James Legge

The Analects James Legge

One of the Most Influential Books of All Time, The Analects of Confucius collects the sayings of this philosopher, scholar, politician, and teacher of ancient China. Following his death in 479 BC, followers of Confucius wrote about aspects of his life and teaching they felt were important. These writings continued the teaching of Confucian philosophy. They were added to over the next several centuries. The order of the original documents has been rearranged significantly. This anthology of quotes from Confucius and his disciples, important events in his life, and descriptions of him are today called the The Analects of Confucius or just The Analects. The Analects is comprised of roughly 500 strips gathered into 20 'Books', generally referred to by roman numerals. Scholars also make a distinction between the 'upper text' (Books I - X) and the 'lower text' (Books XI - XX), since the 'upper text' shares a fair amount of characteristics in regards to structure, vocabulary and length.