Editing Book of Documents (section)

=== Early references ===
According to a later tradition, the ''Book of Documents'' was compiled by [[Confucius]] (551–479&nbsp;BC) as a selection from a much larger group of documents, with some of the remainder being included in the ''[[Yi Zhou Shu]]''.{{sfnp|Allan|2012|pp=548–549, 551}} However, the early history of both texts is obscure.{{sfnp|Allan|2012|p=550}} Beginning with Confucius, writers increasingly drew on the ''Documents'' to illustrate general principles, though it seems that several different versions were in use.{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|p=127}}

Six citations to unnamed chapters of the ''Documents''  appear in the ''[[Analects]]''. While Confucius invoked the pre-dynastic emperors [[Emperor Yao|Yao]] and [[Emperor Shun|Shun]], as well as figures from the [[Xia dynasty|Xia]] and [[Shang dynasty|Shang]] dynasties, he complained of the lack of documentation prior to the Zhou. The ''Documents'' were cited increasingly frequently in works through the 4th century&nbsp;BC, including in the ''[[Mencius (book)|Mencius]]'', ''[[Mozi]]'' and ''[[Zuo Zhuan]]''. These authors favoured documents relating to Yao, Shun and the Xia dynasty, chapters now believed to have been written in the [[Warring States period]]. The chapters currently believed to be the oldest—mostly relating to the early Zhou—were little used by Warring States authors, perhaps due to the difficulty of the archaic language or a less familiar worldview.{{sfnp|Lewis|1999|pp=105–108}} Fewer than half the passages quoted by these authors are present in the received text.{{sfnp|Schaberg|2001|p=78}} Authors such as [[Mencius]] and [[Xunzi (philosopher)|Xunzi]], while quoting the ''Documents'', refused to accept it as genuine in its entirety. Their attitude contrasts with the reverence later shown to the text during the Han dynasty, when its compilation was attributed to Confucius.{{sfnp|Nylan|2001|pp=127–128}}