The Four Books and the Five Classics
The Four Books and the Five Classics are the collective name of the Four Books and the Five Classics. They are the classic books of Chinese Confucianism. The Four Books refer to the Analects, Mencius, Great Learning and Doctrine of the Mean; while the Five Classics refer to the Book of Songs, Shangshu, Book of Rites, Zhouyi, and Spring and Autumn Annals, referred to as "Poems, Books" ", Li, Yi, Chun Qiu", in fact there should have been six classics, and a "Yue Jing", collectively known as "Poems, Books, Li, Yue, Yi, Chun Qiu", but later died in the war of the late Qin Dynasty, leaving only Five Classics.
Contents
1. Four Books
1.1 "The Great Learning"
1.2 "The Doctrine of the Mean"
1.3 "The Analects of Confucius" 》
1.4 "Mencius"
2. The Five Classics
2.1 "The Book of Songs"
2.2 "Shangshu"
2.3 "Book of Rites"
2.4 "Book of Changes"
2.5 "Spring and Autumn"
The Four Books
The Four Books are Confucian classics, scholars of the Southern Song Dynasty Zhu Xi took out the "Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" from the "Book of Rites" into separate books, and combined them with the "Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius" into four books. It is said that they come from the four representative figures of early Confucianism, Zeng Shen, Zisi, Confucius, and Mencius, so they are called the "Four Books" (also known as "The Four Sons"), or simply the "Four Books". After that, all dynasties listed the Four Books as the scope of imperial examinations, thus creating the unique status of the Four Books. Even after the Song Dynasty, the Four Books have surpassed the status of the Five Classics.
In the early years of Shaoxi reign of Guangzong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1190), the famous Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi brought together "Great Learning", "The Analects of Confucius", "Mencius" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province as a set of classics The publication was published. This Confucian scholar believes that "first read "The Great Learning" to determine its scale; secondly read "The Analects" to determine its foundation; secondly read "Mencius" to see its progress; secondly read "The Doctrine of the Mean" to learn from the ancients. The subtleties." He also once said that "The Four Masters are the ladder of the Six Classics" ("Zhu Zi Yu Lei"). Zhu Xi's "Collected Commentary on Chapters and Sentences of the Four Books" has epoch-making significance. The Han and Tang Dynasties were the era of the Five Classics, and the post-Song Dynasty was the era of the Four Books.
"The Great Learning"
"The Great Learning" was originally a chapter in the "Book of Rites" and had never been published separately before the Southern Song Dynasty. It is said to have been written by Zeng Shen (505 BC - 434 BC), a disciple of Confucius. From the Tang Dynasty when Han Yu and Li Ao maintained Taoism and praised "The Great Learning" (and "The Doctrine of the Mean"), to the Second Cheng Dynasty in the Northern Song Dynasty, they praised and publicized it in every possible way, and even called "The Great Learning, Confucius's last words, the gateway to virtue for beginners". In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi inherited Ercheng's thoughts and extracted "The Great Learning" from the "Book of Rites" and placed it alongside "The Analects", "Mencius" and "The Doctrine of the Mean". One of the Four Books. According to Zhu Xi and Cheng Yi, another famous scholar in the Song Dynasty, "The Great Learning" is a suicide note left by Confucius and his disciples, and is an introductory book to Confucianism. Therefore, Zhu Xi listed it as the first of the "Four Books".
"The Doctrine of the Mean"
"The Doctrine of the Mean" was originally a chapter in the "Book of Rites" and had never been published separately before the Southern Song Dynasty. It is generally believed that it was written by Zisi (483 BC - 402 BC), the grandson of Confucius. "Historical Records: The Family of Confucius" states that "Zisi wrote "The Doctrine of the Mean". From the Tang Dynasty when Han Yu and Li Ao maintained Taoism and praised "The Doctrine of the Mean" (and "The Great Learning"), to the Second Cheng Dynasty in the Northern Song Dynasty, they praised and promoted the Doctrine of the Mean in every possible way, and even considered "The Doctrine of the Mean" to be "the inner teachings of Confucius", and then to the Southern Song Dynasty when Zhu Xi inherited it After the Second Cheng Thought, the Doctrine of the Mean was extracted from the Book of Rites and placed alongside The Analects, Mencius, and Daxue. When Zhu Xi wrote the Annotations on Chapters and Sentences of the Four Books, it became one of the Four Books. . From the basic point of view of "The Doctrine of the Mean" and "Mencius", they are basically the same. However, the existing version of "The Doctrine of the Mean" has been revised by Confucian scholars of the Qin Dynasty, and was roughly written shortly after Qin unified the country. Therefore, the method of each article is different from that of "The Great Learning". Instead of taking the two words starting with "righteousness" as the title, the title is a summary of the central content of the article.
