Chinese Sishu
Ancient Confucian texts used as the basis of study for civil service examinations (see Chinese examination system ) in China (1313–1905).
They served as an introduction to Confucianism and were traditionally studied before the more difficult Five Classics . The publication of the four texts as a unit in 1190 with commentaries by Zhu Xi helped revitalize Confucianism in China. The texts are Daxue , Zhongyong , Lunyu (the Analects , which reputedly contains direct quotations from Confucius and is deemed the most reliable source of his teachings), and Mencius .