or Ta hsüeh
(Chinese; " Great Learning ")
Short Chinese text generally attributed to Confucius and his disciple Zengzi.
For centuries it existed only as a chapter of the Liji (see Five Classics ); it gained renown when republished as one of the Four Books . It states that world peace is impossible unless a ruler first regulates his own country, but that no ruler can do this without first setting his own household in order, which requires personal virtue. Zhu Xi 's preface explains that the text is a means to personal development, instructing each individual to cultivate benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom.