to "heaven". The ancients thought that "heaven" was formed by the light of the rising and falling of yang in Ming Che, so the image of "heaven" was the superposition of three yang. "Heaven" is endless, with endless seasons, which means "vigorous".

Kun gua (Kun Liu Duan)

Kungua, three shades of Yin, symbolizes that Yin Qi condenses into "land". The ancients believed that the "land" was formed by the accumulation of heavy and chaotic Yin Qi, so the three shades were superimposed as the "land". "Earth" is generous, bearing all the details, which means "submissive".

Deviation from divination (deviation from deficiency in the middle)

Starting from divination, the upper and lower parts are Yang, and the middle part is Yin. The symbol of "fire" is represented by Yang, but there is Yin, that is, "there is water in the fire". Today, we observed that the burning of fire is accompanied by the emission of water vapor, which can also prove it. The combustion of "fire" must be attached to the fuel, which means "attachment".

Shake divination (shake jar)

Shake the hexagrams, the upper two yin drops, and the next yang rises, symbolizing the conflict between yin and yang and erupting into "thunder". The ancients believed that "thunder" was caused by the conflict between yin and yang. "Thunder" stands up and shakes everything, which means "vibration".

A hexagram (Xun Xia Duan)

Yi gua, the second yang rises above the first yin, symbolizing the "wind" on the ground. The lower yin is like "earth" and the second yang is like "ethos". "Wind" is pervasive in the world, which means "smooth entry".

Root melon (root blessing bowl)

Gengua, the upper part is yang and the lower part is yin, which symbolizes that the upper surface of "mountain" has hard stones and the lower part contains rich wet soil. Today, when we see this mountain, we can still feel that although its upper layer is high and powerful, its lower layer contains a lot of Yin Qi to moisten the vegetation, so the ancients took this shape as the image of "mountain". The "mountain" peak stands still, which means "still"

Reverse divination (for deficiency)

When divination is exchanged, the upper part is yin and the lower part is yang, which symbolizes that the appearance of "Ze" is a wet place, but the lower part contains a lot of Yang. Where the jersey surface is wet, there will be a lot of hot air under the jersey. Today, this principle can also be confirmed by the scientific practice of producing "biogas" in swamps. "Ze" moistens everything and enjoys it, which means "happiness".

Kangua (Kanzhong person)

Kangua, with yin in the top and bottom and yang in the middle, symbolizes that "water" is represented by yin, while yang is hidden inside. Modern science has proved that water molecules contain one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms, and both hydrogen and oxygen are combustible. This is quite consistent with the image of Yang in Kan.

(22) What is a "saint inside and a king outside"?

To put it simply, "inner sage" means "seeking oneself from the inside", that is, "respecting things, knowing knowledge, honesty, integrity and self-cultivation" as mentioned in the eight major items; "Foreign king" means "serving the world" and refers to "managing the house, governing the country and leveling the world" in the "eight items". Mencius said: "Poverty is the only way to be immune to it, while attainment is the best way to help the world", which is the essence of "sage inside and king outside".

(23) What is "Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties"?

Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming Dynasties was the impact and mutual blending of Confucianism and Buddhism and Taoism, which enabled Confucianism to absorb the essence of Buddhism and Taoism and reinterpret and construct the theory and ethical system of Confucian universe generation. Zhu and Er Cheng absorbed Taoist Taiji and Yin and Yang thoughts and formed Neo-Confucianism. In addition, deeply influenced by Zen Buddhism, Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming put forward the theory of mind and nature and formed their own school.

(24) What is new Confucianism?

