What are the Four Books

The Four Books is the collective name for four classic works of Confucianism, specifically the Great Learning, the Doctrine of the Mean, the Analects, and the Mencius. During the Southern Song period, Zhu Xi compiled these four books together and added annotations, and thereafter they circulated as a single set, becoming the basic reading material for scholars in traditional society.

In terms of content, the four books each have their own emphasis. The Analects records the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples, touching on how to conduct oneself and one's attitude toward learning; the Mencius expounds ideas such as benevolent governance and the goodness of human nature; the Great Learning discusses the progressive order of study, from cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, to bringing peace to the world; and the Doctrine of the Mean emphasizes the way of conduct that is neither biased nor partial, but just right.

Historically, the Four Books were long an important scope for the imperial examinations and also the core textbook of elementary education, exerting a profound influence on the thinking of scholars. Many of its famous lines are still widely quoted today, often appearing on occasions when discussing study methods and moral cultivation.

Some people confuse the Four Books with the Five Classics. The Five Classics refer to the Classic of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the I Ching, and the Spring and Autumn Annals, which were completed earlier and whose content leans toward institutions and documents; the Four Books are relatively shorter in length and closer to personal cultivation and ethics, making them suitable as an introductory reading for understanding Confucian thought.