What are the four books and five classics of China traditional culture?

List of four books: The University, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius.

1, University

"University" is an essay on Confucian thoughts of self-cultivation, governing the country and leveling the world. Originally the 42nd Book of Rites Dai Xiao, it is said that it was written by Ceng Zi during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In fact, it is a Confucian work in the Qin and Han Dynasties, and it is an important work for China to discuss educational theory in ancient times.

After being highly praised by Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi in the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhu in the Southern Song Dynasty wrote "University Chapters and Sentences", which was finally called "Four Books" together with The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, "Da Xue" became the official textbook of the school and the required reading of the imperial examination, which had a great influence on the ancient education in China.

2. The golden mean

The Doctrine of the Mean is a monograph on moral philosophy in the field of life cultivation in ancient China. It originally belonged to Chapter 31 of the Book of Rites and is one of the Confucian classics. It is said that it was written by Zisi during the Warring States Period. Its content affirms that "the golden mean" is the highest standard of moral behavior, regards "sincerity" as the noumenon of the world, and thinks that "sincerity" has reached the highest realm of life.

And put forward the learning process and cognitive method of "erudition, doubt, thinking, discrimination and belief" Scholars in Song Dynasty extracted the golden mean from The Book of Rites, and called it "Four Books" together with Daxue, Analects of Confucius and Mencius. After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, it became an official textbook, and the imperial examination was compulsory, which had a great influence on the ancient education and society in China.

3. The Analects of Confucius

The Analects of Confucius is a collection of quotations compiled by Confucius and his disciples, which was written in the early Warring States period. The book * * * consists of 20 chapters and 492 sections, with quotation as the main body and narrative as the supplement, which embodies the political opinions, ethical thoughts, moral concepts and educational principles of Confucius and Confucianism.

4. Mencius

Mencius is a Confucian classic written by Mencius and his disciples Zhang Wan and Gongsun Chou in the middle of the Warring States Period. It was first seen in Zhao Qi's inscription "Mencius": "This book was also written by Mencius, so it is called Mencius". Mencius was listed as "Four Books" by Zhu in the Southern Song Dynasty (the other three books were Daxue, The Doctrine of the Mean and The Analects of Confucius).

There are eleven pieces of Mencius recorded in History of Han, and there are seven pieces and fourteen volumes. The total number of words is more than 35 thousand words and 260 chapters. According to legend, there are four other books of Mencius, which have been lost (this book of Mencius is a fake of Yao Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty). This book records the politics, education, philosophy, ethical thoughts and political activities of Mencius and his disciples. There are four books and five classics in ancient examinations.

List of Five Classics: The Book of Songs, Shangshu, Book of Rites, Zhouyi and Chunqiu.

1, The Book of Songs

The Book of Songs is the earliest collection of poems and the beginning of China's ancient poems. Collected poems from the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period (pre-1 1 century to the 6th century), with a total of * * * 31/,among which 6 poems are full, that is, there are only titles but no contents, which is called full poems.

2. Shangshu

Shangshu is a compilation of works about ancient deeds, the earliest title of which was Book. It is divided into Yu Shu, Xia Shu, Shangshu and Zhou Shu. Because it is one of the five Confucian classics, it is also called the Book of Songs. The book Shangshu, which is popular now, is co-edited by the bronze inscription Shangshu and the pseudo-ancient prose Shangshu. In the existing version, the authenticity is mixed.

3. Book of Rites

The Book of Rites, also known as The Book of Rites of Little Dai and The Sutra of Little Dai, was written in the Han Dynasty and compiled by Dai Sheng, a ritual and musicologist in the Western Han Dynasty. The Book of Rites is an important collection of laws and regulations in ancient China, with 20 volumes and 49 articles. This book mainly describes the pre-Qin ritual system, which embodies the pre-Qin Confucian philosophy, education, politics and aesthetics.

4. Zhouyi

The Book of Changes, one of the Three Changes of the Book of Changes (another view: the Book of Changes is three changes, not the Book of Changes), is one of the traditional classics. It is said that it was written by Zhou Wenwang Jichang, and its contents include the Book of Changes and the Book of Changes. Classics are mainly composed of 64 hexagrams and 384 hexagrams, each of which has its own interpretation (hexagrams) for divination.

5. Spring and Autumn Period

The Spring and Autumn Annals, also known as Lin Jing or Lin Shi, is an ancient literary work in China. Later, there appeared many works that supplemented, explained and expounded the history recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals, which were called Biography. Representative works include Zuo Zhuan, Ram Zhuan and Gu Liangzhuan, which are collectively called the three great biographies of the Spring and Autumn Period.

The language of events recorded in Chunqiu is extremely concise, but almost every sentence implies praise and criticism, which is called "Chunqiu brushwork" and "subtle meaning" by later generations. It is one of the classic Confucian Classics in ancient China, the first chronological history book in China and the national history of Lu in Zhou Dynasty. The existing version is said to have been revised by Confucius.

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