Dr. WONG Kai Sum2026-09-082026-09-082021Wong, K. S. (2021 Dec 10). Reexamining the formation history of Kongzi jiayu. International Society of East Asian Philosophy 2021 Conference, Online.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11861/29216Kongzi jiayu, edited and commented by Wang Su (195-256), is a compilation of political discourse and anecdotes centering around Confucius and his disciples. Since scholars from the tenth century onward tend to regard KZJY as a forged text, its study had been largely neglected until the recent decade, when excavated manuscripts necessitated its reexamination. While KZJY is often postulated as a product of gradual textual accretion, existing studies have yet to identify concrete evidence to disentangle its formation process.<br> My investigation of the formation and redaction history of KZJY examines two types of evidence, that require further scholarly attention: 1) The three postscripts of KZJY: Moving beyond the existing dispute over their authenticity, this study turns to a rhetorical analysis, examining their structure, literary devices and narrative strategies. It suggests an anxiety of orthodoxy, with which these materials prescribe to the later audience how they should read and understand KZJY in the context of Han period intellectual history. 2) A comparison of textual sharing between KZJY and Liji: Previous research has shown that KZJY contains extensive textual parallels with over twenty early Chinese compilations, with the largest amount being between KZJY and Liji. By comparing these two texts, this paper sheds light on how the KZJY’s redactors might have revised and transformed earlier writings, arguing for the existence of a multiplicity of textual layers within KZJY. Together, these two lines of inquiries reveal not only the early evolution of KZJY, but also textual and scholarly practices during the Han period.enKongzi JiayuLijiTextual Accretion IntertextualityPeer Reviewed Journal Article