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45-579: The Great Learning or Daxue was one of the " Four Books " in Confucianism attributed to one of Confucius' disciples, Zengzi . The Great Learning had come from a chapter in the Book of Rites which formed one of the Five Classics . It consists of a short main text of the teachings of Confucius transcribed by Zengzi and then ten commentary chapters supposedly written by Zengzi. The ideals of

90-501: A key aspect of the Chinese curriculum and can be found in virtually all aspects of Chinese culture. The Great Learning within the Chinese curriculum acted as a "springboard" for further learning, "self cultivation and investigation of things." Through self-cultivation one can bring order and harmony to one's mind, personal life, family, state and the world as a whole. By defining the path of learning (Dao) in governmental and social terms,

135-480: A leadership role. In addition to self-cultivation and the expansion of one's knowledge, the Great Learning goes into significant step-by-step detail with respect to the qualities of a proper ruler. The text then goes on to describe the projected quality and stability of the state if its ruler follows the guidelines described therein. One such passage states that a person should "cultivate himself, then regulate

180-470: A number of scholars believe that all education in mainland China is based on Confucianism to some degree although many individuals, students and teachers alike, are unaware of the Confucian influence on their education. The Great Learning was written and later published as its own book, to serve as an introduction and foundational guide for the further study of Confucian texts. The Great Learning provides

225-570: A position in office with which to lead the people of the state in accordance with the values and practices outlined in the Great Learning and other such Confucian and Neo-Confucian texts. A term used in the text, "qin-min" (親民) which James Legge , following Zhu Xi, amended to "xin-min" (新民) and translated "renovating the people" instead of "loving the people", became the name of the People First Party (Republic of China) , one of

270-417: A retransmitter of Zhou values. His philosophy concerns the fields of ethics and politics, emphasizing personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, traditionalism, and sincerity. The Analects stress the importance of ritual, but also the importance of ren , which loosely translates as "human-heartedness", Confucianism, along with Legalism , is responsible for creating one of

315-587: A scholar, poet, and official, used and brought attention to the Great Learning . After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, The Great Learning became a required textbook in schools and a required reading for imperial examinations. During the Warring States Xunzi and Mengzi were influenced by the Great Learning . The Great Learning also greatly influenced countries like Japan and Korea. Such critics such as Lu Xiangshan and Wang Yangming later disliked

360-467: A step-by-step illustration of how all aspects of society, ranging from the refinement of the self to the order within one's household or state is ultimately dependent upon the expansion of one's knowledge. The Great Learning played a major role in Chinese politics as it comprised one of the texts incorporated into the Imperial service examination system. Students would be tested on their knowledge of

405-496: A tranquil repose. In that repose there may be careful deliberation, and that deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end. Things have their root and their branches. Affairs have their end and their beginning. To know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning. The text sets up a number of controversies that have underlain Chinese philosophy and political thinking. For example, one major controversy has been to define exactly

450-739: Is also said to have used try squares and wrote the Zhoubi Suanjing with his astrologer. Several early beliefs might be found in the Guicang and perhaps the earliest Chinese book, the small calendar of the Xia in Da Dai Liji, though debated to exist the Xia dynasty is said to be its origin. Confucianism developed during the Spring and Autumn period from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE), who considered himself

495-465: The Spring and Autumn Annals , two of the Five Classics . Confucius' student Zengzi wrote the introduction and exposition of the Great Learning . Zengzi lived from 505 to 436 BCE. Confucius taught 100 pupils, 72 of whom mastered his teachings . It is still unclear how much his students wrote and edited. The Great Learning developed from many authors adapting to the needs and beliefs of the community at

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540-549: The Classic of Whoring ( Piaojing 嫖經) and Zhang Yingyu's A New Book for Foiling Swindles ( Dupian Xinshu 杜騙新書, ca. 1617), which is known colloquially as The Book of Swindles or The Classic of Swindles . Traditionally, it was thought that Confucius himself had compiled or edited the texts of the Five Classics. The scholar Yao Xinzhong allows that there are good reasons to believe that Confucian classics took shape in

