Was Chunqiu written by Confucius?

Chunqiu is China's second history book. In fact, Chunqiu is the first official history book in China. The history books are divided into chapters, and only some documents or files are kept. Let's make a shallow analogy. For example, in front of us, a young seven tigers baseball team came back from a defeat in the United States, and all parties welcomed the speech. The newspaper is full of articles, newspaper clippings are pasted together, and the title is "Welcome the Seven Tigers to Return to China", but only the details of the defeat are not in these many documents. The Book of History is like this in some places. Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals is a chronicle of historical books. It was compiled year by year from the year of Luyin AD. Since then, there have been chronicles books in China, and today. It's just that under the Spring and Autumn Annals, as a mirror begins, it won't be compiled in 70 or 80 years. This matter has already been said in Gu's Rizhilu. Up to now, Zitongzhi Sword has not been broken for one year. In this way, there is no one-year chronicle, and only China has it in the world. As for the eighty years from Spring and Autumn Annals to Zi Zhi Tong Jian, I also revised it year by year in my Annals of Pre-Qin philosophers. You may think that you only study history, not philosophers, and you don't want to read my title. When I meet people who study philosophers, I just want to find some materials about philosophers in my books, so my contribution in this respect is beyond words.

Confucius' Chunqiu was named Chunqiu because it was a chronicle. There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Spring and autumn represent a year. There are four seasons in a year * * * December, the 30th of each month, year after year, month by month, day by day, and there are things that are continuously distributed for days, months, years and decades. Such a historical record really deserves our criticism with the word great. We say that Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals is a great history book in China, but it won some prizes. But the Spring and Autumn Annals was not initiated by Confucius, but existed before Confucius. "Zuo Zhuan" was published by Zhao Gong two years ago: "Han began to hire Lu, and when he saw Yi Xiang and Chunqiu, he said," In Lu. " It can be seen that before Confucius, Lu had the Spring and Autumn Annals. Mozi's book also said, "I have read Hundred Schools of Spring and Autumn Annals." Spring and Autumn Annals are available in all countries. But why did Han go to Lu to watch Spring and Autumn Annals? Mencius said in the book: "The ride of Jin, the prayer machine of Chu, the spring and autumn of Lu, one also." It can be seen that there were historical records in all countries at that time, and the names of historical books were different, but the genres of historical books were also different. The genre of Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals may be closer to the rules of the Zhou royal family, so for the sake of Korea, it is said to be in Lu.

Mencius also said in the book: "The monarch traces and the poem dies, and the poem dies and then is written in the Spring and Autumn Period." There are other issues that need to be explained here. As I said last time, there were two kinds of books in ancient China, poems and books, and Confucius taught people to put them together. At the moment, the first ancient history of China we are talking about is Shangshu, and the second is Chunqiu. However, how can we say: "Wang Ji died and poetry died, and poetry died and then was written in the Spring and Autumn Period?" What does it mean to combine poetry with Chunqiu? In fact, the history of the ancients is not entirely in books, but in poems. There are 300 ancient poems, including many historical deeds. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, Hou Ji and Gong Liu went all the way to King Wen, and described them in detail in the Ten Poems of the Book of Songs, Elegance, and recited them repeatedly. These are all history. From another point of view, these histories may be more important than those in the Western Zhou Dynasty. There are only a few archives of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and The Book of Songs, Daya, tells the original history of the Western Zhou Dynasty before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Book of Songs is closer to the historical records at that time. The royal family of Zhou is the Lord of the world, and the king of Zhou is the son of heaven and the king. Every winter, the four governors he sealed off went to the central government to worship the Zhou Emperor, and the Zhou Emperor sacrificed his ancestors at that time, and more importantly, worshipped King Wen. Many governors helped sacrifice together, singing and dancing in the ceremony in this temple. This is the historical achievement of Zhou Wenwang's life, the so-called praise. Another example is that Zhou Tianzi sent troops to fight for something. Before he left, he hosted a banquet with songs and dances. He came back from the victory to welcome the triumph, and there were banquets and dances. These lyrics are all included in the Book of Songs. At that time, there must be music in ceremonies, and there must be history in ceremonies and music. These are the rituals and the essence of happiness of the Duke of Zhou. Therefore, when we read The Book of Songs, it can be said to be a literary book, but it can also be said to be a history book. Not only Ode to Ya is history, but satire is also history. Later, the trace of the king disappeared, and officials did not often come to the court. There are not many new merits to sing in the imperial court. It's just irony, you can't study for training, so the king's trace is gone, and the poem is dead. But when will it end? Generally speaking, this should be the period when Ping moved eastward after he became king.

