{100} Textual Variations in the Different Editions of the Text

Journal

Entry no. 26: The 1526 edition has hu “remiss,” instead of wang , “forgetting,” rendering the translation, “I cannot allow for even a moment of being remiss.” I follow the Siku’s reading of wang, forgetting.

Entry no. 28: The 1526 edition has zi “reckless,” instead of wang, forgetting, in the Siku edition.

Entry no. 30: Here the 1590 and Siku editions have an obvious textual error. They have Zisi the name of the author of Practicing the Mean, instead of jiusi the nine matters. I follow the 1526 edition here.

Entry no. 32: The Siku edition reads ting-jian , “in the courtyard” or veranda, while the 1526 and 1590 editions have cheng-jian , “on a path between the fields.” I follow the latter reading, in line with Wu’s inclinations to be out of doors. There is no overriding reason why the other reading cannot be used.

Entry no. 56: I follow the 1526 and 1590 editions that read , instead of the Siku edition that reads , “If I wish to criticize, I must think about myself, whether I am capable of it.”

Entry no. 273 The Siku edition has the character sheng , to be born or to produce, while the 1526 edition has zuo , to sit. I follow the latter reading.

Letters and Miscellaneous

Letter 1: I follow the 1526 edition reading of chang “once,” instead of the Siku edition that has chang “often.”

Letter 2: I follow the 1526 reading here instead of the Siku edition that has , “How could he have any sense of satisfaction with himself?”