Here is a translation of the recorded thoughts and deeds that best remember Confucius - informed for the first time by the manuscript version found at Dingzhou in 1973, a partial text dating to 55 b.c.e. and only made available to the scholarly world in 1997. Based on the earliest Analects yet discovered, this translation provides us with a new perspective on the central canonical text that has defined Chinese culture - and clearly illuminates the spirit and mind-set of Confucius.

Based on the latest research and complete with both Chinese and English texts, this revealing translation serves both as an excellent introduction to Confucian thought and as an authoritative addition to sophisticated debate.