LÜ Benzhong's a Book for Teaching Children Established the System Of

ISSN 1923-1555[Print] Studies in Literature and Language ISSN 1923-1563[Online] Vol. 8, No. 1, 2014, pp. 100-105 www.cscanada.net DOI:10.3968/j.sll.1923156320140801.4008 www.cscanada.org LÜ Benzhong’s A Book for Teaching Children Established the System of the Four Books WANG Haibo[a],* [a]Ph.D. candidate. Wenxue College, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Books from the two dimensions of the neo-Confucianism China. development and constituting the Four Books, such as Research areas: Chinese ancient literature; Chinese teaching. *Corresponding author. Shu Jingnan (2007) divided the development of the Four Books research in the Song Dynasty into five stages: the Received 22 November 2013; accepted 2 February 2014 beginning of the Four Books research, the transformation of the studying Confucian classics in the early Song Abstract Dynasty and the rise of the classic annotating about In LÜ Benzhong’s A Book for Teaching Children, he the Four Books, the Four Books research becoming had already regarded the “Four Books” which include the official research, preliminary formation of the Four The Analects of Confucius, The Great Learning, The Books research of the neo-Confucianism, accomplishing Doctrine of the Mean and The Mencius as a complete great achievements in the Four Books research. In the system and the teaching material for children. This Shu Jingnan’s paper, he puts Wang Anshi, Zhang Zai, was before Zhu Xi’s Collected Comments on the Four Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi et al into the movement of the Four Confucian Books. Obviously, Zhu Xi was familiar with Books research, respectively gives names such as “Wang LÜ Benzhong’s book, A Book for Teaching Children, Anshi’s Four Books research”, “ two Cheng’s Four Books and his edit of the Four Books was influenced by A research”, “Zhu Xi’s Four Books research” and so on, and Book for Teaching Children. Although Cheng Yi et al builds a “Four Books research system”. It is important had vigorously promoted the Great Learning and The to note that he regards “Zhu Xi’s Four Books research” Doctrine of the Mean, it was LÜ Benzhong’s A Book for as the final stage of the Four Books research. This is not Teaching Children that first regarded the Four Books as an correct. After the Zhu Xi’s book, the Four Books category independent and comprehensive system and applied them of classics section of The General Catalogue of Four to teaching practice. Therefore, LÜ Benzhong basically Class Books at least collects 10 different editions of the finalized the system of the Four Books. Four Books. So the edition of Four Books edited by Zhu Key words: LÜ Benzhong; A Book for Teaching Xi is not in the final stage of the Four Books research. Children; Finalize; System of the Four Books Obviously, Shu Jingnan’s object of study is not “the Four Books research”, but is the formation process of the Four WANG Haibo (2014). LÜ Benzhong’s A Book for Teaching Children Books system and also only so, he is likely to regard Zhu Established the System of the Four Books. Studies in Literature Xi as the finisher of the Four Books system in the Song and Language, 8(1), 100-105. Available from: http://www.cscanada. net/index.php/sll/article/view/j.sll.1923156320140801.4008 Dynasty. Shu believes that Wang Anshi put “ Etiquette and DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/j.sll.1923156320140801.4008 Ceremonial” into desuetude, and listed The Book of Rites which includes The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean as classics and the imperial examination subject meant that Wang Anshi promoted the Four Books research INTRODUCTION to the official research” (Shu & Wang, 2007). Shu also With further research, especially through the studying argues that “another famous neo-Confucianist Zhang Zai about “the Four Books research”, some researchers put more systematically studied the Four Books” (Shu & forward some new views on the formation of the Four Wang, 2007), and cites a Zhang Zai saying to highlight Copyright © Canadian Academy of Oriental and Occidental Culture 100 WANG Haibo (2014). Studies in Literature and Language, 8(1), 100-105 equal positions of The Analects of Confucius, The Great The History of the Ming Dynasty: Art and Literature Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean and The Mencius: and The General Catalogue of Four Class Books set a Scholars believe and have faith in books. They should believe category of the Four Books up in the classics, the Four and have faith in The Analects of Confucius, The Mencius…… Books can be a independent system, but because the Four such as The Great Learning, and The Doctrine of the Mean Books have the reality of becoming