Zuo Zhuan, also known as Zuo Chunqiu, Chunqiu Zuoshi Zhuan and Chunqiu Neizhuan. The Spring and Autumn Classics and Biography were separated. When Jin and Du compiled the biographies of Chunqiu in advance, they all listed the biographies paragraph by paragraph after the classics.
Writing reasons
Hanshu? Yi Wenzhi: Qiu Ming was afraid that his disciples would lose their true feelings, so he made a biography on his skills, and the master did not tell the classics in vain.
content
The chronology is centered on the history of Lu and involves contemporary state affairs. From the year of Luyin to the end of the twenty-seventh year of Lu Aigong, it lasted 12 years, lasting 255 years (13 years more than Chunqiu Jing).
Value at purchase price
Zuo Zhuan, a valuable historical material for studying the pre-Qin period, extensively collects old news of ancient history and systematically describes political and military events in various countries during the Spring and Autumn Period. In the treatment of historical materials, historical methods and historical philosophy, it has influenced future generations.
Literary value
The narrative is detailed and organized.
Zuo Zhuan tells the story through a series of specific plots, which can highlight the development and changes of people and events. The plot is fascinating and the content is orderly.
Be good at describing war.
Zuo Zhuan vividly reproduces the whole picture of the war. For example, although there are many clues and figures in the battle of Chengpu, the author always grasps the main line of Jin Chu's hegemony, grasps the key to success and reveals the reasons for success.
terse language
The language of Zuo Zhuan is concise and accurate, especially the diplomatic language is euphemistic and decent, rich in meaning and literary talent. (As shown in this lesson)
Distinctive personality, outstanding personality
In Zuo Zhuan, we grasp the characteristic language, actions and details to express the characters' personality, characteristics and inner world, and portray many vivid characters. (For example, in the chaotic war in Qin Jin, the wit of strings is high)
Supplement 1: Biography of Gu Liang by Fan Ning in Jin Dynasty: "The left family is gorgeous and rich, but its loss is also a witch. The so-called "gorgeous" is the beauty of the article, "rich" is the richness of materials, and "witchcraft" is the narration of ghosts and gods and the prediction of good or bad luck. Supplement 2: Zuo Zhuan, Warring States Policy and Shi Shuo Xin Yu are collectively called China's three major speeches.
Second,' Zuo Zhuan' literary achievements
(A) detailed narrative twists and turns, rigorous structure
The author is good at telling content stories through a series of specific plots, highlighting the development and changes of characters' personalities. Zhong Er in Jin Dynasty, for example, vividly describes Zhong Er's personality change and development in exile and the process of becoming a politician through concrete and vivid plots. The plot is fascinating and methodical.
(B) good at describing the war, clear context.
There are as many as 300 or 400 military activities recorded in Zuo Zhuan. After its vivid description, it has become an important campaign material in China's military history. For example, in the battle of Chengpu, Chu Jin, although there were many clues, many characters and complicated events, the author always grasped the backbone of Jin Chu's hegemony, vividly reproduced the whole picture of the war and revealed the reasons for success or failure. Zuo Zhuan is also good at selecting specific details to describe in detail, such as "chanting with others" and "interpreting dreams by prisoners" in the battle of Chengpu, which not only increases the vividness of the narrative, but also shows the morale and combat effectiveness of both sides of the war. Others, such as Qin Jin-Korea War, Taiwan War, Qi-Jin-An-Gong War, Xiao War, Qilu-Changshao War, etc., have complicated relations and many figures, but all of them show the characteristics of clear context and obvious cause and effect.
(3) The characters have outstanding personalities and vivid images.
Zuo Zhuan depicts many figures from princes to jujube kernels, and puts them in conflict to express their thoughts and personalities in a three-dimensional way. Such as talented Jin Wengong, observant son Zhao Dun, pedantic and ridiculous Song Xianggong. Grasp the distinctive language, actions and details to express the characters. For example, in Yan by Zheng Boke, the author deeply reveals the hypocritical and vicious inner world through several dialogues with personality. Another example is the battle of Xiao. Uncle Jian is wily, honest and steady. High IQ; Honest and frank, Xian Zhen, etc. These characters are portrayed in detail.
