There are two versions of Six Arts. One is the six basic abilities that China ancient Confucianism required students to master, including courtesy, music, shooting, imperial command, calligraphy and number. Books and figures are called "small art", which are daily needs of people's livelihood and compulsory courses in primary schools. At that time, the children of ordinary people were only given the education of "small arts", and only the children of nobles could receive the complete education of "six arts" and complete the systematic process from "small arts" to "big arts".
Ceremony is etiquette, music is music, shooting is riding skill, royal is driving a carriage skill, books are calligraphy, and numbers count. There is another saying that the Six Arts are interpreted as the Six Classics, namely, The Book of Changes, Shangshu, The Book of Songs, The Book of Rites, Jing Yue and Chunqiu.
Analysis of Ancient Six Arts
The "art" of the ancient six arts is "artistic ability". That is, ceremony, music, shooting, restraint, writing and counting. Rites include politics, morality, patriotism, behavior habits and so on; Music includes music, dance, poetry, etc. Shooting is the training of archery skills; Royal is to cultivate the technology of driving chariots; Books are literacy education; Figures include the teaching of natural science and technology such as mathematics and religious technology.
Its germination began in Xia Dynasty and gradually improved in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. "Six Arts" education is characterized by paying equal attention to both arts and culture, seeking knowledge and ability, and paying attention to age differences and subject levels, so education is different. Among the "six arts", etiquette, music, archery and bending are called "great arts", which are necessary knowledge for nobles to enter politics.