Wai-yee Li is the 1879 Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard University. Her recent books include The Peach Blossom Fan (2024), Gender and Friendship in Chinese Literature (2024), A Topsy-Turvy World: Short Plays and Farces from the Ming and Qing Dynasties (Columbia, 2023), and The Promise and Peril of Things: Literature and Material Culture in Late Imperial China (Columbia, 2022).

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviations and Brief Explanations of Frequently Mentioned TextsIntroduction1. Chronicling Confucius2. Arguing with Confucius3. Outsmarting Confucius (or His Followers)4. Settling Scores with ConfuciusNotesWorks CitedIndex

Confucius is among the most admired—and most debated—figures in Chinese history. For some he epitomizes wisdom; for others, unfulfilled aspirations. Wai-yee Li introduces this polyphony through annotated translations of a variety of stories, from Confucius’s biography to a recent internet song. Students and scholars alike will enjoy this book immensely.

Wai-yee Li is the 1879 Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard University. Her recent books include The Peach Blossom Fan (2024), Gender and Friendship in Chinese Literature (2024), A Topsy-Turvy World: Short Plays and Farces from the Ming and Qing Dynasties (Columbia, 2023), and The Promise and Peril of Things: Literature and Material Culture in Late Imperial China (Columbia, 2022).

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviations and Brief Explanations of Frequently Mentioned TextsIntroduction1. Chronicling Confucius2. Arguing with Confucius3. Outsmarting Confucius (or His Followers)4. Settling Scores with ConfuciusNotesWorks CitedIndex

Confucius is among the most admired—and most debated—figures in Chinese history. For some he epitomizes wisdom; for others, unfulfilled aspirations. Wai-yee Li introduces this polyphony through annotated translations of a variety of stories, from Confucius’s biography to a recent internet song. Students and scholars alike will enjoy this book immensely.

Wai-yee Li is the 1879 Professor of Chinese Literature at Harvard University. Her recent books include The Peach Blossom Fan (2024), Gender and Friendship in Chinese Literature (2024), A Topsy-Turvy World: Short Plays and Farces from the Ming and Qing Dynasties (Columbia, 2023), and The Promise and Peril of Things: Literature and Material Culture in Late Imperial China (Columbia, 2022).

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviations and Brief Explanations of Frequently Mentioned TextsIntroduction1. Chronicling Confucius2. Arguing with Confucius3. Outsmarting Confucius (or His Followers)4. Settling Scores with ConfuciusNotesWorks CitedIndex

Confucius is among the most admired—and most debated—figures in Chinese history. For some he epitomizes wisdom; for others, unfulfilled aspirations. Wai-yee Li introduces this polyphony through annotated translations of a variety of stories, from Confucius’s biography to a recent internet song. Students and scholars alike will enjoy this book immensely.