Youxue qionglin 幼學瓊林

Youxue qionglin 幼學瓊林 "Jade forest of primary education" is a textbook for primary eduction written in rhymes. It consists of two parts, the first written by the Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) scholar Cheng Dengji 程登吉, courtesy name Yunsheng 允升, the second by the Qing-period 清 (1644-1911) scholar Zou Shengmai 鄒聖脈 (1691-1762), courtesy name Yiyan 宜彦, style Wugang 梧岡.

Cheng's original book was called Youxue 幼學, Youxue xuzhi 幼學須知, Chengyu kao 成語考 or Gushi xunyuan 故事尋源, in various editions. The full name Youxue qionglin or Youxue gushi qionglin 幼學故事瓊林 was created by Zou for the basic text and his own additions. There is also a commentary by Qian Yuanlong 錢元龍 called Youxue xuzhi jujie 幼學須知句解 and one by Dong Chengzhong 董成重 called Youxue qiuyuan 幼學求源.

The Youxue qionglin is a kind of resumme of all important traditional writings, using a lot of older texts, but it also goes beyond the limits of its forerunners and has a very comprehensive character. Unlike older texts it is not bound to four-syllable verses as a method to memorize things. The text is written in prose, but often in paired sentences, without adhering to a very strict principle of rhymes, as older books of primary education did. The book is divided into 30 chapters providing an excellent, encyclopaedic overview of all aspects of nature and human life, from history and human relations to astronomy, geography, the administrative system, clothing, food, palaces, tools and objects, precious stones, diseases and funeral matters, state examinations, the arts, jurisdiction, Daoism and Buddhism, animals and plants.

The Youxue qionglin was very popular during the Qing period and experienced a lot of publications. It was a basic textbook for primary education, side by side with the much more famous Sanzijing 三字經 and Bajiaxing 百家姓.