Ancient chronological historical works. One of the Confucian classics, the early years of the Western Han Dynasty were called Zuo's Spring and Autumn Annals (chronological order of twelve princes in historical records), or Ancient Chinese Classics in Spring and Autumn Annals (historical records and Wu). At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, what Liu Xin saw was called Chunqiu Zuoshi Biography, which is the abbreviation of Chunqiu Zuoshi Biography. Liu Xin thought that Zuo Zhuan was a biography of Chunqiu, so he used biographies to explain the classics and make them explain each other. In the Han Dynasty, Chunqiu and Zuozhuan were originally dividing lines. On the basis of exegesis by Liu Xin, Jia Kui and other predecessors, Du Yu of Jin Dynasty combined Chunqiu and Zuozhuan year by year and made a systematic exegesis, namely Chunqiu Jingzhuan Ji Jie. Zuo Zhuan is a book written by people in the Six Dynasties.
As for the author of Zuo Zhuan, The Preface of Chronology of Twelve Governors in Historical Records says Zuo Qiuming. In the Tang Dynasty, Zhao Kuang first suspected that Zuo Shi was not Zuo Qiuming. In the Qing Dynasty, Yao Nai further proposed: "Zuo Shi was not written by one person." He also suggested that the author of Zuo Zhuan may be Wu Qi. Some people advocate doing it for Liu Xin, but these doubts are not completely based.
Zuo Qiuming's record was first found in The Analects of Gongye Chang. In the Tang Dynasty, Confucius thought Zuo was Qiu Ming (A Brief Biography of Zuo in the Spring and Autumn Period). In Qing Dynasty, Zhu Zun thought that Zuo Qiu was a compound surname (Textual Research on Jingyi). In Qing Dynasty, Yu also thought Qiu Mingming was the surname, and Zuo was the official of Zuo's surname (Textual Research on Surnames of Descendants of Zuo Qiuming). As for his birth and death, the history is unknown. "Notes on Zhou by Confucius" said: "Confucius will compile the Spring and Autumn Annals, take a ride with Zuo Qiuming and others, read the book History of the Zhou Dynasty, and come back to compile the classics of the Spring and Autumn Annals, which Qiu Ming passed on, with * * * as the exterior and interior. "Unknown basis. However, according to the facts recorded in Zuo Zhuan, most commentators believe that the author lived after Confucius. Notes on the Engraving of Liu Shugang's Chunqiu Zuozhuan in Song Dynasty
The date of Zuozhuan's completion is still inconclusive. In Qing Dynasty, Cui Shu, based on the analysis of the complexity of the book's writing style and annotations, advocated that "the distance is fixed, the sorrow is not far away, and it cannot be for the descendants of the Warring States" (Zhu Sikao's Heart Record Yu Lu). Japanese scholar Naoko Naoko said according to Gu's article "Zuo's family doesn't have to believe everything" in Volume 4 of Rizhilu: "Zuo's family predicted that in the past, everything had been tested, and there was no trace of filial piety, so it was possible to infer Zuo's era." Therefore, Yang Bojun's Preface to Zuo Zhuan in the Spring and Autumn Period speculated that the book was written after Wei Siwei in 403 BC and before the thirteenth year of Wang (389 BC). So some people claim that Zuo Qiuming, who wrote Zuo Zhuan, and Zuo Qiuming, whom Confucius met, are two people.
The chronological order of Zuo Zhuan is basically in accordance with the twelve Duke Lu recorded in Chunqiu, but before Lu Yinnian, there was an explanation that Duke Hui gave birth to Lu Yingong and Duke Yin ascended the throne. Twenty-seven years later, Lu Aigong added the story of Lu Daogong's murder in the state of Jin four to fourteen years ago. The contents of the book include recruitment, alliance, conquest, hunting, city building, weddings and funerals, usurpation, genocide and death. Under the broad social background, he recorded the activities of princes and doctors, and extended his brush strokes to businessmen, fortune tellers, assassins, musicians, concubines, skilled workers, soaps and other classes. Through the description of the rise and fall of Qi Huangong, Jin Wengong, Qin Mugong, Chu Zhuangwang, He Lv, the King of Wu, Gou Jian and the King of Yue, the complicated competitive relationship among the vassal states at that time was reflected. The description of the contradiction between Lu Ji, Qi, Jin, Han, Zhao and Wei and Zheng Zichan's reform profoundly reveals the changes and trends within society.
Zuo's narrative is outspoken and has a distinct tendency. He often takes "courtesy" and "indecent assault" as the judgment of characters, showing conservative ethical concepts, but on the whole, the concepts of right and wrong, love and hate, and history are relatively progressive. For example, the book not only affirms the historical achievements of Bawang, but also does not shy away from the love and comfort of Qi Huangong and Zhong Er. Another example is the narration of Jin Linggong Fei Jun (the second year of Xuan), Chen Linggong's Worship in the Imperial Palace (the ninth year of Xuan), Qi Zhuanggong's Chorus (the twenty-fifth year of Xuan), and Chorus and Wu Zangtong (the twenty-eighth year of Xuan). , through the characteristic detail description, describes the tyranny and debauchery of the rulers. Yan Ying, a loyal and witty man, an outspoken uncle, a shrewd and far-sighted son and so on. Be praised for being recognized as a person related to national security. The book also runs through the people-oriented thought that adapts to the historical trend at that time, and regards the people as "the Lord of God". This view has been put forward many times with (Huan six years) and Sima (Xi nineteen years). Jin Weimin's theory of being a king (in the 14th year), but the obvious answer is that he was in power (in the 25th year), Han Xianzi's Luan Wuzi's theory of reporting Chu (in the 15th year), Qi Yanying's theory of Qi (in the 3rd year of Zhao), Shen Yinxu's theory of comforting the people (in the 19th year of Zhao) and Chen Huaigong (in the first year of mourning) all emphasized ". This shows the author's progressive ideological tendency.
