Personal Library -- Zuo Zhuan

Author: (Spring and Autumn Period) Zuo Qiuming
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-07-01
Features: The original name of Zuo Zhuan was Zuo's Spring and Autumn, which was later paired with Spring and Autumn as a commentary on the classics, known as Spring and Autumn Zuo Zhuan, and abbreviated as Zuo Zhuan. Together with Gongyang Zhuan and Guliang Zhuan, it is collectively referred to as the "Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn." However, Gongyang Zhuan and Guliang Zhuan purely interpret Spring and Autumn through Confucian principles, while Zuo Zhuan is essentially an independently written historical book. It may have been revised after being paired with Spring and Autumn. Some texts that specifically explain the "style" of Spring and Autumn and are unrelated to historical facts were clearly added later. Both Sima Qian and Ban Gu stated that the author of Zuo Zhuan was Zuo Qiuming, describing him as the Grand Historian of Lu. Some believe that this Qiuming is the same as the Zuo Qiuming mentioned in The Analects, who lived at the same time as Confucius. However, doubts arose after the Tang Dynasty, and it is now generally believed that Zuo Zhuan was the work of an anonymous author in the early Warring States period. Its chronology of events is comparable to that of Spring and Autumn, but it extends seventeen years later. Unlike the outline-style Spring and Autumn, Zuo Zhuan systematically and specifically records major political, military, and diplomatic events of various states during this period. As a historical work, Zuo Zhuan exhibits a clear political and moral bias. Its ideas are closer to Confucianism, emphasizing hierarchical order and patriarchal ethics, valuing distinctions between elders and juniors, and also demonstrating a "people-centered" philosophy. Although there are still many references to heaven, gods, and spirits in the book, their importance is secondary to that of the "people." For example, in the text for the sixth year of Duke Huan, Ji Liang is quoted as saying, "The people are the masters of gods. Therefore, wise rulers first ensure the well-being of the people before turning their attention to the divine." In the thirty-second year of Duke Zhuang, Shi Yan is quoted as saying, "A nation will rise by listening to the people; it will fall by listening to the gods." Such arguments are clearly endorsed by the author. Similar discussions can also be found in the prose of the Hundred Schools of Thought (especially Mencius), showing that this was an important intellectual advancement during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. However, it should be noted that the "people-centered" philosophy had a specific context. In the era of large-scale mergers during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the "people" served as the source of tax revenue and soldiers, and their population size directly affected a nation's strength. At that time, northern states were still sparsely populated, and there were no sealed borders between states, allowing the "people" to migrate freely. Therefore, winning the support of the people was even more crucial than occupying land. Mencius records that King Hui of Liang was anxious about the fact that "the people of neighboring states did not decrease, but my people did not increase," illustrating this point. Ultimately, this still reflects the's interests. The author's principles are consistently reflected in the commentary on historical events and figures, with clear praise and criticism. The book reveals the tyrannical and extravagant behavior of some ruling-class figures in many places while also commending many loyal, upright, and visionary statesmen. Overall, the author demands that rulers who bear the responsibility of governing a nation not indulge in personal desires but consider the long-term interests of the ruling group and the state. These aspects reflect Confucian political ideals. However, attempting to evaluate complex history with simple moral concepts inevitably leads to difficulties. Clearly, when it comes to the frequent wars between states, the author always first clarifies the moral right and wrong of both sides and directly links this to the outcome, trying to demonstrate that just armies must win. In reality, most wars at that time were caused by competition for land and population. If judged strictly by Confucian moral standards, as Mencius said, "there were no just wars in the Spring and Autumn period"; and the victory or defeat in a specific battle is difficult to attribute solely to moral reasons. Therefore, the author's forced evaluations often appear outdated and ridiculous. For example, in the Battle of Chengpu between Jin and Chu, Duke Wen of Jin deliberately feigned retreat "three sheaths" to lure the enemy deeper and foster their arrogance and complacency. This was a clever tactic, but the book blames the commander of Chu, Zi Yu, for advancing relentlessly, claiming that "the ruler retreated while the minister advanced, making the fault lie with the other side," thus explaining the defeat. This reasoning is illogical and does not apply to other similar situations. Although Zuo Zhuan is not a