Abstract: In two popular versions of the Book of Changes:Zhouyibenyi(Annotation on the Book of Changes by ZHU Xi)and Zhouyichengshizhuan(Annotation on the Book of Changes by CHENG Yi),there is an anonymous preface of the same text,also collected in the Erchengji(A Collection by CHENG Hao and CHENG Yi).So it raises two questions that who wrote that preface and why it was compiled in different books.Based on textual research,BAI Shouyi pointed out that its author is neither CHENG Yi nor ZHU Xi,and investigated the reason why it was placed in the preface of Zhouyichengshizhuan and Zhouyibenyi through examining the literature circulation.Later researchers ignored BAI Shouyi's discovery and found an article of almost the same text in Fuzhiji(A Collection by ZHOU Xingji),which is ZHOU Xingji's personal article collection,so most of the later studies focused on the relationship between this preface and CHENG Yi or ZHOU Xingji,and did not explore the reasons why it appeared in Zhouyichengshizhuan and Zhouyibenyi.Reviewing the researches of BAI Shouyi and other researchers,this paper believes that only by solving the two questions,that is,who wrote this preface and why it was compiled in Zhouyichengshizhuan,Zhouyibenyi and Erchegnji,will there be a comprehensive and complete analysis to the authorship.Examination on the whole process of this preface being wrongly signed,incorrectly collected and mistakenly placed can provide a sound foundation to prove the author of this article is ZHOU Xingji rather than CHENG Yi or ZHU Xi.In addition,the textual research method examined in this research also shows the importance of literature investigation in the study of ideological history.

Key words: Yixu(The Preface to the Book of Changes), Zhouyichengshizhuan(Annotation on the Book of Changes by CHENG Yi), Zhouyibenyi(Annotation on the Book of Changes by ZHU Xi), BAI Shouyi, Yijiangyixu(The Preface to the Illustration on the Book of Changes), ZHOU Xingji, the study of ideological history