Your humble servants have carefully examined:
The Imperially Compiled Complete Works of Zhu Xi, in sixty-six volumes, was established by the benevolent Emperor Shengzu in the fifty-second year of the Kangxi reign. During the Southern Song Dynasty, scholars and literati were fond of compiling extensive records, with Zhu Xi's works being the richest among them. In the Xianchun period, Li Jingde eliminated repetitions and compiled them into a single collection, which still had 140 volumes. Among the Southern Song Dynasty's literary collections, none were richer than those of Zhou Bidai and Lu You. Their vast works were compiled by various hands and at different times, leading to some inaccuracies, exaggerations, or baseless speculations attributed to them. Even the genuine teachings of the master contain inconsistencies due to the evolution of his views over time. Confucian scholars, who value broad and sincere beliefs, revere Zhu Xi without thoroughly examining his teachings, often treating his words as sacred as the Six Classics. Thus, Zhu Xi's original intent has become obscured by those who venerate him. The compilation of Zhu Xi's teachings, like the Family Sayings of Confucius, has left room for regret due to the lack of selectivity. Therefore, those who study Zhu Xi's works often blindly follow his teachings without discerning their authenticity or questioning their merits, which is not what Zhu Xi intended.
The benevolent Emperor Shengzu, who appreciated Zhu Xi's scholarship and possessed a deep insight into the strengths and weaknesses of his records and literary collections, specially ordered Grand Academician Li Guangdi and others to remove the chaff and preserve the essence, classifying the content into nineteen categories. Gold, when refined, becomes pure, and jade, when polished, removes flaws.
Readers of Zhu Xi's works may use this compilation as a guide, which will hopefully prevent them from getting lost in the multitude of paths. In the 10th year of the Qianlong reign, this was respectfully proofread and submitted.