《西次三經》為《山經》的一篇,由于其中出現了昆侖、積石、黑水、流沙、三危等見于《禹貢》雍州的地名,因此前人都以此篇所記為中國西北地理。實際上,《山經》成書在《禹貢》之前,《禹貢》的昆侖、積石、黑水、流沙、三危都是《禹貢》作者因缺乏西部地理知識而從《山經》搬過去的。由于《禹貢》對《山經》的誤置,造成后人關于西部地理和《山海經》地理學的種種誤解。《山經》里距甚小,實際的地域范圍不過方圓數百里,《西次三經》與西北地理毫無關系,其所記皆為魯中山區西北外緣諸山,皆在臨淄-濟南-泰安一線的齊魯古道沿線,其所記載的昆侖即泰山,泚水就淄水,泑水即濟水,昆侖所出的赤水、黑水、青水即為出于泰山之陽的泗水、汶水、沂水。對照《西次三經》關于諸山走向、諸水源流的記載,與魯中山區西北隅的山勢和水道如合符契,其所記諸山大多可以在現今地圖上一一定位。

Because geographical names such as Kunlun,Jishi,Heishui,Liusha,Sanwei in The Classic of Mountains and Seas are also found in Yongzhou,a territory recorded in Yugong,most of predecessors believed that these places were in the Northwest of China.In fact,The Classic of Mountains were completed far earlier than Yugong.Owing to the author’s shortage of geographical knowledge of Yugong,Kunlun,Jishi,Heishui,Liusha and Sanwei were transferred from The Classic of Mountains to Yugong.Due to this misplacement,there are various misunderstandings to the geography of West China and The Classic of Mountains and Seas.The range of The Classic of Mountains is actually very narrow,and the extension of this area is only a few hundred miles around.The Third Classic of Western Mountains has nothing to do with northwest geography,and all of its records are about mountains around the periphery of the northwest of the Mountainous area of central Shandong Province,alongside the ancient Qilu Road,which was linked by Linzi,Jinan and Tai’an.The recorded Kunlun Mountain,Zishui and Youshui are respectively Mount Tai,Zishui and Jishui.Chishui,Heishui and Qingshui originating from Kunlun are actually Sishui,Wenshui,and Yishui originating from Mount Tai.Records about the directions of the mountains and the sources of the rivers in The Third Classic of Western Mountains just fit the geography of the mountainous area in central Shandong Province,and most of the mountains it recorded could be located on current map.