The Chinese language textbooks underwent several changes in the period of Republic of China. Accordingly, the editorial arrangements (content selection and organization) of textbooks went through different stages of development before they were finalized in the 1940s. This paper aims at providing a holistic perspective on the editorial arrangements of Chinese language textbooks in that period. It tries to explore the formation and development of the editorial arrangements of high school textbooks through a historical review, and discuss the relationship between textbook editorial arrangements and syllabuses. It is hoped that the analysis will serve as a useful reference for contemporary textbook compilation.