Classic of Poetry

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

305 poems, ranging from peasant love songs to hymns for royal ancestors. It became one of the Five Classics studied for imperial exams.

Traditional attribution

Selected by Confucius from 3,000 poems.

Historical scholarship

Folk songs, court odes and temple hymns collected by Zhou officials.

Context and curiosity

Confucius told his son that without studying the Odes he would have nothing to say.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to China (Zhou China). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 11th–7th century BCE and original language or script as Old Chinese. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_of_Poetry

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.