What does the Analects record? What is the first sentence of the Analects?

Since the Song Dynasty, The Analects has been listed as one of the "Four Books" and has become an official textbook in ancient schools and a must-read for the imperial examinations. So, what does The Analects record? What is the first sentence of The Analects? Let's take a look at the introduction of Encyclopedia Knowledge Network to answer these questions!

Contents of this article

1. What does the Analects record?

2. What is the first sentence of the Analects?

3. The Analects of Confucius on Reading

What does the Analects record?

The Analects is a book that records the thoughts, speeches and activities of Confucius, his disciples and related people. Most of the content is direct quotations from the conversations and speeches of the parties involved. It is called a collection of aphoristic ideological essays.

The influence of The Analects on later generations

Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "rejected all schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone", "The Analects" has been revered as "the purview of the Five Classics and the throat of the Six Arts", and is the first-hand material for studying Confucius and Confucianism, especially original Confucianism. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi combined "The Great Learning", "The Doctrine of the Mean", "The Analects" and "Mencius" into "Four Books", which made its status in Confucian classics increasingly higher. During the Yannian period of the Yuan Dynasty, the imperial examination began to use the "Four Books" to select scholars. From then on until the end of the Qing Dynasty when the Westernization Movement was implemented and the imperial examination was abolished, "The Analects" has always been the golden rule for students and scholars to implement and follow.

The Analects was included in the list of classics in the Tang Dynasty. "By the Tang Dynasty, there were the Zhouli, Yili and Liji, and the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Zuo Zhuan, Gongyang Zhuan and Guliang Zhuan, plus the Analects, Erya and Xiaojing, making it the Thirteen Classics."

What is the first sentence of the Analects?

The first sentence of the opening is:

Confucius said: "To learn and to practise what one has learned, is it not a pleasure? To have friends come from afar, is it not a pleasure? To not be angry when people do not know one, is it not a sign of a gentleman?"

Interpretation: Confucius said: "Isn't it also a pleasure to review the knowledge or skills you have learned? Isn't it also a pleasure to have like-minded friends coming from afar? If people don't understand me, I don't get angry. Isn't that also a person of moral cultivation?"

The Analects was compiled by Confucius' disciples and their disciples, and was completed in the early Warring States period. It mainly records the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples, and reflects Confucius' thoughts in a relatively concentrated manner. It is one of the classic works of the Confucian school. It is mainly in the form of quotations, supplemented by narrative, and concentrates on Confucius' political propositions, ethical thoughts, moral concepts and educational principles.

The Analects of Confucius on Reading

The Analects on Reading:

1. Confucius said: "To learn and practice what one has learned, is it not a pleasure? To have friends come from afar, is it not a pleasure? To be not angry when people do not know you, is it not a gentleman's behavior?"

2. Confucius said: "I am not worried about people not knowing me, but I am worried about not knowing people."

3. Confucius said: "At fifteen I set my mind on learning, at thirty I stood firm, at forty I had no doubts, at fifty I knew the will of Heaven, at sixty I was able to listen to others, at seventy I followed my heart's desire without transgressing the rules."

4. Confucius said: "If you study without thinking, you will be confused; if you think without studying, you will be in danger."

5. Confucius said: "If a man does not have faith, I do not know what he can do."

6. Confucius said: "When you see a virtuous person, you should think about how to be like him; when you see an unvirtuous person, you should reflect on yourself."

7. Confucius said: "At first, when I met people, I listened to what they said and believed what they did; now, when I meet people, I listen to what they say and observe what they do."

8. Confucius said: "When substance prevails over refinement, the person is barbaric; when refinement prevails over substance, the person becomes pedantic. Only when substance and refinement are in harmony, can one be called a gentleman."