The Chinese Classics: with a translation, critical and exegetical notes, prolegomena and copious indexes (Shih ching. English) — Volume 1

"The Chinese Classics" by James Legge is a scholarly compilation of important Confucian texts that was produced in the late 19th century. This collection, spanning five volumes, includes translations, critical notes, and exegeses of the "Confucian Analects," "The Great Learning," and "The Doctrine of the Mean," among others. The book serves as a historic and philosophical resource for understanding the foundational texts of Confucianism, reflecting on their significance in the context of Chinese cultural and intellectual history. The opening of this work outlines the structure and significance of the Chinese classics, discussing the canonical titles that are regarded as authoritative within Chinese literature. It elaborates on the "Five Ching" and "Four Books," explaining the origins of these texts and their attributions to Confucius and his disciples. Moreover, this section introduces the historical challenges faced by these works, such as the burning of books during the Qin dynasty and subsequent efforts to recover and preserve classical literature. Overall, the beginning serves as a critical introduction to the importance of these texts for understanding Confucian philosophy and its enduring legacy in Chinese culture. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

James Legge was a Scottish linguist, missionary, sinologist, and translator who was best known as an early translator of Classical Chinese texts into English. Legge served as a representative of the London Missionary Society in Malacca and Hong Kong (1840–1873) and was the first Professor of Chinese at Oxford University (1876–1897). In association with Max Müller he prepared the monumental Sacred Books of the East series, published in 50 volumes between 1879 and 1891.