(Redirected from Commentary of Zuo)
The '''Zuo Zhuan''' (), translated as the '''Chronicle of Zuo''' or the '''Commentary of Zuo''', is the earliest Chinese work of narrative history and covers the period from
722 BCE to
468 BCE. It was traditionally attributed to
Zuo Qiuming, as a commentary to the ''
Spring and Autumn Annals'', although many scholars believe it was an independent work that corresponded chronologically to the Annals and was later spliced into it. Most notable modern scholars of this book, such as Yang Bojun (楊伯峻) hold that the work was compiled during the period of
Warring States, and given the compilation of the date no later than
389 BCE. It is one of the most important sources for understanding the history during the
Spring and Autumn period.
The book also contains the earliest reference to
weiqi under the section of 25th Year of Duke Xiang of Lu in
Gregorian year of
548 BCE.
With its vivid and concise language, ''Zuo Zhuan'' is also a gem of
classical Chinese prose. This work and ''
Shiji'' were regarded as the ultimate models by many generations of prose stylists in ancient China.
References
★
The Annotation of Zuozhuan Chunqiu: On Preface, Yang Bojun, , , Zhonghua Shuju, 1990, ISBN 7-101-00262-5
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The Tso chuan : selections from China's oldest narrative history, Burton Watson, , , Columbia University Press, 1989, ISBN 0-231-06714-3
External links
Original
Chinese text at Chinese
Wikisource () :
''
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Zuo Zhuan Fully searchable text (Chinese)
★
The Zuozhuan Digital Concordance. by
El Colegio de Mexico, the English data is based on the full translation published by the 19th century English sinologist-missionary
James Legge.