1. Sima Qian's Historical Records quoted Sima Tan's views on academic schools. He summarized the schools since the pre-Qin period into six schools, namely, Yin-Yang Theory, Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, Famous Scholars and Taoism.

2. In Hanshu, Ban Gu divided the schools since pre-Qin into ten schools: Confucianism, Taoism, Yin and Yang, Legalism, Famous Scholars, Mohism, Strategist, Miscellany, Nongjiale and Novelist.

Confucianism: Four Books, Five Classics and Thirteen Classics

Taoism: Laozi's Tao Te Ching and South China Ching

Legalist School: The Book of Shang Jun and Han Feizi

Mohist school: Mozi

From "Four Books of Confucius" to "Four Books of Confucianism" —— A Brief Survey of China's Traditional Academic Classification

Concepts such as "separation" and "separation" were gradually produced in the production activities of human beings in the late primitive society, and they were important concepts naturally produced with the emergence of social division of labor. According to Xu Shen's "Shuo Wen Jie Zi", "Don't also. From eight knives. " To separate means to separate. The original meaning of "eight" is "don't". [1] This is China's ancient understanding of "fen". By the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, when "learning was in the official position" and "learning was specialized", China had a clear academic division of labor and discipline classification. As the "confluence of ancient Taoism", the Six Arts (Poetry, Calligraphy, Rites, Music, Yijing, Spring and Autumn) were not only the six important ancient books popular at that time, but also the six specialized knowledge categories of government officials. However, it is worth noting that in addition to the "six arts" as six academic categories, the "Confucius Four Subjects" which were highly praised by later Confucianism appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period. By investigating the evolution of "Four Books" in pre-Qin Dynasty to "Four Books" in Qing Dynasty, we can get a glimpse of the specific situation of the evolution of China's inherent academic category.

The Analects of Confucius Eight Shu said: "For different disciplines, there are ancient roads." This is a text with "ke" in the pre-Qin period. There are two opinions about the content of "Confucius' Four Subjects". First, The Analects of Confucius said: "Confucius taught four things: writing, conduct, loyalty and faith. "Therefore, some people think that the four subjects of Confucius refer to the four aspects of" writing, action, loyalty and faith "; Second, more scholars in later generations regard morality, politics, literature and speech as the "four subjects of Confucius". The basic basis is that there is such a record in The Analects of Confucius Advanced: "Virtue: Yan Yuan, Min Zikai, Ran Boniu, Zhong Gong; Word: slay me, Zigong; Politics: You Ran, Lu Ji; Literature: Freedom in Xia Zi. "That is to say, Confucius disciples are divided into four subjects according to their academic specialties: morality, language, politics and literature. In the pre-Qin period, in addition to the "six arts" as the earliest academic classification, there seems to be a sub-discipline academic category such as "Confucius and Four Subjects".

In The Analects of Confucius, Confucius is divided into four subjects: morality, language, politics and literature. The Biography of Confucius also lists all the disciples of Confucius, and divides 70 disciples who are proficient in six arts into four subjects according to their specialties, which proves that Confucius really has "four subjects" to teach. For example, Yan Hui is famous for its virtue: "Hui is famous for virtue", and there are Min Min, Ran Geng and ran yong. You, who is famous for his words, is "eloquent and famous for his words", in addition to Zigong; The son who is famous for his political science is "a gifted scholar who is famous for his politics", but Yan Yan (Ziyou) who is "brave, talented and famous for his politics" and Shang Bo (Xia Zi) who is "specialized in etiquette and famous for his literature". "Accustomed to poetry, he can recite its meaning and is famous for his literature." [2]

Sima Qian also gave a detailed account of Confucius' four subjects in the Biography of Zhong Ni Disciples in Historical Records: "Confucius said that' seventy people are proficient in business', all of whom are capable people. Virtue: Yan Yuan, Min Ziqian, Bo Niu, Zhong Gong. Politics: Yes, Lu Ji. Word: Kill me, Zi Gong. Literature: Freedom in Xia Zi. Division also monarch, ginseng also lu, wood also stupid, from well, back to empty again and again. If you don't order it, Huo Zhi will be embarrassed, and 100 million will be repeated. " [3] Confucius disciples are classified according to morality, politics, language and literature, which reflects the situation of Confucius' four disciplines. Sima Qian's record is the most authoritative explanation of "Confucius' Four Subjects".

