The Doctrine of the Mean

战国·子思Jul 2014

4.4

Word count: 23K words
Chapters: 46

Summary

One of the "Four Books" of the Confucian canon, the Doctrine of the Mean was originally the thirty-first chapter of the Book of Rites. Its text was composed sometime between the late Warring States period and the early Western Han dynasty, and its authorship remains uncertain. One tradition attributes it to Kong Ji, known as Zisi, while another holds that it was written by a scholar of the Qin or Han dynasty. Song dynasty Confucians held the work in such high esteem that they separated it from the Book of Rites to stand as an independent text. Zhu Xi later compiled it together with the Analects, the Mencius, and the Great Learning as the "Four Books."

Editor's review

Though brief, Zhongyong (The Doctrine of the Mean) is one of the most rewarding texts in Confucian thought on self-cultivation and conduct in the world. Originally a chapter of the Book of Rites, it was extracted and published as an independent work in the Song dynasty, and later joined the Analects, Mencius, and the Great Learning to form the "Four Books," making it a key entry point into the Confucian intellectual tradition. The text revolves around zhongyong—impartiality and balance, acting with due measure—and links personal cultivation to order under heaven. The key to reading it lies not in memorizing conclusions but in understanding, sentence by sentence, the relationships among its concepts and testing its sense of proportion against one's own experience. It suits readers beginning a close reading of the classics, and also works well read alongside the Great Learning and the Analects to build a coherent grasp of the Four Books.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers new to Confucian classics who don't know where to start
Humanities students who need to read the Four Books closely
Readers interested in self-cultivation, conduct, and the sense of due measure
Parents and teachers who want to introduce children to traditional classics

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for light stories or casual entertainment
Readers who want quick conclusions rather than sentence-by-sentence reflection
Beginners with little patience for classical Chinese expression and conceptual analysis

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the structure, then read closely section by section, marking core concepts such as zhongyong and cheng (sincerity).
Read alongside the Great Learning and the Analects, noting how concepts echo across the Four Books.
After each section, write two or three sentences of personal reflection to ground abstract principles in concrete situations.

版权信息
目录
公版书总序
因袭道统，孔门述圣——子思
大道至诚——《中庸》
《中庸》章句序
正文
第一章
第二章
第三章
第四章
第五章
第六章
第七章
第八章
第九章
第十章
第十一章
第十二章
第十三章
第十四章
第十五章
第十六章
第十七章
第十八章
第十九章
第二十章
第二十一章
第二十二章
第二十三章
第二十四章
第二十五章
第二十六章
第二十七章
第二十八章
第二十九章
第三十章
第三十一章
第三十二章
第三十三章
如是我闻
（一）《中庸》里的夫妻相处之道
（二）《中庸》中为人处世的黄金律
（三）《中庸》中的名言名句
（四）见乎蓍龟，动乎四体——中国古代占卜术介绍
（五）国家将兴，必有祯祥——古代有名的祥瑞与征兆

FAQ

Was Zhongyong written by Zisi?

The text is often attributed to "Zisi," but scholarship has reached no consensus on its authorship. Sources indicate it was composed roughly between the late Warring States period and the Western Han; one view holds that Kong Ji (Zisi) wrote it, another that a Qin- or Han-dynasty scholar did. Read it as a traditional attribution rather than a settled conclusion.

Can I read Zhongyong without any grounding in classical Chinese?

Yes, but patience is required. Choose an edition with annotations and translation, use the annotations to understand the meaning first, then return to the original and savor it sentence by sentence. Don't aim for complete mastery from the start; proceeding section by section is more practical.

Why was Zhongyong included in the "Four Books"?

Song-dynasty Confucian scholars held Zhongyong in high regard and extracted it from the Book of Rites as an independent work; Zhu Xi then compiled it with the Analects, Mencius, and the Great Learning into the "Four Books." This arrangement made Zhongyong a foundational text in later Confucian education.

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About the author

战国·子思 Author · Chinese

Zisi was a thinker of the State of Lu in the early Warring States period and a grandson of Confucius; later generations honored him as the "Transmitter of the Sage." Public sources offer limited reliable information about his birth and death dates, courtesy name, and other personal details, which are difficult to verify. Tradition holds that the Zhongyong (Doctrine of the Mean) was written by Zisi. This work centers on the way of the mean, discussing the relationships among Heaven's mandate, human nature, and self-cultivation, and emphasizing the principles of impartiality and appropriateness in conduct and self-discipline. Though brief, the Zhongyong is concise in wording yet profound in meaning, often expounding its doctrines through citations of the classics and step-by-step reasoning, and it exerted a deep influence on later Confucian learning concerning mind and nature. Zisi is often regarded as an important figure who linked the earlier and later Confucian tradition, and his thought, transmitted through the Zhongyong, remains an indispensable part of the study of pre-Qin Confucianism.