The Analects
The Analects is a book that records the words and deeds of Confucius and his students. Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC), whose surname was Qiu and courtesy name Zhongni, was a native of Zou Yi (now Qufu, Shandong Province) of the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. The founder of Confucianism, the most famous thinker, politician, and educator in ancient China, had a profound influence on the development of Chinese thought and culture. The Analects of Confucius was written during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It was recorded and compiled by Confucius's students and his students who retransmitted it. The Analects is a book that records the words and deeds of Confucius and his students. "The Analects of Confucius" involves many aspects such as philosophy, politics, economics, education, literature and art, etc. It is very rich in content and is the most important classic of Confucianism. In terms of expression, the language of "The Analects" is concise and vivid, making it a model of quotation-style prose. In terms of arrangement, "The Analects" does not have a strict compilation style. Each article is a chapter, and chapters are collected into chapters. There is no close connection between chapters and chapters, but they are roughly classified, and there are repeated chapters. By the Han Dynasty, there were three versions of the Analects circulating: "The Analects of Lu" (20 chapters), "The Analects of Qi" (22 chapters), and "The Analects of Ancient Chinese" (21 chapters). At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zheng Xuan used the Analects of Lu as the base, compiled a new version with reference to the Analects of Qi and the Analects of Ancient Chinese, and added annotations. After Zheng Xuan's annotations were circulated, "The Analects of Qi" and "The Analects of Ancient Chinese" were gradually lost.
The main versions of the annotations of "The Analects" in subsequent dynasties are: "The Analects of Confucius" by He Yan in the Three Kingdoms period, "The Analects of Confucius" by Huang Kan of the Liang Dynasty in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, "Analects of Confucius" by Xing Yan in the Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi's "Analects of Confucius" in the Qing Dynasty Liu Baonan's "The Analects of Confucius" and so on.
"Mencius"
"Mencius" is a book that records the words and deeds of Mencius and his students. Mencius (about 372 BC - 289 BC), named Ke and Ziyu, was born in the state of Zou (now southeast of Zou County, Shandong Province) in the middle of the Warring States Period, not far from Qufu, the hometown of Confucius. He is a famous thinker, politician, educator, and successor of Confucius' teachings. Like Confucius, Mencius also led his students to travel to Wei, Qi, Song, Lu, Teng, Xue and other countries, and once served as a guest of King Xuan of Qi. Since his political ideas were not valued as much as those of Confucius, he returned to his hometown to gather disciples to give lectures, and wrote a book with his student Wan Zhang and others, "Preface to "Poetry" and "Book", describing Zhongni's meaning, and wrote "Seven Chapters of "Mencius"" ("Historical Records: Biography of Mencius and Xunqing") Zhao Qi compared "Mencius" with "The Analects of Confucius" in "Mencius' Inscription" and believed that "Mencius" was "written in imitation of the saints". Therefore, although "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" only places "Mencius" in the Zhuzilue and regards it as a book of disciples, in fact, in the minds of the Han Dynasty people, it has been regarded as a "biography" book auxiliary to the "Book of Classics" . Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty assigned doctors to each of The Analects of Confucius, The Classic of Filial Piety, Mencius, and Erya, and they were called "doctors of biography." By the time of the Later Shu in the Five Dynasties, Meng Chang, the Lord of Later Shu, ordered eleven classics to be carved on stone in regular script, including "Mencius". This may be the beginning of "Mencius" being included in the "Book of Classics". By the time of Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi compiled the "Four Books" and included them in "Mencius", officially raising "Mencius" to a very high status. After the Yuan and Ming dynasties, it became a part of the imperial examination and became a must-read for scholars.
The Five Classics
The Five Classics is the collective name for the five ancient classics that serve as the basis for Confucian research. According to legend, they were all edited or revised by Confucius, one of the founders of Confucianism. Confucianism originally had six classics, which are the Book of Songs, the Book of Documents, the Rites, the Book of Music, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals.
