Who Wrote the Analects?

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the Analects, which is a collection of 512 passages arranged in twenty chapters that describe what Confucius said. The chapter talks about the rationalist neo-Confucian philosopher Zhu Xi who selected the Analects as one of the Four Books to read in order to understand Confucian teachings during the Song dynasty. It also mentions the Five Classics of Confucianism that were traditionally ascribed to Confucius in the sense that he wrote some and edited others. The chapter discusses Ban Gu, a Chinese politician and poet who provided the seminal narrative for how it was thought the Analects was compiled. It also pays attention to the poet and politician Liu Zongyuan, who expressed the opinion that disciples of Zengzi compiled the Analects.