朱彝尊作为清初学林中的代表性人物，淹通经史文学，著述极富。在明清易代之际，他提倡考证经史、务为有用，有力推毂了有别于宋明理学的清初实学思潮中兴。晚年回乡后，手定《曝书亭集》八十卷，收录生平所作赋、诗、词、杂文、小令，以撰写时间或体裁进行了合理分类，生动记录了六十余年学海、宦海间的浮沉生涯。其中《孔子弟子考 孔子门人考 孟子弟子考》两卷，更是集中体现出朱氏深受家风影响、肆力考证的学术思想。

明亡后，学坛上兴起一股反思风潮，针对高谈性理、空浮无物的现实弊病，以顾炎武、黄宗羲等人为代表的一批士人高举经世的旗帜，朱彝尊同样躇步其中。不同的是，秀水朱氏家族宰辅之后的遗民身份，令其自有清慎旷达的实学根基与名士风度，这种家风也通过言传身教等形式陶染着朱氏学术思想与出仕选择。在学术上，反映为主诚、守敬的“不言性理之学”，肆力经史，以考证矫学风之空疏；在出处进退中，表现为从不愿出仕到受荐入博学鸿儒，以学术所长服务于社会移风易俗。具体到《曝书亭集》中，则是以三《考》为纽带，通过考证孔孟后学、规范文庙祀典的形式，以期形成崇儒重道的良好氛围。

这三篇考证，初稿成于寓居京师时，终稿完善于罢官返乡后，充分展现出朱氏思想成熟时期的作品风貌与学术思想特点。其成书，离不开鼎革后新兴政权的学理正统性需要，更与清初重考证的朴学发展相关联。其目的，一方面是出于补充前人研究中考证史料的缺乏，另一方面，则是厘清孔孟弟子的师承谱系。其体例，是重姓名之分的名录式，形式上简洁明了，无其他专著惯有的博引。其原则，持论公正，史料去取重视准确性和正面意义；因名制分，将孝悌之礼体认为尊重长幼的德行规范。总的来说，即以考证经史为手段，以尊孔读经、重整祀典为方式，解决当下的社会现实问题。

儒家思想借助后人阐释而能长久地保持生命力，作为社会精神并反作用于社会制度。出于朱氏身为士大夫的自我认知，三《考》中反映为文以载道的文学观念和以考证矫理学弊的内在理路。其一，文章本乎经术，用考证学作为沟通“文”与“道”的桥梁，弥补了经典文本与现实政治问题间的距离。其二，对理学有所扬弃，吸纳理学中以人伦道德治人、治心的部分，反对宋儒以己意解经的主观性。其三，继承学界此时经世致用之风，以考据为矛、史料为盾，抗衡道统对原有文庙从祀体系的侵蚀。

不论是对理学的辩证认识、对考证学现实功用的发掘，还是对文庙从祀体系的反正，都揭示出家学中重视实学、淡泊旷达的内涵对朱彝尊诸多方面的直接影响，也彰显出他对此后清代汉学发展的奠基意义。

As a representative figure in the early Qing dynasty academic circle, Zhu Yizun was well versed in Confucian classics, history, and has many writings. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, he advocated the textual criticism into classics and history that should be useful, which strongly pushed the emergence of Practical Learning at that time. When Zhu retirement home, he edited Pu Shu Ting Ji, an eighty volumes collection of his poems, essays during his more than sixty years of study and officialdom career, which are reasonably classified according to the time of writing or the genre. Among this book, the two volumes of Research of Confucius' Disciples, Mencius' Disciples, more concentratedly reflect Zhu's academic thoughts that are deeply influenced by family tradition and his emphasis on the Emphasizing statecraft.

After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, a trend of reflection emerged in the academic circle. A group of scholars, represented by Gu Yanwu and Huang Zongxi, called on the Emphasizing statecraft, and Zhu also been one of them. The difference of them was that Zhu’s family is the descendants of Ming Dynasty’s Grand Secretary, so he has the own tradition which shown as the preference for practical doctrines and unrestrained behavior of live. This tradition effected Zhu's thinking and career choices through the form of teaching by example. In the academic field, he refused the study of Neo-Confucianism, appealed ZhuCheng and ShouJing, devoted to the scriptures and history; in politics, he transformed from a hermit to a careerist and served to new governor with his academic strength. Specifically, he written three Researches to link reality and theory. Using textual criticism to examine the descendants of Confucius and Mencius, regulating the rituals of the Temple of Confucius, with a view to forming a good atmosphere of reverence for Confucianism.

The first draft of these essays was completed in Beijing, and the final draft was completed after Zhu’s retirement. They were fully demonstrating the style of Zhu's articles and the characteristics of his academic thought during his mature period. The writing was adapted to the needs of the new regime established by the minorities and was in line with the academic trend of the time. The purpose was to correct the problem made by less historical data in previous studies and to clarify the situation of Confucius and Mencius' disciple’s succession. The style like a concise list of names, not followed the beaten track. The principles were ethical neutrality and the importance of etiquette, which represented by taking exact and positive in the selection of historical materials and considering Ren as respecting the pecking order. In summary, Zhu Yizun intends to improve and solve existing social problems by means of academic writings.

As a social spirit, Confucianism has remained vitality to react on the social system for a long time through the annotation of later generations. Zhu Yizun believes literati spirit and out of this, three Researches show the view of “writing is for conveying truth” and the trying of using textual criticism to improve Neo-Confucianism. His views can be summarized in three points. First, classic texts take precedence over the writing itself. Second, scholars ought to sublate the Neo-Confucianism, promote its concept of pecking order and discard its subjective assumptions. Third, using positivist history to contend with Orthodoxy’s dilation.

Whether the dialectical understanding of Neo-Confucianism, the discovery of the meaning of textual criticism, or regulating the rituals of the Temple of Confucius, they all reveal the direct influence to Zhu Yizun from his family tradition, which include favoring practical learning and indifferent to fame and wealth. These also clear reveal his foundational significance to the development of the Qianlong and Jiaqing Sinology thereafter.