A snapshot of Chinese intellectual history often points to a single source for the Great Learning: Zengzi (Zeng Shen), one of Confucius’s most dedicated disciples. While the ideas themselves trace back to Confucius’s own notes—part of the sprawling Book of Rites—the concise chapter known today as the Great Learning was carved out and shaped by Zengzi into a standalone guide on moral cultivation.

Legend has it that Confucius jotted down key maxims on virtue and governance, then passed them on to Zengzi for further refinement. Zengzi honed those insights into three core steps—cultivating the person, regulating the family, and governing the state—actually hitting the nail on the head for anyone hoping to balance personal growth with societal harmony.

Fast-forward to modern times, and the Great Learning still finds its way into classrooms across East Asia and is spotlighted in China’s push to re-embrace traditional culture. Its emphasis on “investigating things” and “extending knowledge” even resonates with today’s fascination for mindfulness and lifelong learning. When heads of state quote it at conferences or tech entrepreneurs invoke its principles of self-discipline, it becomes clear that Zengzi’s tailored distillation of Confucius’s wisdom remains as vital now as it was over two millennia ago.