Regarding the relationship between the four branches of Confucius, modern scholar Qian Mu said: "Confucius has four branches: morality, speech, politics and literature. Writing is now diplomacy, diplomacy is a political subject, and literature is now taught in books. But what Confucius taught me was the highest virtue of life. Confucius said, "You are a gentleman Confucian, not a villain Confucian." Then people who study literature will still be proficient in virtue. Chang Zhijun and Ran are good at financial management, while Gong Xihua is familiar with diplomatic etiquette. Each has its own strengths and specialties. You Ran butchered the Ji Sun family, managed their finances, and made the Ji Sun family rich in the Duke of Zhou, which violated the political avenue. Confucius said, "Although Ran is not my disciple, his son can play drums." However, Ji Sun can only let You Ran manage his own finances on his behalf. If you want to use You Ran to help him kill the king, You Ran won't do it. Therefore, You Ran had to be regarded as a disciple of Confucius and included in the political affairs section. As for the subject of virtue, especially the highest subject of Confucius. Such as Yan Yuan, if you use it, you can do it, if you abandon it, you can hide it, and if you learn it, you can learn it. If you deviate from the Tao, you would rather hide it than use it. It can be seen that in Confucius' theory, morality is far more important than occupation. [4] Therefore, if the six arts such as poetry, calligraphy, ceremony, music, righteousness, spring and autumn are the six classics taught by Confucius to his disciples, then the so-called "four subjects" such as morality, politics, literature and speech are the four disciplines taught by Confucius to his disciples.

However, it is worth pointing out that although the "four subjects of Confucius" were extended by Confucianism in the Qing Dynasty to the later four subjects of righteousness, classics, textual research and ci, they did not attract excessive attention from Confucianism in the pre-Qin, Qin and Han dynasties. It was only during the Sui and Tang Dynasties that people began to notice the "Four Confucius". Bai Juyi, a native of the Tang Dynasty, said: "There are 3,000 disciples of Confucius, and their sages are listed as four families. Shi Mao has 300 chapters, and its essence is divided into six meanings. Six meanings: wind, fu, comparison, prosperity, elegance and praise. The number of these six meanings is also. Four subjects: morality, language, politics and literature. The purpose of these four families is also. Among the four schools, ten philosophers were named as Dejia, and Yan Yuan, Min Zikai, Ran Boniu and Zhong Gong were among them. In the language department, there are butchers and tributes Politically, there are You Ran and Lu Ji. In literature, there are Ziyou and Xia Zi. The name of ten philosophers is also. Teaching in the name of four subjects and six meanings is different now; There is a difference between the will of four bodies and six meanings. Please take the Buddhism taught by the master as an example, that is, make it clear. who is it? That is to say, Shi Mao has six meanings, which is also an example of Buddhism and has twelve parts. There are thousands of Buddhist scriptures, and there are no more than twelve examples of their meanings. There are 300 pieces in Shi Mao, the purpose of which is not six meanings. So the six meanings are comparable to the twelve classics. For example, there are four Confucian schools and six Buddhist schools. Six degrees, six paramita ... Confucianism and Buddhism, although there are similarities and differences in names; There is no difference between them. The so-called same name, different name, fellow. " [5]

It can be seen from this passage that Bai Juyi's exploration and attention to the "Four Branches of Confucius" is obviously the rise of Buddhism and Taoism in order to fight against Buddhism and Buddhist scriptures. At the same time, inspired by Buddhism, Bai compared "Confucius Four Subjects" and Confucius disciples with Buddhist classics and disciples, the main purpose of which is to show that Confucianism and Buddhism "have the same name but different names, but all roads lead to the same goal."

What is more noteworthy is that after the Han Dynasty, "subject" was not widely used as the academic "course name", but as the subject of official examination. Therefore, different from academic disciplines in the modern sense, the ancient names of "discipline" and "discipline" in China mostly refer to the subjects of official examinations. In order to find out the differences between Chinese and western academic concepts of "dividing subjects", it is necessary to make a systematic study of "subjects" and "subjects" in the sense of China's examination system.

As mentioned above, the name "Ke" began to appear in the pre-Qin period, and by the Qin and Han dynasties, the concept of "Ke" had been widely used as a "class name". But at this time, the so-called "subject" mainly refers to the "subject" in the examination system. History of the Scholars says that during the reign of Emperor Han Ping, "there were forty first-class doctors, twenty second-class princes and forty third-class literary anecdotes". The so-called "subjects A", "subjects B" and "subjects C" here are the subjects for selecting officials. Ban Gu's "Fu on Two Capitals" said: "The first-class etiquette officer of a general is the sincerity and filial piety of a hundred counties." Li Xian noted: "There is a doctor who is responsible for testing strategies and testing their advantages and disadvantages. It is a branch of A and B." . [6] The so-called "subjects A and B" here also refer to the examination subjects for selecting officials, indicating that there was a system for selecting officials by setting up "subjects" in the Han Dynasty.