585-848: The Great Learning and included it in the Four Books, along with the Doctrine of the Mean , the Analects of Confucius and the Mencius . Zhu Xi separated the Great Learning , which was originally a chapter in the Classic of Rites . Zhu Xi organized the book as Jing followed by ten expositions. Zhu Xi was a student of Li Tong. Zhu Xi developed the Chengs' Confucian ideas and drew from Chan Buddhism and Daoism . He adapted some ideas from these competing religions into his form of Confucianism. Li Ao ,

630-562: The Great Learning bases its authority on the practices of ancient kings. Four Books The Four Books ( 四書 ; Sìshū ) are Chinese classic texts illustrating the core value and belief systems in Confucianism . They were selected by intellectual Zhu Xi in the Song dynasty to serve as general introduction to Confucian thought, and they were, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, made

675-455: The Great Learning because of the stress on scholarship rather than action. Wang Yangming rejected Zhu Xi's changes and returned the text to the original, from the Classic of Rites . During the Han dynasty the Great Learning rose to prominence, and the Classic of Rites had to be re-organized by Dai De and Dai Sheng . They divided the book into five sections. This included the Great Learning ,

720-474: The Great Learning in the Han dynasty, giving his views of the general meaning. 大學之道，在明明德，在親民，在止於至善。知止而后有定，定而后能靜，靜而后能安，安而后能慮，慮而后能得。物有本末，事有終始，知所先後，則近道矣。 What the Great Learning teaches, is to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence. The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then determined; and, that being determined, a calm unperturbedness may be attained to. To that calmness there will succeed

765-580: The Great Learning links the spiritual realm with daily life, thus creating a vision of the Way (Dao) that is radically different from that of non-action as presented by Daoism. The Great Learning , on the other hand, requires action on the part of the individual towards the ultimate goal of self-cultivation through the "expansion of knowledge and the investigation of things." The Great Learning presents Confucianism as being this-worldly rather than other-worldly. As opposed to basing its authority on an external deity,

810-607: The Han dynasty due to the efforts of Confucians in establishing their views as political orthodoxy. The Six Dynasties era saw the rise of the Xuanxue philosophical school and the maturation of Chinese Buddhism , which had entered China from India during the Late Han dynasties. By the time of the Tang dynasty five-hundred years after Buddhism's arrival into China, it had transformed into

855-646: The Spring and Autumn period and Warring States period , during a period known as the " Hundred Schools of Thought ", which was characterized by significant intellectual and cultural developments. Although much of Chinese philosophy begun in the Warring States period (475–221 BCE), elements of Chinese philosophy have existed for several thousand years. Some can be found in the I Ching (the Book of Changes ), an ancient compendium of divination , which dates back to at least 672 BCE. The Han dynasty Records of

900-463: The thought of ancient Chinese masters should be called philosophy has been discussed since the introduction of this academic discipline into China. See Legitimacy of Chinese philosophy for details. Early Shang dynasty thought was based on cycles like the 10 stems and 12 earthly branches . This notion stems from what the people of the Shang dynasty could observe around them: day and night cycles,

945-591: The Doctrine of the Mean, the Evolution of Rites, the Yili , and the "Etiquette and Rites". Han Yu and Li Ao both used The Great Learning . Li Ao incorporated a lot of Buddhist and Taoist ideas into his work. Zi Si  – Confucius's grandson – is said to have taught Mencius and written the Doctrine of the Mean. He may also have written the beginning of the Great Learning . Ma Rong edited

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990-501: The Five Classics and Four Books as a qualification for an occupation in political office. If a student possessed adequate knowledge of the texts, they would be awarded a prestigious place in government. These exams allow anyone of sufficient knowledge and skill to obtain a place in office, as exams were based solely on one's ability. One's social or financial status did not play a role in the exam system. The text of The Great Learning provides an educational basis for those aspiring to obtain

1035-1207: The Four Books and wrote commentaries whose new interpretations became accepted as being those of Confucius himself. Under the reign of Emperor Wu of Han , the Five Classics and Four Books became the basis of the Imperial examination system. Chinese philosophy Confucianism Persons Topics Neo Confucianism New Confucianism Daoism Persons Topics Legalism Mohism Military and Strategy Han Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism Maoism General topics Vedic philosophy Mimamsa Vedanta Samkhya Yoga Nyaya Navya-Nyāya Vaisheshika Nāstika (heterodox) Tamil Other General topics Jainism Buddhism Traditions Topics Japanese Buddhism Japanese Confucianism Kokugaku Modern Thought Statism Kyoto School Korean Buddhism Korean Confucianism Persons Topics Donghak Modern Thought Persons Topics Chinese philosophy originates in

