Shijing
/ʂɻ̩˥ tɕiŋ˥/noun
The earliest surviving anthology of Chinese poetry, traditionally known in English as the Classic of Poetry or Book of Songs.
Did you know?According to a later tradition, Confucius edited or selected the poems, but modern scholarship treats that attribution as uncertain rather than established fact.
Etymological Timeline
Western Zhou, c. 11th–7th century BCE
Old Chinese
詩 (shī)
“Poetry, song, or verse—often connected with ritual performance and courtly expression”
Western Zhou, c. 11th–7th century BCE
Old Chinese
經 (jīng)
“A canonical text or authoritative classic; literally associated with threads or warp in weaving”
Late Zhou, c. 5th–3rd century BCE
Old Chinese
詩經 (Shījīng)
“The Poetry Classic, a collection of ritual, courtly, and popular songs”
2nd century BCE
Han Chinese
詩經 (Shījīng)
“An officially recognized Confucian classic, traditionally transmitted through scholarly lineages”
19th century
English/Wade–Giles
Shih Ching
“Older English romanization of the Chinese title, commonly translated as the Book of Songs”
Modern English/Pinyin
Mandarin Chinese
Shījīng
“The standard modern romanization, translated as the Classic of Poetry”
Explore more surprising origins