Abstract: The chapter “Qiao Xiao Qian Xi” in The Analects of Confucius records that Zi Xia asked Confucius some questions about poetry and that there was a dialogue that was cyclical and meaningful between the master and disciple.This chapter involves many issues such as traditional poetry studies,ritual studies and artistic aesthetics.Ancient and modern interpretations of these issues differ widely,especially the relationship between “simplicity” and “ritual”,as well as the value attribute of “ritual”.According to the syntax of The Book of Songs and the logical hierarchy expressed in the “Qiao Xiao Qian Xi” chapter of The Analects of Confucius,it is highly likely that the expression of “Su Yi Wei Xuan Xi”is not a poetic line,but a commentary on poetry and literature.The text of the chapter “Qiao Xiao Qian Xi” has been constantly changing in later generations,involving many textual phenomena such as text improvement and text convergence,as well as variations in the correlation between different texts.Behind any phenomenon of the text variation,there are ideological factors coming into play,reflecting the mutual shaping power between texts and thoughts.

Key words: The Analects of Confucius, “Su Yi Wei Xuan Xi”, ideological debate, the landscape of textual changes