Civilizational Canons · LC8

Education

Breaking aristocratic monopolies, selecting talent through merit and letters: a classical civil service selection network that sustained societal mobility for a millennium.

63works

10dynasties

43authors

Education gathers classical writing on learning, teaching, academies, and the selection of talent. From Confucius in dialogue with his students and Xunzi's Encouragement to Learning to Han Yu's On Teachers and Explanation on the Advancement of Learning, these works trace traditions of study, instruction, and merit through letters.

Zhou

10 works

1046–221 BCE

  1. Hair Tied to the Beam, Awl to the ThighLiu Xiang (comp.) · IdiomsScholars tied their hair to a beam or jabbed their thighs to stay awake; studying with extreme diligence.
  2. Reviewing the Old to Learn the NewConfucius · IdiomsRevisiting what one has learned yields fresh understanding; also, learning from the past to grasp the present.
  3. Learning Enough to Fill Five CartsZhuangzi (traditionally attributed) · IdiomsHaving read enough books to fill five carts; exceptionally erudite and widely read.
  4. Not Ashamed to Ask Those BelowConfucius · IdiomsUnashamed to learn from those of lower status or learning; humble eagerness to learn.
  5. Never Weary of LearningAnonymous (Confucius's disciples and their students) · IdiomsNever tiring of learning; always eager to learn more.
  6. Wholehearted ConcentrationMencius · IdiomsDevoting one's whole mind and attention to a task.
  7. One Day's Sun, Ten Days' ColdMencius · IdiomsOne day of sun followed by ten of cold; working in fits and starts without perseverance.
  8. The AnalectsAnonymous (Confucius's disciples and their students) · Pre-Qin MastersTo learn and practice it in due season—is that not a joy? To have friends come from afar—is that not a delight?
  9. XunziXunzi (Xun Kuang) · Pre-Qin MastersBlue dye comes from the indigo plant, yet it is bluer than the plant.
  10. The Great LearningZengzi (traditionally attributed) · Pre-Qin MastersThe way of great learning lies in illuminating bright virtue, in renewing the people, and in resting in the highest good.

Jin

7 works

265–420

  1. Drawing a Cake to Satisfy HungerChen Shou · Satirical ParablesEmpty reputation solves nothing; judge people by their real ability.
  2. Boring Through the Wall to Borrow LightGe Hong (traditionally attributed) · IdiomsToo poor for candles, Kuang Heng bored a hole to read by his neighbor's lamp; studying hard despite poverty.
  3. Not Seeking Thorough UnderstandingTao Yuanming · IdiomsOriginally reading for the gist without pedantry; now, studying superficially without seeking deep understanding.
  4. Never Letting the Book Leave One's HandChen Shou · IdiomsAlways with a book in hand; diligent and devoted to study.
  5. Seeing Someone in a New LightChen Shou · IdiomsViewing someone with fresh eyes after they have markedly improved.
  6. Records of the Three KingdomsChen Shou · Historical NarrativeHe may truly be called an extraordinary man, a hero surpassing his age.
  7. Miscellaneous Records of the Western CapitalGe Hong (traditionally attributed) · Tales of the StrangeKuang Heng bored through the wall to borrow its light and read his books by the glow.

Tang

9 works

618–907

  1. On TeachersHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsA teacher is one who transmits the Dao, imparts knowledge, and resolves perplexities. Pupils need not be inferior to teachers, and teachers need not be superior to pupils; some hear the Dao earlier than others, and specialties differ in craft—that is all.
  2. Explanation on the Advancement of LearningHan Yu · Essays & MemorialsLearning is perfected by diligence and ruined by frivolity; conduct is formed by reflection and destroyed by heedless conformity.
  3. Miscellaneous Discourses IV: On HorsesHan Yu · NotebooksOnly when the world has a Bo Le are there Thousand-League Steeds. Thousand-League Steeds are common, but a Bo Le is rare.
  4. Letter in Reply to Li YiHan Yu · Poetry TalksI strove only to get rid of stale words, and how grinding and hard it was!
  5. Letter to Governor Han of JingzhouLi Bai · Letters & PrefacesIn life I need not be made a marquis of ten thousand households; I wish only to make the acquaintance of Han of Jingzhou.
  6. Letter to Wei Zhongli on the Way of the TeacherLiu Zongyuan · Letters & PrefacesQu Yuan's rhapsody says, 'The dogs of the town bark in packs; they bark at what they find strange.'
  7. After Passing the Imperial ExaminationMeng Jiao · Regulated QuatrainsProud in the spring breeze, my horse's hooves fly fast; in a single day I see all the flowers of Chang'an.
  8. Proud in the Spring BreezeMeng Jiao · IdiomsMeng Jiao's joy after passing the imperial exam; elated pride at success in career or life.
  9. Steeped by What One Sees and HearsHan Yu · IdiomsUnconsciously influenced by what one constantly hears and sees.