1080-537: The Grand Historian by Sima Tan looked back on the Warring States era and grouped the thinkers into the major philosophical schools, Confucianism , Legalism , and Taoism , along with philosophies that later fell into obscurity, like Agriculturalism , Mohism , Chinese Naturalism , and the Logicians . Even in modern society, Confucianism is still the creed of social behaviour. The debate over whether

1125-571: The Han dynasty which supposedly survived the Qin dynasty burning of the books but many of them held that these works had not been edited by Confucius but survived directly from the Zhou dynasty . For quite different reasons, mainly having to do with modern textual scholarship , a greater number of twentieth century scholars both in China and in other countries hold that Confucius had nothing to do with editing

1170-511: The Shang were overthrown by the Zhou a new political, religious and philosophical concept was introduced called the Mandate of Heaven . This mandate was said to be taken when rulers became unworthy of their position and provided a justification for Zhou rule it is said that the Duke of Zhou made the early solar terms by measuring with a gnomon that was added to make the complete solar terms . He

1215-472: The book were attributed to Confucius, but the text was written by Zengzi after his death. The "Four Books" were selected by the neo-Confucian Zhu Xi during the Song dynasty as a foundational introduction to Confucianism. Examinations for the state civil service in China came to follow his lead. Confucius , who incorporated ideas from earlier philosophers, compiled or edited the Classic of Rites and

1260-519: The classics, much less writing them. Yao Xinzhong reports that still other scholars hold the "pragmatic" view that the history of the Classics is a long one and that Confucius and his followers, although they did not intend to create a system of classics, "contributed to their formation." In any case, it is undisputed that for most of the last 2,000 years, Confucius was believed to have either written or edited these classics. The most important events in

1305-454: The common individual to be used as an educational foundation for Confucian thought. Utilizing the much shorter and more comprehensible Four Books would allow Zhu to reach a much greater audience. To aid in comprehension of the Great Learning , he spent much of his life studying the book and published a series of commentaries explaining the principal teachings of the text. The Daxue itself gets its name from 大人之學 ; dàrén zhī xué , referring to

1350-555: The core of the official curriculum for the civil service examinations . More information of them are as follows: The Five Classics ( 五經 ; Wǔjīng ) are five pre- Qin Chinese books that form part of the traditional Confucian canon. Several of the texts were already prominent by the Warring States period . Mencius , the leading Confucian scholar of the time, regarded the Spring and Autumn Annals as being equally important as

1395-594: The dominant philosophical school of China during the early Han dynasty following the replacement of its contemporary, the more Taoist Huang-Lao . Legalism as a coherent philosophy disappeared largely due to its relationship with the unpopular authoritarian rule of Qin Shi Huang , however, many of its ideas and institutions would continue to influence Chinese philosophy throughout the Han dynasty and after. Mohism, though initially popular due to its emphasis on brotherly love versus harsh Legalism, fell out of favour during

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1440-571: The education of adults. Unlike many scholars before him, Zhu Xi presents the Great Learning as the way of self cultivation and governance that is to be studied by all people, not only those in, or seeking, political office. Although the Imperial Examination System is no longer used as a means of determining one's place in the social hierarchy, education and the teachings of the Great Learning remain an integral part of modern educational and political culture in China. In fact,

1485-428: The family, then govern the state, and finally lead the world into peace" There are two common interpretations of this passage. One common interpretation of this passage is that before one can hope to successfully lead the people, he/she must first cultivate himself (herself) by bringing order to. One may also interpret this passage to be stating that once one has reached a sufficient level of cultivation, he/she should seek

1530-519: The hands of Confucius, but that "nothing can be taken for granted in the matter of the early versions of the classics." From the time of the Western Han dynasty, Yao continues, most Confucian scholars believed that Confucius re-collected and edited the prior works, thereby "fixing" the versions of the ancient writings which became the Classics. Confucian tradition believes that the Shijing collection

