当局者迷 — “The participant is confused”

During the Tang Dynasty, Minister Geng Guang proposed to Emperor Xuanzong that 'Lei Li' (also known as 'Li Ji'), a classic revised by the famous early Tang chancellor Wei Zheng, should be formally listed as a Confucian classic. Emperor Xuanzong readily agreed and ordered Yuan Dan and others to carefully proofread and annotate it. However, Right Prime Minister Zhang Shuo expressed a different opinion. He argued that the current 'Li Ji' in use was compiled by Dai Sheng during the Western Han Dynasty and had been used for nearly a thousand years; moreover, Zheng Xuan of the Eastern Han had already added annotations, making it an established classic. He questioned the necessity of replacing it with Wei Zheng's revised version.

Xuanzong found his arguments reasonable and changed his mind. But Yuan Dan believed the text should indeed be updated. To articulate his view, he wrote an essay titled 'Shi Yi' (Explanation of Doubts) in the form of a dialogue between a host and a guest.

The guest first asked, 'Between the "Li Ji" compiled by Dai Sheng with Zheng Xuan's annotations and the one revised by Wei Zheng, which is superior?' The host replied, 'Dai Sheng's version, from the Western Han onwards, has undergone many revisions and annotations, leading to numerous inconsistencies. Wei Zheng took these factors into account when he reorganized it, but who would have thought that those who cling to old ways would object!'

The guest nodded after hearing this and remarked, 'Yes, it's just like playing chess; the player himself is confused, while the onlookers see everything clearly.'