The First Emperor of Qin "burned books to entrap Confucians". It is said that the "Book of Music" was lost after the fire of Qin. On this basis, the Eastern Han Dynasty added "The Analects of Confucius" and "The Classic of Filial Piety", and finally the Seven Classics In the Tang Dynasty, "Zhou Li", "Book of Rites", "Spring and Autumn Gongyang Zhuan", "Spring and Autumn Gu Liang Zhuan", "Erya", and the Twelve Classics were added; in the Song Dynasty, "Mencius" was added, and later The "Commentaries on the Thirteen Classics" engraved by the Song Dynasty has been handed down to the world. The "Thirteen Classics" are the basic works of Confucian culture. In terms of traditional concepts, "Yi", "Poetry", "Book", "Li" and "Spring and Autumn" are called "Classics", "Zuo Zhuan" and "Gongzhuan" are called "Classics". "Yang Zhuan" and "Gu Liang Zhuan" belong to the "Biography" of "Spring and Autumn Classic", "Book of Rites", "Book of Filial Piety", "The Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius" are all "Ji", and "Erya" is a classic of Han Dynasty. The teacher's exegesis work. The later Five Classics refers to: "Book of Changes", "Book of Songs", "Book of Songs", "Book of Rites", and "Zuo Zhuan".
"The Book of Songs"
"The Book of Songs" was called "Poems" or "Three Hundred Poems" in the pre-Qin Dynasty. It is China's first collection of poems. It brings together 305 poems (originally 311 poems) written over 500 years from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period. It is a collection of poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period. "The ancient "Poetry" contains more than 3,000 chapters, all related to Confucius, minus the emphasis..." ("Historical Records·Confucius Family"), it is said to have been compiled by Confucius. "Poetry" is divided into three parts: "Feng", "Ya" and "Song". "Feng" refers to folk songs, "Ya" refers to the formal elegant music of Wang Ji of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and "Song" refers to the dance songs of the ancestral temples of the upper class. Ci. This book extensively reflected all aspects of social life at that time and was known as the encyclopedia of life in ancient society and had a profound influence on later generations. Friends who like poetry must have read it.
"Shangshu"
"Shangshu" was called "Book" and "Book of Books" in ancient times, and in the Han Dynasty it was called "Shangshu". "Shang" refers to "Shang" and "Shanggu". This book is the earliest collection of historical documents in ancient times. The records date from the legendary Yao and Shun era to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (mid-Spring and Autumn Period), about 1,500 years ago. The basic content is a record of the proclamations of ancient emperors and the conversations between monarchs and ministers, which shows that the author should be a historian. "Historical Records: The Family of Confucius" states that Confucius "prefaced the "Book of Biography" and compiled it from the time of Tang and Yu in the Tang Dynasty to Qin Mu." According to legend, it was compiled by Confucius. There are two versions of "Shangshu", one is "Jinwen Shangshu" and the other is "Guwen Shangshu". The current version of "Comments on the Thirteen Classics" is a joint edition of "Jinwen Shangshu" and "Guwen Shangshu". In ancient times, people were praised for "reading poetry and books", and "poems and books" refer to the "Book of Songs" and "Book of Songs" respectively.
"Book of Rites"
"Book of Rites" is a collection of articles by Confucian scholars from the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties that explained the classic "Book of Rites". ""Book of Rites" only explains the book "Book of Rites" "" ("Zhu Ziyu Lei·Volume 87") is a collection of materials on Confucian thought. Although "Book of Rites" is only a book that explains "Rituals", due to its wide coverage, its influence exceeds "Zhou Rites" and "Rituals". There are two versions of the "Book of Rites". One was compiled by Dade, with 85 chapters, of which 40 are preserved today, and is called the "Book of Rites"; the other is the "Book of Rites" we have today. ", are forty-nine chapters selected and compiled by Dai De and his nephew Dai Sheng, and are called "Xiao Dai Li Ji".
"The Book of Changes"
"The Book of Changes", also known as "Yi" and "Book of Changes", ranks first among the Confucian classics. "The Book of Changes" is a book of divination. Its outer layer is mysterious, but its inner philosophy is profound and profound. The author should be Zeng Guan, and it was completed by many people.
