Chinese Classics - Before 221 BCE

Before 221 BCE

• The Classics of Confucianism
  • The Four Books
    • The Great Learning is a chapter from the Classic of Rites.
    • The Doctrine of the Mean is another chapter from the Classic of Rites.
    • The Analects of Confucius, a twenty-chapter work of dialogues between Confucius and his disciples, recorded by later Confucian scholars.
    • The Mencius, a book of anecdotes and conversations of Mencius, a disciple of Confucius.
  • The Five Classics
    • The I Ching is a manual of divination based on the eight trigrams attributed to the mythical figure Fuxi (by the time of Confucius these eight trigrams had been multiplied to sixty-four hexagrams). The I Ching is still used by modern adherents of folk religion.
    • The Classic of Poetry is made up of 305 poems divided into 160 folk songs, 74 minor festal songs, traditionally sung at court festivities, 31 major festal songs, sung at more solemn court ceremonies, and 40 hymns and eulogies, sung at sacrifices to gods and ancestral spirits of the royal house. This book is traditionally credited as a compilation from Confucius. A standard version, named Maoshi Zhengyi, was compiled in the mid-7th century under the leadership of Kong Yingda.
    • The Three Rites are the three ancient ritual texts listed among the classics of Confucianism, a record of social forms and ceremonies of the Western Zhou, and a restoration of the original copy after the burning of Confucian texts in 213 BCE
      • The Classic of Rites
      • The Rites of Zhou
      • The Yili "Etiquette and Rites"
    • The Classic of History is a collection of documents and speeches of the Xia, Shang and Western Zhou and period before. It contains examples of the earliest Chinese prose.
    • The Spring and Autumn Annals is chronologically the earliest annal; consisting of about 16,000 words, it records the events of the State of Lu from 722 BCE to 481 BCE, with implied condemnation of usurpations, murder, incest, etc.
      • The Zuo Zhuan (Commentary of Zuo) is a different report of the same events as the Spring and Autumn Annals with a few significant differences. It covers a longer period than the Spring and Autumn Annals.
      • The Commentary of Gongyang, another surviving commentary on the same events (see Spring and Autumn Annals).
      • The Commentary of Guliang, another surviving commentary on the same events (see Spring and Autumn Annals).
    • The Classic of Music is sometimes referred to as the sixth classic; it was lost by the time of the Han Dynasty.
  • Other Confucian classics
    • The Classic of Filial Piety is a very small classical book on how to behave towards a senior, be it one's father, an elder brother, or the ruler. It also dictates proper treatment of juniors by their seniors, establishing a mutual benefit for both.
    • The Erya is a dictionary explaining the meaning and interpretation of words in the context of the Confucian Canon.
• The Classics of Taoism
  • Tao Te Ching, attributed to Laozi.
  • Zhuangzi, attributed to the philosopher of the same name, Zhuangzi.
  • The Classic of the Perfect Emptiness, attributed to Liezi.
• The Classic of Mohism
  • Mozi, attributed to the philosopher of the same name, Mozi.
• The Classics of Legalism
  • The Book of Lord Shang, attributed to Shang Yang.
  • Guanzi, attributed to Guan Zhong.
  • Hanfeizi, attributed to Han Fei.
  • Shenzi, attributed to Shen Buhai; all but one chapter is lost.
  • Shenzi, attributed to Shen Dao. It originally consisted of ten volumes and forty-two chapters, of which all but seven chapters have been lost.
  • The Canon of Laws, attributed to Li Kui.
• The Classics of Military Science
  • The Art of War, attributed to Sunzi.
  • The Thirty-Six Stratagems, recently recovered.
  • The Three Strategies of Huang Shigong, attributed to Jiang Ziya.
  • The Sima Fa, attributed to Sima Rangju.
  • Wuzi, attributed to Wu Qi.
  • Wei Liaozi, attributed to Wei Liao.
• Other classics
  • The Guoyu, a collection of historical records of numerous states recorded the period from Western Zhou to 453 BCE.
  • The Shan Hai Jing, a collection of mythical tales from various locations.