Song

14 works

960–1279

  1. Letter to Grand Commandant Han of the Bureau of Military AffairsSu Zhe · Letters & PrefacesI hold that writing is the form taken by one's qi; writing cannot be acquired by study, but qi can be attained by nourishing it.
  2. Record of the Ink PoolZeng Gong · Travel WritingXizhi's calligraphy became excellent only late in life; so his skill must have been attained by his own effort and was not a gift of Heaven.
  3. Falling Behind Sun ShanFan Gongcheng · Satirical ParablesDelivering bad news with tact lets the listener keep their dignity.
  4. Grinding an Iron Pestle into a NeedleZhu Mu · IdiomsAn old woman grinds an iron rod into a needle, inspiring young Li Bai; persistence achieves the impossible.
  5. Swallowing Dates WholeBai Ting · IdiomsAccepting or learning something wholesale without understanding it.
  6. Never Tired of RereadingSu Shi · IdiomsNever tiresome even after a hundred readings; praises writing of lasting appeal.
  7. Head and Shoulders Above OthersOuyang Xiu · IdiomsRising above others in talent or status; standing out from the crowd.
  8. Great Talent Put to Petty UseLu You · IdiomsUsing great timber for small purposes; wasting a talented person on minor work.
  9. Name Falls Below Sun ShanFan Gongcheng · IdiomsOne's name falls below Sun Shan, last on the list; a tactful way to say one failed an exam.
  10. Thoughts on Reading, No. 1Zhu Xi · Regulated QuatrainsI ask it how it can be so clear; it is because living water flows in from the source.
  11. Lament for ZhongyongWang Anshi · Essays & MemorialsHe has become entirely ordinary.
  12. Three Character ClassicWang Yinglin (traditionally attributed) · Rhymes & JinglesAt the start of life, human nature is good; by nature people are close, by practice they drift apart.
  13. Collected Commentaries on the Four BooksZhu Xi · Pre-Qin MastersHeaven's course turns in a cycle, and nothing goes that does not return.
  14. Exhortation to StudyZhao Heng (traditionally attributed) · Old-Style Songsto live in peace you need not build a lofty hall: in books there is a house of gold;

Ming

5 works

1368–1644

  1. Preface Presenting to Student Ma of DongyangSong Lian · Letters & PrefacesIn the bitter cold, when the inkstone froze hard and my fingers could not bend or straighten, I did not slacken.
  2. Making a Big Essay of a Small TopicAnonymous · Satirical ParablesTreating trivial matters as grave ones only adds needless burden.
  3. Expanded Words of WisdomAnonymous · Common SayingsA long road shows a horse's strength; long days reveal a person's heart.
  4. Yongle EncyclopediaJie Jin (comp.) · NotebooksRhymes order the characters, and characters link the matters.
  5. Instructions for the Students at LongchangWang Shouren · Letters & PrefacesIf the will is not set, nothing in the world can be accomplished.

Qing

9 works

1636–1912

  1. Anecdotes of Duke Zuo ZhongyiFang Bao · Historical NarrativeThe affairs of the state have rotted to this point. I, an old man, am finished; if you too make light of your life and lose sight of the great cause, who will be left to hold up the affairs of the realm?
  2. On Borrowing Books for Student HuangYuan Mei · Essays & MemorialsBooks are not read unless they are borrowed.
  3. Record of the Sick Plum PavilionGong Zizhen · Essays & Memorialsa plum is beautiful when curved, for a straight one has no grace; beautiful when leaning, for an upright one has no charm
  4. Letter to Younger Brothers on Reading and AspirationZeng Guofan · Letters & PrefacesWhen scholars study, first they must have Aspiration (Zhi); second, Discernment (Shi); third, Perseverance (Heng). With aspiration, one refuses base mediocrity; with discernment, one recognizes learning is boundless and never grows complacent; with perseverance, there is nothing that cannot be achieved. None of these three can be lacking.
  5. Miscellaneous Poems of the Year Jihai (No. 125)Gong Zizhen · Regulated QuatrainsI urge the Lord of Heaven to rouse himself once more and send down talent without sticking to one mold.
  6. Not Bound by a Single PatternGong Zizhen · IdiomsNot confined to one standard or form; flexible and open, especially in choosing talent or creative methods.
  7. Strange Tales from a Chinese StudioPu Songling · Qing Tales of WonderGathering scraps of fur into a robe, I presume to continue the records of the netherworld; drinking deep as I write, I have made only a book of solitary indignation.
  8. Poetic Remarks in the Human WorldWang Guowei · Poetry TalksIn ci poetry, jingjie is supreme: with it, a lyric attains a loftiness of its own and yields famous lines of its own.
  9. Primer of Sound and RhythmChe Wanyu (comp.) · CoupletsCloud pairs with rain, snow pairs with wind, evening glow pairs with clear sky. Arriving swan pairs with departing swallow, roosting bird pairs with singing insect.