Collected exegeses by He Yan (190-249), Wei dynasty

Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) reprint from Hsu-chun after Liao's Song dynasty Shih-ts'ai Hall edition

 

Though entitled "Lun-yu" (The Analects), this volume in fact represents "Lun-yu chi-chieh" (The Collected Exegeses of the Analects). As for its authorship, scholars in the past mentioned only He Yan as a form of shorthand. In fact, according to the preface, four other scholars (Sun Yung, Cheng Ch'ung, Ts'ao Hsi, and Hsun I) also worked on and submitted this work. The editors of "Ssu-k'u ch'uan-shu-mu" (Contents of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) and "Cheng-t'ang t'u-shu-chi" both only mention He Yan's name in recognition of his stewardship over the project.

 

In historical records, there are differences in the name and number of chapters (chuan) for "Lun-yu chi-chieh." In the annals section on Classics in the "Sui shu" (Book of Sui), it is recorded as "Chi-chieh Lun-yu." The "I-wen chih"(Annals of Arts and Letters) section of the "Chiu T'ang-shu" (Old Book of the Tang) and "Sung shih" (History of the Song dynasty) record it simply as "Lun-yu," whereas the "I-wen chih" section of "Hsin T'ang-shu" (New Book of the Tang) refers to it as "Ho Yen chi-chieh." In pre-Song records, it is said to have comprised 10 chapters. Later, the edition annotated by Zhu Xi in the Song dynasty (960-1279) also consisted of 10 chapters, and the Hsing Ping commentary edition had 20 chapters. Today, both 10- and 20-chapter editions survive.

 

"Lun-yu chi-chieh" consists of the main text and a preface. The preface briefly introduces the history of "Lun-yu" and exegeses by several scholars. It concludes with an explanation of He Yan's purpose, namely to "Collect the names and fine works of philosophers." The main text consists of annotated sections from "Lun-yu." He Yan and the other contributors collected various editions of "Lun-yu" from the Western Han period onward, as well as renowned explanations by Kung An-kuo, Pao Hsien, Ma Jung, Cheng Hsuan, Ch'en Chun, Wang Su, and Chou Sheng-lieh. They brought them together and examined their merits and shortcomings, providing them with new interpretations. "Lun-yu chi-chieh" is thus an edited selection of Han and Wei commentaries to "Lun-yu." Since these commentaries have all been lost, "Lun-yu chi-chieh" remains as the oldest extant annotated edition of "Lun-yu."

 

In the Yuan dynasty, Hsu-chun (also known as Hsu-chiang) was located in Chien-ch'ang, Kiangsi province. Hence, this edition was printed at the time in the Chien-ch'ang Circuit. Liao Ying-shih's Shih-ts'ai-t'ang reprints of the Classics in the Song dynasty were admired and many reprintings in the Yuan dynasty were based on it and provided with further readings. An example is the reprint of the Classics by Mr. Yueh of Hsiang-t'ai in the early Yuan dynasty. The reprint here, while not as exquisite as the original, is nonetheless in beautiful print and carefully collated and edited, thereby clearly remaining true to its source.