Spring and Autumn Annals of Zuo Commentary (Vol. 1-2)

Author: Chen Rongguo
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The Spring and Autumn Annals is a classic, while the Zuo Zhuan is merely a commentary. However, after the Tang Dynasty's Five Classics Rectification, all three commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals were elevated to the status of classics. Here is a preliminary note: The method I used in the early 1990s to collate and proofread the Four Books and Five Classics into a plain text version has now been improved. The annotations in this edition follow the order of the twelve sovereigns in the Spring and Autumn Annals, with titles such as "Jing [year]" and "Chuan [year]." The "Current Annotations" separate the text of the classics from our annotations, while the "Original Text" distinguishes the text of the commentaries from our annotations. Since the text of the classics is very brief, except for the first year of Yin (the Spring and Autumn Annals year, where the commentary records events that occurred before that year), the text of any year, including Yin's first year, is presented together with its commentary in the same year, without the need for hierarchical division or labeling "Original Text." Only "Current Annotations" are used to separate the classic text from the annotations. This approach ensures that the original text of the Ruan edition is neither altered nor deleted, while also avoiding confusion between the classics and the commentaries, which should bring some peace of mind. Many ancient texts consider the Spring and Autumn Annals to be the work of Confucius. As for the Zuo Zhuan, many ancient scholars attributed it to Zuo Qiuming. We have noted that there have been differing opinions on this matter for a long time, but we still believe that the above-mentioned views are largely true. This edition is a standard reading of a classical masterpiece, published by Yue Lu Book Society.