Sacred Books of China.
Yih King.—This book contains a cosmological treatise and a compendium on morals. It was written 1143 B.C.
Shu King.—This contains the teachings and maxims of certain ancient Chinese kings. There are documents in it over 4,000 years old.
Shi King.—This is the Chinese hymn book. It contains three hundred sacred songs and poems, some of which are very old.
Le King.—The Le King is a text book on manners, customs, and ceremonies. It has been one of the chief agents in moulding the social and religious life of China.
Chun Tsien.—The Chun Tsien is a historical work compiled by Confucius. It gives a record of his own times and those immediately preceding him.
The above books, called the Five Kings, are the canonical books of Confucianism, the religion of the educated classes of China. With the exceptions noted, they were mostly written or compiled about 500 B.C. They are considered sacred by the Chinese, but not, like other sacred books, a revelation from God. Confucius recognized no God. His religion is preeminently the religion of this world, and is thus summed up by him: “The observance of the three fundamental laws of relation between sovereign and subject, father and child, husband and wife, and the five capital virtues—universal charity, impartial justice, conformity to ceremonies and established usages, rectitude of heart and mind, and pure sincerity.”