Kim Jong-jeong(1722~1787) was a Confucian scholar who worked during the era of King Yeonjo(英祖) and Jeongjo(正祖) in the later Joseon Dynasty. An abundance of detailed commentaries on Shang Shu(尙書: the Book of Historical Documents, a.k.a. Shu Jing(書經); Classic of History) are included in the collection of his works called Ungye mango(雲溪慢稿).
In his commentaries the texts of Shang Shu are listed with explanatory notes of Shu Ji Zhuan(書集傳; A Collection of Comments on the Shu) by Cai Chen(蔡沈) who was one of Zhu Xi(朱熹)’s eminent disciples. which shows he accepted Cai’s notes that is based on Zhu Xi’s neo-Confucianism as most reasonable and reliable one among many other notes on Shang Shu. At the same time, however. he also adopted the pre-neo-Confucian system of notes of Shang Shu Zheng Yi(尙書定義 ; The Correct Meaning of the Book of Historical Documents by Imperial Authority) written by Kong Ying Da(孔穎達) in the Tang dynasty, Kim evaluated Zhu Xi’s notes on the place names in Shang Shu as an unfinished and open ones, which shows his characteristic attitude to established notes. He was active to accept the existing notes, but also sceptical of the existence of perfect note. His attitude conflicted with the then current neo-Confucianists’ view on Zhu Xi’s notes. He thought that the established note system of Confucian Classics should be challenged as times have changed. Another notable feature of his commentaries is that he accepted the notes of the Joseon Dynasty’s scholars as much as Chinese scholars. He accepted the notes on Shang Shu of Kim Jang-saeng(金長生), Song Si-yeol(宋時烈), Kim Chang-heup(金昌翕), Kim Chang-hyeop(金昌協), and so on. This was an unparalleled attempt in the history of Shang Shu commentaries in the Joseon Dynasty.
Kim Jong-jeong tried to examine theories on Shang Shu’s formation and the problem of authenticity about Shang Shu written in Jinwen (今文: current script in Han Dynasty) or Guwen(古文: ancient script), and he also cast doubt on the reliability of forewords to each chapters of Shang Shu called Shuxu(書序). His examination and criticism was focused on Shang Shu per se while most scholars in the Joseon Dynasty immersed themselves in textual critic. Before Dasan(茶山) Jeong Yak-yong(丁若鏞) this kind of attitude was so rare that Kim’s criticism on Shang Shu was significant in the history of Shang Shu commentaries in the Joseon Dynasty.
Kim also criticised existing Korean annotations of Shang Shu and proposed amendments. He asserted that Korean annotations did not reflect Shu Ji Zhuan with an accuracy. In this case we can recognize that Kim Jong-jeong acknowledged the superiority of the note system of Cai Chen’s Shu Ji Zhuan.