This is a timeline of important Chinese texts including their final primary author and character count when available.
11th century BC
edit| 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
edit| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| around 850 BC | I Ching (24,207 characters) | |
| Lianshan | ||
| Guicang |
5th century BC
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 111 | Book of Han (742,298 characters) by Ban Gu |
3rd century
edit| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 265 | Weilüe by Yu Huan | |
| 280 | Records of the Three Kingdoms (377,803 characters) by Chen Shou |
4th century
edit| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 361 | Chronicles of Huayang (~110,000 characters) by Chang Qu |
5th century
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 801 | Tongdian (~1,700,000 characters) by Du You |
10th century
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1107 | Treatise on Tea by Emperor Huizong of Song | |
| 1180 | Sushui Jiwen by Sima Guang |
13th century
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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
edit| 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) |