Confucius once summarized the purpose of the Book of Songs as "innocence" and educated his disciples to read the Book of Songs as their standard of speech and action.
Among the pre-Qin philosophers, many people quoted the Book of Songs, such as Mencius, Xunzi, Mozi, Zhuangzi, Han Feizi, etc. They often quoted sentences in the Book of Songs to enhance their persuasiveness. By the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, The Book of Songs was regarded as a classic by Confucianism and became one of the six classics and five classics.
The Book of Songs is rich in content, reflecting labor and love, war and corvee, oppression and resistance, customs and marriage, ancestor worship and feasting, and even astronomical phenomena, landforms, animals and plants. It is a mirror of the social life of the Zhou Dynasty.
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The Book of Songs pays attention to reality and expresses the true feelings caused by real life. This creative attitude makes it have a strong and profound artistic charm, which is the first milestone of China's realistic literature. The Book of Songs and National Style are the sources of China's realistic poems. In July, we can see the bloody life of slaves.
In Cut Tan, we can feel the awakening of the class consciousness of the exploited. Disgruntled slaves boldly questioned the ruling class out of thin air, and some poems also described the workers' direct struggle with the ruling class in order to obtain the right to subsistence. In this regard, Shuo has a shocking power.
The Book of Songs is divided into three parts: style, elegance and vulgarity, and fu. "Wind" is the tune of various vassal states; Elegant Style is a positive music in Zhou Zong. "Ode" is the joy of ancestral temple sacrifice. As for "elegance" and "Xiaoya", those who are diligent and polite should sing "Xiaoya". The artistic techniques in The Book of Songs are summarized as "Fu, Bi and Xing", which are called "Six Meanings" together with "Feng, Ya and Song".
Baidu Encyclopedia-The Book of Songs
What Confucian classics are there?
Confucian classics mainly include thirteen classics. There are six Confucian classics: The Book of Songs, Shangshu, Yili, Jing Yue, Zhouyi and Chunqiu. Qin Shihuang "burned books to bury Confucianism". It is said that Yue Ji was lost after the Qin fire. On this basis, the Eastern Han Dynasty added The Analects of Confucius, The Book of Filial Piety and The Seven Classics. Zhou Li, Book of Rites, Biography of the Spring and Autumn Ram, Biography of the Spring and Autumn Beam, Erya and Twelve Classics were added in the Tang Dynasty. Mencius was supplemented in the Song Dynasty, and later the Notes to Thirteen Classics was handed down from generation to generation. Thirteen Classics is the basic work of Confucian culture. As far as traditional concepts are concerned, Yi, Shi, Shu, Li and Chunqiu are called Jing, while Zuo Zhuan, Yang Gongzhuan and Gu Liangzhuan belong to the biography and ceremony of Chunqiu. The later four books refer to Daxue (one in the Book of Rites), The Doctrine of the Mean (one in the Book of Rites), The Analects of Confucius and Mencius, while the Five Classics refer to Zhouyi, Shangshu, The Book of Songs, The Book of Rites and Zuo Zhuan. Is Zuo Zhuan a Confucian classic? Zuo Zhuan is a Confucian classic.
Zuozhuan, originally named Zuoshi Chunqiu, was renamed Chunqiu Zuozhuan in Han Dynasty, which is a chronological historical work in ancient China.
The Han Dynasty was also called Zuoshi and Zuoshi in the Spring and Autumn Period. It was called Zuo Zhuan only after the Han Dynasty. It is also called Three Biographies of Spring and Autumn with Biography of Ram and Biography of Gu Liang. According to legend, it was written by Zuo Qiuming at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period to explain Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals.
Zuo Zhuan is an independent history book in essence. It began in the year of Luyin (722 BC) and ended in the 14th year of Lu Daogong. Based on the Spring and Autumn Annals, it illustrates the outline of the Spring and Autumn Annals by describing the specific historical facts of the Spring and Autumn Period, which is one of the important Confucian classics.
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Zuo Zhuan represents the highest achievement of pre-Qin historiography, is an important document to study pre-Qin history and Spring and Autumn history, and has a great influence on later historiography.
In particular, it has played a great role in establishing the status of chronological history books. Moreover, because it has a strong tendency of Confucianism, emphasizes hierarchical order and patriarchal ethics, attaches importance to the distinction between honor and inferiority, and also shows the people-oriented thought, so it is also an important historical material for studying Confucianism in the pre-Qin period.