Neo-Confucianism was born in the 1920s and developed in the 1930s. After 1950s, it went to the whole world and became an internationally renowned cultural school or trend of thought. 192 1 year, Liang Shuming gave lectures in Shandong and published "Eastern and Western Cultures and Their Philosophy", which raised the banner of Neo-Confucianism. 1923, Xiong Shili gave a lecture on neo-intellectualism in Peking University, systematically expounding the theoretical viewpoints of Neo-Confucianism. Ten years later, the new theory of consciousness was published, which comprehensively showed the face of neo-Confucianism in theory and marked the formation of neo-Confucianism. The development of modern neo-Confucianism can be divided into two stages: the first stage is from 1920 to 1940, and the main representatives are Liang Shuming, Xiong Shili, He Lin, Feng Youlan and others; The second stage began in 1950s, with Tang Junyi, Mou Zongsan and Xu as the main representatives, while Qian Mu and Zhang Junmai spanned two different periods. The representatives of Neo-Confucianism in these two stages are generally called the first generation of Neo-Confucianism and the second agency theory. At present, the main representatives of Neo-Confucianism, such as Liu, Cai Renhou, Zheng Zhongying, etc., are all the third agent scientists.

The so-called Neo-Confucianism is actually absorbing the essence of philosophers and western culture. After self-renewal, it has become Confucianism that is vital and can adapt to the new spirit of the cultural environment of the new era. Neo-Confucianism is also called "the third development of Confucianism", which means that Neo-Confucianism is a kind of Confucianism that "returns to its roots and creates new ideas". The so-called "returning to the original" means returning to the origin, fundamental orthodoxy and moral ontology of traditional Confucianism. As for "innovation", it means innovating traditional Confucian culture, innovating science and democracy, and changing the "outside Wang Zhidao" of traditional Confucianism. Modern neo-Confucianism takes "returning to the original and opening up the new" as the program to make up for the weakness of traditional Confucianism. To establish a new monarch is to introduce western science and democracy under the guidance of Confucian traditional ethics. In a word, the so-called neo-Confucianism in modern neo-Confucianism is to restore the traditional Confucianism's "sage inside and morality outside" and "continue the origin of national cultural life" and create a "new king outside" with academic unity and political unity, so as to adapt the evolution of Confucianism to the spiritual needs of the new cultural environment in the contemporary world.

Today, Neo-Confucianism has not only become a well-known term in academic circles in Hongkong, Taiwan Province Province and the United States, but also become a "hot spot" in academic research in China. Modern neo-Confucianism is the self-renewal and self-transformation of traditional Confucianism, which is different from traditional Confucianism by its new spirit and new characteristics of the times to adapt to the new cultural environment. Therefore, scholars at home and abroad call it "neo-Confucianism".

(25) Is Confucianism a religion?

Strictly speaking, Confucianism is not a religion, but it has the characteristics of religious function. Religion basically has four conditions, namely, dogmatism, ritual, standardization and rationality. Confucianism clearly made a judgment on the truth of cosmic life and showed a clear belief. Because Confucius and Mencius cherished the traditional rites and music, they showed an attitude of "not saying enough", and the rites and music met the requirements of etiquette. Therefore, Confucianism emphasizes "offering sacrifices to heaven, ancestors and saints". Today, the only thing that really spreads in China society is to worship ancestors first. Moreover, Confucian norms are self-contained. From the perspective of "killing for life" and "sacrificing one's life for righteousness", it has gone beyond the relative consideration of secular blessings and fully meets the requirements of religion. As far as rationality is concerned, the performance of Confucianism in this respect is even more admirable, which not only respects the potential of rationality, but also shows an open mind towards transcendence.

(26) If Confucianism has religious characteristics, can it be regarded as "advanced religion"?

First of all, we came to understand the characteristics of several advanced religions, including affirming that "man is not the supreme spiritual entity", agreeing that "man should do good and avoid evil" and adopting the human suffering of "neither escaping nor hating, but trying to resolve and transform".

According to the above three advanced religious characteristics, Confucianism can be regarded as an advanced religion. This is because Confucianism affirmed "man's completeness", that is, it presupposed that man's present situation was not perfect. Therefore, we must do good deeds, avoid Alai, and improve our ideal personality as a gentleman, a saint and a saint. At the same time, Confucianism has always faced up to fate and pain as a test, thus inspiring a stronger will to struggle and showing higher personal dignity. From this point, we can further clarify the religious nature of Confucianism.