Explored the relationship between Qian Mu and Japanese Chinese studies, pointing out that although Qian Mu did not study abroad, his academic ideas were influenced by foreign knowledge. Qian Mu indirectly came into contact with Japanese academia through his teachers, friends, and reading Japanese books, especially the profound influence of Kaijiang Yoshimaru's "Research on Confucius". The article analyzes Qian Mu's early academic turn, the writing of "Essentials of the Analects", and his reference to Japanese Chinese studies, revealing Qian Mu's broad academic perspective and rich resources, emphasizing the importance of integrating foreign knowledge on the basis of traditional culture.

1、 The Encounter between Qian Mu and "Research on Confucius"

The academic connection between Qian Mu and the author of "Research on Confucius", Xie Jiang Yi Wan, can be traced back to before 1920. Qian Mu indirectly learned about Xie Jiang by reading Cai Yuanpei's translation of "Principles of Ethics". In 1923, Qian Mu accidentally came into contact with "Research on Confucius" at Wuxi Third Normal School and developed a strong interest in it. He also self studied Japanese for reading. Qian Mu used "Research on Confucius" to compile lecture notes on "The Analects" and ultimately compiled them into a book called "Essentials of the Analects", which was published by the Commercial Press. Xie Jiang Yi Wan's "Research on Confucius" is his doctoral dissertation and representative work. The book extensively examines the deeds of Confucius, analyzes his character, and uses Western philosophical and ethical methods to study his thoughts. Qian Mu criticized Confucianism during the May Fourth Movement, but later, after reading "Research on Confucius", he re examined Confucius and returned to the position of respecting Confucius, forming a conscious conservatism. The study of Confucius had a significant impact on Qian Mu's academic transformation, prompting him to examine Confucius from a new perspective and deepen his understanding of Confucianism.

2、 The Relationship between "Essentials of the Analects" and "Research on Confucius"

During the compilation process of "Essentials of the Analects", Qian Mu extensively referred to the "Study of Confucius" by the Japanese scholar Xie Jiangyiwan, and clearly imitated the latter in terms of structural framework, research content, and order. Qian Mu simplified and reorganized the content of "Research on Confucius" in "Essentials of the Analects of Confucius", while incorporating his own research and viewpoints, such as different views on Confucius' birthday and research on the age of Duke Jing of Qi. In terms of Confucius' daily life and personality description, Qian Mu has renamed and arranged it based on the materials of "Research on Confucius", but there is no significant difference from Crab River in the main conclusions and viewpoints. In terms of Confucianism, Qian Mu omitted the discussions on Confucius' political, educational, metaphysical and other aspects in the Book of Crab River, focused on Confucius' ethical thoughts, and opposed the research method of "interpreting from the West to the Middle". Qian Mu's discourse on Confucius' disciples in "Essentials of the Analects" partially compensates for the unfulfilled wishes of Xie Jiang. From the comparison of each chapter, it can be seen that Qian Mu's transition from imitating "Research on Confucius" to gradually breaking away from imitation demonstrates his academic growth and reflection on the path of scholarship.

3、 Residual sound and echo

Qian Mu's research on the Analects was deeply influenced by the book "Research on Confucius", which not only sparked his interest in the study of ancient literature, but also prompted him to enter the field of textual criticism, becoming an important turning point in his academic career. Qian Mu recognized the omissions in "The Family of Confucius" in "Records of the Grand Historian" through "Research on Confucius", and subsequently wrote "Chronological Analysis of the Pre Qin Philosophers", surpassing "Research on Confucius" in textual criticism. Qian Mu's academic research gradually matured, but he did not completely abandon the perspective of comparing Chinese and Western cultures in "Research on Confucius". His discourse on Confucius' "reconciliationism" and works such as "The Cosmology in the Book of Changes and the Book of Rites" were inspired by him. Qian Mu highly praised Japanese Sinology and Chinese studies. Although he was unable to read new Japanese works later on, he still referred to the annotations of the Edo period Chinese version of the Analects in his book "New Interpretation of the Analects". Although Qian Mu's "Essentials of the Analects" was not translated into Japanese, his "Biography of Confucius" was translated into Japanese in 1975, demonstrating the profound influence of academic exchanges between China and Japan. Qian Mu believes that Confucius is the main source of the common cultural system of Eastern ethnic groups, and his academic research has become a part of the history of Confucian exchange in East Asia.