The Wen xuan 文選 is the earliest extant Chinese anthology arranged by genre.This article first discusses the history of the transmission and reception of the Wen xuan mainly in the Tang and Song, focusing on the emergence of Wen xuan xue 文選學 (Wen xuan scholarship) in the early Tang, the interest some Tang poets took in the Wen xuan, the early printing history of the Wen xuan, the origin of the phrase Wen xuan lan, xiucai ban 文選爛，秀才半 (The Wen xuan thoroughly done, half a licentate won), and the severe criticism made by Su Shi 蘇軾 of Xiao Tong. The second part of the article concerns the history of the reception of the Wen xuan outside of China. The Wen xuan became a widely read work in other East Asian countries, especially in Japan and Korea. The Wen xuan was transmitted to Japan as early as the eighth century. Many important manuscripts of the Wen xuan have been preserved in Japan, the most important of which is the Monzen shūchū 文選集注, which contains Tang period commentaries most of which were lost in China. The Wen xuan was also important in Korea. In the Choson dynasty (1392–1910) a Korean version of the Wen xuan was compiled, the Tongmunsŏn 東文選 compiled under royal command in 1478 by Sŏ Kŏjŏng 徐居正 (1420–1488). The final part of articles deals with Wen xuan studies in Europe and the United States with special mention of Arthur Waley 韋利 (1889–1966), Erwin von Zach 贊克 (1872–1942), and James Robert Hightower 海陶瑋 (1915–2006).