\tThe Zuozhuan \u5de6\u4f20 "Commentary of Zuo" is a commentary and parallel version to the chronicle Chunqiu \u6625\u79cb "Spring and Autumn Annals". It is attributed to a certain Zuo Qiuming \u5de6\u4e18\u660e. The Zuozhuan commentary as a very narrative text became so important for the interpretation and later use of the Chunqiu that it is commonly merged with the latter to the unit Chunqiu-Zuozhuan. It was, with even more stress on the commentary, called Zuoshi chunqiu \u5de6\u6c0f\u6625\u79cb "Spring and Autumn of Master Zuo".<\/p>\n
\tZuo Qiuming is said to have lived in the state of Lu in the early 6th century, as a contemporarian of Confucius, but somewhat younger than the great master. The Qing period scholar Zhu Yizun \u6731\u5f5d\u5c0a believed that Zuoqiu was a double-character family name. Yu Zhengxie \u4fde\u6b63\u71ee was of the opinion that his name was Qiu Ming \u90b1\u660e (\u4e18\u660e), while zuo was the designation of his office, namely "scribe to the left" (zuoshi \u5de6\u53f2). History says the Zuo Qiuming wrote the Zuozhuan as a commentary in order to clarify obscure statements in the Chunqiu. The book must in fact have been compiled later, during the Warring States period \u6218\u56fd (5th cent.-221 BC). The Tang period scholar Zhao Kuang \u8d75\u5321 was the first who doubted that "Master Zuo" was identical to Zuo Qiuming. The Qing period scholar Yao Nai \u59da\u9f10 argued that the book must have been compiled by several persons, and assumed that one of the authors was the politician and military writer Wu Qi \u5434\u8d77, or the Han period \u6c49 (206 BCE-220 CE) imperial librarian Liu Xin \u5218\u6b46. The date of compilation is unclear. The Qing scholar Cui Shu \u5d14\u8ff0\u6839 assumed that is was compiled in the late Warring States period. The Japanese scholar Kano Naoki \u72e9\u91ce\u76f4\u559c argues that it must have been written during the time of Duke Xiao of Qin \u79e6\u5b5d\u516c (r. 362-338). Yang Bojun gives a time frame of between 403 and 389 BCE. From these dates it can be seen that Confucius' disciple Zuo Qiuming cannot have been the author of the Zuozhuan.<\/p>\n
\tWhile the shortness of the Chunqiu text can be explained by the method to write down a few words as a kind of aide-mémoire for a history transmitted orally, the narrative text of the Zuozhuan dates from a time when historiographers exactly wrote down what happened and what acting persons said in particular situations. This kind of historiography can also be found in the histories Guoyu \u56fd\u8bed "Discourses of the States" and the Zhanguoce \u6218\u56fd\u7b56 "Stratagems of the Warring States", writing about history of the Spring and Autumn \u6625\u79cb (770 – 5th cent. BCE) and the Warring States period, respectively. In the concept of Confucian historiography the Chunqiu was seen as the warp threads (gang \u7eb2), whereas the Zuozhuan represented the filling threads (mu \u76ee). These "filling threads" were probably added by early Confucian disciples of the state of Wei \u9b4f. For the compilation of the Zuozhuan they made use of other sources unknown in the state of Lu \u9c81, where the Chunqiu chronicle had been written, namely parts of the Shangshu \u5c1a\u4e66 "Book of Documents", as well as chronicles of other states, as the Zhouzhi \u5468\u5fd7 "Records of [the royal house of] Zhou" or the Zhengshu \u90d1\u4e66 "The book of the state of Zheng". The Zuozhuan is extremely helpful to understand the short and often obscure entries of the Chunqiu. For example, there is an entry of the first year of Duke Yin \u9c81\u9690\u516c (r. 722-712) providing not more information than that the Earl of Zheng defeated the ruler of the statelet of Duan \u6bb5 at a place called Yan (Zheng bo ke Duan yu Yan. \u90d1\u4f2f\u514b\u6bb5\u4e8e\u9122\u3002). The Zuozhuan adds a more than 500 words long story of this event, describes the atrocious intrigue of the Earl of Zheng, the deceitful behaviour of Gong Shu Duan \u5171\u53d4\u6bb5, and the decisive role of consort Wu Jiang \u6b66\u59dc in the affair that covered ten years before it evolved into a military campaign.<\/p>\n
