In 1190, Chu Hsi published an edition of the Four Books, which he ragarded as the basic curriculum for Confucian eduction. Of the four, he recommended that the Ta-hsueh be read first, calling it the "outline for learning." This is a study of the Ta-hsueh text, its history prior to the Sung dynasty, its new prominence in the Sung, and the reasons why Chu Hsi found the text so intellectualy and philosophically compelling. Includes an original annotated translation of the text.