Analects

Analects is the conventional English title of the Chinese Lunyu (論語), meaning conversations or discussions[1]. The Lunyu compiles teachings of Confucius and his disciples, recorded by later students. The English title Analects (from Greek analekta, things selected) was given by early Western translators and has become standard[2].

the Analects is short but dense, which is why commentary matters for interpretation.

The Analects is one of the foundational texts of Confucian tradition and East Asian classical learning. It is structured in twenty books, each containing relatively brief passages: questions to Confucius from disciples, his replies, observations on character and conduct, and occasional narrative. The text is not systematic; it is more like a collection of memorable sayings and dialogues than a treatise.

The Analects is short (a thorough English translation runs about 150 pages) but dense. Each saying invites reflection and commentary; major commentary traditions have developed around the text since antiquity. Zhu Xi's 12th century commentary became the standard for centuries in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, shaping the imperial examination system and the broader education of generations of literati.

Major themes in the Analects include ren (humaneness), li (ritual propriety), yi (righteousness), zhi (wisdom), xin (trustworthiness), the cultivation of the junzi (exemplary person), the importance of learning, the relationship between students and teachers, and the proper conduct of rulers. The text is concerned with ethics, education, and politics together rather than as separate domains.

Confucius himself emerges in the Analects as a teacher devoted to his disciples, committed to the rectification of social and political life, sometimes humorous, sometimes severe, often modest about his own attainments. The portrait is unmistakably individual; the Confucius of the Analects is not a generic sage but a specific personality.

The Analects has been studied in East Asia for over two millennia and in the West for several centuries. Translations into English include those by James Legge (19th century), Arthur Waley, D.C. Lau[2], Edward Slingerland, Annping Chin, and many others. Each reflects choices about how to render the often-compressed classical Chinese into English.

Analects scholarship is a major field in Chinese studies. The historical question of how the text was assembled, the relationship of its different layers, and the development of its commentary tradition have produced extensive literature[3]. Comparative philosophy continues to engage the Analects in dialogue with Western, Indian, and other traditions.

• The Analectsby Confucius (translated by D.C. Lau)
  primary source
• Confucius: A Guide for the Perplexedby Yong Huang
  book