The Chunqiu Zuo Family's Biography
The Zuo Family's Spring and Autumn Annals
"Zuo Family's Biography" was originally called "Zuo Family's Chunqiu Biography", also known as "The Zuo Family's Biography in the Spring and Autumn Period", or Known as "Zuo Shi Chun Qiu", it is a famous historical and literary work. It is the first chronological history book with detailed narrative in my country. According to old legend, it was written by Zuo Qiu Ming in the late Spring and Autumn Period to explain Confucius's Spring and Autumn Annals. It begins in the first year of Lu Yin (722 BC) and ends in the fourteenth year of Lu Daogong (453 BC). It is based on the Spring and Autumn Annals and explains the outline of the Spring and Autumn Annals by recording the specific historical facts of the Spring and Autumn Period. One of the important classics of Confucianism. In the Western Han Dynasty, it was called "Zuo Shi Chun Qiu", and after the Eastern Han Dynasty it was renamed "Zuo Shi Zhuan" in the Spring and Autumn Period, or "Zuo Shi Zhuan" for short.
Together with "The Spring and Autumn Annals of Gongyang" and "The Spring and Autumn Annals of Guliang", it is collectively known as the "Three Biography of the Spring and Autumn Period". "Zuo Zhuan" is essentially an independently written history book. The authors of "Zuo Zhuan", Sima Qian and Ban Gu, both proved to be Zuo Qiuming, which is the most credible historical data at present. Some scholars now believe that it was done by people in the early Warring States period, but they all doubt it and there is no historical data to support it, so it can only be classified as speculation.
The influence of "Zuo Zhuan" on later generations is first reflected in history. It not only developed the chronological style of "Spring and Autumn", but also quoted and preserved some of the popular practical writings at that time, providing a reference for the development of practical writing in later generations. According to the enumeration in "Wen Ze" by Chen Zhuo of the Song Dynasty, there are as many as eight types: fate, oath, alliance, prayer, admonishment, concession, letter, and reciprocity. In fact, there are far more than these.