However, there should be an explanation for the saying that "poetry is written in the Spring and Autumn Period after death". Chunqiu is a formal historical record. At that time, few governors from all directions came to the central government to worship the king, but the Zhou royal family sent many historians to the vassal States. These evidences can still be found in the ancient books of the pre-Qin period. That is, Tai Shigong's Records of the Historian recorded his ancestors' words, which were spread from the Zhou royal family to the outside. At that time, many historians sent by the Zhou royal family were in various countries, but their status still belonged to the royal family, not to the princes. For example, in the Spring and Autumn Annals, "Kill the monarch by escaping" and "Kill the monarch by Yao". At that time, the historians of the State of Jin and the State of Qi, the next word "Qi" was Jin Jun, so it can be seen that Cui Yao killed him, but nominally, he was not the king of the historians of the State of Jin. Historians are sent by the Zhou emperor and are not loyal to the princes. Cui Yao could kill the historian of Qi at that time, but he couldn't send another person to do it, so his younger brother took his place as his brother and wrote "Cui Yao killed the king of Qi". Cui Yao killed him again, and a third brother continued to write as usual. Cui Yao had no choice but to stop killing. In the south of Qi, there is also a "history of heather". After listening to the record of "Cui Yao killing the king" recorded by the historians of Qi State, his brother Lian was killed. He came to Qi with a pen and prepared to write a book about it. When he heard that the history of Qi had been written, Cui Yao stopped killing. This is an epic story, which shows that China people attach importance to the historical spirit in the history of China. What we are talking about at the moment is China's famous historical works. I think we should know something about China's official system of history and China's traditional spirit of attaching importance to history. Under the system of historiographers in past dynasties, there are historical books to test, so I won't say it here, just these two sentences of Mencius. It was probably the time to be king, or perhaps the Zhou royal family officially sent historians to various countries. At that time, the king of Zhou was in a state of revival and had not yet reached the stage of collapse. From then on, the trace of the king went out and the poem died. However, historians who were sent abroad before saw great results, that is, the so-called "poetry died and then was written in the Spring and Autumn Period".

At that time, local historians reported to the central royal family and also to local historians, which was called suing. Perhaps this system has not been broken in Shandong, and the materials reported by local historians are still intact. Therefore, Han said that he was in Lu for Lu Chunqiu. Confucius wrote Chunqiu based on this material. Of course, not all plagiarism. Confucius has his own compiling style, selection criteria and special writing methods. Therefore, it is said that "pen is pen, scissors are scissors, and Xia Xing is not to be praised." Knowing the distribution of historians is the system of the Zhou Dynasty, and Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals is a private work. From politics to scholarship, China's historiography began. Therefore, Mencius said: Its writing is history, and its matter is Qi Huan's bronze inscription, which means stealing. This is the foundation of the book Spring and Autumn Annals, and it is also an old article by Lu. However, since Confucius sharpened his pen, Chunqiu is neither the history of Lu nor the royal family of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, but the international history of Xia, which can also be called the world history or the world history at that time. In the words of the time, it was mainly a history of the rise and fall of the Xia Dynasty. Confucius has his own reasons why Confucius wrote this Spring and Autumn Annals in this way, so the Japanese said, "It means stealing." As a result, the official history of the government has become the private history of the people. Therefore, Confucius said: "In the Spring and Autumn Period, the matter of the son of heaven was also. Those who know me are only in the Spring and Autumn Period, and those who sin me are only in the Spring and Autumn Period. " At that time, the Zhou royal family sent historians to various countries to report the events in their own countries at any time. This system has its own significance and function. But by the time Pingtung moved eastward, the function of this system had lost, and its meaning was completely different. Confucius completely transformed the future and turned it into magic. His Spring and Autumn Annals became the history of China and the whole world. Although the times are chaotic, the history he wrote is a unity. In this period of history, there is a special spirit. Therefore, Mencius said, "Confucius is afraid of betraying thieves for the Spring and Autumn Period." The traitor is only epochal, and the novel Spring and Autumn Annals is historic. The Spring and Autumn Period is fleeting, but the history of China stands tall today. The chaos of the times, once the history is serious, how can we not be afraid? Confucius' former rebel thief has long since died. How can there be fear? However, the Spring and Autumn Annals has been completed, and traitors and villains in the history below Confucius will know their fears from Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals.

