Through the Commentaries on Four Books, Ming Confucianism inherited Zhuzi's Study, illustrated the meanings of Imperial Examinations, and even tried to seek an appropriate historical position with the desire to break through the barriers of Song Studies. Four Books' 437 existing related works show that Ming Confucianism worked hard to sort out the classics and find Four Books' true meanings. They also created various lecture models, supplemented the content of Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Yuan Dynasty, and indeed performed a role of inheriting the academic achievements. Although Qing Confucianism criticized the Commentaries "worthless," this appraisal was not objective. Before the Zhengde period, most of the Commentary works were more classical and formal, and their academic interests were apparent. After Jiaqing and Qianlong periods, the content of the Commentaries became various. To interpret Four Books, Scholars who learned from Zhu Xi and Wan Yangming used kinds of learning paths: revising, drawing from, harmonizing, integrating, or invoking Buddhism. The literati admired is integrating various schools and the Communication of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. During the Wanli period, Four Books commentaries continued to spread different studies, and the textual research increased. At this time, the related academic exploration showed a sign of turning from minor to major. This sign allowed Qing Confucian scholars to find rapidly a way to carry on with the study. During Tianqi and Chongzhen periods, the Jinjiang School became significant again. The representative scholars were Wu Dang and Xu Yangyuan. The history of the Commentaries on Four books in the Ming Dynasty still focused on Zhu Xi. Zhuzi's study made up for the country's destruction and gave new life to the new era.
After Jiaqing and Qianlong periods, the bookstore owner frequently started crossover collaboration with Confucian scholars. The advantages of trading poetry and academic inheritance coexisted at the same time. The circumstances such as the bookstores' unique business models, publishing features, and misinformation passed down from generation to generation along with the families. Under the background that the Imperial Examination was widespread and the business was prosperous, many famous Commentaries' editors appeared. Li Tingji, Tang Binyin, and Xu Fenpeng had mentor-protégé relationships broadly. Li Tingji commented on Four Books and participated in the movement of correcting stylistic. Tang Binyin proposed the notes like " Writings of Imperial Examinations should be passed down" and "Creating is not easy." He also used "if the writing catches the points" and "spirits showed in writing" as the criteria for evaluating writings. Xu Fenpeng was an atypical editor. He did not follow the general ways and his works were also popular among booksellers and scholars. He was a particular case in the history of the Commentaries in the Ming Dynasty.
When the official issued "Encyclopedia of Four Books" in the Early Ming Dynasty as a measure in academia, it showed the power and effect without restraint. The first backlash was not the conflict with Yangmingism but the system's limitations which caused the rigid formats. The second backlash was Yangmingism. However, this opposition was not against Zhuzi's Study. There were various thoughts and self-reflections. The third backlash was the reconciliation between Zhuzi's Study and Yangmingism, the infiltration of Buddhism. This opposition was softer. The literati began to think about overcoming the academic dilemma, reconcile various scholars' faults, and bridge the differences between Zhu and Wang or recreate a new world with the philosophies from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.