In China, there is a great historical text, the earliest annalistic history of the country, recording 242 years of events, with extremely concise language that subtly conveys praise and criticism. It was written by the great Chinese thinker and educatorConfuciusCompiled and listed as a Confucian classic, the Spring and Autumn Annals.
The Spring and Autumn Annals records history from 722 BC to 481 BC. Although it appears to be a history of the State of Lu, it actually encompasses major events of all states during the entire Spring and Autumn period, providing detailed accounts of the general situation of the realm. For this reason, later historians named this period the "Spring and Autumn" period. Since the Annals was compiled chronologically by year, itConfuciusHe named it "Spring and Autumn Annals" because each year has four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—so the two characters "spring and autumn" could represent each year. However, using "Spring and Autumn" as a book title was not Confucius's original idea. According to the Zuo Commentary, before Confucius revised the Spring and Autumn Annals, the state of Lu already had a book titled Spring and Autumn Annals.
Confucius was a native of the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period. From childhood, he read extensively.
After growing up, he compiled several books expressing his political views. By middle age, Confucius had already gained some renown. However, living in a chaotic era, his ideals of benevolent governance were never put into practice. In his later years, seeing widespread social disorder, with frequent conflicts among people—some ministers killing their rulers, some sons killing their fathers—Confucius was deeply alarmed. Thus, he began editing and revising the Spring and Autumn Annals, intending to teach people what is "righteousness" and urging them to uphold the principles of "great righteousness."
Before the Spring and Autumn period, most of the histories of various states were contained within the Book of Songs. Starting from the Zhou Dynasty, during the Zhou king's sacrificial ceremonies, songs praising King Wen of Zhou's life achievements were often sung, or when feudal lords returned victorious from campaigns, the Zhou king would order songs of comfort and praise, and these eulogistic verses were all recorded in the Book of Songs. It was not until Confucius revised the Spring and Autumn Annals that historical records took on a new form.
The Spring and Autumn Annals, consisting of approximately ten thousand characters, primarily records the political activities of various feudal states during the Spring and Autumn period, including wars and alliances among them. Additionally, it documents natural phenomena such as solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, earthquakes, and floods. For instance, it accurately describes the entry of Halley's Comet into the Purple Forbidden enclosure in 611 BCE, which is the earliest recorded observation of a comet's orbit in world history. Another example is its record of a meteorite shower occurring in 687 BCE. These accounts have left a valuable historical record for future generations.
Confucius's revised Spring and Autumn Annals appears to record events objectively, but in reality, Confucius dared to expose the detestable faces of rulers and the dark circumstances of his time within the text. It subtly embedded his own views and judgments, such as in phrases like "Zhao Dun assassinated his lord" and "The crown prince of Xu assassinated his lord," where the single word "assassinated" reveals his stance. This writing technique of implying praise and criticism later became known as the "Spring and Autumn style." However, some passages in the Spring and Autumn Annals are overly concise, for instance, only recording the outcomes of events without explaining their causes, making them difficult for readers to understand.
According to records, Confucius stopped revising the Spring and Autumn Annals at the age of 71, but he passed away at 73—why did he not continue revising it during this time? Legend has it that in the spring of the 14th year of Duke Ai of Lu, a forest ranger caught a strange beast and presented it to Shusun Shi. Shusun Shi considered the beast unlucky and gave it back to the ranger. When Confucius saw the beast, he wept and said, "This is a benevolent creature called the Qilin! Why has it come? Why has it come!" He believed that the Qilin only appeared during times of great peace, but since the era was not peaceful and the beast had been captured, it was an ill omen. Deeply grieved, Confucius then ceased his work on the Spring and Autumn Annals.
The Spring and Autumn Annals, compiled by Confucius in his later years, was later listed as one of the "Five Classics." However, its text is extremely concise, making it difficult for readers to understand. Therefore, later generations wrote specialized books to explain Confucius's Spring and Autumn Annals, the most famous being the Zuo Commentary, Gongyang Commentary, Guliang Commentary, Jiashi Commentary, and Zoushi Commentary. Due to various reasons, the Jiashi Commentary and Zoushi Commentary were lost during the Han Dynasty, leaving only the Zuo Commentary, Gongyang Commentary, and Guliang Commentary to survive. Because of their extraordinary contributions to Chinese literature and history, they are known as the "Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals."