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The Daxue 大學 "Great Learning" is a Confucian Classic. It is part of the canon of the Sishu "Four Books", to which it was added as integral Confucian writing on the order and harmony of society. It was originally a chapter of the ritual classic . The Northern Song period 北宋 (960-1126) Neo-Confucian scholars Cheng Hao 程顥 and Cheng Yi 程頤 were the first to regard it as a separate treatise. The Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279) Neo-Confucianist Zhu Xi 朱熹 divided it into a classic (jing 經) and a commentary (zhuan 傳), wrote a philological study (zhangju 章句) to the Daxue and made it part of the canon of the "Four Books". Zhu Xi believed that the part he called "classic" had been compiled by Zeng Shen 曾參, a disciple of Confucius, while the the "commentary" was compiled by followers of Zeng Sen. This dispartment of the text is rather arbitrary and not based on scholarly evidence. The Qing period 清 (1644-1911) scholar Chen Que 陳確 therefore contradicted this assumption and brought forward, on the base of textual evidence, that the Daxue must have been compiled only during the Former Han period 前漢 (206 BCE-8 CE), and not during the age in which Confucius and his disciples lived (5th cent. BCE).
The text of the Daxue interrelates the moral self-cultivation of the self with the general harmony in state and society. The objective of building up a moral character is to "enlighten the lucid virtue" (ming ming de 明明德), to "approach the people" (qin min 親民) and "to stop at the utmost goodness" (zhi yu zhi shan 止于至善). These targets are to be reached by those standing in a higher social position, especially the ruler. A benevolent ruler, nevertheless, is not sufficient for the welfare of a people. It is necessary that everybody is willing to study the world (ge wu 格物), before he can reach perfect knowledge (zhi zhi 致知), and only with perfect knowledge he will be able to accomplish sincerity (cheng yi 誠意). Only with the help of sincerity, one will be able to rectify one's heart (zheng xin 正心), and only with a such, man will be able to undergo self-cultivation (xiu shen 修身). Once cultivated, the own family is brought to unison (jia qi 家齊), and only with families in unison, a state can be governed (zhi guo 治國) in the right way. If all these points are fulfilled, there will be peace on earth ( 天下平). This chain of conditions has to be fulfilled in each detail, otherwise the whole concept will not bear fruits. The core condition is self-cultivation, which has to be undertaken by everyone, from the ruler down to the common man. If everybody undergoes self-cultivation, social harmony can be achieved on all levels, and the state will be in peace and prosperity.
This approach of a state philosophy is very idealistic and does not consider social, economical and political conditions at all. It is a very simplistic and theoretical model useful for the Neo-Confucian concept of learning and exploring the natural order in oneself and in all things on earth. The concept of self-cultivation, which was stressed as very important by the Neo-Confucian scholars, shows the influence of Buddhism. On the other side, the text of the Daxue shows how important the concept of harmony was to the traditional society generally, and which prominence the government's benevolence had in imperial China: "If capital is concentrated in a few hands, the people will be in a bad state, but in a state where money is spread among the people, the population will grow." This is a monetary theory which shows the Confucian's concern for social welfare. The Daxue was thus created with a practical mind, and not only as a theoretical essay.
Source: Chen Jinsheng 陳金生 (1987). "Daxue 大學", in: Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhexue 哲學, vol. 1, pp. 116-117. Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe.
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Exemplarious translation:
禮記；３９．（４２．）大學
- 子程子曰：「大學，孔氏之遺書，而初學入德之門也．」於今可見古人為學次第者，獨賴此篇之存，而論、孟次之．學者必由是而學焉，則庶乎其不差矣．
Zi Chengzi said: "The Great Learning is a writing handed down by Confucius; and it is the entrance gate for everyone who begins to study virtuousness." From these words, we can learn that people in old times first started to study solely by relying on this book; everything depended on its existance, and only after it, they started to read the Analects and the Mengzi. Everyone engaging in studies has to begin his studies with this book to cover everying that he does not want to leave out.
１． 大學之道，在明明德，在親民，在止於至善。知止而后有定，定而后能靜，靜而后能安，安而后能慮，慮而后能得。物有本末，事有終始，知所先後，則近道矣。
What the Great Learning taches, is to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate (love?) the people; and to rest in the highest excellence. The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then determined, a calm uperturbedness may be attained to. To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil repose. In that repse there may be careful deliberation, and that deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end. Things have their root and their branches. Affairs have their end and their beginning. To know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning.
古之欲明明德於天下者，先治其國；欲治其國者，先齊其家；欲齊其家者，先修其身；欲修其身者，先正其心；欲正其心者，先誠其意；欲誠其意者，先致其知，致知在格物。
The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.
物格而后知至，知至而后意誠，意誠而后心正，心正而后身修，身修而后家齊，家齊而后國治，國治而后天下平。自天子以至於庶人，壹是皆以修身為本。其本亂而末治者否矣，其所厚者薄，而其所薄者厚，未之有也！此謂知本，此謂知之至也。
Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy. From the Son of Heaven down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides. It cannot be, when the root is neglected, that what should spring from it be well ordered. It never has been the case that what was of great importance has been slightly cared for, and, at the same time, that what was of slight importance has been greatly cared for. This is meant by talking of the knowing the root of things, and this is meant by completion of knowledge.
- 右經一章，蓋孔子之言，而曾子述之．其傳十章，則曾子之意而門人記之也．...
The first chapter of the Great Learning are the words of Confucius, written down by his disciple Zengzi. The ten chapters of the Commentary follow the interpretation of Zengzi, and they were written down by his disciples.
- 康誥曰：「克明德．」大甲曰：「顧諟天之明命．」帝典曰：「克明峻德． 」皆自明也．右傳之首章．釋明明德．
The Announcement of Kang [of the Book of Documents, Shangshu] says: "He was able to illustrate his virtue". The chapter Taijia (here: Dajia) says: "He kept his eye continually on the bright requirements of Heaven". The Canon of Emperor [Yao] says: "He made the able and virtuous distinguished". All these citations enlighten its meaning. The text above is the heading chapter, and it illustrates the illustrious virtue.
Translated by James Legge (1960). The Chinese Classics in Five Volumes. 1. Confucian Analects, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
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Chinese literature according to the four-category system
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