\tThe detailed description of military activities is one of the strengths of the Zuozhuan. It narrates more than 400 campaigns and their pre-history, the movements of the battlefield, the tactics of the generals, and the results. Among these, some were of a high importance for the surviving of the feudal states, like the battle of Chengpu \u57ce\u6fee in 632 between Jin \u664b and Chu \u695a, the battle of Yao \u6bbd in 627 between Qin \u79e6 and Jin, the battle of Bi \u90b2 in 597 beween Jin and Chu, the battle of An \u978c in 589 between Qi \u9f50 and Jin, or that of Yanling \u9122\u9675 in 575 between Jin and Chu. Interstate meetings and diplomatic envoys are likewise an important theme in the Zuozhuan. The right use of words in conversation (duici \u5bf9\u8f9e) was of greatest importance for diplomatic success, and such details can only be covered in a narrative type of history, like the Zuozhuan, and not in the concise statements of the Chunqiu. The Zuozhuan includes numerous examples how skilled diplomats contributed to the success of their missions. In many instances the author of the Zuozhuan includes his own critical commentary to historical events, and praised them as "proper" (li \u793c) or as incorrect (fei li \u975e\u793c).<\/p>\n
\tDuke Huan of Qi \u9f50\u6853\u516c (r. 685-643), for instance, is held in high esteem because he was able to restore order among the feudal states as the first hegemonial lord (ba \u9738), yet on the other side, his moral conduct is criticized, as well as his political intrigues with Prince Chong'er \u91cd\u8033 of Jin. Duke Ling of Jin \u664b\u7075\u516c (r. 621-607) is rated as "not behaving like a lord" (bu jun \u4e0d\u541b), Duke Ling of Chen \u9648\u7075\u516c (r. 614-599) is harshly criticized for his audacity to wear sacrificial robes at the court, Duke Zhuang of Qi \u9f50\u5e84\u516c (r. 554-548) for his indulgence in banquets and the improper conduct of his courtiers. Loyal and responsible courtiers are praised, like Yan Ying \u664f\u5a74, Shu Xiang \u53d4\u5411, or the politician Zichan \u5b50\u4ea7. Political theories are also to be found, like in the statements of Ji Liang of Sui \u968f\u5b63\u6881, Sima Ziyu \u53f8\u9a6c\u5b50\u9c7c of Song \u5b8b, Shi Kuang \u5e08\u65f7 of Jin, Han Xianzi \u97e9\u732e\u5b50, Yan Ying, Shu Xiang, Yin Yi Sheng \u9634\u9974\u7525, or Feng Hua \u9022\u6ed1.<\/p>\n
\tThe Zuozhuan – often referred to as a "commentary" – is after all a different report of the same events as the Chunqiu Annals with a few significant differences. First, it covers a longer period than the Chunqiu, that is until 463 BCE (the Chunqiu only to 479), when the Earl of Zhi \u77e5\u4f2f, a nobleman in the state of Jin, was killed. The Zuozhuan also gives an account of the birth of Duke Yin and of his accession to the throne of Lu. The second, even more noticeable, is the more narrative character of the Zuozhuan who makes a quite readable anecdote collection out of the dry, enigmatic Chunqiu classic. There are many events reported in the Zuozhuan that are not mentioned at all in the Chunqiu and vice versa, so one can barely say the Zuozhuan is a commentary to the old annals. The problem does not come up in Chinese where the word zhuan \u4f20 "commentary" can also be read as chuan which means "tradition", "transmission". The title of Zuozhuan can thus also be