At that time, Chunqiu had become a new history. It is neither the official history of a dynasty nor the national history of a vassal state, but a great "general history" at that time, which can also be said to be "the history of the world at that time", and both human beings and the world cannot escape historical criticism. The so-called historical criticism is partly natural, so it is gained, so it is lost, so it is, so it is not, and no one can escape the criticism of historical nature. The other part is morality, which comes from nature. Natural forces are outside, and moral awakening is inside. Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals established this great virtue and understood that teaching people this way is gain, this way is loss, this way is, this way is not. This kind of morality, in extreme cases, is the unity of history and nature, and it can also be said that it is the unity of man and nature. The great significance of Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals should be understood from this point.

But today, I'm afraid it's not easy for us scholars in China to accept this view. Today's China scholars seem to think that the history of China is not qualified to be included in the world history, which is only western history. It's a pity that westerners wrote world history too late, and it didn't appear until the most modern times. Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals was indeed a world history at that time. The so-called "Qi Huan's bronze inscription" means that his book shows a complete history of Xia Dynasty. Nature can also be said to be a complete history of human culture at that time. As early as 2500 years ago, Confucius had this foresight, and this view has long been of great value in the history of human culture and historiography in all countries of the world.

Now, let's talk about another problem. Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals is not entirely based on the old history of Lu historians, so how can he change the old history? At present, we can't find the existing copy of Lu Chunqiu, so we can't talk about this problem. Mencius said that "its text is history", only that Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals is based on the old history of Lu. However, for example, Lu Zhuanggong's seven-year "Ram Spring and Autumn" said: "If you don't repair the Spring and Autumn, the rain will not be enough, and the gentleman will repair it: the stars will fall like rain." Although this article is mentioned by accident, it can be seen that Confucius must revise the old text of Spring and Autumn Annals. But it is mainly the words of practitioners, not things, and words are determined by things. Looking at things from words, words and things should be inseparable, so we say, "Things are better than words, and spring and autumn education is also." However, what is the value of writing down the old history just by modifying a few words and phrases? This problem has become a big problem for people who manage the Spring and Autumn Period themselves. As I said last class, Shangshu is difficult to read, but Chunqiu is even more difficult to read. Shangshu is difficult to read only because the words are not easy to understand, while Chunqiu is not difficult to read in words. It is a big mistake for later generations to read Chunqiu in words. (Spring and Autumn) We must be upright. For example, Mencius said, "Confucius is in the Spring and Autumn Period, and thieves and bandits are afraid." Therefore, Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals punished disorderly ministers and asked for thieves. This is the righteousness. Another example is Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals, which says that "China is inside and the earth is outside". In The Analects of Confucius, there is already a saying that "I am weaker than the tube and I am weaker than the position", which is also a great sense of justice. But the so-called sense of honor should not be too deep or too high. If you talk too much about righteousness, you will fall into the section. The ancients in China praised stories, and Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals is a classic, so many things need not be said. Just like today, we respect foreign countries too much. It is true that the west is richer than China, but the moon is not rounder than ours. Although this is a joke, it is true.

