How to Read the Analects

The Analects is a very confusing book to analyze and understand, mostly due to its format, which is a collection of aphorisms, arranged in, at least at first glance, without any clear rhyme or reason. So, I emailed my English teacher about how I might approach reading the Analects.

Hello!

Last summer, I started reading the Analects, by Confucius. As you might know, it's in the form of a collection of 'sayings' by Confucius. These sayings don't really follow much of an organization, and they are only very vaguely tied to common themes.

I've read a couple verses per day, and so far I'm about half-way through. And yet, I really don't feel like I'm getting anywhere in terms of understanding, or building a cohesive picture of what Confucius's philosophy was. So, I was wondering, how would you best recommend reading a book like this?

Thank you!

-Brandon

His answer was extremely helpful. He advised me to use a technique that we had learned in class called QPC'ing, which, in this context, means that I should look at each of the aphorisms and try to figure out what question that aphorism may be trying to answer. By doing so, I might be able to construct a more complete picture of the conversations that surrounded these aphorisms, making them easier to understand. It would also help me check for any similarities or connections between the questions, to figure out what exactly the flow of the Analects might be.

So, from now on, I'll be posting my QPCs of my copy of the Analects along with my reflections. I'm very excited for this!