The Four Books and Five Classics (sì shūwǔ jīng 四书五经) have far-reaching influence on Chinese culture and also exert profound influence on the mentalities of Chinese people.
The Four Books
The Four Books(sì shū 四书) refer to The Analects of Confucius (lún yǔ 论语), The Mencius (mèng zǐ 孟子), The Great Learning (dà xué 大学) and The Doctrine of the Golden Mean(zhōng yōng 中庸). The former two are collections of sayings and teachings of Confucius (kǒng zǐ 孔子) and Mencius (mèng zǐ 孟子) as well as sayings of their disciples while the latter two are chapters in The Classic of Rites (lǐ jì 礼记).
In the Ming and Qing Dynasties the Four Books were made the core of the official curriculum for the civil service examinations (kē jǔ kǎo shì 科举考试), which endowed them with the superior status in China.
The Great Learning
The Great Learning consists of a short main text attributed to Confucius and nine commentary chapters by Zeng Zi(zēng zǐ 曾子), one of Confucius’ disciples. Its importance is illustrated by Zeng Zi’s foreword that this is the gateway of learning. It is significant because it expresses many themes of Chinese philosophy and political thinking, and has therefore been extremely influential both in classical and modern Chinese thought. It links together individual action in the form of self-cultivation with higher goals such as ultimate world peace as well as linking together the spiritual and the material.
The Doctrine of the Mean
By tradition, the Doctrine of the Mean is attributed to Confucius’ grandson Zisi (zǐ sī 子思). The purpose of this small, 33-chapter book is to demonstrate the usefulness of a golden way to gain perfect virtue. It focuses on the "way" that is prescribed by a heavenly mandate not only to the ruler but to everyone. To follow these heavenly instructions by learning and teaching will automatically result in a Confucian virtue.
The Analects of Confucius
The Analects of Confucius are a record of the words and acts of the central Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius and his disciples, as well as the discussions they held. The Chinese title literally means "discussion over Confucius’ words." Written during the Spring and Autumn Period (chūn qiū shí qī 春秋时期) through the Warring States Period (zhàn guó shí qī 战国时期 ca. 479 BC - 221 BC), the Analects is the representative work of Confucianism and continues to have a tremendous influence on Chinese and East Asian thought and values today.
The Mencius
The Mencius is a collection of conversations of the scholar Mencius with kings of his time. In contrast to the sayings of Confucius, which are short and selfcontained, the Mencius consists of long dialogues with extensive prose.
The Five Classics
The Five Classics (wǔ jīng 五经) is a corpus of five ancient Chinese books used by Confucianism as the basis of studies. The Five Classics refer to The Book of Songs (shī jīng 诗经), The Classic of History (shàng shū尚书), The Classic of Rites, The Book of Changes (a.k.a I-Ching zhōu yì 周易), and The Spring and Autumn Annals (chūn qiū 春秋), all of which are said to be compiled or revised by Confucius.
The Book of Songs
The Book of Songs(a.k.a The Classic of Poetry or The Book of Odes), is made up of 305 poems. This book is traditionally credited as a compilation from Confucius. It is the earliest collection of Chinese poems and it is the source of Chinese verse and the starting point of the Chinese realistic epic. Therefore, The Book of Songs serves as the most valuable and important material in the study of the Chinese language from the 11th century to the 6th century B.C.
The Classic of History
The Classic of History is a collection of documents and speeches alleged to have been written by rulers and officials of the early Zhou period and before. It contains examples of early Chinese prose.
The Classic of Rites
The Classic of Rites, the earliest and most complete record of social hierarchies and ceremonies in ancient China, lost in the third century B.C., describes ancient rites and court ceremonies.
The Book of Changes
The Book of Changes, also referred to as Zhou Yi (Book of Changes of the Zhou Dynasty) or the I Ching, is regarded as the most preeminent among all Classics in ancient China.
The Spring and Autumn Annals
The spring and Autumn Annals were the official chronicles of the states during the Pre-Qin Period (xiān qín shí qī先秦时期), however, only that of the State of Lu covering the period from 722 BC to 481 BC survived. This book was also compiled by Confucius thereby gaining extra significance and becoming a Confucian Classic. It is also the forerunner of the "chronological style" (biān nián tǐ 编年体) of historiography.