In the first year of Yuanguang (BC 134), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "first set up a county and a country to be filial", and changed "filial piety" into a regular subject. Subsequently, Cai Mao, Mingjing and other general subjects were opened one after another, as well as several specialties such as Faming, Recreation, Drama, Art of War, Disasters of Yin and Yang, and Boys' Residence. It is generally believed that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty began to establish a doctor of the Five Classics, "set up disciples, set up strategies to persuade officials to be rich" [7], and gradually established the imperial examination system. The so-called imperial examination system refers to the system of selecting talents and officials through examinations according to different subjects. Scholars were promoted in the Western Han Dynasty to show filial piety and faithfulness, and inspection was more used in the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, when Emperor Shundi of the Eastern Han Dynasty was in power, he "wanted to supplement his disciples in Confucian Classics, and added ten staff members" [8]. Therefore, China's concept of subject division is not mainly used in academic classification, but in imperial examinations, especially in examination subjects. In other words, the combination of "subject" refers to the division of examination categories, not academic subjects in the modern sense. The main subjects, such as Cai Mao, Mingjing and Faming, which were established after the implementation of the imperial examination system in the Han Dynasty, are not academic branches in the modern sense, whether they are general subjects or special subjects. The concept of "dividing subjects" has not been widely used in academic classification, but it has played a role in the examination system.

Chen Chi, a close friend, pointed out: "The prosperity of subjects has lasted for more than a thousand years." [9] The imperial examination system originated in the Han Dynasty and was basically established in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. 18 (598), Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty ordered four imperial examination officials, namely, "the imperial officials were unqualified, the general manager and the secretariat officials were diligent in their work and sincere in their work." [10] Then, they appointed four imperial examiners, that is, "all counties must pass the exam before they can be excellent". According to the Biography of Xue Dengchuan in the Old Tang Dynasty, the great cause lasted for three years (607 years), and "Emperor Yang Di succeeded to the throne and prospered, then changed the former law and placed him in Jinshi and other subjects". The subject setting in the Tang Dynasty inherited the subject system of the imperial examination system in the Han Dynasty, and they all set up regular subjects and system subjects. "Wang Ping's family, there are scholars, Ming Jing, Shi Jun, Jinshi, Faming, Zi Ming, Shu Ming, one history, three histories, Kai Ethan, Youdao Ju, and the lad. There are five classics, three classics, two classics, one pedant, three rites, three biographies and one history department. This is permanent in a year. " [1 1] In this 12 section, scholar, Ming Jing, Jinshi, Faming, Zi Ming and Shu Ming are the most important. There were 63 subjects in the Tang Dynasty, which were divided into seven categories: literature, martial arts, official management, long talent, unfamiliarity, Confucianism, virtue and loyalty [12], indicating the fine classification of "subjects" in the imperial examinations at that time.

The imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty were slightly similar to those in the Tang Dynasty, and were divided into Jinshi, Mingjing and other subjects. It is reported: "Today's Jinshi's subjects are greatly used by the times, and their choices are also different, and their treatment is also thick. Scholars of Jinshi, Classics, History, Philosophy and Collection; There are those who take the department, poetry, fu, strategy and theory. " [13] The imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty were divided into general subjects and specialized subjects. Regular subjects include Jinshi, Nine Classics, Five Classics and Kaiyuan Rites (Tongli Fen). Three histories, three rites, three biographies, pedants, faming and other liberal arts and martial arts. Jinshi is the most important subject, and the Nine Classics, Five Classics and other Ming Classics have a lower status. In the seventh year of Song Renzong's Tiansheng (1029), in February, Shengdu wrote an article to establish "Tiansheng Ten Subjects": "The German side can give good words and admonish subjects, and the tomb of Broadcom is well-known in the field of education, both talent and knowledge, and in the field of physical use. A detailed understanding of official management can make political subjects, cave studies and strategic planning subjects, military planning and the school of great talents all available, and the six arts can be used. He also published a book to evaluate excellent subjects for candidates. It's the high gate again, destroying the grass house and different trees, so as to take it by cloth. " After [14], the outstanding branch was found in the book review, which was Tiansheng Nine Branch.

