The first of the six classics (六经) that the Three Character Classic (三字经) recommends readers turn to is the Book of Changes (易经), which is actually made up of three books. It presents a method of fortune telling using something called the ‘eight trigrams’, which we explain during the episode. The parts of the book used for predicting the future are, let’s say, limited in their usefulness. But that is useful is the information it contains about China’s early history. The 三字经 was written by the...

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), we talk about the Great Learning (大学), a wide-ranging text that talks about everything from how to manage your household and family and to the benefits of self-improvement, through to how to run a country and achieve world peace. The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and provided lessons on education, morality and ethics, science,...

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), we talk about the Great Learning (大学), a wide-ranging text that talks about everything from how to manage your household and family and to the benefits of self-improvement, through to how to run a country and achieve world peace. The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and provided lessons on education, morality and ethics, science,...

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), the book takes a step back to a topic touched upon earlier, namely, how people should approach their relationships with different people in their lives. We’ll talk about the bond between a sovereign and their subjects, and between a father and their child. We’ll also delve into the controversial topic of the nature of the relationship between a husband and wife, and how it has changed from ancient times. The三字经 was written by the Song...

Before we come to the end of chapter two of the Three Character Classic (三字经), we have a chunky summary of all the lessons we’ve learned about the social ties in our lives. There’s the kindness between father and son (父子恩), harmony between husband and wife (夫妇从), friendship from older brothers (兄则友), respect from younger brothers (弟则恭), the young deferring to the not-so-young (长幼序), ties of friendship (友与朋), a sovereign's esteem for their subjects (君则敬), and a subject’s loyalty for their...

The four core texts (四书) on Confucianism is the topic of our next few episodes on the Three Character Classic (三字经). We get started by talking about how, if you want to become a scholar (为学者), you have to start at the beginning (必有初). After you’ve mastered the basics (小学终) you can move onto studying these four classic texts (至四书). The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and provided...

The Three Character Classic (三字经) continues to pile on reading for its young readers, this time turning to what are called the six classics (六经), namely the the books of Poetry (诗经), Documents (书经), Changes (易经), Rites (礼记), and the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋经). In this episode we touch on an underlying assumptions that runs through much of ancient Chinese thought. That is the idea that to be good, you need to be well-read. Being nice isn’t enough – to be a truly good person you need to...

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), the book takes a step back to a topic touched upon earlier, namely, how people should approach their relationships with different people in their lives. We’ll talk about the bond between a sovereign and their subjects, and between a father and their child. We’ll also delve into the controversial topic of the nature of the relationship between a husband and wife, and how it has changed from ancient times. The三字经 was written by the Song...

Before we come to the end of chapter two of the Three Character Classic (三字经), we have a chunky summary of all the lessons we’ve learned about the social ties in our lives. There’s the kindness between father and son (父子恩), harmony between husband and wife (夫妇从), friendship from older brothers (兄则友), respect from younger brothers (弟则恭), the young deferring to the not-so-young (长幼序), ties of friendship (友与朋), a sovereign's esteem for their subjects (君则敬), and a subject’s loyalty for their...

The four core texts (四书) on Confucianism is the topic of our next few episodes on the Three Character Classic (三字经). We get started by talking about how, if you want to become a scholar (为学者), you have to start at the beginning (必有初). After you’ve mastered the basics (小学终) you can move onto studying these four classic texts (至四书). The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and provided...

The Three Character Classic (三字经) continues to pile on reading for its young readers, this time turning to what are called the six classics (六经), namely the the books of Poetry (诗经), Documents (书经), Changes (易经), Rites (礼记), and the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋经). In this episode we touch on an underlying assumptions that runs through much of ancient Chinese thought. That is the idea that to be good, you need to be well-read. Being nice isn’t enough – to be a truly good person you need to...

The first of the six classics (六经) that the Three Character Classic (三字经) recommends readers turn to is the Book of Changes (易经), which is actually made up of three books. It presents a method of fortune telling using something called the ‘eight trigrams’, which we explain during the episode. The parts of the book used for predicting the future are, let’s say, limited in their usefulness. But that is useful is the information it contains about China’s early history. The 三字经 was written by the...

