在宋代士大夫主導的經筵講席的定位和經筵講義的選擇上，經歷了一個由政治功利主義的「治」，轉向為道德理想主義的「道」的過程。北宋政治生活的變遷，促進了以《大學》為思想框架、以《四書》學為核心的新經典體系的建設和發展。宋儒建構的《四書》學本來是士人精神人格的表達，記載了士人的政治理念與文化理想，但宋代士大夫通過經筵的講學平臺，主張以《四書》作為帝王、太子必須學習的新「帝學」，進一步推動了《四書》經典化的進程。

The Classics Colloquia (Jingyan) system of the Northern Song period underwent a process in which its foundational aim changed from a search for governance strategies to that of perfecting the moral character of the ruler, thereby bringing the question of 「inner sageliness」 to the attention of the Song scholar-officials. Whether with regard to the overall positioning and characterisation of Song period Classics Colloquia lectures or the selection of their central content, there was on the part of the Song scholar-officials a gradual transition in emphasis away from politically utilitarian 「governance」 toward the moral idealism of 「dao」, thereby expediting the development of a new canonical system with the Great Learning as its overarching intellectual framework and the Four Books as its core constituents. The construction of a systematic academic framework for study of the Four Books was originally just an expression of the esprit de corps of the literati, wherewith to record their political ideas and cultural ideals. However, by way of the teaching platform provided by the Classics Colloquia, the Song scholar-officials were able to promote the Four Books qua new theory of emperorship to be studied and emulated by both emperors and emperors-in-waiting, thereby giving furtherimpetus to the process of canonisation of the Four Books themselves.