|
China Classics
China has a wealth of classical literature, both poetry and
prose, dating from the Eastern Zhou dynasty (770-221 B.C.) and
including the Classics attributed to Confucius
(see The Zhou Period
, ch. 1;
Traditional Society and Culture
, ch. 3). Among the
most important classics in Chinese literature is the Yijing
(Book of Changes), a manual of divination based on eight trigrams
attributed to the mythical emperor Fu Xi. (By Confucius' time these
eight trigrams had been multiplied to sixty-four hexagrams.) The
Yijing is still used by adherents of folk religion. The
Shijing (Classic of Poetry) is made up of 305 poems divided
into 160 folk songs; 74 minor festal songs, traditionally sung at
court festivities; 31 major festal songs, sung at more solemn court
ceremonies; and 40 hymns and eulogies, sung at sacrifices to gods
and ancestral spirits of the royal house. The Shujing
(Classic of Documents) 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 the best examples of early
Chinese prose. The Liji (Record of Rites), a restoration of
the original Lijing (Classic of Rites), lost in the third
century B.C., describes ancient rites and court ceremonies. The
Chun Qiu (Spring and Autumn) is a historical record of the
principality of Lu, Confucius' native state, from 722 to 479 B.C.
It is a log of concise entries probably compiled by Confucius
himself. The Lunyu (Analects) is a book of pithy sayings
attributed to Confucius and recorded by his disciples.
Data as of July 1987
|
