Zhu Xi's "the Analects Of Confucius Variorum" Research

It’s the upsurge of the study of the Song Dynasty that makes traditional Neo-Confucianism replace explanations of words in ancient books in Han and Tang Dynasty. The explanations of Confucian classics of Confucians in Song Dynasty are not limited to notes and commentaries of words in the text. They pay more attention to the elucidation of essential ideas of sages and the virtuous implied in these classics. The Analects of Confucius Variorum came into being under such circumstances. On the one hand, it inherits the tradition that Confucians in Northern Song Dynasty pays attention to the elucidation of Neo-Confucianism; on the other hand, it didn’t abolish the emphasis on the skills of explanations of words in ancient books since the Han and Tang Dynasties. This is the main embodiment of the characteristics of integration of the Han and Song Dynasties. Zhuxi’s the Analects of Confucius Variorum opened up a new explanatory style and thought of the Analects of Confucius. And this makes the Analects of Confucius Variorum as the official study and go in fashion as long as six hundred years.This paper researches Zhuxi’s the Analects of Confucius Variorum, and makes reference to Zhu Zi YuLei,ZhuXi’s Collection and so on. It elaborates writing background, writing process, explanatory characteristics, explanatory methods and literary connotation and then concludes the status and the influence of the Analects of Confucius Variorum.This paper concludes five parts:The first part Introduction illustrates the research motivation of this paper and summarizes the research situations of The Analects of Confucius Variorum in recent years. Then it points out shortcomings of the research at the present stage and proposes the research perspective and method of this paper and unfolds the author’s research method and thought process. The second part Writing Background of the Analects of Confucius Variorum discusses the special history background of studies of The Four Books which is represented by notes of The Analects of Confucius. It came into being in early Song Dynasty and initiates in Southern Song Dynasty and flourishes from then on.The third part Writing Process of the Analects of Confucius Variorum emphasizes that the writing of the Analects of Confucius Variorum does not reach the goal in one step. It went through periods of rudiment, development and maturity and was written for more than forty years. Through the comparison and analysis of the representative works about the Analects of Confucius of the three periods by Zhuxi, this paper examines Zhuxi’s composing situations of making choices and reveals the train of thought changes of Zhuxi in different periods.The-fourth part talks about Explanatory Characteristics of Zhuxi’s the Analects of Confucius Variorum. Against the background of the declination of article science and the rise of Neo-Confucianism, the Analects of Confucius Variorum embodies the explanatory characteristics of attaching importance to Neo-Confucianism and not abolishing explanations of words in ancient books and integration. The Analects of Confucius Variorum both absorbs the fruits of explanations of words in ancient books in the Han and Tang Dynasties and integrates old and new ideas on the basis of gathering many theories which open up a new route for classic explanations.The fifth part literary connotation of the Analects of Confucius Variorum evaluates the literary values of noted texts by Zhuxi from perspectives of language, figures of speech and literary criticism.