The text is clearly a conjoining of several smaller texts that were put together over several centuries by Confucius’s disciples and subsequent followers. Robert Eno of Indiana University wrote: Each chapters is “composed of a series of sayings in an order which sometimes seems cogent, but more often seems random. After Chapter Ten or Twelve you get a lot of fishy Taoist stuff.'ĭr.

told Atlantic Monthly, 'We have known for a long time that some of the later parts of the book are suspect.

University of Southern California historian John Wills Jr. The first half of The Analects is stylistically and thematically very different from the second half. Confucius himself once said he merely 'transmitted' what was taught to him 'without making anything up' on his own. More likely they were compiled by his disciples and written down by other people. The 20 chapters and 497 verses of The Analects were unknown until 300 years after his death. Confucius reportedly compiled the sayings, aphorism, maxims and episodes that make up The Analects during his retirement. The original Chinese title meant “collated sayings”. “Analects” means brief sayings or literary fragments. The principal source for the thought of Confucius is a text known as “The Analects of Confucius”. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.Ancient version of the Analects from Dunhuang This lively new translation with clear explanatory notes by one of the foremost scholars of classical Chinese provides the ideal introduction to the Analects for readers who have no previous knowledge of the Chinese language and philosophical traditions.ĪBOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. They have retained their freshness and vigour throughout the two and a half millennia of their currency, and are still admired even in today's China. Compulsory reading in the late Imperial period for all who wished to enter the Civil Service or Government, his sayings and those of his disciples form the foundation of a distinct social, ethical, and intellectual system. Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Global Public Healthįew individuals have shaped their country's civilization more profoundly than the Master Kong (Confucius, 551-479 BC).The European Society of Cardiology Series.Oxford Commentaries on International Law.

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