Xiyanlun 析言論

Xiyanlun 析言論 "On the analysis of talks" was a book written by Zhang Xian 張顯, courtesy name Jiming 季明 (?), who lived during the Jin period 晉 (265-420) and was court gentleman for consultation (yilang 議郎). The bibliographical chapter Jingji zhi 經籍志 in the official dynastic history Suishu 隋書 says that the book had a length of 20 juan and was already lost in the early Tang period 唐 (618-907). The catalogue also lists Zhang's book Gujinxun 古今訓 - apparently a word commentary - with a length of 11 juan. Ma Zong 馬總 (d. 823) in his Yilin 意林 says, the Xiyanlun had a length of 10 fascicles.

The Qing-period 清 (1644-1911) scholar Ma Guohan 馬國翰 (1794-1857) retrieved four fragments of the book quotes in various encyclopaedias, and also found one quote from the Gujinxun in the Erya shiwen 爾雅釋文, a commentary on the glossary Erya 爾雅. The Xiyanlun seems to have a focus on linguistic expressions with a vicinity to the dialecticians (mingjia 名家). The fragments are found in Ma Guohan's series Yuhan shanfang jiyi shu 玉函山房輯佚書.