The content extensively records all aspects of Western Zhou society, including historical, ideological and literary value. In the past, people's understanding of the changing laws of nature and humanity never transcended the thinking framework of Yin and Yang Bagua. It is said that dragons and horses carrying "Hetu" appeared in the Yellow River, and the ancient sage Fuxi began to compose the Eight Diagrams; "Historical Records" is also called "Gaiwen Wangju, and performed the "Book of Changes"" (one said that Fuxi emphasized the hexagrams, and some said that Shen Nong), and composed the lines. (or the Duke of Zhou); later in the Spring and Autumn Period, Confucius wrote the "Ten Wings" theory, which was known as "Three Saints in the world, three ancient times in history" ("Hanshu Yiwenzhi"). "Book of Changes" consists of two parts: "Jing" and "Zhuan". The text of "Jing" consists of sixty-four hexagrams and hexagram images and corresponding hexagram names, hexagram words, line names, line words, etc. "Zhuan" has ten chapters in seven categories, including the first and second chapters of "彖", the first and second chapters of "Xiang", the first and second chapters of "Wenyan" and "Xici", "Shuo Gua", "Miscellaneous Gua" and "Xu Gua" . The ancients called these ten "biographies" collectively the "Ten Wings", which means that the "biography" is a wing attached to the "Jing", which is used to explain the content of the "Jing".
"Spring and Autumn"
"Zuo Zhuan" is also known as "Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals", "Spring and Autumn Ancient Prose", and "Chun Qiu Zuo's Biography", an ancient chronicle historical work. "Historical Records" states that the author was Zuo Qiuming during the Spring and Autumn Period. Classical scholars in the Qing Dynasty believe that it was adapted by Liu Xin. Modern people also believe that it was compiled by Liu Xin in the early Warring States Period based on historical materials from various countries (some say it was written by historical officials of the Lu State). . Its scope of materials includes royal archives, Lu Shi policy books, histories of princes and states, etc. The records are basically in the order of the Twelve Dukes of Lu in the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the content includes appointments, alliances, conquests, weddings and funerals, usurpation and murder among the vassal states, etc. It has an important influence on the history and literature of later generations. "Zuo Zhuan" is not a Confucian classic, but since it was established as a scholar and later attached to "Spring and Autumn", it has gradually been regarded as a classic by Confucian scholars.
Another detailed introduction to the Four Books and Five Classics:
"The Four Books and the Five Classics" is the basic bibliography of Confucianism after the Southern Song Dynasty and a must-read for Confucian students.
The Four Books
The "Four Books" refer to the four books "The Analects", "Mencius", "The Doctrine of the Mean" and "The Great Learning". Among them, "The Analects" and "Mencius" are collections of remarks by Confucius, Mencius and their students respectively, while "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" are two articles from the "Book of Rites". It was Zhu Xi, a famous scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, who compiled them together for the first time. However, before Zhu Xi, the brothers Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi had already vigorously promoted these books. They believe that "The Great Learning" is an important book taught by Confucius on "the door to virtue for beginners" and was compiled into a text by Confucius's students; "The Doctrine of the Mean" is the book "Confucius taught the mind" and is the "pen of Confucius' grandson Zisi" His son wrote it to teach Mencius." These two books, together with The Analects of Confucius and Mencius, express the basic ideological system of Confucianism and are the most important documents for the study of Confucianism. It is based on this point of view that Zhu Xi compiled the four books "The Analects", "Mencius", "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" together. Because they come from the four representative figures of early Confucianism, Confucius, Zeng Shen, Zisi, and Mencius, they are called "Four Books", or simply "Four Books". Zhu Xi made annotations for these four books respectively. Among them, the annotations of "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" are called "Zhangju", and the annotations of "The Analects" and "Mencius" are called "Collected Annotations" because they quote many other people's sayings. . It is worth noting that the order of the "Four Books" compiled by Zhu Xi was originally "Great Learning", "The Analects of Confucius", "Mencius" and "The Doctrine of the Mean", which were arranged in the order of learning from the shallower to the deeper. Because "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" were short in length, later generations put "The Doctrine of the Mean" before "The Analects" for the convenience of writing and publishing, and it became the now popular "Great Learning", "The Doctrine of the Mean", "The Analects of Confucius", "Mencius" sequence.
