Timeline of Chinese texts

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

This is a timeline of important Chinese texts including their final primary author and character count when available.

11th century BC

Year Date Event
around 1050 BC Etiquette and Ceremonial (56,115 characters) by the Duke of Zhou
11th-7th c. BC Classic of Poetry (39,224 characters)

9th century BC

Year Date Event
around 850 BC I Ching (24,207 characters)
Lianshan
Guicang

5th century BC

Year Date Event
496 BC The Art of War (6,075 characters) by Sunzi
484 BC Book of Documents (25,000 characters) compiled by Confucius
Yi Zhou Shu, materials related to but not compiled into Book of Documents
479 BC Spring and Autumn Annals (~18,000 characters) compiled by Confucius
468 BC Zuo zhuan (196,845 characters) by Zuo Qiuming
451 BC Guoyu (book) by Zuo Qiuming

4th century BC

Year Date Event
391 BC Mozi (book) (~100,000 characters) by Mozi et al.
381 BC Wuzi (16,127 characters) by Wu Qi
around 350 BC Thirty-Six Stratagems
Classic of Filial Piety (1,903 characters)
The Methods of the Sima (3,431 characters) by Sima Rangju
338 BC The Book of Lord Shang (24,519 characters) by Shang Yang
325 BC Wei Liaozi (49,034 characters) by Wei Liao
Tao Te Ching by Laozi
316 BC Sun Bin's Art of War by Sun Bin

3rd century BC

Year Date Event
around 300 BC Book of Rites (99,027 characters)
296 BC Bamboo Annals
289 BC Mengzi (book) (34,685 characters) by Mengzi et al.
286 BC Zhuangzi (book) (64,606 characters) by Zhuang Zhou
284 BC Zhan Guo Ce (120,000 characters) by Su Qin
263 BC Chu Ci by Qu Yuan and Song Yu
239 BC Lüshi Chunqiu by Lü Buwei
238 BC Xunzi (book) (91,000 characters) by Xun Kuang
233 BC Han Feizi (~100,000 characters) by Han Fei
228 BC Shiben
before 221 BC Six Secret Teachings (~20,000 characters)
Rites of Zhou (45,806 characters )

2nd century BC

Year Date Event
186 BC Three Strategies of Huang Shigong (3,800 characters) by Jiang Ziya
before 140 BC Analects (13,113 characters) by Confucius et al.

1st century BC

Year Date Event
94 BC Records of the Grand Historian (533,505 characters) by Sima Qian
around 50 BC Erya (13,113 characters) by anonymous
6 BC Classic of Mountains and Seas (34,744 characters) compiled by Liu Xiang

2nd century

Year Date Event
111 Book of Han (742,298 characters) by Ban Gu

3rd century

Year Date Event
265 Weilüe by Yu Huan
280 Records of the Three Kingdoms (377,803 characters) by Chen Shou

4th century

Year Date Event
361 Chronicles of Huayang (~110,000 characters) by Chang Qu

5th century

Year Date Event
444 A New Account of the Tales of the World by Liu Yiqing
445 Book of Later Han (894,020 characters) by Fan Ye
450 Sunzi Suanjing
488 Book of Song (811,893 characters) by Shen Yue

6th century

Year Date Event
514 Book of Qi (299,257 characters) by Xiao Zixian
522 Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms by Cui Hong
550 Dunhuang Go Manual
554 Book of Wei (998,329 characters) by Wei Shou
590 Jingchu Suishiji

7th century

Year Date Event
636 Book of Liang (294,438 characters) by Yao Silian
Book of Chen (163,382 characters) by Yao Silian
Book of Northern Qi (212,506 characters) by Li Baiyao
Book of Zhou by (262,659 characters) Linghu Defen
648 Book of Jin (1,158,126 characters) by Fang Xuanling
649 Questions and Replies between Tang Taizong and Li Weigong
656 Book of Sui (701,698 characters) by Wei Zheng et al.
659 History of the Southern Dynasties (677,624 characters) by Li Yanshou
History of the Northern Dynasties (1,106,543 characters) by Li Yanshou

8th century

Year Date Event
710 Shitong (~88,000 characters) by Liu Zhiji
724 Treatise on Astrology of the Kaiyuan Era by Gautama Siddha
762 The Classic of Tea (~7,000 characters) by Lu You

9th century

Year Date Event
801 Tongdian (~1,700,000 characters) by Du You

10th century

Year Date Event
945 Old Book of Tang (2,002,600 characters) by Liu Xu
974 Old History of the Five Dynasties (790,879 characters) by Xue Juzheng
978 Taiping Guangji (~3,000,000 characters) by Li Fang
982 Wudai Huiyao by Wang Pu
983 Taiping Yulan (~4,700,000 characters) by Li Fang
986 Wenyuan Yinghua by Li Fang
997 Taiping Huanyu Ji by Yue Shi

11th century

Year Date Event
1013 Cefu Yuangui (~9,400,000 characters) by Wang Qinruo
1014 Jiu Guo Zhi by Lu Zhen
1044 Wujing Zongyao by Zeng Gongliang
1060 New Book of Tang (1,694,794 characters) by Ouyang Xiu
1072 Historical Records of the Five Dynasties (291,476) by Ouyang Xiu
1084 Zizhi Tongjian (~3,000,000 characters) by Sima Guang
1088 Dream Pool Essays by Shen Kuo

12th century

Year Date Event
1107 Treatise on Tea by Emperor Huizong of Song
1180 Sushui Jiwen by Sima Guang

13th century

Year Date Event
1200 Dongdu Shilüe by Wang Cheng
1213 Huang Song Shichao Gangyao Li Zhi
1225 Zhu Fan Zhi by Zhao Rukuo
1274 Qidan Guo Zhi by Ye Longji

14th century

Year Date Event
1339 Daoyi Zhilüe by Wang Dayuan
1344 History of Liao (296,254 characters) by Toqto'a (Yuan dynasty)
History of Jin (931,070 characters) by Toqto'a (Yuan dynasty)
1345 History of Song (3,980,123 characters) by Toqto'a (Yuan dynasty)
1370 History of Yuan (1,611,849 characters) by Song Lian
1372 Water Margin (~960,000 characters) by Shi Naian
1395 Huolongjing by Jiao Yu and Liu Ji
1396 Baiyi Zhuan by Qian Guxun and Li Sicong

15th century

Year Date Event
1400 Romance of the Three Kingdoms (~900,000 characters) by Luo Guanzhong
1408 Yongle Encyclopedia (~370,000,000 characters)
1451 Yingya Shenglan by Ma Huan

16th century

Year Date Event
1561 Jixiao Xinshu (~74,000 characters) by Qi Jiguang
1578 Compendium of Materia Medica (~2,000,000 characters) by Li Shizhen
1582 Journey to the West (~860,000 characters) by Wu Cheng'en
1590 A Book to Burn by Li Zhi

17th century

Year Date Event
1620 Stories Old and New by Feng Menglong
1621 Wubei Zhi by Mao Yuanyi
1624 Stories to Caution the World by Feng Menglong
1627 Stories to Awaken the World by Feng Menglong
Slapping the Table in Amazement by Ling Mengchu
1635 Dijing Jingwulue by Liu Tong
1637 Tiangong Kaiwu by Song Yingxing
1689 Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms by Wu Renchen

18th century

Year Date Event
1739 History of Ming (2,802,544 characters) by Zhang Tingyu
1764 Dream of the Red Chamber (730,000 characters) by Cao Xueqin
1773 Complete Library of the Four Treasuries (~800,000,000 characters)

References