Chinese Classic Texts

List of Chinese classic texts

The Four Books (四書 S shū)

• The Great Learning, (大學 D Xu), the name of a chapter in the Classic of Rites.
• The Doctrine of the Golden Mean (中庸 Zhōng Yng), the name of another chapter in the Classic of Rites.
• The Analects of Confucius (論語 Ln Yǔ), a book of pithy sayings attributed to Confucius and recorded by his disciples.
• The Mencius (孟子 Mng Zǐ), a book of conversations between Mencius and some kings of his time.

The Five Classics (五經 Wǔ jīng)

• The Classic of Poetry (詩經 Shī Jīng), made up of 305 poems divided into 160 folk songs; 74 minor festal songs, traditionally sung at court festivities; 31 major festal songs, sung at more solemn court ceremonies; and 40 hymns and eulogies, sung at sacrifices to gods and ancestral spirits of the royal house. This book is probably a compilation from Confucius.
• 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 Classic of Changes or I Ching (易經 Y Jīng), 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 Rites (禮記 Lǐ J), social forms and ceremonies (also spelled Liki), a restoration of the original Lijing, lost in the third century B.C., describes ancient rites and court ceremonies.
• The Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋 Chūn Qiū, also known as 麟經 Ln 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) is sometime referred to as the sixth classic, but is lost.

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.

Classics of Mohism

• Mo Zi, attributed to the philosopher of the same name, Mo Zi.

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.

Classics of the History of China

• Twenty-Four Histories, a dynastic format collection of authoritative references of the History of China.
• 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 L Buwei or Lshi Chunqiu (呂氏春秋), attributed to L Buwei.

Other Classics

• The Classic of Filial Piety or Xiao Jing (孝經 Xiao Jing)
• The Thousand Character Classic《千字文》

Related Topics

• Chinese literature
• Imperial examination

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)

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