Because the "Four Books" annotated by Zhu Xi not only integrates the theories of the predecessors, but also has his own unique insights, which are relevant to the world; and because the "Four Books" represented by Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi brothers and Zhu Xi The status of "Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism" was rising day by day. Therefore, after Zhu Xi's death, the imperial court approved the "Four Books" compiled and annotated by him as an official book. From then on, it became popular. In the Yanyou period of the Yuan Dynasty (1314-1320), the imperial examination was resumed , officially limited the scope of questions to Zhu's "Four Books". The Ming and Qing Dynasties followed the "Eight Part Essay" examination system, and the questions were all in Zhu's "Four Books". Due to these factors, the "Four Books" not only became an important classic of Confucianism, but also became a must-read for every scholar, and became the standard primary school textbook that was unified nationwide until modern times. Therefore, some people compare the "Four Books" with the Western "Bible" and think that it is the "Bible" of the East. In fact, this comparison is not an exaggeration at all, no matter in terms of its wide spread or its profound impact on the personality and psychology of the Chinese people.
The Five Classics
The "Five Classics" refers to the five books "The Book of Songs", "The Book of Documents", "The Rites of Zhou", "The Book of Changes" and "The Spring and Autumn Annals". The Book of Songs is my country's earliest collection of poetry, containing 305 poems from the Zhou Dynasty. Originally called "Shi" or "Three Hundred Poems", it was first called "The Book of Songs" by Confucian scholars in the Han Dynasty. The existing "Book of Songs" was handed down by Mao Heng of the Han Dynasty, so it is also called "Mao Shi".
It is said that the poems in the Book of Songs had lyrics that could be sung at that time. According to the nature of the music, it can be divided into Feng, Ya and Song categories. "Feng" includes Zhou Nan, Zhao Nan, Bei Feng, Yong Feng, Wei Feng, Wang Feng, Qi Feng, Wei Feng, Tang Feng, Qin Feng, Chen Feng, Hui Feng, Cao Feng and Bin Feng, which are called ten The Five Kingdoms Styles are mostly folk songs from the Yellow River Basin, and a small part are works processed by nobles, with a total of 160 articles.
"Ya" includes Xiaoya and Daya, with 105 articles. "Elegance" is basically the work of nobles, and only part of Xiaoya comes from the folk. "Song" includes Zhou Song, Lu Song and Shang Song, with a total of 40 chapters. Songs are the lyrics used for sacrifices in the palace. Generally speaking, the ballads from the folk are lively and lively, while the poems written by the court nobles pale in comparison and have little poetic flavor. The Book of Songs is the source of Chinese verse and the glorious starting point of the history of Chinese poetry. It has various forms: epic poems, satirical poems, narrative poems, love songs, war songs, carols, seasonal songs and labor songs. It is rich in content and reflects all aspects of social life in the Zhou Dynasty, such as labor and love, war and corvee, oppression and resistance, customs and marriage, ancestor worship and banquets, and even celestial phenomena, landforms, animals, plants, etc. . It can be said that "The Book of Songs" is a mirror of the society of the Zhou Dynasty. The language of the Book of Songs is the most important material for studying the general situation of the Chinese language from the 11th century BC to the 6th century BC.
"Shangshu" means "book of antiquity" and is a compilation of ancient Chinese historical documents and some works tracing ancient deeds. It was called "Book" during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and was renamed "Shang Shu" in the Han Dynasty. Confucianism respects it as a classic, so it is also called "The Book of Books". It is said that there were originally one hundred chapters in Shangshu. After the burning of books in the Qin Dynasty, only twenty-nine chapters were collected in the early Han Dynasty. They were written in the official script that was popular at the time and were called the modern version of Shangshu. