Welcome to a starting place for the traditional Confucian curriculum: the Four Books (Sishu 四書). Of these, the first chapter of the Discourses (Lunyu 論語, popularly “Analects”) holds the fundamentals of the Confucian Way, as stated by Zhu Xi in his introduction below. Although there is more to read in the other books, without these fundamentals in place further reading will be of no benefit.

“This is the first volume of the Discourses, hence what is written is for the most part on the intention of devoting oneself to the fundamentals (ben 本, “root”). These serve as the gate through which one enters the Way (dao 道), the foundation for accumulating virtue (de 德), and the first concern of the student. Altogether there are sixteen verses.”

– Zhu Xi 朱熹

Book Introduction by the Cheng Brothers and He Yan 序說

Volume 1: Fundamentals of the Way: Introduction by Zhu Xi《道本》

1. Learn and Then 學而

2. As for Human Behavior 其為人也

3. Skillful Words 巧言

4. Three Introspections 三省

5. Way of the Great State 道千乘國

6. Young Sons 弟子

7. Valuing Worthiness 賢賢

8. Noble Man 君子

9. Mind the End 慎終

10. Our Teacher 夫子

11. When the Father is Alive 父在

12. The Usefulness of Ritual 禮之用

13. Trustworthiness is Close to Rightness 信近於義

14. Learning the Way 就有道

15. Endless Refinement 如切如磋

16. Knowing Others 知人

Additional Resources:

See the Q&A for basic background information useful in understanding this site, and Chinese philosophy in general: “What are the Four Books; What are the Collected Commentaries; Who is Zhu Xi; What is the Confucian Dao?” Most native English speakers will have learned none of this in their formal education. Therefore much information is condensed into this “get up to speed fast” page.

For a first reading of the Four Books there is no better starting point than Wing-tsit Chan’s partial translation in one hundred pages: Source Book pg. 14 – 114. There is also Legge’s full translation with notes in over a thousand pages: The Four Books. Unfortunately, neither of these include Zhu Xi’s Collected Commentaries, which are necessary to properly interpret and inspire practice.

In following the Four Books curriculum, you can use this as a handy page, Learning of the Way: An Explanation of Terms, for studying the fundamental concepts and their corresponding characters. The explanations of terms adhere to the orthodox interpretation established by the Cheng-Zhu School, which authored the curriculum itself. See also Flashcards for Confucian Concepts.

For learning Classical Chinese, which is not the same as modern Chinese, I recommend Stanford’s Classical Chinese Self-study Course. It is not difficult to learn some characters and basic grammar. As you delve deeper into classical, strongly consider using A Student’s Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese by Paul Kroll, available as an add-on in the Pleco app for iPhone.

For an overview of Chinese philosophy as a whole, in the words of the sages themselves, there is none better than Professor Wing-tsit Chan’s textbook A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy, which is freely available as a PDF. This collection of translations is both scholarly and readable, and covers the full lineage of Chinese thought (Kongzi to Mao) in chronological order.

For an essay on how the Lunyu was branded in English as “Analects” by translator James Legge over 150 years ago, and why it is more properly titled “Discourses,” see “The Analects of Confucius, a Rectification of Names.” Ironically, even Legge himself gave “Discourses and Dialogues” as the literal translation in his introduction to the book.

Instead of attempting to cover all of Chinese philosophy, why not focus on a single term that runs through its entirety? The Evolution of Li, a companion to Wing-tsit Chan’s essay by the same name, shows how “one thread runs through it all.” We can view the different minds of the great thinkers, and also their cultural commonality, by tracking their use of this key character, li 理.

There is a new page of Sino-Philosophy Diagrams which presents fundamental concepts in Chinese philosophy. Feel free to share them around the internet, try them out in your classes, and contact me with ideas for improvements and new builds. Chinese philosophy is knowable and taught in East Asian high schools along with Western philosophy—why can’t the Anglosphere also learn?

By the way, for daily Confucian quotes you can follow my “Solzi” page on Facebook. Also, online discussion in the Sino-corners of Twitter is actually quite good, with numerous scholars and enthusiasts taking part. Given the shifting geopolitical landscape, understanding real East Asian thought is increasingly important, yet still essentially nonexistent in the English-speaking world.