Zhu Xi lifted four texts above the older Five Classics: the Analects, the Mencius, and two chapters of the Book of Rites, the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean, and published them with his commentaries as the Four Books. The set became the tradition's core curriculum, the first books a student read and the ground of the civil examinations from the Yuan adoption onward.
Tagged: Confucianism Neo-Confucianism
The Event
- Date
- c. 1200 (approximate)
- Also called
- the Four Books
- Era
- The Song-Ming Renewal; Standard periodization of Confucian history
- Location
- China; today China
- Traditions
- Confucianism
- Streams
- Neo-Confucianism
- Key figures
- Zhu Xi
- Key texts
- Analects, Mencius, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean
Connections
- Zhu Xi; follows_from
Primary Sources
- The Analects of Confucius.
Secondary Sources
- Gardner, Daniel K. The Four Books: The Basic Teachings of the Later Confucian Tradition. Hackett, 2007.
- Yao, Xinzhong. An Introduction to Confucianism. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
Provenance: HIST-0709; confidence 0.85; accessed 2026-10-27.
Related on This Site
- The Hanging Temple Art Entry
- Daoism and Confucianism Art Tradition
- Ming dynasty History Event
- Qing dynasty History Event
- Song dynasty History Event
- Yuan examination system adopts Zhu Xi History Event
- Zhu Xi History Event
- Confucianism World View