Library
Browse texts available for reading and vocabulary lookup.
Full Text Search
Browse
The Book of Songs
詩經
c. 1000 to 600 BCE · An early collection of Chinese poems, with English translation by James Legge
Book of Documents
尚書
Pre-Han · An early collection of proclamations and instructions attributed to the founders of the Zhou dynasty, with English translation by James Legge
The Commentary of Zuo on the Spring and Autumn Annals
春秋左氏傳
Pre-Han · A commentary on a chronicle of the State of Lu from 722 to 481 BCE by 左丘明 Zuo Qiuming
Gongyang's Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals
春秋公羊傳
Pre-Han · A commentary on a chronicle of the State of Lu by 公羊高 Gong Yanggao
Gongyang's Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals
春秋公羊傳
Pre-Han · A commentary on a chronicle of the State of Lu by 穀梁 Guliang
The Analects of Confucius
論語
c. 479—221 BCE · Also known as Lunyu, with English translation by James Legge
The Book of Rites
禮記
475 - 221 BCE · Also known as the Liji, a Warring States Confucian Text with English translation by James Legge
The Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial
儀禮
Pre-Han · Also known as the Yili, a classic Confucian text describing details of ceremonies
Rites of Zhou
周禮
Pre-Han · Also known as the Zhouli, a classic Confucian text describing the court structure and official positions
Book of Changes
易經
Pre-Han · Also known as the I Ching or 周易 Zhouyi, an early classic Chinese text on divination with English translation by James Legge
Mencius
孟子
c. 372-289 BCE · Also known as Mengzi, with English translation by James Legge
The Classic of Filial Piety
孝經
c. 4th century BCE · Also known as the Xiao Jing, with English translation by James Legge
Mozi
墨子
c. 4th century BCE · An early master with text of the same name
Guanzi
管子
Pre-Qin · Traditionally attributed to statesman 管仲 Zhan Zhong
Art of War
孫子兵法
Warring States · The early classic on military strategy by Sunzi 孫子 with parallel English translation by Giles
Huainanzi
淮南子
Before 139 BCE · An early collection of debates in the court of 劉安 Liu An
Han Feizi
韓非子
c. 280-233 BCE · An early master with text of the same name
Xunzi
荀子
- c. 237 BCE · An early master with text of the same name
Garden of Stories
說苑
Pre-Han · An early collection of stories compiled by 刘向 Liu Xiang
Canon of Supreme Mystery
太玄經
Han · A text on divination by Han scholar 扬雄 Yang Xiong
Exemplary Figures
法言
Han · Composed by Han scholar 扬雄 Yang Xiong
New Discussions
新語
Han · by Western Han scholar 陸賈 Lu Jia (d. 170 BCE)
Xin Shu
新書
Han · by Western Han scholar 賈誼 Jia Yi (d. 169 BCE)
Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals
春秋繁露
Han · Also known as Chunqiu Fanlu, attributed to Han scholar 董仲舒 Dong Zhongshu
Records of the Grand Historian
史記
109-91 BCE · By 司馬遷 Sima Qian, the first of the standard Chinese histories
Book of Han
漢書
111 CE · The second of the standard Chinese histories by 班固 Ban Gu with others, covering the 西漢 Western [Former] Han dynasty 206 BCE - 25 CE
Book of Later Han
後漢書
5th century · The third of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 範曄 Fan Ye, covering the 東漢 Eastern [Later] Han dynasty 25-220 CE
Records of the Three Kingdoms
三國志
C. 289 · The fourth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 陳壽 Chen Shou and annotations by 裴松之 Pei Songzhi, covering the end of the Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms (220–280)
Book of Jin
晉書
648 · The fifth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 房玄齡 Fang Xuanling, covering the Jin dynasty (265-420)
Book of Song
宋書
493 · The sixth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 沈約 Shen Yue, covering the Liu Song dynasty (420–479)
Book of Southern Qi
南齊書
537 · The seventh of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 蕭子顯 Xiao Zixian, covering the Southern Qi dynasty (479-502)
Book of Liang
梁書
636 · The eigth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 姚思廉 Yao Silian, covering the Liang dynasty (502–557)
Book of Chen
陳書
636 · The ninth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 姚思廉 Yao Silian, covering the Chen dynasty (557-58)
Book of Wei
魏書
554 · The tenth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 魏收 Wei Shou, covering the Northern Wei and Eastern Wei dynasties from 386 to 550
Book of Northern Qi
北齊書
636 · The eleventh of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 李百藥 Li Baiyao, covering the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577)
Book of Zhou
周書
636 · The twelfth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 令狐德棻 Linghu Defen, covering the Northern Zhou dynasty (557-581)
Book of Sui
隋書
636 · The thirteenth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 魏徵 Wei Zheng, 令狐德棻 Linghu Defen, and 長孫無忌 Zhangsun Wuji covering the Sui dynasty (581-618)
History of the Southern Dynasties
南史
