Harmony Among Men, Mastery of Math in the ‘Three Character Classic’

Yang Hui (Pascal’s) triangle, as depicted by Zhu Shijie in 1303, using counting rods. The Chinese mathematician Yang Hui discovered this triangular array 300 years before his French counterpart Blaise Pascal was born.

The Three Character Classic, or San Zi Jing, is the best known classic Chinese text for children. Written by Wang Yinlian (1223–1296) during the Song Dynasty, it has been memorized by generations of Chinese, both young and old. Until the 1800s, the Three Character Classic was the very first text that every child would study.

The text’s rhythmic, short, and simple three-character verses allowed for easy reading and memorization. This enabled children to learn common characters, grammar structures, lessons from Chinese history, and above all how to conduct oneself.