This is a timeline of important Chinese texts including their final primary author and character count when available.
11th century BC 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 Year Date Event around 850 BC I Ching (24,207 characters) LianshanGuicang
5th century BC Year Date Event 496 BC The Art of War (6,075 characters) by Sunzi484 BCBook of Documents (25,000 characters) compiled by ConfuciusYi 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 BCZuo zhuan (196,845 characters) by Zuo Qiuming 451 BC Guoyu (book) by Zuo Qiuming
4th century BC 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 Year Date Event around 300 BC Book of Rites (99,027 characters) 296 BCBamboo 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 Shibenbefore 221 BC Six Secret Teachings (~20,000 characters)Rites of Zhou (45,806 characters )
2nd century BC 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 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 Year Date Event 111 Book of Han (742,298 characters) by Ban Gu
3rd century Year Date Event 265 Weilüe by Yu Huan 280 Records of the Three Kingdoms (377,803 characters) by Chen Shou
4th century Year Date Event 361 Chronicles of Huayang (~110,000 characters) by Chang Qu
5th century 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 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 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 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 Year Date Event 801 Tongdian (~1,700,000 characters) by Du You
10th century 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 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 Year Date Event 1107 Treatise on Tea by Emperor Huizong of Song 1180 Sushui Jiwen by Sima Guang
13th century 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 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 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 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 Year Date Eventc. 1600s "Investiture of the Gods" by Xu Zhonglin 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 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)
References