After Sima Guang took office in the first year of Yuan You, he put forward the proposal of "ten-grade imperial examination": "On the one hand, he is honest and solid, and can be a teacher (both officials can be promoted); Second, the founder of the festival can prepare Nake (with official); Third, if you are wise in SHEN WOO, you can prepare the General Department (both civil and military officials, and this department was once ruled by Chen Wu); Fourth, justice and information can be prepared for the supervision department (for people who know the country and above); If you are proficient in Confucian classics, you can prepare to attend classes and read books (both officials and officials can give them); Sixth, the knowledge can be prepared by the consulting department (both officials and officials can take the exam); Seventh, you can prepare articles for the writing department (both officials and officials can quote them); Eight, be good at listening to prison proceedings and try to get a real job (with officials); Nine, good governance, financial taxation, both public and private (official); After ten days, you can stop asking for advice (with officials). " [15] This method of "selecting scholars by discipline" was especially praised by academic circles in the late Qing Dynasty, which became the basis for China scholars to accept the concept of "learning by discipline" in modern western countries.

It can be seen that although Confucius is divided into so-called "four subjects" such as morality, politics, literature and language, it has not become the standard of academic classification for a long time, but only the subject of the official imperial examination. According to the author's textual research, the combination of "division" can be found in the History of Song Dynasty: "Since the division of Confucian classics, the temperament has become increasingly prosperous ... in twenty-seven years, the imperial edict was repeated and the classics were repeated, such as the thirteen-year system. In the first game, the classic meaning is reduced by one. If the meaning of "Er Li" is superior, it is allowed to use the classics, and the hours are four subjects. " [16] During the Northern Song Dynasty, with the rise of the academy system and the resurgence of private schools, Confucius' practice of "dividing science and education" attracted the attention of some scholars and followed suit, resulting in the phenomenon of "dividing science and education". Therefore, the word "sub-discipline" refers to a separate examination subject in most cases, but it also refers to the subject category of college teaching after the Song and Yuan Dynasties. On this point, we can know a thing or two by analyzing the teaching situation of Hu Yuan's fasting in Song Dynasty. According to historical records, Professor Hu's disciples used the method of teaching by subjects, and were divided into two fasting periods. "Jing Yi can be an important person by choosing his own heart. He can really understand the Six Classics." Treatment Zhai specializes in training talents for treatment: "One person treats one thing and takes care of the other (whether specialized or combined, each religion has its own strengths). Confucianism governs the people with security, speaks martial arts to resist their bandits, suppresses water to benefit their fields, and counts the calendar with brightness. " [ 17]

Since the name of "subject" has a long history, and Confucius is divided into four so-called "subjects" such as morality, politics, literature and language, isn't this academic branch developed later? The author thinks that although the academic discipline with discipline as the classification standard included in the pre-Qin period has never developed into an academic discipline in the modern sense, it does not mean that the academic discipline has not developed in China. The evolution from "Four Confucianists" to "Four Confucianists" proves that China's academic category has gradually evolved with the academic development of China. The author believes that with the evolution and fine classification of academics, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, subjects began to be taught by examination subjects or academies, and gradually evolved into subjects in the modern sense, gradually forming the so-called "four Confucianism schools"-the study of righteousness, textual research, the study of rhetoric and the study of statecraft.

In the study of Confucian classics in the Western Han Dynasty, three branches of Confucian classics began to appear: chapter and sentence, righteousness and reason, and exegesis. The so-called chapters and sentences, that is, reading chapters and sentences, sprouted in the pre-Qin period and became a science in the Han Dynasty. Xu Fang said, "Poetry, calligraphy, ceremony and music all come from Confucius; The invention of chapters and sentences began in summer. After that, scholars from all walks of life have different opinions on the analysis. Han inherited the chaos of Qin dynasty, and Confucian classics were abolished. This article has some reservations or no sentences. " [18] The study of chapters and sentences rose in the process of collecting and sorting out lost classics. "The Book of the New Tang Dynasty" said: "Since the Qin Dynasty burned the Six Arts, the way of teacher transmission has been lost, and the abridged edition is missing, so scholars can't get its authenticity, so all kinds of Confucian chapters and sentences have flourished." [19] There are chapters of history, Mencius and Xiahou in The Book of Songs. The so-called exegesis is to explain the original meaning of words. Xu Shen's "Preface to Explaining Words" said: "Those who cover words are also the foundation of classics." Guo Pu's "Preface to Er Ya" said: "Fu wrote Er Ya, so the exegesis refers to it." Therefore, in the study of Confucian classics, it gradually developed into exegetics, including the study of glyphs, phonology and exegetics, which was called "primary school" (attached to Confucian classics). The "Six Arts" in Liu Xin's Seven Laws has a special category of "primary school", which shows that it has become a school in the Western Han Dynasty. Ban Gu's Hanzhi also lists "primary school" as a category of Confucian classics, including 45 classics of 10 school.

