Classics
Short classical texts that Chinese readers know by heart, read line by line.
- 桃花源记 The Peach Blossom Spring · Tao Yuanming
- 五柳先生传 The Master of Five Willows · Tao Yuanming
- 归去来兮辞 Going Home · Tao Yuanming
- 兰亭集序 Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Poems · Wang Xizhi
- 陋室铭 Inscription for a Humble Room · Liu Yuxi
- 春夜宴桃李园序 Preface to a Spring Night Banquet in the Peach and Plum Garden · Li Bai
- 爱莲说 On the Love of the Lotus · Zhou Dunyi
- 岳阳楼记 A Record of Yueyang Tower · Fan Zhongyan
- 醉翁亭记 A Record of the Old Drunkard’s Pavilion · Ouyang Xiu
- 前赤壁赋 The First Rhapsody on the Red Cliff · Su Shi
- 师说 On Teachers · Han Yu
- 静夜思 Quiet Night Thoughts · Li Bai
- 春晓 Spring Dawn · Meng Haoran
- 登鹳雀楼 Climbing Stork Tower · Wang Zhihuan
- 相思 Red Beans · Wang Wei
- 游子吟 A Traveller’s Song · Meng Jiao
- 清明 Qingming Rain · Du Mu
- 九月九日忆山东兄弟 Thinking of My Brothers on the Double Ninth · Wang Wei
- 枫桥夜泊 Night Mooring at Maple Bridge · Zhang Ji
- 元日 New Year’s Day · Wang Anshi
- 水调歌头·明月几时有 When Did the Bright Moon First Appear? · Su Shi
- 木兰辞 The Ballad of Mulan · Anonymous
- 出师表 Memorial on the Campaign · Zhuge Liang
- 马说 On Horses · Han Yu
- 记承天寺夜游 A Night Walk at Chengtian Temple · Su Shi
- 湖心亭看雪 Snow at the Lake Pavilion · Zhang Dai
- 小石潭记 The Little Stone Pool · Liu Zongyuan
- 狼 The Butcher and the Wolves · Pu Songling
- 崂山道士 The Taoist of Laoshan · Pu Songling
- 咏雪 Verses on Snow · Liu Yiqing (compiler)
- 陈太丘与友期行 Keeping an Appointment · Liu Yiqing (compiler)
- 论语·学而 The Analects, Book One: Learning · Confucius and his followers
- 道德经·第一章 The Daodejing, Chapter One · Traditionally attributed to Laozi
- 逍遥游 The opening of Free and Easy Wandering · Traditionally attributed to Zhuangzi
- 鱼我所欲也 Fish and Bear’s Paw · Mencius and his followers
- 大学·经一章 The opening of the Great Learning · Traditionally linked to Zengzi
- 中庸·第一章 The Mean, Chapter One · Traditionally attributed to Zisi
- 谋攻 Attack by Stratagem · Traditionally attributed to Sunzi
- 关雎 Guanju: The Calling Ospreys · Anonymous
- 蒹葭 Jianjia: Among the Reeds · Anonymous
- 大道之行也 The Great Unity · Anonymous compilers
- 劝学（节选） The opening of Exhortation to Learning · Xun Kuang
- 垓下之围 Surrounded at Gaixia · Sima Qian
- 乾 The first hexagram: Qian · Anonymous
- 岩中花树 Flowers on the cliff · Wang Shouren (Wang Yangming)
- 扁鹊见蔡桓公 Bian Que and Duke Huan · Han Fei (received collection)
- 塞翁失马 The old man who lost his horse · Liu An and his court scholars
- 邹忌讽齐王纳谏 Zou Ji and the king of Qi · Compiled by Liu Xiang
- 察今（节选） Examining the present: two river stories · Scholars at Lü Buwei’s court
- 愚公移山 The Foolish Old Man moves the mountains · Traditionally attributed to Lie Yukou
- 公输 Mozi and Gongshu Ban · Mo Di and later Mohists