The Books now recognised as of highest authority in China are comprehended under the denominations of 'The five Ching' and 'The four Shu'.

'The five Ching' are: the Yi, or, asit has been styled, 'The Book of Changes;' the Shu, or 'The Book of History;' The Shih, or 'The Book of Poetry;' the Li Chi, or 'Record of Rites;' and the Chun Chiu, or 'Spring and Autumn,' a chronicle of events, extending from 722 to 481 B.C.

'The four Shu' is an abbreviation for 'The Books of the Four Philosophers.' The first is the Lun Yu, or 'Digested Conversation,' the second is the Ta Hsio, or 'Great Learning,' the third is the Chung Yung, or 'Doctring of the Mean,' and the fourth contains the works of Mencius.