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春秋 The Spring and Autumn Annals - Confucius as man of history
December 23, 2012, Sunday
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"THE Spring and Autumn Annals" - "Chunqiu" in Chinese - is the official chronicle of the State of Lu during the period 722-481 BC. It is widely believed that this book, the earliest Chinese historical text written as annals, was authored by the great thinker Confucius (551-479 BC).
Accordingly, it is listed as one of the "Five Classics of Chinese Literature," the principle texts for Confucian studies. The others are: "Shi" ("Book of Songs"), "Shu" ("Book of History"), "Li" ("Book of Rites") and "Yi" ("Book of Change"), all thought to be written and edited by Confucius.
In ancient China, spring and autumn were the seasons when feudal lords visited and paid homage to state rulers. Therefore, the phrase "spring and autumn" was often used to represent a year, and later as the title of chronicles of several ancient states.
Confucius, also known as Kong Zi or Kong Qiu in Chinese, was born to a warrior's family in the State of Lu (circa 1042-256 BC). He lost his father when three and lived in poverty with his mother, who died when he was 17.
Confucius was a diligent student with a strong interest in a wide range of subjects. When visiting a temple, he would try to learn the art of moderating rituals. During the day, he would learn accounting, while at night he would practice musical instruments. When helping shepherds, he would ask them to teach him archery. Once, he even went to meet Lao Zi, the great philosopher, to ask for advice on conducting rituals.
When 30, Confucius began to open schools and enrolled some 3,000 students. Among them, 72 were noted scholars who later helped compile ancient books and put Confucius' thinking into the famous book titled "The Analects."
Confucius spent more than 10 years touring states with his students and disciples to advocate his ideas on conduct and best government. According to Confucius, the best government is one that rules through rites and people's natural morality, not bribery and coercion.
He explained that if a ruler led by morality, he was like the North Star, which would be surrounded by countless other stars. But if he used administrative orders and severe punishment to constrain his people, he could probably force them to refrain from committing crimes but they would not understand that it's shameful to commit crimes. And only when they had acquired the "sense of shame" would they become good.
However, in "The Spring and Autumn Annals," Confucius did not expound on his ideas. Instead he faithfully recorded the major events of the rulers' family: births and deaths; natural disasters - such as floods, earthquakes and plagues of locusts; military actions; and other inter-state affairs.
"The Spring and Autumn Annals," is written in an extremely terse style, using only 16,000 Chinese characters to cover more than 240 years in the State of Lu's history. Without the aid of copious comments by ancient Chinese scholars and later historians, it's nearly impossible for ordinary readers to understand its contents.
However, the writing style of "The Spring and Autumn Annals" was used as a model by many Chinese historians in the centuries that followed.
The original copy of the text was lost after the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), probably during the "burning books and burying Confucian scholars" campaign launched by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.
The version read today derives from segments of three ancient historical books commenting on the original.
While some scholars believe that "The Spring and Autumn Annals" was actually authored by a number of official historians of the State of Lu, most agree that Confucius must have at least edited the original copy.
Accordingly, it is listed as one of the "Five Classics of Chinese Literature," the principle texts for Confucian studies. The others are: "Shi" ("Book of Songs"), "Shu" ("Book of History"), "Li" ("Book of Rites") and "Yi" ("Book of Change"), all thought to be written and edited by Confucius.
In ancient China, spring and autumn were the seasons when feudal lords visited and paid homage to state rulers. Therefore, the phrase "spring and autumn" was often used to represent a year, and later as the title of chronicles of several ancient states.
Confucius, also known as Kong Zi or Kong Qiu in Chinese, was born to a warrior's family in the State of Lu (circa 1042-256 BC). He lost his father when three and lived in poverty with his mother, who died when he was 17.
Confucius was a diligent student with a strong interest in a wide range of subjects. When visiting a temple, he would try to learn the art of moderating rituals. During the day, he would learn accounting, while at night he would practice musical instruments. When helping shepherds, he would ask them to teach him archery. Once, he even went to meet Lao Zi, the great philosopher, to ask for advice on conducting rituals.
When 30, Confucius began to open schools and enrolled some 3,000 students. Among them, 72 were noted scholars who later helped compile ancient books and put Confucius' thinking into the famous book titled "The Analects."
Confucius spent more than 10 years touring states with his students and disciples to advocate his ideas on conduct and best government. According to Confucius, the best government is one that rules through rites and people's natural morality, not bribery and coercion.
He explained that if a ruler led by morality, he was like the North Star, which would be surrounded by countless other stars. But if he used administrative orders and severe punishment to constrain his people, he could probably force them to refrain from committing crimes but they would not understand that it's shameful to commit crimes. And only when they had acquired the "sense of shame" would they become good.
However, in "The Spring and Autumn Annals," Confucius did not expound on his ideas. Instead he faithfully recorded the major events of the rulers' family: births and deaths; natural disasters - such as floods, earthquakes and plagues of locusts; military actions; and other inter-state affairs.
"The Spring and Autumn Annals," is written in an extremely terse style, using only 16,000 Chinese characters to cover more than 240 years in the State of Lu's history. Without the aid of copious comments by ancient Chinese scholars and later historians, it's nearly impossible for ordinary readers to understand its contents.
However, the writing style of "The Spring and Autumn Annals" was used as a model by many Chinese historians in the centuries that followed.
The original copy of the text was lost after the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), probably during the "burning books and burying Confucian scholars" campaign launched by Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China.
The version read today derives from segments of three ancient historical books commenting on the original.
While some scholars believe that "The Spring and Autumn Annals" was actually authored by a number of official historians of the State of Lu, most agree that Confucius must have at least edited the original copy.
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