Notes on Four Books and Sentences is one of Zhu's most representative works. This book is a classic that explores and grasps the essence of Confucianism as a whole by practicing calligraphy, sparse arts and sciences, and paying attention to righteousness. This collation is based on the engraving of Wu's father and son in Wuxian County in the 16th year of Jiaqing, Qing Dynasty, and is collated with the large-character imitation text in the 2nd year of Kangxi, Qing Dynasty.
(1) Author's brief introduction Zhu (1 130 September 15-1200 April 23rd), formerly known as Zhu Zi, also known as Mr. Yang and Zhu Wengong. Characters Hui and Zhong Hui, alias Hui An and Hui Weng, were born in Wuyuan County, Huizhou (now Wuyuan County, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province) in the Southern Song Dynasty, and in Youxi County, Jianzhou, Fujian South Road (now Youxi County, Sanming City, Fujian Province). They are the most famous philosophers, thinkers, educators, outstanding poets and writers in the late feudal society of China.
Zhu occupies a lofty position in the cultural history of China. In China's cultural, ideological, educational and ethical history, it has a great influence, pushing Confucius before and Zhu afterwards. Zhu's thoughts are widely spread overseas, and have deeply influenced the traditional cultures of Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries. He left more than 400 volumes of 126 works in his life, covering classics, history, philosophers and collections. The scope is extensive, profound and numerous, and it is a huge treasure house of ideas. In addition, he wrote more than 3,000 poems, which were handed down to later generations. The most famous are Spring Day and Reading Random Thoughts.
(2) "expanding knowledge" nineteen volumes, Zhu Xiyou "Biography of Poetry" has been recorded. Before the Song Dynasty, scholars established the Five Classics, and in the Tang Dynasty, Confucius compiled Justice of the Five Classics. In the Southern Song Dynasty, he expounded Cheng Cheng's point of view, and especially praised the university and the doctrine of the mean in Mencius and the Book of Rites, making it parallel with the Analects of Confucius. It is believed that the university is the "door for beginners to learn morality", the doctrine of the mean is "Confucius teaches the heart", and the four books represent the Confucian orthodoxy from Confucius to Mencius. Zhu Cheng is the legal heir and promoter. This book includes one volume of University Chapters, one volume of Doctrine of the Mean Chapters, ten volumes of Annotations to the Analects of Confucius, and seven volumes of Annotations to Mencius (fourteen volumes in one work). The first two books were written by Zhu in the sixteenth year (1 189), and the last two books were written in the fourth year (1 168), which quoted the remarks of Cheng Cheng and his disciples, so they were called "concentrated notes". In the first year of Guangzong (1900), Zhu's "Zhangzhou Knowledge" was published and engraved, establishing the name of "Four Books". In the meantime, every seven drafts were changed until the eve of Zhu's death. I said, "You can't add a word, you can't subtract a word." Therefore, it is intended to interpret Confucian classics with the thought of Neo-Confucianism, and advocates "preserving natural principles and restraining human desires". To meet the needs of feudal rulers. Therefore, since the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, this annotation has always been regarded as a textbook for selecting candidates in imperial examinations, occupying a monopoly position in ideology. This book focuses on exploring and grasping the ideological system of the original work as a whole, ignoring the exegesis of famous things. It is characterized by interpreting Confucian Classics with Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism, focusing on expounding Neo-Confucianism, so that Confucian Classics has the spirit of Neo-Confucianism.
There are many versions, and the volume names are different. At the beginning of the Ming dynasty, the division carved this book, with 42 volumes. In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen (164 1), Jigu Pavilion was printed in Jingyuan Building with a volume of 19. In the thirty-eighth year of Qianlong (1773), Yu Minzhong compiled nineteen manuscripts of Chazaotang Four Treasures of the Study Collection. 1957, Zhonghua Book Company printed the printed edition. 1983, Zhonghua Book Company published The Integration of Newly Edited Scholars (the first series). 1980, Hansheng Qiu of China Social Sciences Publishing House wrote "A Brief Comment on Four Notes", which is a work that studies four notes with historical materialism and is worth learning.