About the Background of Zuo Zhuan

The appearance of Zuo Zhuan marked a new stage in the development of the compilation of China's ancient history books. The Zuo Zhuan provided later generations with a great deal of important information on the history of thought, economy, society, and other academic history of the Spring and Autumn Period and its previous stages, which was unparalleled and incomparable to any other history of the previous or the same period.

It is a reliable record of the events of an important historical stage from the eighth century B.C. to the fifth century B.C. It fills in the gaps and contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the process of ancient Chinese civilization, which is invaluable to future generations.

As a historical work compiled more than 2,000 years ago, another striking point of the Zuo Zhuan is that it also embodies positive guiding ideology and principles of writing, thus creating a fine tradition of compilation of China's ancient historical books.

Expanded Information:

Zuo Zhuan (左传), has a distinctive political and moral orientation. Its concepts are closer to Confucianism, emphasizing hierarchical order and patriarchal ethics, and the distinction between the young and the old, as well as the idea of "people-oriented", and is therefore an important historical source for the study of Confucianism in the pre-Qin and Qin Dynasties. It can be seen that this is an important ideological progress in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods.

The author's request that the rulers who have the responsibility of leading the country should not act out of their own selfish desires, but consider the long-term interests of the entire ruling group and the country they own, all of which reflect the political ideals of Confucianism. The Zuo Zhuan was not originally a Confucian classic, but since it was set up in the Scholar's Office and later attached to the Spring and Autumn Annals, it has gradually come to be regarded as a classic by Confucians.

The Zuo Zhuan's praise and criticism of historical figures focuses on the affirmation of moral norms such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety and virtue. As these moral concepts belonged to the scope of Confucianism, and after the two Han dynasties, Confucianism was set as a standard, these moral concepts were gradually integrated into the orthodox thought, and became a fairly important evaluation system of traditional culture.

This is why later historians always recognized and inherited the moral concepts of Zuo Zhuan. In addition, although the Zuo Zhuan does not completely deny the fate of the gods and spirits, it strongly emphasizes the role of human resources, attaches importance to the significant political role of the people's hearts and minds, and opposes the "Lord of the People's Troubles", all of which prominently embodies the idea of "the people as the basis".

Baidu Encyclopedia - Spring and Autumn Annals of the Zuo Clan