The combination of ancient books and records probably began in the Warring States period. Mencius Gao Zi said: "The land of princes is a hundred miles, not a hundred miles, which is not enough to keep the ancient books of ancestral halls." "The Fifteen Years of Zuo Zhao's Special Administration" said: "In the past, Bo Yan was a classic, and he thought it was a major policy, so he was called the surname." The ancient books here refer to the laws or national laws of our ancestors. The collective name of ancient books still contains the meaning of "Dian", which refers to important books such as recording rules and systems. Classics were regarded as a general term for all kinds of books only after the Han Dynasty. The History of Cui Propaganda in the Later Han Dynasty says that Cui Yan is "learning from less and learning from good classics". According to the biography of the Three Kingdoms, Shu Zhi and Qiao Zhou, Qiao Zhou indulged in ancient times and was eager to learn, taking reading as his pleasure. "Reading the classics, he laughed happily and forgot to eat and sleep." The "classic" here means the same thing as all the books today.
It is not enough for classics to rely only on the interpretation of word meaning. In order to reveal the essence of ancient books, we must further explore the specific composition of ancient books as cultural carriers in China. Understanding the characteristics of ancient books as cultural products in the long river of historical and cultural development.