Abstract: Encyclopedia is generated under the Chinese traditional culture，which is one kind of historical documents with the Chinese characteristics. It has close connections to China’s ancient political，literature，imperial examination，and the daily life as well. Officially compiled encyclopedia was valued by ancient emperors，which became one cultural project paralleled with writing history. Literature encyclopedia penetrated deeply into activities of scholars and left its impress upon Chinese literature. Imperial examination encyclopedia was favored by most scholars，which became necessary for broadening horizons，the accumulation of knowledge and participating in the imperial examinations. Encyclopedia of daily use went deeply into people’s daily life，and became one guide to people’s life.