Chapter 22 Section 1 The Formation and Historical Function of the "Four Books"

The "Five Classics" are highly specialized Confucian higher education textbooks.The scholars of ancient texts and classics in the Han Dynasty studied the "Five Classics" and paid attention to the explanation of names, objects and words, intending to explore the laws and regulations of the "Three Dynasties".In the Song Dynasty, scholars' interest turned to "yili", which is the fundamental truth in the scriptures.This school of scholars abstracts and philosophizes the feudal ethical principles advocated by Confucianism, and regards them as the eternal "principle of heaven" that exists innately, which is called "principle" for short.They think that the purpose of reading the scriptures is to understand the "reason", and reading the scriptures without understanding the "reason" is considered a waste of time.So Confucianism in the Song Dynasty was called "Confucianism".

Neo Confucianism was founded by Zhou Dunyi, a scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty.Famous representatives include Cheng Hao (haohao) and Cheng Yi brothers, known as "Er Cheng" in the world.And the master is Zhu Xi in the Southern Song Dynasty.Neo-Confucians believe that to explore the "reason" in the scriptures, one must first understand the "sage's original intention".Cheng Yi said: "Readers should observe the original intention of the sage to write the scriptures and the heart of the sage." Therefore, "Mencius" and "Great Learning" which is said to have been written by Confucius' disciples and "The Doctrine of the Mean" written by Confucius' grandson Zisi, It has become the most direct material for exploring the "sage's original intention".Zhu Xi once said: "If you want to get a sage right now, your original intention is not bad. You don't need to pay attention to the scriptures. You should focus on him in "Mencius" first." Li Xu." (See also "Zhu Zi Yu Lei") Regarding "The Doctrine of the Mean", Zhu Xi said: "This article is taught by Confucius" and "If a good reader gains something by playing with it, he will use it for a lifetime and there will be an inexhaustible one." (See "The Doctrine of the Mean Chapters and Sentences").Therefore, in the first year of Guangzong Shaoxi in the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1190), Zhu Xi compiled these four kinds of materials into a series of books called "Four Books Chapters and Sentences Collection".This is the origin of the "Four Books".

The compilation of the "Four Books" was not accidental.In the Han Dynasty, children had to read the literacy textbooks after they finished reading them.And according to Zhao Qi's "Mencius Inscription": "Emperor Xiaowen wanted to expand Wenlu, "Book of Filial Piety", "Mencius", and "Erya" all set up doctors, and later stopped biographers, independent of the 'Five Classics'." It can be seen that Although "Lun" and "Meng" were not included in the classics in the Han Dynasty, their status was already higher than other sub-books. "The Doctrine of the Mean" has also been valued since the Han Dynasty. "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" contains two "Doctrine of the Mean", which shows that it has been studied separately.In the Tang Dynasty, "Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" were highly praised by Han Yu, who was "the decline of the eight generations of literature", and put them side by side with "Lun" and "Meng".In the Northern Song Dynasty, Cheng Yi went a step further and used these four materials as basic teaching materials to educate his students.Therefore, the emergence of the "Four Books" has a long history.

The fundamental intention of Zhu Xi to edit the "Four Books", as he said in "The Preface to Chapters and Sentences of the University": The cycle of fortune is endless.Song Delong was prosperous, and his education was short-lived.So the two masters of the Cheng family in Henan came out, and some of them followed the biography of the Meng family.Then it is the second compendium, and it will be returned to the interest, and then the methods taught by the ancients and the essence of the Bible's sages will be restored to the world.Although Xi's insensitivity, fortunately, he is private and well-known.Gu Qi’s book is still quite lost, because he forgets its solidity and ugliness, collects and compiles it, and sometimes steals his own ideas to make up for its shortcomings, so as to be a gentleman in the future.I know very well that there is no way to escape the crime of overstepping, but in the meaning of the country turning the people into customs, and the way scholars cultivate themselves and govern others, there may not be no small supplements.

This commentary on "Daxue Zhangju" can actually be regarded as Zhu Xi's commentary on his entire work of compiling "Four Books Collected Notes".Generally speaking, he did this to contribute to "the idea of ​​nationalizing the people into customs, and the way scholars cultivate themselves and govern others" (in fact, it is to strengthen feudal ethics education and consolidate the feudal patriarchal system).Therefore, the "Four Books" occupied an important position in the basic education of Chinese young people during the 800 years from the publication of the Southern Song Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty.In the second year of Emperor Renzong of Yuan Dynasty (1313 A.D.), it was stipulated that the imperial examination should not only be based on the sentences of the "Four Books", but also the answer sheet should be based on Zhu Zhu's annotations.And Zhu Xi was honored as "Zhu Zi" and worshiped in the Confucian Temple.

The "Four Books" are cultural textbooks and political textbooks for basic education in the late feudal society of China.The reason why China's feudal society lasted so long is inseparable from the extensive implementation of the "Four Books" education centered on "loyalty to the emperor and filial piety" during the feudal dynasty.Because of its profound role in Chinese history, the "Four Books" have left us with many topics worthy of in-depth discussion, no matter in the history of education, culture, or political thought.