abstract
Spring and Autumn Annals is a Confucian classic, which records the history from the year of Lu Yin (722 BC) to the fourteenth year of Lu Aigong (4865438 BC+0 BC), and it is also the earliest chronological history book in China. The historical data of Chunqiu is of high value, but it is not complete. Wang Anshi even said that Chunqiu was a "waste newspaper".
In ancient China, spring and autumn were the seasons when princes hired royalty. In addition, Spring and Autumn also represented the four seasons in ancient times. History books record all the major events that occur throughout the year, so "Spring and Autumn Period" is a general term for history books. The official name of Lu's history book is Chunqiu.
Traditionally, Chunqiu is regarded as the work of Confucius, while some people think it is the collective work of Lu historians. The Spring and Autumn Annals was originally lost after the Qin Dynasty, but the current version is made up of three biographies: Zuo Zhuan, Gong Yang Zhuan and Gu Liang Zhuan.
Chunqiu is the proper name of Lu's history books. There are proper names in the history books of various countries, such as the history books of Jin called Cheng and Chu called Lang Lang (see Mencius,). Lu's history book is called "Spring and Autumn Annals", so "Zuo Gong Er Nian" talks about sending Han to Lu to see Yi, Xiang and Lu Chunqiu. However, what Han Qi saw in Lu Chunqiu must have started from the narrative of the Duke of Zhou, before he could say, "I know the virtue of the Duke of Zhou and the reason why Zhou is king." The existing Spring and Autumn Annals only started from Lu Yingong. The original historical record of Lu's father's seclusion and helping the world has been completely lost. Chu Yu merchants also said, "To teach the Spring and Autumn Annals is to teach the monarch with historical books. Mozi Ming Gui Pian includes Zhou Chunqiu, Yan Chunqiu, Song Chunqiu and Qi Chunqiu, which shows that all the historical books of Zhou, Yan, Song and Qi have been read by Mozi.
record
At the latest, from the Western Zhou Dynasty, Taishi Zhi recorded state affairs. At the beginning of each season, we usually write about the season from "spring" to "autumn". However, the ancients attached great importance to the Spring and Autumn Period, so they called the national history record Chunqiu, which may be the reason why Chunqiu was named as a history book. The existing Spring and Autumn Annals, which lasted for 12 generations of monarchs, counted for 244 years (according to Biography of Ram and Biography of Gu Liang, it was 242 years from the 14th year of mourning for the public, and Zuozhuan was two years longer), and it was basically the original of Lu's history books.
According to legend, The Spring and Autumn Annals was written by Confucius. In the old society, there was a saying that "Wang Wen was arrested and played Zhouyi and Zhongnie as Spring and Autumn Annals". However, later generations also have different views. Yuan Gufang, a A Qing, said in On Calligraphy in the Spring and Autumn Period that Lu was also the author of Spring and Autumn Period. Lu's books were recorded and hidden by Confucius, spreading information to later generations. Shi Yuyu's "Du Xuelu's First Draft on the Spring and Autumn Period" also said: "Spring and Autumn Period" is an old article of Lu Shi. Spring and Autumn Annals has a history of 240 years, and there must be dozens of people writing. Can these dozens of people, whose families are teachers and whose people are learners, achieve the same calligraphy? Although the author of Chunqiu is controversial, there is little difference after being revised by Confucius.
In fact, Chunqiu, as a historical book of Lu, has already gone beyond the scope of historical books. The diction and sentence-making in the Spring and Autumn Period became a unique style of writing, known as the Spring and Autumn brushwork, and was regarded as a classic by literary historians of past dynasties. Spring and Autumn Annals is an important event in the Spring and Autumn Period for more than 240 years. At present, there are only more than 16,000 words in the full text, but according to Zhang Yan of Cao Wei in the late Tang Dynasty, it is 18,000 words (Zhang said that it was quoted from the preface of Taishigong Historical Records, and Xu said that it was quoted from the Biography of the Ram for twelve years). Many important events were omitted.
Because "Spring and Autumn Annals" is a rich and colorful stroke. In order to make up for this vacancy, biographies mainly in the Spring and Autumn Period appeared later, that is, Biography of the Spring and Autumn Ram, Biography of the Spring and Autumn Guliang and Biography of the Spring and Autumn Zuoshi, which have been handed down to this day, and are called Three Biographies of the Spring and Autumn Period. The characters in Chunqiu Jing are basically the same in Zhuan, but there are some differences. Biographies are merged by year, and the first one is handed down. This column is a separate volume in the Spring and Autumn Period. Please read or download the other three biographies in the Thirteen Classics District of our library.
According to "History of Literature and Art in Hanshu", there were ***5 biographies in the Spring and Autumn Period:
Thirty volumes of Zuo Zhuan
Ram biography (volume 1 1)
Gu Liangchuan 1 1
Zou Chuan, Volume 1 1
Biography of Jia +0 1 volume