The () is considered one of the
classic books of ancient Chinese history. It is traditionally attributed to a writer with the surname of Guliang in the disciple tradition of
Zixia, but versions of his name vary and there is no definitive way to date the text. Although it may be based in part on oral traditions from as early as the
Warring States period
The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...
(475–221 BCE), the first references to the work appear in the
Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...
, and the peak of its influence was the 1st century BCE. Along with the and , the work is one of the
Three Commentaries on the ''Spring and Autumn Annals''.
Written in question and answer style, the work annotates the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' covering the period between the first year of
State of Lu
Lu (, c. 1042–249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong province. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji (姬) that ruled the Zhou dy ...
ruler Duke Yin of Lu () (722 BCE) and the fourteenth year of his later counterpart Duke Ai of Lu () (481 BCE). Like the the is written as a didactic explanation of the subtle political and social messages of the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' rather than in the anecdotal style of the . It is an important book for the study of the development of
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...
from the Warring States Period through the Han Dynasty.
Today, the book is usually considered to be the work of the Han Dynasty Confucian scholars and contains about 30,000 Chinese characters. Its focus is on clarifying Confucian debate on the political significance of the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' in a style somewhat similar to the but with many differences in both doctrine and interpretation. Its major concerns include the ritual code, political and familial hierarchies, and hereditary succession. In general, the uses a somewhat simple explanatory style rather than the grandiloquent language adopted by the .
Notes
References
Bai Yulin 白玉林 and Dang Huaixing 党怀兴 (2006). ''Shisanjing daodu'' 十三经导读
eading Guide to the Thirteen Classics Beijing: Chinese Social Science Publishing House. (paperback) Available online: http://lc.search.dglib.cn/ebook/read_11710055.html
External links
《春秋穀梁傳 - Guliang Zhuan》Chinese text at the Chinese Text Project
Chinese text with matching English vocabulary at Chinese Notes
Chinese history texts
Chinese classic texts
Confucian texts
5th-century BC history books
Zhou dynasty texts
Chinese literature
Thirteen Classics
{{Confucianism-stub