literary work, it can still be considered a large-scale narrative work in a broader sense. Compared to any previous work, its narrative ability shows remarkable development. Many complex and ever-changing historical events are handled in an orderly and coherent manner. Among them, the descriptions of war are particularly praised by later generations. The most outstanding are the five famous battles of the Spring and Autumn period. The author skillfully places each battle within the context of the struggle for dominance among major states, clearly explaining the distant and immediate causes of the wars, the shifting alliances between states, the pre-war strategies, the battle process, and the impact of the wars—all in concise yet elegant prose. This narrative ability holds great significance for both later historical and literary works. The diplomatic dialogues recorded in Zuo Zhuan are also brilliant. Such texts should logically be based on original official records but must have been reprocessed by the author to appear so refined, rigorous, and powerful. Compared to the dialogues recorded in Shangshu and Yan Yu, the differences are obvious. A prominent example is the section "Zhu Zhiwu Defeats the Qin Army." The entire speech is less than 200 words but skillfully captures Qin's ambition to expand eastward and its obstruction by Jin. It analyzes the geopolitical situation in the relationships between Qin, Jin, and Zheng, demonstrating that Qin would gain the greatest benefit by preserving Zheng as a base in the Central Plains, thereby easily undermining the alliance between Qin and Jin and saving the seemingly doomed state of Zheng. Even today, the speech remains impeccable. This is an early and outstanding example of the use of geopolitics in the history of world diplomacy. From a literary perspective, Zuo Zhuan is also noteworthy for its vivid storytelling when recounting historical events and figures. It often pays attention to the liveliness of the stories and uses detailed and vivid plots to portray characters. These are significant literary elements. Generally, in historical records, the more detailed and vivid the plot, the lower its credibility. Such details have little value as historical material and were unlikely to be accurately recorded at the time or shortly after. Especially the so-called "private affairs of the bedroom" or "secret meetings in private chambers" could not be verbatim records. From this, we can infer that the materials used by the author of Zuo Zhuan, though primarily based on historical records, also included many historical stories that had been circulating in society in various ways, some of which already contained fictional elements. During the writing process, the author added many contents based on his own imagination and speculation about history. Of course, this kind of fiction and speculation differs from the fiction in novels and dramas; it is entirely dependent on history, serving to better portray history and the author's historical perspective. However, it cannot be said that there was no underlying desire to pursue a "sense of storytelling" to satisfy the author and readers' curiosity. People's interest in stories is one of the basic driving forces behind literature; story plots and character descriptions are also fundamental elements of novels and dramas. In the history of Chinese literature, novels and dramas emerged relatively late, but the literary elements related to them could not have appeared so late. They simply took a long time to develop within the womb of historical works before separating. Zuo Zhuan is precisely such a historical work rich in these literary elements, directly influencing the writing style of Zhan Guo Ce and Shiji, establishing the tradition of combining literature and history. This tradition provided both experience and rich material for the writing of later novels and dramas. Zuo Zhuan was originally called Zuo's Spring and Autumn, and later paired with Spring and Autumn as a commentary on the classics, known as Spring and Autumn Zuo Zhuan, and abbreviated as Zuo Zhuan. Together with Gongyang Zhuan and Guliang Zhuan, it is collectively referred to as the "Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn." However, Gongyang Zhuan and Guliang Zhuan purely interpret Spring and Autumn through Confucian principles, while Zuo Zhuan is essentially an independently written historical book. Zuo Zhuan narrates historical events in a specific and detailed manner, with meticulous and thorough descriptions. For example, the account of "Duke Zheng's Defeat of Duan" unfolds in layers yet remains clearly structured. Descriptions of war are particularly strong in Zuo Zhuan, with many famous battles portrayed vividly and completely. It not only focuses on the depiction of the war process but also pays attention to the political and diplomatic activities related to the war, revealing the background and causes of the conflicts. For instance, the Battle of Yanling between Jin and Chu is presented in an orderly manner, with all the details of the battle clearly explained, making it one of the most engaging parts of the book and laying the foundation for later novels like Romance of the Three Kingdoms.