The so-called "positive" refers to the meaning and truth contained in the classics. The Book of Rites says, "Justice is the word of reason." The study of Confucian classics in the Western Han Dynasty, represented by Gongyangxue in the Spring and Autumn Period, focused on exploring the "subtle meaning" of Confucian classics and formed the "Gongyangxue" in later generations. Although the study of Confucian classics in Han Dynasty paid attention to exegetical textual research, it did not ignore the "righteousness" of the Six Classics. According to Xin Zhuan, "At the beginning, Zuo spread all over Gu Yan and Gu Yan, but the scholars just spread the Dharma. As well as the treatment of Zuo Zhuan, the quotation and interpretation, and the invention, so the chapters and sentences are fully prepared. " [20] This shows that by the time of Liu Xin, three kinds of knowledge of Confucian classics research had basically taken shape.

There are three branches of Confucian Classics: chapter and sentence, righteousness and explanation, which reflect the academic development of China. In the Han dynasty, these three kinds of knowledge were not related to "Confucius' Four Virtues". By the time of the Northern Song Dynasty, the so-called study of articles, the study of exegetics and the study of righteousness and reason had gradually divided. Cheng Yi said, "There are three scholars today and one scholar in ancient times. Heresy is irrelevant. One is the study of articles, the other is the study of exegetics, and the third is the study of Confucianism. If you want to learn Taoism, you must give up learning Confucianism. " His so-called exegetics is the study of Confucian classics in Han dynasty; The study of articles is the literature of Tang Dynasty, and the study of Confucianism is the "study of righteousness and reason" of Song Dynasty. Therefore, Cheng added, "Today's scholars have three disadvantages: first, they are addicted to literature, second, they are obsessed with exegesis, and third, they are obsessed with heresy. Without these three, where would it go? Will tend to be Taoist. " [2 1] Therefore, what he advocates is to learn the knowledge of the Six Classics, that is, the "learning of righteousness and reason".

The name of "the study of righteousness and reason" comes from the long article in Zi Jian: "This year, famous juren in South China all seek the study of righteousness and reason, and the opportunity is beautiful." [22] Zhang Zai also said: "The study of righteousness and reason must also be deep and profound, and should not be frivolous." [23] This is the early formulation of "the study of righteousness and reason" in the works of scholars in the Song Dynasty. The study of righteousness is mainly based on research methods, focusing on exploring the content and spiritual essence of Confucian classics as a whole; Exegetics pays attention to the interpretation and textual research of classic words; The study of sex theory pays attention to the classic moral life. "Jing" also became an academic category corresponding to Confucian classics and history in the Song Dynasty. Lu Xinyuan, a Qing Dynasty man, said in the book Linchuan Collection: "After three generations, there are classics, classics and literature, and one of them can be regarded as Confucianism. The intention is partial, the strength is partial, and the time is partial. What's more, they don't laugh at each other, and their knowledge was unknown a long time ago. From the Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty for more than 1000 years, I was able to combine classics, classics and literature, and not many people represented me. Wang Wengong of Jingguo is one of them. " [24] Although it is not certain that the Song Dynasty has been divided into three parts: the study of classics, the study of classics and the study of articles, at least it can be proved that by the early Qing Dynasty, "the study of classics" had been recognized as a science by scholars.

After Ming and Qing Dynasties, as the four branches of Confucian Classics, the names of Yi, Textual Research, Confucian Classics and article study have gradually become familiar to scholars. Dai Zhen, Zhang Xuecheng and others divided China's academic categories into three categories, namely, the study of righteousness and reason, the study of textual research and the study of ci and chapter. Yao Nai, a representative of Tongcheng School, said: "There are three ways to learn aftertaste: saying righteousness, reasoning, textual research and writing." [25] On the occasion of Jiaqing Daoism, "the study of Confucian classics" sprang up suddenly, and together with the study of righteousness, textual research and lyric poetry, it constituted the so-called "four schools of Confucianism". Yao Nai's grandnephew Yao Ying said: "There are four aspects of learning, namely justice, economy, articles and more knowledge." [26] explicitly put "economics" into China's academic category.

