What were The Five Classics and Four Books of Confucianism?

Answer 1

The Five Classics (in Chinese Wu jing; the word "wu" means "5", the word "jing" - a classical or sacred text; in Buddhism it is a translation of the "sutra" or the Buddha's sermon) - these are the five texts preserved to our times, out of the original six that suppposedly were edited by Confucius. In fact four of them are collections of very ancient texts held in high regard by the Confucius (Kong Fuzi, VIth-Vth century BC), and only the fifth one can be admitted of Confucius' authorship. These are: 1) Shijing - or the Classic of Songs (translated by J. Legge as The Book of Odes) - old ceremonial or popular songs; 2) Shijing - or the Classic of Documents - official proclamations and other documents from the XVIIth to IXth century BC; 3) Yijing - or the Classic of Change (often translated as The Book of Changes); 4) Liji - or Notes on Ceremony - which contains Confucius' notes on the state and family rites (li) of the State of Zhou; 5) Chunqiu - or Springs and Autumns (The Annals)- of the Kingdom of Lu, wherein Confucius has worked as archivist. The sixth one, which has not survived the Great Burning of Books ordered by the Emperor Qin Shihuangdi in 213 BC. - was Yuejing - or the Classic of Music. Moral, philosophical, and political allegorical interpretation of these books formed the basis of the Confucian education and Imperial exams (for state officials) until the Middle Ages. In the 12th century AD. Zhu Xi (1130-1200) has selected from the early Confucian litterature new text which according to him reflected the best the spirit of Confucian teaching. Later on they became called "Si Shu" ("si" = "4", "shu" = "book"). 1) Lunyu - or Sayings and Dialogues (frequently translated as The Analects) - containing the sayings of Confucius noted down by his pupils. 2) Daxue - or Great Learning - a chapter from Liji, containing Confucius' vision of spiritual cultivation, with addictional notes by Zi Si, or grandson of Confucius. 3) Zhongyong - or Harmony of the Middle (frequently translated as The Golden Mean, or Doctrine of the Mean) - also a chapter from Liji, with additional notes by Zengzi, the foremost student of Confucius, dealing with the nature of the ancient Way (Dao) and that of a human being. 4) Mengzi - or Master Meng (Mencius) - the book by Mencius, 2nd great Confucian philosopher of the IVth century BC. Since the middle of the XIVth century, these four have in fact replaced the Five Classics (written in the archaic Chinese) in the state exams - until 1911.

Answer 2

The Five Classics were a collection of ancient Chinese texts that formed the foundation of Confucian philosophy. The Four Books are later Confucian texts that elaborated on Confucius' teachings and became essential for Confucian study. Together, the Five Classics and Four Books served as the core texts for Confucian education in China.