大学
Great Learning
Confucianism · textOne of the Four Books (四书) of Confucianism, originally a chapter from the Book of Rites (礼记). The Great Learning presents a step-by-step framework for personal and political cultivation, tracing the path from individual self-cultivation to world peace. Its core sequence — investigating things, extending knowledge, making the will sincere, rectifying the mind, cultivating the self, regulating the family, ordering the state, and bringing peace to the world — became the foundational curriculum for Chinese education and governance for over 700 years after Zhu Xi (朱熹) elevated it to canonical status during the Song dynasty.
About the Work
Traditional attribution: this is a received text associated with its named tradition or figure.
大学之道，在明明德，在亲民，在止于至善。
— Great Learning, Opening Passage (Confucian tradition)
What Are the Key Facts About Great Learning?
- Tradition: Confucianism
- Chinese: 大学
- Category: Text
- Definition: One of the Four Books (四书) of Confucianism, originally a chapter from the Book of Rites (礼记).
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Frequently Asked Questions About Great Learning
What is the Great Learning?
The Great Learning (Daxue) is a short Confucian classic, later one of the Four Books, outlining a ladder from self-cultivation to good government: investigate things, extend knowledge, sincere will, regulate mind, cultivate self, order family, govern state, pacify world.
What is its central claim?
That personal cultivation and political order are continuous: 'From the emperor down to the commoner, all must regard self-cultivation as the root.'
Who wrote the Great Learning?
Attributed to Zengzi (a disciple of Confucius) per tradition; Zhu Xi later separated its 'classic' and 'commentary' portions and elevated it among the Four Books.
How does it relate to the Doctrine of the Mean?
Together with the Analects, Mencius, and Zhongyong, it forms the Four Books — the core Confucian curriculum established by Zhu Xi.