Baidu encyclopedia-Zuo zhuan
The representative works of Confucianism are 1 and Chunqiu.
The Spring and Autumn Annals, also known as Lin Jing or Lin Shi, is one of the six Confucian classics in ancient China. It is also the national history of Lu in the Zhou Dynasty, and the existing version was revised by Confucius.
Spring and Autumn Annals is China's first detailed chronicle work, with 35 volumes in total. It is one of the Confucian classics and the longest among the Thirteen Classics, and is listed as a classic in Sikuquanshu. This account covers the period from 722 BC to 468 BC.
The language of events recorded in Chunqiu is extremely concise, but almost every sentence implies praise and criticism, which is called "Chunqiu brushwork" and "subtle meaning" by later generations. Later, there appeared many books that supplemented, explained and expounded the history recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals, which were called Biography. Representative works include Zuo Zhuan, Ram Zhuan and Gu Liangzhuan, which are collectively called the three great biographies of the Spring and Autumn Period.
2. Zuo Zhuan
The Biography of Zuo's Family in the Spring and Autumn Period was originally named Zuo's Spring and Autumn Period, and it was also called Chunqiu Zuoshi Biography and Chunqiu Biography in the Han Dynasty, and it was called Zuo Zhuan only after the Han Dynasty.
According to legend, Zuo Zhuan is a historical book annotated by Zuo Qiuming, a native of Lu, at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. It is also called "Three Biographies of Spring and Autumn Period" together with Biography of Ram and Biography of Gu Liang. It is China's first detailed chronicle work and an outstanding masterpiece of historical prose.
This book, with a total of 35 volumes, is one of the Confucian classics and the longest of the thirteen classics, and is listed as a classic in Sikuquanshu. It covers the period from 722 BC (the year of Luyin) to 468 BC (the 27th year of Lu Aigong).
3. The Analects of Confucius
The Analects of Confucius is a collection of quotations from Confucius and his disciples, which was compiled by Confucius' disciples and re-disciples until the early Warring States period. The book * * * consists of 20 chapters and 492 sections. It mainly records the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples, and embodies Confucius' political opinions, ethical thoughts, moral concepts and educational principles.
This book is one of the Confucian classics, and it is also called "Four Books" with Daxue, The Doctrine of the Mean and Mencius. Together with The Book of Songs, Shangshu, Book of Rites, Zhouyi and Chunqiu, they are called "Four Books and Five Classics".
4. Mencius
Mencius was listed as four books by Zhu in the Southern Song Dynasty (the other three books were Daxue, The Doctrine of the Mean and The Analects of Confucius). In the mid-Warring States period, Mencius and his disciples Zhang Wan, Gong Sunchou and others. The earliest inscription in Zhao Qi's "Mencius" reads: "This book was also written by Mencius, so it is called Mencius".
There are eleven pieces of Mencius recorded in History of Han, and there are seven pieces and fourteen volumes. The total number of words is more than 35,000 words and 286 chapters. According to legend, there are four other books of Mencius, which have been lost (this book of Mencius is a fake of Yao Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty). This book records the politics, education, philosophy, ethical thoughts and political activities of Mencius and his disciples. Ancient examinations mainly included four books and five classics.
5. the book of filial piety
The Book of Filial Piety is an ethical work of ancient Confucianism in China. One of the thirteen Confucian classics. The legend was written by Confucius, but it was suspected that it was written by later generations in the Southern Song Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, Ji Yun pointed out in the Catalogue of Sikuquanshu that this book was the last words of Confucius and was written in Qin and Han Dynasties. From the Western Han Dynasty to the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were hundreds of commentators. At present, the more popular versions are Li Longji's Annotation of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty and Xing Bing's Annotation of Song Dynasty.
Baidu encyclopedia-Confucian classics
China's Four Books refer to China's four books, and the four books refer to The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, Daxue and The Doctrine of the Mean.
1, Analects of Confucius
The Analects of Confucius is a book that records the words and deeds of Confucius and his students and is edited by his students. The content involves philosophy, politics, economy, education, literature and art, etc. It is very rich and is the most important classic of Confucianism. In terms of expression, The Analects of Confucius is a model for recording prose, with concise language and vivid images.
In terms of arrangement, The Analects has no strict compiling style, each article is a chapter, and each chapter is a chapter. Articles and chapters are not closely related, but are roughly classified and repeated chapters appear. By the Han Dynasty, there were three editions of The Analects of Confucius (20), The Analects of Confucius (22) and The Analects of Classical Chinese (2 1).
