元宵節， 《禮記》

HW: Record the Text on P148 AND Dialogue on P 152 (Sorry for the wrong  page number posted previously. For this this, the recording HW is due on Thursday instead)  
今天是農曆正月十五元宵節，也叫燈節。 元宵節也是農曆春節的最後一天。 元宵節的三大傳統是賞燈， 吃湯圓和猜燈謎。

謎底：肯， 古， 白， 全， 胖， 汁， 肉， 呂

“禮” in classical Chinese literature refers to Book of Rite（禮記）， one of the Five Classics (五經） in classical Chinese literature which includes Classic of Poetry  (詩經， or simply 詩），Book of Documents （尚書；書）， Book of Rites （禮記；禮），I Ching （易經， 易）and Spring and Autumn Annuls （春秋）.  Sometimes Classic of Music (樂經）is included to be referred to as Six Classics (六經， the official ordering being 《詩》、《書》、《禮》、《樂》、《易》、《春秋》) . However, because Classic of Music was Lost during Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇）’s  Burning of Books， its existence is disputed. Classic of Rites has special significance also because two of its chapters,  Great Learning (大學）and Doctrine of the Mean （中庸）are included in Four Books （四書， the other two being Annalects 論語 and Mencius 孟子）.

Title (English)	Title (Chinese)	Brief Description
Great Learning	大學	Originally one chapter in the Book of Rites. It consists of a short main text attributed to Confucius and nine commentary chapters by Zeng Zi, one of Confucius's disciples. Its importance is illustrated by Zeng Zi's foreword that this is the gateway of learning. It 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. Government, self cultivation and investigation of things are linked.
Doctrine of the Mean	中庸	Another chapter in Book of Rites, attributed to Confucius' grandson Zisi. The purpose of this small, 33-chapter book is to demonstrate the usefulness of a golden way to gain perfect virtue. It focuses on the Way (道) that is prescribed by a heavenly mandate not only to the ruler but to everyone. To follow these heavenly instructions by learning and teaching will automatically result in a Confucian virtue. Because Heaven has laid down what is the way to perfect virtue, it is not that difficult to follow the steps of the holy rulers of old if one only knows what is the right way.
Analects	論語	A compilation of speeches by Confucius and his disciples, as well as the discussions they held. Since Confucius's time, the Analects has heavily influenced the philosophy and moral values of China and later otherEast Asian countries as well. The Imperial examinations, started in the Jin dynasty and eventually abolished with the founding of the Republic of China, emphasized Confucian studies and expected candidates to quote and apply the words of Confucius in their essays.
Mencius	孟子	A collection of conversations of the scholar Mencius with kings of his time. In contrast to the sayings ofConfucius, which are short and self-contained, the Mencius consists of long dialogues with extensive prose.

Title (English)	Title (Chinese)	Brief Description
Classic of Poetry	詩經	A collection of 305 poems divided into 160 folk songs, 105 festal songs sung at court ceremonies, and 40 hymns and eulogies sung at sacrifices to gods and ancestral spirits of the royal house.
Book of Documents	尚書	A collection of documents and speeches alleged to have been written by rulers and officials of the early Zhou period and before. It is possibly the oldest Chinese narrative, and may date from the 6th century BC. It includes examples of early Chinese prose.
Book of Rites	禮記	Describes ancient rites, social forms and court ceremonies. The version studied today is a re-worked version compiled by scholars in the third century BC rather than the original text, which is said to have been edited by Confucius himself.
I Ching (Book of Changes)	易經/周易	The book contains a divination system comparable to Western geomancy or the West African Ifá system. In Western cultures and modern East Asia, it is still widely used for this purpose.
Spring and Autumn Annals	春秋	A historical record of the State of Lu, Confucius's native state, 722–481 BC.

 Another wildly popular chapter in 禮記 is 禮運大同篇 （Great Unity). The Great Unity (Chinese: 大同, Pinyin: dàtóng) is a Chinese concept referring to a utopian vision of the world in which everyone and everything is at peace. It is found in classical Chinese philosophy which has been invoked many times in modern Chinese history. 

大學

Originally one chapter in the Book of Rites. It consists of a short main text attributed to Confucius and nine commentary chapters by Zeng Zi, one of Confucius's disciples. Its importance is illustrated by Zeng Zi's foreword that this is the gateway of learning.
It 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. Government, self cultivation and investigation of things are linked.

中庸

Another chapter in Book of Rites, attributed to Confucius' grandson Zisi. The purpose of this small, 33-chapter book is to demonstrate the usefulness of a golden way to gain perfect virtue. It focuses on the Way (道) that is prescribed by a heavenly mandate not only to the ruler but to everyone. To follow these heavenly instructions by learning and teaching will automatically result in a Confucian virtue. Because Heaven has laid down what is the way to perfect virtue, it is not that difficult to follow the steps of the holy rulers of old if one only knows what is the right way.

論語

A compilation of speeches by Confucius and his disciples, as well as the discussions they held. Since Confucius's time, the Analects has heavily influenced the philosophy and moral values of China and later otherEast Asian countries as well. The Imperial examinations, started in the Jin dynasty and eventually abolished with the founding of the Republic of China, emphasized Confucian studies and expected candidates to quote and apply the words of Confucius in their essays.

孟子

A collection of conversations of the scholar Mencius with kings of his time. In contrast to the sayings ofConfucius, which are short and self-contained, the Mencius consists of long dialogues with extensive prose.

詩經

A collection of 305 poems divided into 160 folk songs, 105 festal songs sung at court ceremonies, and 40 hymns and eulogies sung at sacrifices to gods and ancestral spirits of the royal house.

尚書

A collection of documents and speeches alleged to have been written by rulers and officials of the early Zhou period and before. It is possibly the oldest Chinese narrative, and may date from the 6th century BC. It includes examples of early Chinese prose.

禮記

Describes ancient rites, social forms and court ceremonies. The version studied today is a re-worked version compiled by scholars in the third century BC rather than the original text, which is said to have been edited by Confucius himself.

易經/周易

The book contains a divination system comparable to Western geomancy or the West African Ifá system. In Western cultures and modern East Asia, it is still widely used for this purpose.

春秋

A historical record of the State of Lu, Confucius's native state, 722–481 BC.