From the perspective of the textual research of "The Analects" itself and the annotations and interpretations in the literary sense, Mr. Yang Bojun's "The Analects of Confucius" is the most rigorous and solid literary work since the emergence of vernacular in modern times.
From the perspective of understanding the spirit of traditional Confucian culture, Mr. Qian Mu's "A New Interpretation of the Analects of Confucius" neither loses the authenticity of Confucianism, nor is it inferior to the ancients who were rigid in exegesis and textual research. It is popular and easy to understand, and is also It is not worldly but far-fetched, and it is also a famous note.
If we start from understanding Confucianism's "nature and the way of heaven", then Nan Huaijin's "The Analects of Confucius" is unconventional, far-reaching and elegant. But if your own cultivation does not reach a certain level, you will not be able to understand the true connotation of this book. If you look at it from the perspective of traditional Confucianism and literature, this commentary is not rigorous and authentic. It can only be said as the Buddhists say: "Buddha saves those who are destined to be saved." Those who do not understand its meaning will disdain its words.
Other modern annotations are simply copied from the annotations of Liu Xin, Zheng Xuan, Zhu Xi, and Liu Baonan. Or write some thoughts, experiences, etc., using the meaning and side remarks of what you know, and far-fetched some of your own opinions and ideas, in the name of becoming famous and making profit, in the name of commenting on the world and saving the people, just to get some benefits.
The book "The Analects" is actually just a primer on Confucianism. The so-called half-book "Analects of Confucius" governs the world is just Zhao Pu's humble statement. This book is neither history nor theory. It is just a collection of quotations, and the completeness and authenticity of the text cannot be tested. At the earliest, there are twenty-two chapters of Qi Lun (circulated in the Qi Kingdom), including two chapters, "Ask the King" and "Zhi Zhi". Lu Lun comes from "Han Yi Wen Zhi", with twenty chapters, nineteen chapters of biography, twenty chapters of Lu Xiahou, twenty-one chapters of Lu Anchanghou, twenty-one chapters of Lu Wangjun, and twenty-nine chapters of Qi Shuo. . Later, the original version of "The Analects of Confucius" was found in the wall of Confucius' house, and Liu Xin compiled it into "The Analects of Ancient Chinese". According to Kong Anguo and Ma Rongben. By Zheng Xuan, Fang combined the three books of Lu, Qi and Gu Lun.
Therefore, Zheng Xuan's version is not an annotated version, but a combined version. It was subsequently lost, but later Dunhuang fragments were discovered. Generally speaking, this version should be the most consistent with the original version of The Analects.
After Zheng Xuan, there was a long annotated version of the nine He Yanji schools in the Jin Dynasty, which was passed to Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty. There was a Zhu Annotated version, and it was recorded as the first of the four books. It was passed down to the present day through the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Therefore, it is still uncertain whether the Analects of Confucius truly and completely expresses the authentic teachings of Confucius and Mencius in the pre-Qin Dynasty from the perspective of Confucianism. In addition, the Neo-Confucian school after the Song Dynasty is very different from the study of Confucius and Mencius. The annotations after the Song Dynasty are mostly based on Zhu's annotations as a source, or for comparison and reference. Therefore, from the perspective of expressing the true meaning of Confucianism in the so-called annotations of the Analects, it is really difficult to say which one is better. Which one is bad. From the perspective of textual research, exegesis, and translation, the author’s answer has been given above. The so-called modern annotations of the Analects of Confucius are not based on the academic training of the saints, are mixed with Western learning due to habitual habits, are purified by the vernacular movement, and are washed by the Cultural Revolution. They can still firmly believe in what Confucianism sees and understand the true meaning of Confucianism. I'm afraid there are only a few of them. Therefore, most of the modern annotated versions of the Analects of Confucius are either rambling here and there, or skipping words or phrases, just like the exegesis of Confucianism in the Han Dynasty, or most of them are just "I Talk about the Analects of Confucius".