The last sentence of Chapter 10 of the Analects describes a brief encounter between Confucius and a hen-pheasant, and it does so in puzzling terms, ridden with lexical difficulties. At the same time, intertextual references insert this fragment into the context of Confucius’ life mission as well as of Chinese mythological narratives. This contribution assesses the fragment’s meaning and significance: Confucius’ reaction to the hen-pheasant unveils his evolving understanding of the Heavenly Mandate bestowed upon him. The fragment thus forcefully concludes (...) the chapter in which it is inserted. Additionally, I put forward a hypothesis: the focus of this narrative, coupled with its positioning at the end of Chapter 10, induce us to postulate that it may have been purposefully located at the very center of the Analects, a proposition that reverberates on the way we look at the composition of the book. (shrink)

The present article discusses remarks and suggestions made by Andrew Meyer and Dennis Schilling on a previous contribution of the author. It assesses the status of the root-branches analogy in the Huainanzi 淮南子, and the compatibility of the said analogy with the composition of the same work as a ring composition. It also discusses the numerology proper to the Huainanzi in view of the principles provided by the Yijing 易經. It compares the structural arrangements of the Huainanzi with the ones (...) found in the various versions of the Daodejing 道德經. It concludes on the relationship that these two works establish between the understanding the Way (dao 道) and knowledge about shapes and numbers. (shrink)