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the "Shang Shu" written in ancient Chinese characters was discovered from the former residence of Confucius. There were sixteen more chapters than the modern "Shang Shu", so it was called the "Shang Shu" in ancient Chinese characters. These sixteen chapters were soon lost. The people of Jin forged twenty-five chapters of the ancient text Shangshu, and separated several chapters from the modern text Shangshu. Together with the original modern text Shangshu, the total number was fifty-eight, also known as the ancient text Shangshu. The "Shangshu" in the "Commentaries on the Thirteen Classics" is the ancient "Shangshu" that was edited by the Jin people. "Shangshu" includes the books of Yu, Xia, Shang and Zhou. "Yu Shu" and "Xia Shu" were not written during the Yu and Xia Dynasties, but were fictitious works written by later Confucians based on ancient rumors. "Shang Shu" contains oaths, orders, instructions, and edicts recorded by the historians of the Yin Dynasty. Among them, "Tang Oath" should be the earliest work according to the era. However, the language of this article is fluent and may have been polished by later generations. The three chapters of "Pangeng" are ancient and difficult to read, and most of them have been preserved in their original appearance. This is a record of the speech King Pan Geng of Yin gave to his subjects when he moved the capital. Although the language is ancient, the full emotion and sharp eloquence of Pan Geng's speech can still be felt. For example, he said: If you don't come from the wilderness, you can be virtuous. Virtue is not given to one person. If I watch the fire, I will also make plans and work with ease. If the net is in line, it is orderly and orderly; if the farmers work hard in the fields, there will be autumn. ("Pangeng" Part 1) This short paragraph uses three metaphors, which are appropriate, vivid and vivid. Among them, "in an orderly manner" is an idiom that is still used today. Another example is when Pan Geng warned his ministers not to incite people's opposition to moving the capital, saying that "if the fire is burning in the original place and cannot be moved closer, it can still be extinguished." The situation is out of control, and the metaphor is also very vivid. "Book of Zhou" includes documents from the early Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period. Among them, "Mushu" is the word of King Wu's oath when he conquered Zhou; "Toshi" is the word of Zhou Gong to instruct the Yin survivors on the king's orders; "Wuyi" is the word of Zhou Gong to warn the king not to be greedy for enjoyment. These works have clear narratives and can express the emotional tone of the characters. "The Oath of Qin" written in the early Spring and Autumn Period is a word of repentance and self-blame by Duke Mu of Qin after his failure to attack Jin Dynasty. It expresses his regret and deep sorrow. The article reads: There is an ancient saying: "The people are self-confident and have many troubles." "It's easy to blame someone, but it's very difficult to accept the blame!" The worries in my heart are as if the sun and the moon are overdue, as if clouds are coming! He quoted the words of the ancients and pointed out that if you think you are right, you will do many evil things. He also very painfully explained that it is easy to blame others, but very difficult to follow the advice. The writing is quite vivid. Compared with the writings in "Shang Shu" and the early Zhou Dynasty, it is much smoother, marking the further development of prose at that time. "Shangshu" is the oldest collection of articles in my country. Among them, the language used in the parts of the Yin, Shang and early Zhou dynasties is very different from the ancient Chinese of the Qin and Han Dynasties. Due to the long age and incorrect writing, it is very difficult to read. Han Yu said that "Zhou Gao Yin Pan, Ji Qu Dao Ya" ("Jin Xue Jie"). But putting aside the obstacles of writing, in terms of emotional expression, it is actually simple and concise. Because the people who made those remarks were of high status, they spoke with condescending confidence. For future generations, Guao is a special kind of beauty, simple and confident, and shows the strength of conquest. Therefore, the articles in "Shangshu" are highly respected. The Han Dynasty's "Shangshu Da Zhuan" quoted Zi Xia's saying, "Zhao Zhao is like the sun and the moon, and separation is like the wrong behavior of the sun." I think this is also what I feel. However, there is also a mentality of worshiping the ancients here.
"Zhou Li" is also called "Zhou Guan" or "Zhou Guan Jing". It is one of the classics of Confucianism. Confucianism considers the "Poetry", "Book", "Li", "Yi", "Yue" and "Spring and Autumn" as the Six Classics. When Confucius accepted disciples and gave lectures, he chose these classics as teaching materials. However, the etiquette and music taught by Confucius are very different from the old etiquette and music that are full of superstitious colors of ghosts and gods. He believes that the teaching of "Yue" can make people "expert and knowledgeable"; the teaching of "Li" can make people "respectful, frugal and respectful" (see "Book of Rites·Jingjing"). Confucius also said: "If you don't learn etiquette, you can't stand on it." ("The Analects of Confucius·Ji") In Confucius' view, if you don't learn etiquette, there is no basis for establishing a foothold in society. Therefore, it must be "established in etiquette" ("The Analects of Confucius·Tai Bo"). Ritual covers a wide range, from national rules and regulations to personal codes of conduct. The ritual books we can see now include "Zhou Rites", "Rituals" and "Book of Rites".
