Zuo zhuan

Zuo Zhuan is a chronological historical work in ancient China. Zuo Zhuan is the full name of Zuo Zhuan in the Spring and Autumn Period, formerly known as Zuo Chunqiu, and also known as Zuo Chunqiu and Zuo Shi in the Han Dynasty. It was called Zuo Zhuan only after the Han Dynasty. It is also called "Three Biographies of Spring and Autumn" with Biography of Ram and Biography of Gu Liang.

Notes on the title or background of a book.

Legend has it that Zuo Zhuan was written by Zuo Qiuming, a historian at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. Sima Qian, Ban Gu and others all think that Zuo Zhuan was written by Zuo Qiuming. Liu Zhiji and Shi Tong in Tang Dynasty? "Six Classics": "Zuo Chuanjia, whose first is from Zuo Qiuming." In the Tang Dynasty, Zhao Kuang first suspected that Zuo Zhuan was not written by Zuo Qiuming. Since then, many scholars have expressed doubts about this. Many people think that Zuo Zhuan was not Zuo Qiuming. Ye Mengde believes that the author came from the Warring States period; Zheng Qiao's Six Classics and Olympics is considered to be the Chu people in the Warring States Period. Zhu thought it was the post-Chu Zuo's leaning; Xiang Anshi thought it was done by Wei people; Cheng Duanxue thinks it is a fake book. Ji Yun in Qing Dynasty still thinks that it was written by Zuo Qiuming in the Catalogue of Siku Quanshu. Kang Youwei thinks it was written by Liu Xin. Today, it is believed that Wu Qi did it, and Zhao Guangxian thinks that it was done by Zuo Shi, a native of Lu during the Warring States Period. It is generally believed that Zuo Zhuan was written by Wu Qi and was written in the middle of the Warring States Period (the middle of the 4th century BC).

Based on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Zuo Zhuan illustrates the outline of Spring and Autumn Annals by describing the specific historical facts in the Spring and Autumn Period. Sima Qian's Historical Records? The Chronicle of Twelve Governors said: "Zuo Qiuming, a gentleman of Lu, was afraid of heresy among his disciples, and each had his own opinions and lost his reason. Therefore, due to the historical records of Confucius, it became the Spring and Autumn Period of the Left. "

evaluate

Zuo Zhuan represents the highest achievement of pre-Qin historiography, is an important document to study pre-Qin history and Spring and Autumn history, and has a great influence on later historiography, especially on establishing the status of chronological history books. Moreover, because it has a strong Confucian tendency, emphasizes hierarchical order and patriarchal ethics, attaches importance to the distinction between honor and inferiority, and also shows the idea of "people-oriented", so it is also an important historical material for studying Confucianism in the pre-Qin period.

Zuo Zhuan mainly records the decline of the royal family in Zhou Dynasty and the history of the hegemony of princes, and records and comments on various etiquette norms, laws and regulations, social customs, ethnic relations, moral concepts, astronomy and geography, calendar seasons, ancient documents, myths and legends, and ballads. Jin Fanning commented on the characteristics of the three biographies of Spring and Autumn Annals and said: "Zuo's family is gorgeous and rich, but its loss is also a witch." Gu Liang is clear and elegant, but its loss is short-lived. It is vulgar to argue about Ram. "

Zuo Zhuan is not only a historical work, but also an excellent literary work. It is manifested in the following aspects: it is good at describing war, so some people call it "cutting books with each other"; He is also good at portraying characters and attaching importance to recording words.

Zuo Zhuan received academic attention in Wei and Jin Dynasties, and was annotated by Zheng Xuan and Du Fu successively. Later, it became an important classic in the study of Spring and Autumn Annals.

Zuo Zhuan's position in historiography has always been commented as an important ancient book that opened Shiji and Hanshu after Shangshu and Chunqiu.