The present Guanzi was compiled by Liu Xiang in the Western Han Dynasty. There used to be 86, but now there are only 76. The content is divided into eight categories: nine classic quotations, eight foreign quotations, seven internal quotations, seventeen phrases, five regional quotations, ten essays and four Guan Zi.
Before the compilation of Liu Xiang, Han Fei, Jia Yi, Sima Qian and others all thought that it had a central idea, that is, it advocated the rule of law, the rule of moral education, and equal emphasis on etiquette and law. Therefore, some people speculate that this is a new theory put forward by Qi scholars in the name of Guan Zhong, combined with their own characteristics. Perhaps it was Liu Xiang or others who compiled the works of various factions into Guanzi, which caused the complexity of the content. Nevertheless, Guanzi has made great contributions to the preservation of rich historical materials and has high historical value.
The Collation of Guan Zi by Dai Wang in Qing Dynasty is of great reference value, while Guan Zi Jiao by Guo Moruo and Wen Yiduo is a collection of previous research results, which is very convenient to learn and use.