An Inquiry into the Reception and Reinterpretation of The Analects of Confucius in The Historical Records
In the course of writing The Historical Records,Sima Qian demonstrated a high regard for The Analects of Confu-cius.Due to the influence of the revival of Confucianism in the Western Han Dynasty and Sima Qian's own respect for Confu-cius,The Historical Records greatly appreciates The Analects:the former treats the latter as an admissible historical source,and bases its evaluation of political ideas and historical figures on the latter.Based on the acceptance of The Analects,The His-torical Records also reinterprets The Analects:in terms of content,Sima Qian transforms the discourses of The Analects into narratives;in terms of ideology,The Historical Records reflects a clear tendency towards political philosophy.At the same time,the reinterpretation of The Analects in The Historical Records also had a positive impact on the classicalization of The Analects.
The Historical RecordsThe Analects of Confuciusreceptionreinterpretation