Originally, this term referred to universal ways and the texts in which they are recorded. Later, it came to refer to written texts that set standards. Jing (经) here describes the warp yarns on a loom. Because warp yarns have to be steady for the weft to go through and thus create a woven fabric, it has come to signify underlying norms. Subsequently, people refer to those texts that contain underlying rules and can serve as guidelines for thought and behavior as jing (classics). Examples of such classics include the Six Classics, Buddhist sutras, Laozi, and Yellow Emperor’s Internal Canon of Medicine. Dian (典) originally described the holding, with both hands, of a book of bound bamboo strips to worship the spirits. It subsequently came to include all bamboo strips, documents, and books that set standards and norms as well as such concepts as models, principles, or the constant way. Used together, those two Chinese characters refer to authoritative writings that articulate universal ways. In ancient China, this term mainly referred to the Four Books and Five Classics of Confucianism. In modern times, it has become the equivalent to the English word “classics,” referring in general to authoritative writings with enduring influence in various disciplines, writings that have become a source of inspiration of human civilization.