1575-416: The investigation of things. What things are to be investigated and how has been one of the crucial issues of Chinese philosophy . One of the first steps to understanding The Great Learning is to understand how to "investigate things". This did not consist of scientific inquiry and experimentation, but introspection, building on what is already "known" of "principle". True introspection was supposed to allow

1620-482: The mind to become all knowing with regards to morality, relationships, civic duty and nature. The Great Learning as we know it today is the result of multiple revisions and commentaries by a number of Confucian and Neo-Confucian scholars. The Great Learning , along with the Doctrine of the Mean had their beginnings as chapters within the Book of Rites . Both were removed from the Book of Rites and designated as separate, and equally significant, works by Zhu Xi. In

1665-648: The minor parties in Taiwan . There are several works that were written to give commentaries on Great Learning, such as Zhen Dexiu 's Expanded Meaning of the Great Learning ( Daxue Yanyi ) and Qiu Jun 's Complement to the Expanded Meaning of the Great Learning ( Daxue Yanyibu ). The Great Learning is significant because it expresses many themes of Chinese philosophy and political thinking, and has therefore been extremely influential both in classical and modern Chinese thought. The Great Learning represented

1710-428: The seasons progressed again and again, and even the moon waxed and waned until it waxed again. Thus, this notion, which remained relevant throughout Chinese history , reflects the order of nature. In juxtaposition, it also marks a fundamental distinction from western philosophy , in which the dominant view of time is a linear progression. During the Shang, Ancestor worship was present and universally recognized. When

1755-479: The semi-legendary chronicles of earlier periods. During the Western Han dynasty , which adopted Confucianism as its official ideology, these texts became part of the state-sponsored curriculum. It was during this period that the texts first began to be considered together as a set collection, and to be called collectively the "Five Classics". The Classic of Music is sometimes considered the sixth classic but

1800-400: The textual career of these classics were the adoption of Confucianism as state orthodoxy in the Han dynasty , which led to their preservation, and the "renaissance" of Confucianism in the Song dynasty , which led to their being made the basis of Confucian orthodoxy in the imperial examination system in the following dynasties. The Neo-Confucian sage Zhu Xi (1130–1200) fixed the texts of

1845-498: The time. The Cheng brothers , Yi (1033–1107) and Hao (1032–1085) both utilized the Great Learning's philosophies. Their ideas met with strong official opposition, but were reconstituted by Zhu Xi . Cheng's idea of yi was that it was identical with nature, which he believed was essentially good. Cheng's yi emphasized the necessity of acquiring knowledge. During the Southern Song Dynasty , Zhu Xi rearranged

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1890-611: The winter of 1190 CE Zhu Xi published the Four Masters, a collection of the Great Learning , Doctrine of the Mean , the Mencius and the Analects . These four texts soon became the initial basis of study in the Chinese imperial examination system . Zhu Xi was prompted to refine the Great Learning and incorporate it into the curriculum as he felt that the previously utilized Classics were lengthy and too difficult to comprehend by

1935-429: The world's first meritocracies , which holds that one's status should be determined by education and character rather than ancestry , wealth , or friendship . Confucianism was and continues to be a major influence in Chinese culture, the state of China and the surrounding areas of East Asia . Before the Han dynasty the largest rivals to Confucianism were Chinese Legalism , and Mohism . Confucianism largely became

1980-507: Was edited by Confucius from a collection of 3,000 pieces to its traditional form of 305 pieces. In the twentieth century, many Chinese scholars still held to this tradition. The New Confucian scholar, Xiong Shili (1885–1968), for instance, held that the Six Classics were the final versions "fixed up" by Confucius in his old age. Other scholars had and have different views. The Old Text School , for instance, relied on versions found in

2025-507: Was lost. Up to the Western Han, authors would typically list the Classics in the order Poems-Documents-Rituals-Changes-Spring and Autumn. However, from the Eastern Han the default order instead became Changes-Documents-Poems-Rituals-Spring and Autumn. Authors and editors of later eras have also appropriated the terms "Book" and "Classic" and applied them ironically to compendia focused on patently low-brow subject matter. Examples include

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