On Poetic Study in Confucian Analects

Confucius inherited the practices of learning and application of poem-teaching approach in the Spring and Autumn Period to restore the rites of Zhou as his personal responsibility.The key point of the poem-teaching approach in the Confucian Analects is on the special connotation of the phrase The horses are running around on errands(思无邪) and the sentence It is by the poems that the mind is aroused of;it is by the rites that the character is established;it is from music that the finish is consolidated(兴于诗,立于礼,成于乐) is the teaching stages of Confucius.Confucius thought that the Book of Songs was rich in knowledge and revealed true sentiment of writers and therefore it is necessary to regulate students’ thought and behaviour through rites and music.The Book of Songs is a concrete text and therefore it is easier for students to learn.From the contents and style to the moral values of the rites and ritual ceremonies is an advance study on the concrete text.Music is made according to the rites and ritual ceremonies and therefore it can only be learned at a later stage to consolidate what have learned.