Doctrine of the Mean: Bilingual Edition, English and Chinese 中庸: A Confucian Classic of Ancient Chinese Literature 四書

This edition of Doctrine of the Mean features both English and Chinese side by side for easy reference and bilingual support. The paragraphs are organized for easy reading.

Doctrine of the Mean is a doctrine of Confucianism and one of the Four Books of Confucian philosophy. In China prior to the twentieth century the Doctrine of the Mean was integrated into the education system state wide. Also, one of the prerequisites for employment in the imperial government was the study and understanding of the Four Classics, included in this is the Doctrine of the Mean. The imperial state wanted to reinforce the three bonds of society; between the parent and child, husband and wife, and ruler and subject. This was believed to emphasize a peaceful home and an orderly state.

Recently in China, the New Confucians revisited the Classics, because of its strong foundation in the educational system. Using the Doctrine of the Mean has become a useful source for New Confucians due to the similarities in the terminology and expression used by them and found within the text. This is further reinforced by the support from ancient sages and worthies who prefer education systems more closely linked to traditional Confucian thought.

The bilingual study edition also includes a study guide with additional materials.

《中庸》是儒家經典的《四書》之一。原是《禮記》第三十一篇，內文的寫成約在戰國末期至西漢之間，作者是誰尚無定論，一說是孔伋所作（子思著《中庸》），載於另一說是秦代或漢代的學者所作。宋朝的儒學家對中庸非常推崇而將其從《禮記》中抽出獨立成書，朱熹則將其與《論語》、《孟子》、《大學》合編為《四書》。

「中庸」在字面上的解釋即是之意，而執中又當求「中和」，在一個人還沒有表現出喜怒哀樂時的的平靜情緒為「中」，表現出情緒之後經過調整而符合常理為「和」。其主旨在于修養人性。其中關聯及學習的方式（博學、審問、慎思、明辨、篤行），做人的規範如「五達道」（君臣、父子、夫婦、昆弟（兄弟）、朋友之交）和「三達德」（智、仁、勇）等。中庸所追求的修養的最高境界是「至誠」。而三字經云：「中不偏，庸不易。」

中庸強調「誠」的重要，誠即是《大學》中所述說的「誠意」。「誠」被說成是人先天的本性，而所謂「不誠無物」，至誠的人才能充分的發揮本性與感化人群，進而成為人們的最高典範。