Establishing the precise nature of the relationship between phonetic and the semantic elements of classical Chinese is not an easy task; it is closer and more complex than it may seem at first, especially when we take historical context into account. The earliest philosophers conveyed their views orally, not in written form, with the Confucian Analects as a prime example; more than half the entries begin, as above, with “The Master said”, even when what follows is paraphrase, unless extremely brief. It is of importance, however, that readers of the Analects always keep in mind that the Master was engaged in conversation with his students. There is a dynamism in the text that is difficult to appreciate if it is overread.