7The Four Books is the authoritative canon of texts of Confucianism. The Four Books was compiled by the Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi during the Song Dynasty. This edition of the Four Books features Legge's timeless translations of these works coupled with the original Chinese. Whether one is a practitioner of Confucianism, or merely wants an introduction to the thought of the great Ru philosophers, this edition of the Four Books will be an invaluable resource to the reader.