The Analects Interpretation

Author: Zha Zhengxian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Confucius, styled Qiu and known as Zhongni, has two proposed birth years: one suggests he was born in the 21st year of Duke Xiang of Lu (551 BC), while the other proposes the 22nd year (550 BC). The Republic of China government adopted the former view and determined his birth date as the 28th day of the 9th lunar month on the Gregorian calendar. Consequently, this view has been upheld for the traditional commemoration of Confucius's birthday and the official worship of Confucius that has emerged in recent years. He passed away in the 16th year of Duke Ai of Lu (479 BC) at the age of 72. The Analects is a classic text recording the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples. As a result, there are numerous ancient commentaries on The Analects, with diverse interpretations, making it rare for other books to match its volume and complexity. In modern times, various translations and interpretations of The Analects in contemporary literary styles have continuously been published, further adding to the diversity of explanations. To accommodate the needs of teaching and reading classical texts in university classrooms, this edition adopts a method that primarily incorporates several important ancient commentaries while supplemented by limited modern interpretations. The editor has rarely expressed personal opinions on individual annotations and has intentionally minimized the use of modern literary styles to explain the meanings of words.