Abstract: As an important form of writing that carries the ideas of Neo-Confucianism,quotations are often considered different from annotations and articles,and they are the texts that can continue the spirit of lectures and utilize the advantages of face-to-face teaching.However,this understanding is not entirely consistent with the views of Neo- Confucianism scholars in the Song Dynasty.Quotations belong to a special form between oral and written transmission,and their advantages in oral transmission cannot conceal their drawbacks in written transmission.The distortion and loss of control of the texts caused by the intervention of the recorders,as well as the deviation from the non-utilitarian and experiential spirit of Neo-Confucianism in the process of compiling and using quotations,have given rise to the criticism from scholars like Cheng Yi,Xie Liangzuo.The critics may seem to deny the value of quotations,but in reality,they have played a role in regulating the behaviors of recording and reading quotations,leading them back to the right track of acquiring knowledge through observations of things.Quotations and articles are both tools for conveying truth,and neither is superior to the other.Their opposition is triggered by the daily philosophy of Neo-Confucianism,and the discourse debate between the statement of “writing harms truth” and the statement of “quotations are not literary” confirms their limitations and vitality in different spaces.

Key words: quotations, Neo-Confucianism, discourse debate, the statement of “writing harms truth”, the statement of “quotations are not literary”