# Timeline of Chinese texts

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

## 5th century BC

| Year | Event |
| 496 BC | The Art of War (6,075 characters) by Sunzi |
| 484 BC | Book of Documents (25,000 characters) compiled by Confucius |
| 484 BC | 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 | 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 |
| around 350 BC | Classic of Filial Piety (1,903 characters) |
| around 350 BC | 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 |
| 325 BC | Tao Te Ching by Laozi |
| 316 BC | Sun Bin's Art of War by Sun Bin |

## 3rd century BC

| Year | 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) |
| before 221 BC | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Event |
| 636 | Book of Liang (294,438 characters) by Yao Silian |
| 636 | Book of Chen (163,382 characters) by Yao Silian |
| 636 | Book of Northern Qi (212,506 characters) by Li Baiyao |
| 636 | 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 |
| 659 | History of the Northern Dynasties (1,106,543 characters) by Li Yanshou |

## 8th century

| Year | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Event |
| 1339 | Daoyi Zhilüe by Wang Dayuan |
| 1344 | History of Liao (296,254 characters) by Toqto'a (Yuan dynasty) |
| 1344 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |
| 1627 | 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 | 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) |