The Thirteen Classics refers to the thirteen Confucian classics formed in the Southern Song Dynasty. They are "The Book of Songs", "Shangshu", "Zhou Li", "Yili", "Book of Rites", "Zhouyi", "Zuo Zhuan", "Gongyang Zhuan", "Gu Liang Zhuan", "The Analects of Confucius", "Erya", "The Classic of Filial Piety", and "Mencius".
The Thirteen Classics gradually developed from the Five Classics of the Han Dynasty and were finally formed in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Han Dynasty: Five Classics
During the Han Dynasty, "Yi", "Poetry", "Book", "Li" and "Spring and Autumn" were regarded as the "Five Classics", which was the basis of learning. official.
Tang Dynasty: Nine Classics
During the Tang Dynasty, "Spring and Autumn" was divided into "three biographies", namely "Zuo Zhuan", "Gongyang Zhuan", and "Gu Liang Zhuan"; The Book of Rites is divided into "Three Rites", namely "The Rites of Zhou", "The Rites" and "The Book of Rites". These six books, together with "Yi", "Book" and "Poetry", are called the "Nine Classics", which are also established by academic officials and used to open subjects and recruit scholars.
Late Tang Dynasty: Twelve Classics
During the reign of Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty, the stone carvings at Guozixue included the "Nine Classics", "The Analects of Confucius" and "The Analects of Confucius". "Erya" and "The Classic of Filial Piety".
Five Dynasties: Eleven Classics (included in "Mencius")
During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Meng Chang, the leader of Shu Kingdom, carved the "Eleven Classics" and included them in "Mencius", excluding " "The Classic of Filial Piety" and "Erya".
Southern Song Dynasty: The Thirteen Classics were formally formed
In the Southern Song Dynasty, "Mencius" officially became a "Classic", together with "The Analects", "Erya", and "The Classic of Filial Piety", plus The original "Nine Classics" formed the "Thirteen Classics".
The "Thirteen Classics" is the basic work of Confucian culture. In terms of traditional concepts, "Yi", "Poetry", "Book", "Li" and "Spring and Autumn" are called "Classics". "Zuo Zhuan", "Gongyang Zhuan" and "Gu Liang Zhuan" belong to the "Zhuan" of "Spring and Autumn Classic", "Book of Rites", "Xiao Jing", "The Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius" are all "Ji". "Erya" is an exegesis work by the Confucian scholars of the Han Dynasty. Among these thirteen kinds of documents, "Jing" should have the highest status, followed by "Zhuan" and "Ji", and then "Erya". It took a long time for the thirteen Confucian texts to obtain the status of "Classics". In the Han Dynasty, the "Yi", "Poems", "Books", "Li" and "Spring and Autumn" were regarded as the "Five Classics", and the government attached great importance to them and established them as academic officials. In the Tang Dynasty, there were "Nine Classics", which were also established for academic officials and used to recruit scholars. The so-called "Nine Classics" include the "Yi", "Poems", "Books", "Zhou Rites", "Rituals", "Book of Rites" and "Spring and Autumn". During the reign of Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty, he studied stone carving at Guozixue. In addition to the "Nine Classics", the content engraved also included the "Analects of Confucius", "Erya" and "The Classic of Filial Piety". During the Five Dynasties, Meng Chang, the lord of Shu, carved the "Eleven Classics", excluding "The Classic of Filial Piety" and "Erya" and including "Mencius". "Mencius" was included in the list of classics for the first time. Zhu Xi, a great scholar in the Southern Song Dynasty, juxtaposed the "Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" in the "Book of Rites" with the "Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius" to form what is known today as the "Four Books" and was officially recognized. "Mencius" officially became "through". At this point, the thirteen Confucian texts have established its classic status. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the "Thirteen Classics" verses were engraved on stone, and Ruan Yuan also engraved the "Commentaries on the Thirteen Classics". From then on, the name of the "Thirteen Classics" and its revered status in Confucian classics became more and more popular. The content of the Thirteen Classics is extremely broad, and the Book of Changes is a book of divination. Its outer layer is mysterious, but its inner philosophy is profound and profound. "Shangshu" is a compilation of ancient historical documents, mainly containing the king's proclamations and records of conversations between the king and his ministers. "The Book of Songs" is a collection of poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period. It is divided into three parts: "Feng", "Ya" and "Song". "Feng" refers to folk songs, and "Ya" refers to the formal music of Wang Ji of the Western Zhou Dynasty. "Song" is a dance song and song used for worship in the ancestral temple of the upper class. "Zhou Rites" mainly collects the official system of the Zhou royal family and the systems of various countries during the Warring States period. "Rituals" mainly records the rituals of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. "Book of Rites" is a collection of treatises on various rituals before the Qin and Han Dynasties. The three biographies of "Chun Qiu" are works formed around the "Chun Qiu" sutra. "Zuo Zhuan" focuses on the statement of historical events, and "Gongyang Zhuan" and "Gu Liang Biography" focus on discussion. The Analects is a record of the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples. "The Classic of Filial Piety" is a treatise on feudal filial piety. "Mencius" specifically contains Mencius's remarks, thoughts and deeds. "Erya" explains the meanings of words and interprets names and objects, and many classics scholars interpret the scriptures based on it. Confucian culture was dominant in the feudal era. As the classic of Confucian culture, the Thirteen Classics has a revered status and profound influence that is unmatched by any other classics. The supreme ruler not only seeks the principles and plans for governing the country and bringing peace to the world, but also follows Confucian classics in regulating the thoughts of his subjects, establishing ethics and morals, and guiding folk customs. The influence of Confucian classics on society is ever-present and everywhere. To understand and study all aspects of Chinese feudal society, one must read the Thirteen Classics.