Before we come to the end of chapter two of the Three Character Classic (三字经), we have a chunky summary of all the lessons we’ve learned about the social ties in our lives. There’s the kindness between father and son (父子恩), harmony between husband and wife (夫妇从), friendship from older brothers (兄则友), respect from younger brothers (弟则恭), the young deferring to the not-so-young (长幼序), ties of friendship (友与朋), a sovereign's esteem for their subjects (君则敬), and a subject’s loyalty for their...

The four core texts (四书) on Confucianism is the topic of our next few episodes on the Three Character Classic (三字经). We get started by talking about how, if you want to become a scholar (为学者), you have to start at the beginning (必有初). After you’ve mastered the basics (小学终) you can move onto studying these four classic texts (至四书). The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and provided...

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), we talk about the Great Learning (大学), a wide-ranging text that talks about everything from how to manage your household and family and to the benefits of self-improvement, through to how to run a country and achieve world peace. The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and provided lessons on education, morality and ethics, science,...

The Three Character Classic (三字经) continues to pile on reading for its young readers, this time turning to what are called the six classics (六经), namely the the books of Poetry (诗经), Documents (书经), Changes (易经), Rites (礼记), and the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋经). In this episode we touch on an underlying assumptions that runs through much of ancient Chinese thought. That is the idea that to be good, you need to be well-read. Being nice isn’t enough – to be a truly good person you need to...

The Three Character Classic (三字经) continues to pile on reading for its young readers, this time turning to what are called the six classics (六经), namely the the book of Poetry (诗经), the Book of Documents (书经), the Book of Changes (易经), the Rites of the Zhou (礼记), and the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋经). The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and provided lessons on education, morality...

The first of the six classics (六经) that the Three Character Classic (三字经) recommends readers turn to is the Book of Changes (易经), which is actually made up of three books. It presents a method of fortune telling using something called the ‘eight trigrams’, which we explain during the episode. The parts of the book used for predicting the future are, let’s say, limited in their usefulness. But that is useful is the information it contains about China’s early history. The 三字经 was written by the...

In Chinese philosophy, water (水), fire (火), wood (木), metal (金), and earth (土) are five elements that make up the properties of everything in the universe. This episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经) tells the story of the discovery of fire in ancient China. In some cultures, fire was a gift from the gods, but in the ancient Chinese story it’s a discovery of man. This is one of the ways that the centrality of man is highlighted in the Chinese view of the world. ， The三字经 was written by...

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), we continue exploring the traits of the natural world by taking a look at the four cardinal directions (四方): north (北), south (南), east (东), and west (西). We also talk about the importance of the center (中), and the fundamental role it plays in shaping how Chinese people see the world. The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and...

After the slight detour in the last episode, our discussion on the Three Character Classic (三字经) returns to the main theme of the second part of the book: the arrangement of the natural world. As temperatures plunge across northern China, your hosts say goodbye to autumn (秋) and hello to winter (冬) as they discuss the neverending cycle of the seasons, and look ahead longingly to the return of spring (春) and summer (夏). And we round out the episode with a friendly disagreement about the...

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), we turn to the stars, as our story takes its first look at the natural world. We’ll talk about the three lights in the sky: the sun (日), moon (月), and stars (星). And we’ll discuss the relationship between heaven (天) and earth (地), and mankind (人), who lives in-between the two. The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and provided...

In this episode on the Three Character Classic (三字经), it’s time to talk about maths. But don’t worry: Because this is a children’s book it’s easy to understand, much to the relief of your hosts, who aren’t especially strong in this subject. The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and provided lessons on education, morality and ethics, science, literature, and history.

The first part of the Three Character Classic (三字经) talked about the value of devoting your time to learning to valuable things (贵以专). It’s at this point that we move into the second part of the book, which tells you what some of those valuable things are and where you should start. The三字经 was written by the Song Dynasty (宋朝) scholar Wang Yinglin (王应麟). This 1,134 character text was one of the first textbooks used by students, and provided lessons on education, morality and ethics, science,...