"The Rites of Zhou" talks about the official system of the Zhou Dynasty, "The Rites" talks about various rituals (such as specific ceremonies such as crowns, weddings, funerals, sacrifices, etc.), and the "Book of Rites" is the "Book of Rites" passed down by Confucius's students and later generations. The records in the Sutra are about the nature, meaning and function of rituals. The name "Three Rites" came into being only after Zheng Xuan, a scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty, made annotations for "Yi Li" and "Book of Rites" respectively. The "Three Rites" are all related to Confucius' thoughts on etiquette, but only "Etiquette" (17 chapters) was compiled and compiled by Confucius. "Zhou Rites" is a compilation that collects the official system of the Zhou royal family and the systems of various countries during the Warring States Period, and adds Confucian political ideals and additions and subtractions. Since our country entered the slave society as early as the Xia, Shang, and Zhou Dynasties, and the Zhou Dynasty was the heyday of slave society, "Zhou Rites" is the earliest and most complete official record of China, and also the most complete official record of the ancient world. . There are 6 chapters in the book, namely "Tian Guan Zhong Zai", "Di Guan Situ", "Chun Guan Zong Bo", "Xia Guan Sima", "Autumn Guan Sikong", "Dong Guan Sikong", each chapter is divided into upper and lower volumes, ** *12 volumes. Among these six chapters, "Dong Guan Sikong" was lost early, and was supplemented by "Kaogong Ji" in the Han Dynasty. Who wrote "The Rites of Zhou" and when was it produced? There has always been controversy. Classical scholars believe that it was written by Zhou Gongdan. Modern classics scholars believe that it originated from the Warring States Period, while others believe it was forged by Liu Xin at the end of the Western Han Dynasty. Recent people have studied the official system contained in the Zhou and Qin bronze inscriptions to verify the political, economic system and academic thoughts in the book. Most people believe that it was a work during the Warring States Period. Some people also believe that "Zhou Rites" was completed in the early Han Dynasty. For the book "Zhou Li", Zheng Xuan of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote "Zhou Li Zhengyi", Jia Gongyan of the Tang Dynasty wrote "Zhou Li Zhengyi", and Sun Yirang of the Qing Dynasty also wrote "Zhou Li Zhengyi". These annotations are of great significance to future generations' study of "Zhou Li". References provided. The supreme ruler of the Zhou Dynasty was the Emperor of Zhou, who was the chief representative of the slave-owning aristocracy. According to legend, the senior officials who assisted the King of Zhou included Taishi, Taifu and Taibao. When he became king, Duke Zhou was his teacher and Duke Zhao was his protector. "The royal family is prime minister and the world is Yin." Bo Qin, the son of Duke Zhou, also served as the guardian of the King of Zhou. In the inscriptions of Ling Zun and Ling Yi, the King of Zhou ordered him to "serve Yin three times in all directions and accept the minister's service in Liao". "Sanshi" is the general term for three official positions, namely political affairs officers, affairs officers and local officials. "Sifang" refers to the princes and tribes of the four directions. "Qing Shi Liao" refers to the large and small bureaucrats in the Zhou Dynasty government. Under the king of Zhou and his guardians, the highest official position in the court was the ministers, namely Dazai, Taizong, Taishi, Taizhu, Taishi, and Taibu, collectively known as the six ministers. The six ministers were often at the King of Zhou's side. The three on the left are Taishi, Taizhu, and Taibu; the three on the right are Taizai, Taizong, and Taishi. They were located on both sides of the King of Zhou in the court, assisting the King in handling government affairs. In the Zhou Dynasty, "the major affairs of the country were sacrifice and military affairs", so most of the six ministers had a close relationship with religious affairs. Taizhu was the greatest sacrificial official, and Duke Zhou's son Boqin also served as Taizhu. Taibu is in charge of divination and is in the mediating position between humans and gods. Taishi are also clergy officials. The position of Taishi has been in Zuocan since the Shang Dynasty. In the early Zhou Dynasty, Bi Gonggao once served as Taishi and was called "Zuocu Bigong". Dazai may have been the chief administrative officer of the imperial court. Taizong was in charge of the clan and genealogy of the Zhou Dynasty, and it was also an important position. The Six Ministers also have many subordinates, each with their own special duties, so they are collectively called Qing Shi Lao. In addition to the Six Ministers, the Zhou Dynasty also had five officials: Situ, Sima, Sikong, Situ, and Sikou. Situ was written as "Situ" in the early bronze inscriptions of the Zhou Dynasty, and he was responsible for managing land and agricultural production. Sikong is written as "si Gong" in the inscription, and he is responsible for the management of hundreds of workers. Sima is the official in charge of military tax. Situ, Sima and Sikong have equal powers and are collectively known as the "Three Yous". The chief official is in charge of the title, title, and salary, and the chief official is in charge of the punishment. Its status is second only to the three yousi above, and it