\tThe Gongyangzhuan \u516c\u7f8a\u4f20 is a commentary to the Confucian ClassicChunqiu \u6625\u79cb "Spring and Autumn Annals". It is said to have been written by Gongyang Gao \u516c\u7f8a\u9ad8, a disciple of Zixia \u5b50\u590f, who was himself a disciple of Confucius. During the reign of Emperor Jing \u6c49\u666f\u5e1d (r. 157-141 BCE) of the Han period \u6c49 (206 BCE-220 CE) it was declared a part of theConfucian Canon to be studied in the National University (taixue \u592a\u5b66). The most important professor (boshi \u535a\u58eb "erudite") for the Gongyangcommentary to the Chunqiu classic was Gongsun Hong \u516c\u5b59\u5f18 who taught during the reign of Emperor Wu \u6c49\u6b66\u5e1d (r. 141-87 BCE). No less important was his predecessor Dong Zhongshu \u8463\u4ef2\u8212, an expert on the Chunqiuwho also wrote the sub-classic Chunqiu fanlu \u6625\u79cb\u7e41\u9732 "Rich Dew of Spring and Autumn".<\/p>\n
\tThe Gongyang commentary is based on a lot of older explanations to the events recorded in the Chunqiu chronicle. Although the names of Luzi \u9c81\u5b50, Gaozi \u9ad8\u5b50, Zi Shenzi \u5b50\u6c88\u5b50 and Zi Simazi \u5b50\u53f8\u9a6c\u5b50 are mentioned nothing is known about their lives or their writings. What is certain is that there was a long tradition among the disciples of Confucius to interprete theChunqiu annals with their own philosophy. The text obtained its final shape in the mid of the Former Han period, probably by the hands of Gongyang Shou \u516c\u7f8a\u5bff and Master Humu \u80e1\u6bcb\u751f. It is thus a book of the new text classic tradition.
\tThe Gongyang commentary works with a question-and-answer pattern to explain the political meaning of a certain event or action. All explanations fit into the Confucian concept of how an ideal government, based on ritual and etiquette, should look like. The Chunqiu was thus interpreted as an exemplary book to be read by a ruler who then was instructed on good government. Bad outcome of a battle is interpreted as a lack in etiquette or as a punishment for the evil deeds of a ruler in the past. TheGongyangzhuan has two main concepts of state and society, namely a great unity (da yi tong \u5927\u4e00\u7edf), and secondly, a historical development in three phases (san shi shuo \u4e09\u4e16).<\/p>\n
\tThe commentaries to the entries of 37 years in the Chunqiu annals are missing.<\/p>\n
\tThe oldest commentary to the Gongyangzhuan is that of the Later Han period scholar He Xiu \u4f55\u4f11. For his Chunqiu Gongyang jiegu \u6625\u79cb\u516c\u7f8a\u89e3\u8bc2 he had made use of older explanations written by the early Gongyangprofessor Master Humu. The next commentary was written by the Song period \u5b8b (960-1279) scholar Xu Yan \u5f90\u5f66 (Gongyangzhuan shu \u516c\u7f8a\u4f20\u758f). Both commentaries are unified in the Chunqiu Gongyangzhuan zhushu \u6625\u79cb\u516c\u7f8a\u4f20\u6ce8\u758f, with the zhu commentary of He Xiu and the shu commentary of Xu Yan. The Qing period \u6e05 (1644-1911) scholar Chen Li \u9648\u7acb has written a summarizing commentary called Chunqiu Gongyang yishu \u6625\u79cb\u516c\u7f8a\u4e49\u758f.<\/p>\n