(4) The language is vivid, concise and rich in literary talent.
The language of Zuo Zhuan is concise and accurate, and it is a model of historical prose. Its narrative can be shaped by things, especially diplomatic rhetoric, which is euphemistic and decent, rich in meaning and intriguing. In addition, many folk songs and proverbs are quoted, which greatly improves the image of the language. The diplomatic rhetoric in Zuo Zhuan's narrative is mostly popular. During the Spring and Autumn Period, the frequent diplomatic activities of countries and the eloquence of envoys were directly related to the honor and disgrace of the country, so the political circles at that time attached great importance to diplomatic rhetoric. Zuo Zhuan has a vivid account of this. Diplomatic dialogue is euphemistic and implicit, soft on the outside and rigid on the inside. He looks gentle and leisurely, but he is strong in his bones and will not give in on key issues. Of course, this was the political fashion at that time, and the tempering and processing of the narrative of Zuo Zhuan also contributed.
Zuo Zhuan recorded a history of more than 200 years, and described countless events and people with different faces, which really showed the author's extraordinary ability to master the language freely and write notes. There are many vivid historical stories in the book, such as: the debate over Chu, Gong Jian's false Taoism, retreating Qin's family by candlelight, Jie Zhitui's refusal to talk about Lu, visiting Qin's family, and Chu's return to Jin Zhi. It is a masterpiece in the history of literature, with beautiful writing and touching plot.
(Reference:
Guo Dan's "Zuo Zhuan Random Talk", Dingyuan Culture in Taipei; Wei Tongxian's Three Biographies in the Spring and Autumn Period-A History of a Lost Era, Zhonghua Book Company, Hong Kong)
Third, the value of Zuo Zhuan
1. Confucian classics
Zuo Zhuan was written to illustrate the great significance of the Spring and Autumn Period, which is closely related to it. Zuo Zhuan also chose Yi, calligraphy, poetry and music. The book quotes classics, or quotes Chen Qiyuan, or explains its meaning, or announces its use. Later scholars can study the origin, exegesis, application, similarities and differences of the group classics according to these ancient raw materials, and make a deeper study of the group classics.
2. Historical aspects
Zuo Zhuan combines Confucian classics with historiography and praises it with annotations, which sets an indelible example for China's history books. In terms of historical data processing, Zuo Zhuan described the great events of a generation, covering the activities of all governors and various social phenomena at that time. These records are not only the source of historical facts in the sequence of Historical Records in the Spring and Autumn Period, but also the beginning of the juxtaposition of soldiers, assassins, doctors and Huo Zhi with famous ministers or officials in Historical Records, as well as the detailed introduction of the gains and losses of rites and music, the changes of laws and calendars, the preparation of military power, mountains and rivers, ghosts and gods in the eight books. As far as historical methods are concerned, Zuo Zhuan is an example of an outline, with special words in words and certain rules in narration, which will be followed by later historians. As far as historical philosophy is concerned, Zuo Zhuan inherited the great significance of the Spring and Autumn Period and raised the artistic conception of historians to a lofty realm. With his extraordinary knowledge, Zuo Qiuming borrowed books from ancient times to punish evil and persuade good. He not only explained the Spring and Autumn Period, but also made Confucius' humble opinion known to the world. At the same time, he carried forward the spirit of Confucius and influenced the official history of China for thousands of years.
3. Sub-schools.
Taking Biographies of Twelve Kings in Historical Records as the chronological order, this paper discusses the influence of Zuozhuan on Mencius, Xunzi, Lv Buwei and Han Fei among the pre-Qin philosophers. If we make a little statistics, this story was originally written by Zuo Zhuan, of which Xunzi wrote nine, Lu wrote thirty-eight in the Spring and Autumn Period and Han Feizi wrote forty-two. Not only the pre-Qin and Erren books, but also a large number of quotations from Zuo Zhuan since Xinyu and Huainanzi.
4. Literature
Vivid language and rich literary talent; Describe the war in an orderly way; Depicting characters with vivid images; Cut properly, simple and decent; Analyze things, incisive and original.
5. Military science