Another example is that Zhao Dun killed his monarch in Spring and Autumn Annals. Confucius is still in the original history book, but the fact contained in Zuo Zhuan is that Jin Linggong was not killed by Zhao Dun, and another paragraph is added that Confucius regrets Zhao Dun and that he can avoid killing Jun when he escapes from Xinjiang. I don't know what happened in Zuo Zhuan, but we can see Zhao Dun's crime of regicide. The author of Zuo Zhuan is seeking the liberation of Zhao Dun. His name is Confucius, but if it is not forged, it is hearsay, which is not sufficient. Another example is Spring and Autumn Annals: "Xu Shizi stopped killing his monarch." This incident is recorded in different ways in Zuo Zhuan, Ram and Gu Liang. "Zuo Zhuan" said: "Drink the medicine of the prince", which is of course very clear that the son killed the king. The biography of the ram remembers it more clearly, saying, "Stop taking drugs and kill your father." This is obviously not a problem. However, according to the legend of Gu Liang, when the father is ill, the son should take medicine. Xu Shizi didn't understand this ceremony, so Confucius accused him of killing the king. There is obviously a difference between "not tasting medicine" and "drinking prince medicine" or "taking medicine to kill father". It is obviously a big mistake to add a charge of not tasting medicine to talk about Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals for no reason. I wonder how many such problems exist. Everyone in these places speaks Spring and Autumn Annals. The more meticulous they are, the more lost their justice will be, and the more obscure they will be.

The most difficult thing to talk about is the praise and criticism of Chunqiu. Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals is definitely not the case if it is neither praised nor derogated. Isn't it derogatory to say that "Cui Yi killed Jun", "Zhao Dun killed Jun" and "Xu Shizi stopped killing Jun"? But the praise and criticism are only about them, which is of little help to Confucius Chunqiu, so readers come to ask for the calligraphy of Confucius Chunqiu and determine "ordinary examples" from the calligraphy. Du Yu's annotation on Zuo Zhuan identified 50 "common examples" of Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals, which had a far-reaching influence. For example, in Spring and Autumn Annals, Wang wrote 92 books in the first month of * * *, and in Spring and Autumn Annals, Wang wrote 108 books. How can we emphasize them over and over again? When we know that the big problem of Chunqiu is not in these aspects. Since it is divorced from Confucian classics, it can be ignored here. Especially in the late Qing Dynasty, the so-called "Confucian Classics" did talk about Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals, which was buried for thousands of years and discovered by them, but it didn't make sense. That is, in the first month, February and March of the king, attaching,, etc. in this way is an example. It's actually quite simple. If anything happens in the first month, it is the first month of this book. The first month is fine, so it's February. Nothing in February, and the king will be booked in March. If the whole spring is fine, write that the first month of spring is followed by summer, April and May. Because if you don't write the first month of a king, you are afraid that the history books will be forgotten. So there is nothing to write about the first month of February, February and March, and there is nothing to write about the king's first month in March, followed by summer and April, and all spring and autumn are like this. Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty was always right about this style, but textual research scholars in the Qing Dynasty repeatedly said that it was all wet.

Let's come to a conclusion today: The Spring and Autumn Annals by Confucius is just the beginning of a chronicle of China, a private folk work created at that time, and a general history of the world written from the viewpoint of the unification of the world. I think that's enough. Until now, there is no second such book in the world. China people just get used to it and lose this sense of honor. At least I ignored it. Maybe you will say, how can you talk about history only about Duke Zhou and Confucius? It's time to talk about new historiography today. However, historiography is old and new, and history is only history. In the history of China, there were Duke Zhou and Confucius, and each of them had a set of historical works that passed down directly to today. Moreover, the Duke of Zhou and Confucius both talked about reunification, and China's reunification from the Qin and Han Dynasties is also a true history. You don't want western new historiography, and suddenly you forget the old history of China. When history dies, where does historiography take root?