a category so They set which were written by a sage and no doubt (Shu & Wang, 2007). a category of the Four Books up. However, the full text of the citation is: “Scholars The Analects of Confucius, The Great Learning, The believe and have faith in books. They should believe and Doctrine of the Mean and The Mencius were compiled have faith in The Analects of Confucius, The Mencius, into a set, was the premise of the Four Books becoming Classic of Poetry, and The Books. These books written independent. Of course, The General Catalogue of Four by some scholars show various right principles, although Class Books also includes many single editions in the miscellaneous, no harmless, such as The Great Learning, category of the Four Books and there are 10 books which are listed before Zhu Xi’s Collected Comments on the The Doctrine of the Mean which were written by a sage Four Confucian Books in the category of the Four Books, and no doubt” (Zhang, 1978, p.277). The citation is not on the one hand, it was because “ in accordance with rules long, but he adds ellipsis. What is the purpose? In fact, created earlier and the old rules being legal” (“A brief this text uses analogy method, intends to persuade people introduction of the Four Books category”); on the other believe in The Analects of Confucius, The Mencius, hand, because “ after Zhao Qi, He Yan, ancient books of Classic of Poetry, The Books, The Great Learning, The preservation are not much; after the Annotation of The Doctrine of the Mean. These materials can only prove the Analects of Confucius written in the times of the Emperor Neo-Confucianism development promoting the formation Wu of the Liang country, ancient books lost the most”, of the Four Books, does not prove that the completion of so “no longer checking authors’ names”. Some books are independent Four Books system. listed after the Zhu Xi’s book in The General Catalogue The judgment of the Neo-Confucianism development of Four Class Books, such as “some books which had promoting the formation of the Four Books system or been influenced by the Zhu Xi’s book explained the Four the Four Books system indicating the development of the Books since the Yuan Dynasty or the Ming Dynasty.” Neo-Confucianism is indisputable, but the Shu’s paper Some books which appeared in the Zhu Xi’s time or a is fuzzy at explaining the formation of the Four Books little bit later listed after the Zhu Xi’s book in The General system. From the above material, can’t find Wang Anshi, Catalogue of Four Class Books were due to the influence Zhang Zai regarded The Analects of Confucius, The Great by the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. These books have Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean and The Mencius been listed in the category of the Four Books only because as a complete and independent system. In terms of the “the Zhu Xi’s book has appeared for five hundred years” formation of the Four Books system, we find that LÜ (“A brief introduction of the Four Books category”). Benzhong’s A Book for Teaching Children regarded the Therefore, the Four Books become an independent Four Books as a complete system and used them as the category of classics, mainly because Zhu Xi established teaching material for children before Zhu Xi’s Collected a complete system which included The Analects of Comments on the Four Confucian Books. So we can Confucius, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean say that it was LÜ Benzhong who completed the basic and The Mencius as components and the system carried formation of the Four Books system. the thoughts of the Neo-Confucianism. As the carriers, The Analects of Confucius, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean and The Mencius must constitute a 1. FORMATION OF THE FOUR BOOKS complete and independent system of classics. If it cannot become a system, also can not be independent; For that matter, Ian Mu thinks “the Four Books were similarly, if it can not become independent, also can compiled by Cheng and Zhu” (Qian, 2002, 180). Surely, not become a system. In the imperial examinations of Zhu Xi’s Collected Comments on the Four Confucian the Yuan Dynasty, the Four Books were once used as Books can prove it; however, we have not seen a set of the independent classics. The History of the Ming Dynasty: Four Books compiled by the Cheng brothers. It is ok to Art and Literature sets a category of the Four Books up. explain the Cheng brothers’ “compile” as the “establish” The General Catalogue of Four Class Books follows the of the Neo-Confucianism. If we explain the Cheng old system, and also sets a category of the Four Books brothers’ “compile” as the “formation” of a complete and up in the classics.

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