YES # parallel critical pair closing system (Shintani and Hirokawa 2022, Section 8 in LMCS 2023) Consider the left-linear TRS R: b(b(c(a(b(c(x)))))) -> a(b(b(c(b(c(a(x))))))) Let C be the following subset of R: (empty) The TRS R is left-linear and all parallel critical pairs are joinable by C. Therefore, the confluence of R is equivalent to that of C. # emptiness The empty TRS is confluent.