4 Evils of Government
Confucius was asked by Zizhang, one of his younger disciples, what a man must be like to be suitable for a government post. It’s a good question with an appropriately Confucian emphasis: getting yourself right before attempting to rule others. Somewhat gnomically, Confucius replies that that the key is to respect the five ‘beautiful traits’ and to avoid the four ‘abhorrent ones’ (or the ‘four evils’). After a discussion of the beautiful traits, Zizhang asks for the bad ones.
4 Symbols & the 28 Mansions
The four symbols, which could be translated 'signs', are the traditional way of dividing the night sky. Each quadrant then gets subdivided further into seven 'mansions' (宿), which is something like a resting place or a temporary lodging, making a total of 28. They are linked to the movement of the moon, so that each mansion is crossed in turn as the moon orbits the earth.
4 Books of Zhu Xi
Zhu Xi (1130-1200) was a Confucian scholar of the Southern Song (1127-1276). Incredibly learned and prolific, he ushered in a Neo-Confucian revival. His commentaries on the Four Books, which he singled out as the core classics of the Confucian canon, became prescribed reading for government officials.