interpreted as something like "the version of Zuo". The Zuozhuan broadly reports visits of the feudal lords to each other, state meetings and the conclusion of alliances, wars, hunting tours, the erection of city walls, marriages among the nobility, rebellions, murders, the history of individual noble houses and their extinction, and so gives a detailed overview of the social happenings and activities of the ruling class. Yet other social groups are also mentioned, especially merchants, diviners, assassins, musicians, consorts, craftsmen and slaves. It provides an overview of the rise and fall of the institution of hegemonial lord that was initiated by Duke Huan of Qi, brought into a mature state by Duke Wen of Jin \u664b\u6587\u516c (r. 636-628), and was then taken over by Duke Mu of Qin \u79e6\u7a46\u516c (r. 659-621), and then the native kings Zhuang of Chu \u695a\u5e84\u738b (r. 613-591), He Lü of Wu \u5434\u738b\u9616\u95fe (r. 514-496 BCE) and Gou Jian of Yue \u8d8a\u738b\u53e5\u8df5 (r. 495- 465). The Zuozhuan furthermore clearly describes how the ducal power in some of the feudal states fell into the hands of sidelines or noble families, like the Jisun \u5b63\u5b59 in Lu, Tian \u7530 in Qi, and the houses of Han \u97e9, Zhao \u8d75 and Wei \u9b4f in Jin. It gives insight into political reforms like those under Zichan in the state of Zheng \u90d1.
\tA lot of statements in the Zuozhuan show that the late Spring and Autumn period was an age in which the ancient belief in the influence of ghosts and demons was more and more replaced with a belief in the Five Processes (wuxing \u4e94\u884c). Aerolites (stony meteorites, yunshi \u9668\u77f3), for instance, were by royal secretary (neishi \u5185\u53f2) Shu Xing \u53d4\u5174 explained as a matter of Yin and Yang \u9634\u9633, and not as an inauspicious omina. Similarly, a physician in the state of Qin believed that illness was influenced by the "six (meteorological) energies (liuqi \u516d\u6c14)", and not by demons. Zi Shen \u6893\u614e and Shusun Zhaozi \u53d4\u5b59\u662d\u5b50 from Lu explained that solar eclipses and inundations were the result of the agency of Yin and Yang. Shi Mo \u53f2\u58a8 from Jin explained that the earth possesses the Five Processes, Zihan \u5b50\u7f55 from Song said that Heaven produces the Five Agents (wucai \u4e94\u6750), and the famous politician Zichan from Zheng argued that the Heavenly Way is far away, while the Human Way (rendao \u4eba\u9053) was close by, and that nature cannot be appeased by offering gifts.<\/p>\n
\tA kind of basic dialectic thought can be found in some statement of the philosopher Yan Ying who deliberated about similarities and contradictions, as well as mutual completion and mutual support. Shi Mo from Jin is quoted with a statement about the changing nature of rulership and even the impermanence of dynasties (symbolized in their offering rituals).<\/p>\n
\tThe Zuozhuan was often criticized for the illustrative, vivid and narrative style of its stories that stands in deep contrast to the short and dry statements in the Chunqiu. On the other side, this contrast demonstrates that the Zuozhuan has a high literary standing that goes far beyond the frame of historiography. Liu Zhiji \u5218\u77e5\u51e0, the great Tang period critic of historiography, therefore praised the Zuozhuan for its important contribution, and the Qing period scholar Liu Xizai \u5218\u7199\u8f7d even said that it was the best of all histories. It therefore served as a rich source for later histories and is abundantly quoted in Sima Qian's \u53f8\u9a6c\u8fc1 Shiji \u53f2\u8bb0 from the Han period and Sima Guang's \u53f8\u9a6c\u5149 Zizhi tongjian \u8d44\u6cbb\u901a\u9274 from the Song period \u5b8b (960-1279).
\t <\/p>\n