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Classic of Poetry

c. 11th–7th century BCE · 11th century BCE · Also known as Shijing, Book of Songs, Book of Odes

The Classic of Poetry, or Shijing, is the oldest Chinese collection of poems, with 305 songs dating from the Western Zhou to the middle of the Spring and Autumn period. It includes folk songs from the states, court hymns and sacrificial odes. Traditionally said to have been edited by Confucius, it became one of the Five Classics of Confucian learning.

Classic of Poetry
Image: Aethelwolf Emsworth. · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 5 profiles

Western ZhouSocioeconomy, ImpactState of ChuImpactState of QinSummaryClassical ChineseLiteratureConfucianismTexts

Mentioned in 2 state histories

State of WeyState of Shen

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Classic of Poetry. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/classic-of-poetry
MLA
“Classic of Poetry.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/classic-of-poetry. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Classic of Poetry.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/classic-of-poetry.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Classic of Poetry’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/classic-of-poetry (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