is also a very important official position. There are also many subordinates under these five departments. For example, those belonging to Sima include Shishi, Huchen, and Zouma (Quma) who are responsible for horses, etc., forming a specialized bureaucracy and group. In addition, there are other officials, such as Those who manage the mountains, forests, rivers and rivers, those who manage the market, goods and bribes, and those who manage the food, clothing, use and entertainment of the nobles all have "officials", that is, specialized officials. Most of these various officials are hereditary and enjoy special and sacrosanct status from generation to generation. The Zhou Dynasty implemented a feudal system. There were many feudal states distributed in all directions of the area directly controlled by the King of Zhou, so it was called "Four Directions", specifically referring to the princes, Dian, Nan and other princes. These were the local political powers of the Zhou Dynasty. Some princes from large countries were granted privileges by the king of Zhou. They could mobilize nearby small and medium-sized princes to engage in conquests and defend the emperor of Zhou, and became Fang Bo. Fang Bo was the leader of the princes, not a title of princes. Some princes also served as royal officials and thus had the title of public minister, such as Duke Zhou and Duke Zhao. The so-called five-level nobility system of "gong, marquis, uncle, son, and male" did not exist in either the Shang Dynasty or the Western Zhou Dynasty. It was the result of processing by later generations. Generally speaking, the bureaucracy and system of the Zhou Dynasty developed from the two sets of official positions of "internal service" and "external service" in the Shang Dynasty. However, the Zhou Dynasty's institutions became larger and the system became more systematic. Officials of the same dynasty were nobles and clansmen, a trinity. It was this patriarchal system tied by blood that formed the ruling system of the slave-owning aristocracy headed by the King of Zhou. Until feudal society, the bureaucracy and system of the Zhou Dynasty still had its influence. "The Rites of Zhou" also contains historical materials on many aspects of ancient religion, economic policy, philosophy and ethics. It is an important cultural classic that is mainly based on Confucianism and incorporates Legalism and Yin-Yang and Five Elements thoughts.
Among the classic works of traditional Chinese culture, the "Book of Changes" is known as the first of all the classics and one of the three mysteries.
"Book of Changes" is also called "Book of Changes", which is the Book of Changes of the Zhou Dynasty. Confucius designated it as one of the Five Classics, with a total of 24,070 words. It is divided into two parts: the main scripture and the large biography. The main scripture includes Bagua, Chonggua, and hexagrams, which are the main body of Yi, so it is called a scripture; the large biography includes upper Tuan, lower Tuan 2, upper Xiang 3, lower Xiang 4, and upper system 5. , followed by six, seven in classical Chinese, eight hexagrams, nine prefaces, and ten miscellaneous hexagrams. These ten are collectively called the Ten Wings. The Ten Wings are made to clarify the Book of Changes, so they are called Zhuan. It is made up of six overlapping eight trigrams. The fourteen hexagrams serve as a structural framework. The life and production experiences that the Chinese nation has explored and summarized in ancient times are recorded in abstract symbols. They are further analyzed through the changes of yin and yang, explaining all phenomena in the universe, and through divination. Reveal the changing laws of heaven, earth, and humanity.
"Spring and Autumn" was originally a general name for the history books of various countries in the pre-Qin era. Later, only the "Spring and Autumn" of Lu State was handed down, and it became a specific name. This Spring and Autumn Annals was originally compiled by the historians of the State of Lu. It is said that it was compiled and revised by Confucius and given special significance, thus becoming an important classic of Confucianism. "Spring and Autumn" is the ancestor of our country's chronological history books. It is prefaced by the 12th Duke of Lu. It starts from the first year of Lu Yin (722 BC) and ends with the 14th year of Lu Aigong (48 BC). It records the events of 242 years. History. It is a compendium-style record with very short sentences and almost no descriptive elements. However, its language expression is characterized by strictness and refinement, which reflects the progress of writing skills in including praise and criticism. It is said that Confucius judged some historical events and characters according to his own point of view, and chose the words he thought were appropriate to imply praise and criticism. Therefore, "Spring and Autumn" is regarded by later generations as a "Spring and Autumn" book. The classic "Miscellaneous Words and Great Meanings" is a model for establishing names and formulating laws. Moreover, it also has a great influence on future generations in the writing of history books and literary works. Historians have learned from it that there should be a strict and clear tendency in compiling history. Literary writers often realize that the choice of words and sentences should be concise and profound. Of course, deliberately seeking depth will inevitably lead to the disadvantage of obscure meaning.