The study of Shih eking traditionally had revolved around the canonization or the dismissal of the Preface. Chu Hsi’s dismissal of the Preface in Shi chi-chuan was upheld until mid-Ming-a scholarly practice altered only by the appearance of Chu Mouwei’s Shih ku. Besides rehabilitating the first line of the Preface as the basis of explicating the meanings of the poems, Chu Mouwei and his Shih ku can also be credited with the following intellectual achievements: (1) After promoting the significance of the Preface, Chu went on to provide important new readings of more than a hundred poems-some perhaps inspired by Sung scholarship﹔（2) Chu made numerous textual rectifications of the titles and lines of the Shih ching poems and elaborated on or criticized the views of the Preface as he saw fit﹔（3) Chu did not hesitate to criticize the predominant Sung views on sensuality, eroticism, and musicality in various poems﹔（ 4) Chu also came up with his own ideas about the functions of poetry. In sum, Shih ku is a bridge between Sung interpretation and Ch’ing philology, marking the shift of research paradigms.