659 · The fourteenth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 李延壽 Li Yanshou, covering the Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang, and Chen dynasties
History of the Northern Dynasties
北史
659 · The fifteenth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 李延壽 Li Yanshou, covering the Northern Wei, Western Wei, Eastern Wei, Northern Zhou, Northern Qi, and Sui dynasties
Old Book of Tang
舊唐書
945 · The sixteenth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 劉昫 Liu Xu, covering the Tang dynasty (618–907)
New Book of Tang
新唐書
1060 · The seventeenth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 歐陽脩 Ouyang Xiu, covering the Tang dynasty (618–907)
Old History of the Five Dynasties
舊五代史
974 · The eighteenth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 薛居正 Xue Juzheng, covering the Five Dynasties (907-960)
New History of the Five Dynasties
新五代史
1053 · The nineteenth of the standard Chinese histories, compiled by 歐陽脩 Ouyang Xiu, covering the Five Dynasties (907-960)
History of Song
宋史
1345 · The twentieth of the 二十四史 twenty four standard histories, compiled under the supervision of 脫脫 Toqto with a group of scholars including 歐陽玄 Ouyang Xuan, covering the Song dynasty (960-1279)
History of Liao
遼史
1345 · The twenty first of the 二十四史 twenty four standard histories, compiled under the supervision of 脫脫 Toqto with a group of scholars including 歐陽玄 Ouyang Xuan, covering the Liao dynasty (907–1125)
History of Jin
金史
1345 · The twenty second of the 二十四史 twenty four standard histories, compiled under the supervision of 脫脫 Toqto with a group of scholars including 歐陽玄 Ouyang Xuan, covering the Jin dynasty (1115–1234)
History of Yuan
元史
1370 · The twenty third of the 二十四史 twenty four standard histories, compiled under the supervision of 宋濂 Song Lian, covering the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
History of Ming
明史
1739 · The twenty fourth of the 24 dynastic histories 二十四史, compiled under 张廷玉 Zhang Tingyu with completion in 1739 covering the Ming dynasty 1368-1644
Bamboo Annals
竹書紀年
Pre-Qin · Based on the court annals of 魏 the State of Wei
Guoyu
國語
Pre-Qin · Also known as Discourses of the States, attributed to 左丘明 Zuo Qiuming, covering the Spring and Autumn period
Stratagems of the Warring States
戰國策
Pre-Han · An early collection of dialogs describing important events of the Warring States, compiled by 刘向 Liu Xiang Liu Xiang
Classic of Mountains and Seas
山海經
Pre-Qin · An early text on geography
Yue Jue Shu
越絕書
Prose · An account of the early history of the Yue peoples
Discourses on Salt and Iron
鹽鐵論
Han · A debate held at the imperial court in 81 BCE on state policy for sale of iron goods
Daode Jing
道德經
Warring States · With commentary by 王弼 Wang Bi
Liezi
列子
Warring States · Attributed to 杨朱 Yang Zhu
Zhuangzi
莊子
Warring States · With English translation by James Legge 1891, <i>The Writings of Chuang Tzu</i> Text
Notes on Literary Chinese
Classical · A short introduction to literary Chinese and a selection of Literary Chinese Introduction
Er Ya
爾雅
Han · The earliest Chinese dictionary
Shuo Wen Jie Zi
說文解字
Northern and Southern Dynasties · An early Chinese dictionary
Songs of Chu
楚辭
Han · An early collection of Warring States poemsby 屈原 Qu Yuan, compiled by Liu Xiang 劉向 in the Han
Wenxuan
文選
520-530 · An anthology of poetry covering the Warring States to c. 500 by 萧统 Xiao Tong (501-531) with commentary by 李善 Li Shan (630-689)
Tao Yuanming Collected Poems
陶淵明集
365-427 · The poetry of 陶潛 Tao Qian (365-427)
Selections of Tang Poetry
Tang · \N
The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons
文心雕龍
465－520 · An early Chinese text in literature theory by 劉勰 Liu Xie
Thousand Character Classic
千字文
c. 521 · A text reportedly commissioned by 周興嗣 Zhou Xingsi (470–521)
The Family Instructions of Master Yan
顏氏家訓
c. 591 · A text by 颜之推 Yan Zhitui (531 - c. 591), including a collection of essays on morality and philogical subjects
Commentaries on the Four Books by Zhu Xi
朱熹四書章句集注
Circa 1200 · \N
The Classic of Tea
茶經
760-780 · Written by 陆羽 Lu Yu
Water Margin
水滸傳
1372 · c. 1372 by Shi Naian 施耐庵, also known as <i>Outlaws of the Marsh</i> and <i>The Marshes of Mount Liang</i>, one of the four great novels of Chinese literature 四大名著
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
三國演義
1400 · By Luo Guanzhong 罗贯中, one of the four novels of Chinese literature 四大名著
Journey to the West
西遊記
c. 1582 · Ming dynasty novel by Wu Cheng'en 吳承恩, one of the Four Classic Novels of Chinese literature
The Scholars
儒林外史
1750 · Also known as <i>Unofficial History of the Scholars</i>, a satirical novel by 吴敬梓 Wu Jingzi 1701—1754
Dream of the Red Chamber
紅樓夢
1791 · A novel by 曹雪芹 Cao Xueqin c. 1715-1763, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature
A small number of phrases from the writings of Lao She
Modern · \N
A small number of phrases from the writings of Ye Shengtao
Modern · \N