Four Books Of The Early Ming Dynasty

The development process of the Four Books is related to the entire academic and social culture in the Ming Dynasty. At the beginning of Ming Dynasty, the Completed Collections of the Four Books became the academic foundation. Through combining with education and the civil service exam system, Four Books spread lastingly and extensively. There had been appeared a large quantities of the study about the Four books. In a word, Ming Dynasty is the peak period of the Four Books in its development. However, Because of the drawbacks and negative impacts of the Completed Collections of the Four Books, the study about the Four books in Today’s academic was relative Inadequate. This topics Selects the early Ming Dynasty (Hongwu to Zhengtong period) as the time scope. Its mainly includes the following parts:the historical background of the early Ming Dynasty; the establishment of the Official Position of the Four books; the Compilation motivations and Evaluations of the Completed Collections of the Four Books; The relationship between the Four books and the civil service exam system as well as the education system. the Distribution characteristics and Heritage features of the Four books.Chapter One:"The historical background of the Four Books learning in the Ming Dynasty". There are two parts in this chapter. the first is the development context and impacts since the Song and Yuan. The second part is the interaction between the emperor and ministers which has positive effects on the developing of the Four books. But the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang excised Mencius which caused a huge negative effects on the developing of the Four books especially the study of the Mencius.Chapter Two:The status of the the Completed Collections of the Four Books in the Ming Dynasty.In this chapter, I mainly analyzed its Compilation motivations and Evaluations.It can be concluded from the study that "Eliminate the political grievance"is not one of the Compilation motivations. And I gave a detailed analysis about its external causes and the Inner Logic. the Completed Collections of the Four Books play an important role not only in the civil service exam system but also in self-cultivation.Chapter Three:The relationship between the Four books and the civil service exam system as well as the education system. the Four books played an important role in the civil service exam system from start to finish. The eight-part essay became one of the most important and basic style of writing of the Imperial examination in Ming-Qing Dynasty. The education system of the Ming Dynasty served the civil service exam system. And the Officials were selected through the imperial examination. Consequently, The Four Books are most important content in school learning and assessment.The last Chapter:The Introduction of the geographical distribution and Heritage features of the Four books In early Ming Dynasty. The writing of this chapter is based on content of Appendix (The collection of the directories,prefaces, postscripts and Inscription about the Four Books in the Ming Dynasty).it can be concluded that the development of four books learning is uneven in early Ming Dynasty. The reason for this phenomenon can be attributed to the academic history and the interference of political power.In short, the characters of the Four Books learing In early Ming Dynasty is that it inherited the developing of Yuan Dynasty and had a Distinctive ZhuXi’s Features. With the institutional ization of the Four Books’Official status,the development of the Four Books learing come to the extreme.The Four Books learing In early Ming Dynasty playes an important role in the Song and Ming academic nexus and has some rich contents and distinctive features.