Abstract: In translating Chinese classics into foreign languages, the translator’s interpretation and use of notes on the classics (as source texts) will affect the translation process on the one hand and the quality of product of the translation (i.e. target text) on the other. This paper looks at this issue by studying different English translations of the Confucian “zi han yan li yu ming yu ren” in Lun Yu (the Analects) and argues that the appropriate interpretation and selective use of those notes not only determines the quality of the translated text but also indicates the translator’s translating competence.