Four Books App

Study the Classics | Learn Classical Chinese

Ancient teachings, correct transmission, modern tech.

Coming soon to iPhone, iPad, and desktop—the traditional Confucian curriculum—the Four Books: the Great Learning, the Analects, the Book of Mengzi, and the Doctrine of the Mean. Transmitted through traditional interpretation and an established lexicon, utilizing clean and functional Apple Native UI.

Key Features

  • Traditional Interpretation

    A public benefit project to translate Zhu Xi’s never before translated “Four Books with Collected Commentaries” 《四書章句集注》, the most influential East Asian classic of the last millennium.

  • Established Lexicon

    Builds upon the translation lexicon perfected by Wing-tsit Chan, with roots going back to James Legge. Honoring lineage—updated for modern pinyin with conservative refinements.

  • Apple Native UI

    Pure Apple native tech throughout: SwiftUI, FTS5 search, and an expertly engineered Confucian SQLite database with lightning-fast performance. Also coming, "Classicist AI" integration.

  • Optimized Multi-platform

    iPhone features intuitive tab bar design for one-handed navigation on the go, while iPad leverages a powerful sidebar plus content list for efficient browsing through hundreds of verses.

  • Learn Classical Chinese

    Dual-language presentation with original Chinese verses alongside English translations. Phase two will introduce modules for learning Classical Chinese by direct engagement with these classics.

  • Reading Experience

    Meticulous attention readability, both in translation as wells as from typesetting—this Classic deserves to be both scholarly and good reading, just as the native text is.