Four Books and Five Classics

The term Five Classics (五 经chinese /五 经, Pinyin Wǔjīng ) will consolidate five works of classical Chinese literature, the study of which was highly recommended by Confucius. They form the classical canon of Confucianism.

Especially the Book of Rites has a profound influence on the design of the Company of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

But the effect of the classics was not limited to Asia. For example, was the founder of analytical psychology Carl Gustav Jung a follower of the Book of Changes.

The list of the Five Classics was expanded during the Han Dynasty to the Thirteen Classics. From about the 12th century, the Five Classics were replaced as a classical Confucian canon by the Four Books.

The individual works

• 易经Yijing, the Book of Changes ( sixty-four hexagrams, Text Book of Great soothsayer )
• 诗经Shijing The Book of Songs ( a collection of old folk songs )
• 书 经Shujing, the Book of History (Collection of laws and decrees with commentary )
• 礼记Liji, the Book of Rites ( Rites for dealing with the ancestors, the king of the family)
• 春秋Chunqiu, the Spring and Autumn Annals ( a chronicle of events in Confucius ' home state of Lu from 8th to 5th century BC)

Confucius is traditionally regarded as the author of the Spring and Autumn Annals, all other works put for long periods grown Compilations dar. Here go both the Yijing and the Book of Songs in its oldest parts on the late Western Zhou period back (about 1000 - 771 BC), the Shujing to the early eastern Zhou period ( 771-256 BC), while the Liji probably only in the Han period (206 BC -220 AD) from ancient and contemporary materials was compiled.