The predecessors' comments on Zuo Zhuan (Fan Ning's Liang Xu) are gorgeous and rich, while the comments on Spring and Autumn Annals are cautious and exaggerated (Han Yu's Interpretation of Learning), which just shows that Zuo Zhuan is more literary than Spring and Autumn Annals. Spring and Autumn Annals only records memorabilia, and dramatic storylines and vivid characters appear in Zuo Zhuan, which is a great progress in historical prose. For example, the author recorded "Zheng Boke Duan Yan Yu" in the hidden AD, and described it in an organized and hierarchical way according to the beginning, development, climax and ending of the event, showing Zheng Bo's cunning and viciousness, Duan Shu's ambition and Wujiang's eccentricity, and summing up the decades-long struggle history within the Zheng ruling group. In the eighth year of Zhuanggong, Qilian said that he was in charge of the father's rebellion, in the second year of Gong Xuan, in the second year of Zhao Dun's remonstrance, in the sixteenth year of mourning for the public, and in the difficulty of Chu Baigong, all of them were vividly written. From this, we can not only see the historical process, but also see the behavior of the characters appearing on the historical stage. Combining the authenticity of history, the distinctiveness of tendency and the vividness of expression, and showing the historical picture through specific character activities, China's fine tradition of historical writing was founded, which laid a good foundation for the development of historical biography literature in later generations.
Narrating the war is the strength of Zuo Zhuan. He wrote more than 400 military actions, among which five major battles were the battle of Chengpu in Chu Jin (28 years), the battle of Qin Jin (32 years and 33 years), the battle of Chu Jin (12 years of Xuanzang), the battle of Qi and Jin (2 years of Chenggong) and the battle of Yanling in Chu Jin (16 years of Chenggong). The author can put every battle under the background of great powers' hegemony, write down the battlefield confrontation with a few strokes, and at the same time describe in detail the cause, pre-war planning and post-war influence of the war, organically link the victory or defeat of the war with the political situation of the participating countries, the opposition of the people's hearts, the personality of the generals and other factors, and write out some historical inevitability.
Zuo Zhuan narrates the war, paying special attention to planning. Short stories, such as The Battle between Qi and Lu (Ten Years of Zhuang Gong), first briefly describe Lu's victory, and then describe in detail the theory of victory, from the surface to the inside, with appropriate details. In novellas, such as The Battle of Qin Jin, it is prescient to write that Uncle Jian sent the teacher away in tears. Mu Gong cried and greeted the teacher, but before he could correct his mistake, a song echoed in the distance. For example, in the battle of Chengpu, Chu Jin, with the key link of "determining hegemony by power", Wen followed the fighter plane, sometimes tight and sometimes slow, opening and closing several times, which made the situation ups and downs, and finally ended with Zhou Wang ordering Jin Wen to determine hegemony. These are vivid examples. In the fierce and tense war atmosphere, the author often inserts vivid and interesting details, such as running away from home, offering a deer, getting off the bus, holding a teacher, and seemingly relaxing trips. Therefore, Fang Bao, an ancient prose writer of Tongcheng School, said: "A person can write a story, but an adult is like Zuo Zhuan."
Coping rhetoric is also a part with literary significance in Zuozhuan. At that time, there were frequent contacts between vassal States, and whether the envoys were good at rhetoric was not only related to personal honor or disgrace, but also to national security. Books such as Nephew's Answer to Qin Bozhi's Question (fifteen years), Zhan Qishi (twenty-six years), Candle's Defeat of Qin (thirty years), Wang Sunman's Comment on Ding Zhizhong (three years in Gong Xuan) and so on.
Liu Zhiji's Shi Tong in Tang Dynasty said that Zuo Zhuan was concise (Shi Liu Tong Jia). In the Qing Dynasty, Liu Xizai thought: "Historians of one hundred generations can't do this." (Outline of Literature and Art) It can be seen that the essence of its language has become a model of past dynasties. In addition, the author's brushwork is flexible. For example, in "The Battle of Qin Jin's Victory", Wen Sheng asked for the release of Qin prisoners, and he was angry and "ignored and vomited"; For example, Zi Chu wrote in "Twelve Years of Gong Xuan" that "people in the three armed forces are like shackles"; For example, "The Battle of Chu Jin □" writes that Mr. Jin is fighting for a boat, "The finger on the boat can be used"; Another example is that the Chu soldiers rescued the nomads from escaping, pulled off the shackles, dropped the weight and ran very fast, while the nomads sneered and said, "I am not as good as the number of big countries." These descriptions, whether subtle, exaggerated or humorous, add a lot of color to the article.
Zuo Zhuan has an important influence on later history and literature. Sima Qian of the Han Dynasty inherited the tradition of Zuo Zhuan and wrote the great work Historical Records, which is as famous as Yi Shi and literature. Zi Tong Zhi Jian written by Sima Guang in Song Dynasty is not only related to it in content, but also regarded it as a method in genre and technique. Song people are familiar with Zuo's biography, Taishi Gongshu, Koreans and Du Fu's poems. Although there is a pillow support, it is no different from a volume (Lu You's Preface to Yang Shi).
The earliest extant annotation of Zuo Zhuan is Jin Duyu's Biography of Spring and Autumn Classics, and there are two Song engravings in Beijing Library. In Qing Dynasty, there were Gu's Zuo Zhuan Zhu Bu, Huidong's Zuo Zhuan Bu, Hong's Chun Zhuan Shu, Chun Zhuan Jiu Zhu Shu Zheng and Yang Bojun's Chun Zhuan Zhu.