The Five Classics refer to the five classic works of Confucianism

The Five Classics refer to the five classic works revered by Confucianism, namely the Shijing (Classic of Poetry), the Shangshu (Book of Documents), the Liji (Book of Rites), the Zhouyi (Book of Changes) and the Chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals). This designation was established in the Han Dynasty, when the imperial court listed these books as official textbooks and appointed Erudites of the Five Classics to lecture on them specifically, and the Five Classics thus became the foundational texts that ancient scholars had to study.

In terms of content, the Shijing is the earliest general collection of poetry in our country, gathering poetic works from the Western Zhou to the Spring and Autumn period; the Shangshu is a compilation of ancient historical documents, recording the political affairs and proclamations of the former kings; the Zhouyi uses hexagram images to expound the principles of change, combining a divination function with philosophical thought; the Liji mainly records ancient ritual systems as well as the Confucian interpretation of rites; and the Chunqiu is the annalistic history of the State of Lu, recording historical events in a concise style.

The Five Classics hold an extremely high position in traditional Chinese culture and were long an important part of the imperial examinations and private school education. Together with the Daxue (Great Learning), the Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean), the Lunyu (Analects) and the Mengzi (Mencius), they are jointly known as the Four Books and Five Classics, together forming the main vehicle of Confucian doctrine. Their influence is not limited to the academic field but also permeates many aspects such as ethical concepts, ritual norms and literary writing.

It should be noted that the Five Classics are closely related to the Six Classics. Legend has it that in the pre-Qin period there were originally six classics: Poetry, Documents, Rites, Music, Changes and Spring and Autumn. Later, the Classic of Music was lost or never became a separate book, so only the Five Classics were handed down. Understanding the Five Classics helps one to know the origins of ancient Chinese thought and culture.