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zheng Xuan compiled and annotated a new book based on The Analects of Lu with reference to The Analects of Qi and The Analects of Ancient Chinese. After Zheng Xuan's annotations were circulated, The Analects of Confucius and The Analects of China Ancient Literature gradually disappeared.
The later editions of The Analects of Confucius mainly include: The Analects of Confucius by Wei in the Three Kingdoms Period, On Shu Shu by Liang Huang Kan in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, The Analects of Confucius by Zhu, The Analects of Confucius by Liu Baonan in the Qing Dynasty, etc.
2. Mencius
Mencius is a book that records the words and deeds of Mencius and his students. Mencius (about 372 ~ 289 BC), named Ke, was born in Zouguo (now southeast of Zoucheng, Shandong Province) in the middle of the Warring States Period, not far from Qufu, Confucius' hometown. He is a famous thinker, politician, educator and the successor of Confucius' theory. Mencius is a book that records the words and deeds of Mencius and his students.
After the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, it became the content of the imperial examination and was a must-read for scholars. During the period of filial piety in the Southern Song Dynasty, Mencius was included in the Notes on Four Books edited by Zhu, which officially pushed Mencius to the same position as Daxue and The Analects of Confucius. After the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Mencius became one of the contents of imperial examinations, and it was a must-read book for imperial examiners.
3. University
Da Xue was originally an article in the Book of Rites, which had never been published separately before the Southern Song Dynasty. It is said that it was written by Zeng Shen, a disciple of Confucius (505-434 BC). From the Tang Dynasty when Han Yu and Li Ao praised the University (and the Doctrine of the Mean) to the Northern Song Dynasty, they even called it "the University", a suicide note of Confucius, and they began to learn German.
In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu inherited Cheng Zhu's thoughts, and also took Daxue out of The Book of Rites, which became one of Zhu's four books when he wrote The Analects of Confucius, Mencius and The Mean.
Zhu and Cheng Yi, another famous scholar in Song Dynasty, believed that Da Xue was a suicide note left by Confucius and his disciples, and an introductory reading of Confucianism. Therefore, Zhu listed it as the first of the "four books".
4. The golden mean
The Doctrine of the Mean was originally one of The Book of Rites, which was never published separately before the Southern Song Dynasty. It is generally believed that it was written by Confucius' grandson Zi Si (483-402 BC), and Confucian historians call Zi Si the golden mean.
From the Tang Dynasty when Han Yu and Li Ao advocated the doctrine of the mean (and the university) to maintain orthodoxy, to the Northern Song Dynasty when Cheng Er advocated and publicized the doctrine of the mean in various ways, and even thought that the doctrine of the mean was "a way to teach the mind through Confucius", and then to the Southern Song Dynasty when Zhu inherited Cheng Er's thought, he took out The Book of Rites and compared it with The Analects of Confucius, Mencius and the University.
Judging from the basic viewpoints of The Doctrine of the Mean and Mencius, they are basically the same. The existing The Doctrine of the Mean was revised by Confucian scholars in Qin Dynasty, and was written roughly shortly after Qin unified the whole country. So every article is different from "University". It does not take the two words at the beginning of the article as the title, but the central content of the article as the title.
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The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, Daxue and The Doctrine of the Mean are called the four books, which are the basic teaching materials for Confucian preaching and teaching. For hundreds of years, the "Four Books" have been widely circulated in China, and many of them have become popular aphorisms.
The Analects of Confucius and Mencius are collections of speeches by Confucius, Mencius and their students respectively, while Daxue and The Doctrine of the Mean are two in the Book of Rites. Zhu, a famous scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, first linked the two. However, before Zhu, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi had strongly advocated these books.
They believe that "University" is an important book of Confucius' "the door for beginners to enter Germany" and was compiled by Confucius' students. The Doctrine of the Mean is a book "Confucius teaches the mind", and it is a pen, which is written by Confucius' grandson Zisi. Together with The Analects of Confucius and Mencius, these two books express the basic ideology of Confucianism and are the most important documents for studying and treating Confucianism.
It is from this perspective that Zhu compiled four books: The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, University and The Doctrine of the Mean. Because they came from four representatives of early Confucianism, namely, Confucius, Zeng Shen, Zi Si and Mencius, they were called "Four Books" for short.