“A Re-comment” as “the Second Comment” by Zhiyan Zhai —— A Consultation with Mr. CAI Yi-jiang

A Re-comment on The Story of a Stone by Zhiyan Zhai was the title for the three early copies of The Story of a Stone — versions of Jiashu, Yimao and Gengchen. Mr. CAI Yi-jiang believed that either the “re-comment” or “Zhiyan Zhai's another comment on the Jiashu version” referred to the comment of various commentators made by Zhiyan Zhai instead of its own second comment. Among these commentators, Zhiyan Zhai was the second one and did not know how CAO Xue-qin had been in his childhood. As a matter of fact, a “re-comment” is the “second” comment. It is the concept with Jiashu as boundary. The two-line intext-notes of which copyright can be decided in Jiashu version will prove without doubt that Zhiyan Zhai made the first comment. Its purpose was different from other commentators. But similarly, they all knew CAO's childhood. The negation of Zhiyan Zhai's knowledge of CAO's childhood is in essence the challenge of Zhiyan Zhai's honesty personality.