Tentative Discussion on the Lunyu Chen Cited in Li Shan’s Annotations of the Wen Xuan

In his study A Study on the Transmission of the Texts of the Lunyu Chen, Geng Zhanchao points out: “The Lunyu Chen cited in Li Shan’s annotations in the Wen Xuan consists of eight sections, which presumably derive from a privately held manuscript collection, differing from the official fixed edition of ten volumes. Moreover, each section is referred to as a ‘Chen’, which contrasts with the official designation of the Lunyu Wei in government archives. This indicates that the privately circulated Lunyu Chen during the Tang dynasty retained its original form.” From this, it is evident that Li Shan’s annotated version of the Lunyu Chen constitutes an important source for understanding the original shape of the Lunyu Chen within extant literature. Based on the author’s investigation, there exist naming discrepancies among the eight Lunyu Chen texts cited by Li Shan. It is therefore suggested that in the current edition of Li Shan’s Wen Xuan, the title Lunyu Kaobi Chen (論語考比讖) be renamed Lunyu Bigao Chen (论语比考讖), Lunyu Chifu Xiang Chen (論語摛輔像讖) be renamed Lunyu Zhai Fu Xiang Chen (論語摘輔像讖), and Lunyu Zhai Xiang Sheng Cheng Jin Chen (論語摘襄聖承進讖) be renamed Lunyu Zhai Shuai Sheng Cheng Jin Chen (論語摘衰 聖承進讖). Furthermore, with regard to the Lunyu Chen texts cited by Li Shan, aside from a few entries, the majority do not appear in Tang dynasty classics’ commentaries, historical annotations, or categorized bibliographies. This suggests that Li Shan likely did not rely on earlier categorized bibliographies but rather referenced the then-popular prophetic and exegetical texts, specifically the annotated version of the Lunyu Chen by Song Jun.