Abstract:
The
Great Learning (
Daxue) was one chapter of the
Record of the Rites (
Liji). Han Yu emphasized the importance of
Daxue with the aim of reviving Confucianism. Zhu Xi chose
Daxue as one part of the
Four Books and the status of
Daxue was improved. And then
Daxue became a significant classic resource of imperial examination, which has a great influence on Confucianism and Chinese culture.
Daxue consists of one chapter (jing) and ten commentaries, and the core content is three principles and eight items (sangang bamu). These three principles and eight items describe the target and procedure of study. As a result, the study of
Daxue should be the first step of the study of the
Four Books for it confirms the study framework of study.