Ruan Yuan said when defining the study of textual research and the study of economy: "The study of restoring ancient ways must be based on the righteous example of the ancients, and it is not false to stick to it and change it. The study of political affairs must know the source of advantages and disadvantages, and the final method of the day after tomorrow can not win its disadvantages, but can last forever. There is no one who is not good at reviewing the past but can be good at politics. " [27] The so-called "forgetting the past" here is textual research; The so-called "study of politics" is the study of statecraft.

On the occasion of Taoism and Salt, "the study of Confucian Classics" and the study of righteousness and reason, textual research, Ci-poetry and Zhang-poetry have become the four major categories of China's traditional scholarship. It was Zeng Guofan, a great scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, who clearly linked the four branches of Confucius with the four branches of Confucianism. He said: "There are four skills in learning: reasoning, textual research, rhetoric and economics. Righteousness is a branch of virtue in Confucius's life, and he was a scholar in Song Dynasty. Textual research is a subject of literature in Confucius, and it is also a scholar in China in this world. The person who writes chapters is a branch of speech in Confucius, and also comes from ancient literature and art and contemporary poetry and fu. Confucian scholars are a branch of political affairs in Confucius, such as rites, political books and anecdotes of the previous generation. " [28] From this passage, it can be clearly seen that "economics" has been regarded as an important academic category in China.

Because of this, Zeng Guofan treated the academic masters of past dynasties according to this academic division when summing up China's traditional scholarship. He said: "For Ruoge, Lu, Fan and Ma, in Shengmen, virtue is also a political matter; Zhou, Cheng, Zhang and Zhu in the sage gate are all subjects of virtue, and they are all just and reasonable. Han, Liu, Ou, Zeng, Li, Du, Su and Huang are all the subjects of words in Shengmen, so-called Ci Zhang; Xu, Zheng, Du, Ma, Gu, Qin, Yao and Wang are all literary subjects in The Holy Gate. Gu, Qin and Ma Su are closely related, and Yao, Wang and Zheng Wei are closely related, all of which are textual research. " [29] In Zeng's view, Confucius' study of virtue is the study of righteousness in later generations, namely, the study of Song Ruzhou, Cheng, Zhang and Zhu; The branch of Confucius' speech is the later study of Ci-Zhang, and the so-called eight schools of Han, Liu, Europe, Zeng, Li, Du and Su belong to the study of Ci-Zhang in Tang and Song Dynasties. The study of Confucian literature, that is, the textual research of later generations, belongs to Xu, Zheng, Du, Ma, Gu, Qin, Yao and Wang after the Han Dynasty.

In this way, the "Four Branches of Confucius" developed to the Qing Dynasty and formed the "Four Branches of Confucianism", which was generally recognized by scholars in the late Qing Dynasty. In Changxing Xue Ji, Kang Youwei divided the knowledge he taught into four categories: one is the study of righteousness and reason, the other is the study of statecraft, the third is the study of textual research, and the fourth is the study of ci and Zhang, and thought that China could not learn these four subjects: "Zhou people have the study of six arts, which is a public school; The study of specialized officials is a private study as well as a world study. Han people all learn Confucian classics, people in the Six Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties learn more characters, people in the Song and Ming Dynasties learn more Neo-Confucianism, and people in the Zhou Dynasty learn more textual research. " [30]

It can be seen that from "four schools of Confucius" to "four schools of Confucianism", it shows that China's traditional academics have begun to evolve into modern academic disciplines. However, it is worth pointing out that the "four Confucian schools" are still classified by research methods, perspectives and approaches, which are very different from the "disciplines" in the modern sense. Strictly speaking, "Four Confucianists" refers to four ways of learning knowledge, not a subject in the modern sense. Guo Songtao, a close friend, said: "I have been a great scholar since my heyday, learning from the wind and learning from reality." In the meantime, there are about three ways for experts to make textual research: saying exegesis, studying and testing words, and distinguishing fakes; Yue textual research, following the classics, is extremely poor; Yue Kan school, collecting ancient books, uneven clutch. The three are of the same origin but different in use, and each has great potential. " [3 1]

Here, the so-called "examiner has about three ways" clearly defines the nature of "four Confucian schools".

Author brief introduction Zuo (1964 ——), male, Ph.D. in history, associate researcher at the Institute of Modern History of China Academy of Social Sciences, deputy director of the Ministry of Culture, and deputy secretary-general of the Society of Modern Chinese Culture, mainly engaged in the study of modern ideological history and cultural history of China.

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