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28-616: Min Sun was a native of the State of Lu . According to Sima Qian , he was fifteen years younger than Confucius , but the Narratives of the School states that he was fifty years younger. When he first came to Confucius he had a starved look, but after studying with Confucius he gained a look of fullness and satisfaction. When Duanmu Ci once asked Min Sun how this change had come about, he replied, "I came from

56-458: A number of the entries are only a single character long. There are 11 entries that read simply *tung 螽 ( zhōng ), meaning 'a plague of insects'—probably locusts . Some modern scholars have questioned whether the entries were ever originally intended as a chronicle for human readers, and have suggested that the Annals entries may have been intended as "ritual messages directed primarily to

84-427: Is a succinct scribal record that has around 18,000 total words, with terse entries that record events such as the accessions, marriages, deaths, and funerals of rulers, battles fought, sacrificial records observed, natural disasters, and celestial phenomena believed to be of ritual significance. The entries/sentences average only 10 characters in length; the longest entry in the entire work is only 47 characters long, and

112-509: Is also the Chunqiu shiyu from the Mawangdui tombs detailing less information and some say shiyu was the teacher's name who wrote it. The Annals is one of the core Chinese classics and had an enormous influence on Chinese intellectual discourse for nearly 2,500 years. This was due to Mencius ' assertion in the 4th century BC that Confucius himself edited the Annals , an assertion which

140-426: Is an ancient Chinese chronicle that has been one of the core Chinese classics since ancient times. The Annals is the official chronicle of the State of Lu , and covers a 242-year period from 722 to 481 BCE. It is the earliest surviving Chinese historical text to be arranged in annals form . Because it was traditionally regarded as having been compiled by Confucius —after a claim to this effect by Mencius —it

168-459: Is now Shandong Province . It was bordered to the north by the powerful state of Qi and to the south by the powerful state of Chu . The position of Lu on the eastern frontiers of the Western Zhou state, facing the non-Zhou peoples in states such as Lai and Xu , was an important consideration in its foundation. William H. Baxter (apud Matisoff , 1995) suggests a semantic connection between

196-554: The Book of Han and the Records of the Grand Historian provide detailed accounts of the origins of the three texts. The Gongyang and Guliang commentaries were compiled during the 2nd-century BC, although modern scholars had suggested they probably incorporate earlier written and oral traditions of explanation from the period of Warring States . They are based upon different editions of

224-451: The Annals , and Song dynasty prime minister Wang Anshi famously dismissed the Annals as "a fragmentary court gazette" ( 斷爛朝報 ; duànlàn cháobào ). Some Western scholars have given similar evaluations: the French sinologist Édouard Chavannes referred to the Annals as "an arid and dead chronicle". The Annals have become so evocative of the era in which they were composed that it

252-558: The Battle of Changshao in 684 BC, Lu would never regain the upper hand against its neighbour. Meanwhile, the power of the dukes of Lu was eventually undermined by the powerful feudal clans of Jisun 季孫, Mengsun 孟孫, and Shusun 叔孫 (called the Three Huan because they were descendants of Duke Huan of Lu ). The domination of the Three Huan was such that Duke Zhao of Lu , in attempting to regain power,

280-867: The Song dynasty , he was additionally awarded the titles of Duke of Langye ( 瑯琊公 ) and Duke of Fei ( 費公 ). There are several memorial tombs and temples of Min Sun in China, including the Tomb of Min Ziqian in Jinan , Shandong , and the Min Ziqian Temple in Suzhou, Anhui , a major protected heritage site of Anhui province. Min Sun's descendants held the title of Wujing Boshi ( 五經博士 ; Wǔjīng Bóshì). State of Lu Lu ( Chinese : 魯 , c.  1042  – 249 BC)

308-548: The Spring and Autumn Annals , and are phrased as questions and answers. The Zuo Zhuan , composed in the early 4th century BC, is a general history covering the period from 722 to 468 BC which follows the succession of the rulers of the state of Lu . In the 3rd-century AD, the Chinese scholar Du Yu interpolated the Zuo Zhuan with the Annals so that each entry of the Annals

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336-458: The Warring States period (475–221 BCE), a number of commentaries to the Annals were created that attempted to elaborate on or find deeper meaning in the brief entries in the Annals . The Zuo Zhuan , the best known of these commentaries, became a classic in its own right, and is the source of more Chinese sayings and idioms than any other classical work. The Spring and Autumn Annals

364-755: The Temple of Confucius is on the first place on the east, among the Twelve Wise Ones , immediately following the Four Assessors . He was first sacrificed to, along with Confucius, in 720 AD, by the sixth emperor of the Tang dynasty . His title, the same as that of all but the four assessors, is "The Ancient Worthy, the Philosopher Min." The eleventh chapter of the Analects was traditionally attributed to his disciples. Min Sun

392-605: The ancestral spirits". Since the text of this book is terse and its contents limited, a number of commentaries were composed to annotate the text, and explain and expand on its meanings. The Book of Han vol. 30 lists five commentaries: No text of the Zou or Jia commentaries has survived. The surviving commentaries are known collectively as the Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals ( 春秋三傳 ; Chūnqiū Sānzhuàn ). Both

420-434: The cold. When his father learned what had happened, he went back to throw his wife out of the house. However, Min Sun said, "If mother leaves, there will be three of your sons who go cold, but if she stays, then only one will suffer." His stepmother was touched by his kindness and never mistreated him again. In 739 AD, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang posthumously awarded Min Sun the nobility title Marquess of Fei ( 費侯 ), and during

448-403: The early Spring and Autumn period , Lu was one of the strongest states and a rival of Qi to its north. Under Duke Yin and Duke Huan of Lu , Lu defeated both Qi and Song on several occasions. At the same time, it undertook expeditions against other minor states. This changed by the middle of the period, as Lu's main rival, Qi, grew increasingly dominant. Although a Qi invasion was defeated in

476-478: The lessons of our Master have penetrated deeply into my mind. My progress also has been helped by the example of you my fellow disciples. I now know what I should follow and what I should avoid, and all the pomp of power is no more to me than the dust of the ground. It is on this account that I have that look of fullness and satisfaction." Min Sun was one of Confucius's favourite students. He was distinguished for his moral purity and his love for his parents. His place in

504-555: The midst of my reeds and sedges into the school of the Master. He trained my mind to filial piety , and set before me the examples of the ancient kings. I felt a pleasure in his instructions; but when I went abroad, and saw the people in authority, with their umbrellas and banners, and all the pomp and circumstance of their trains, I also felt pleasure in that show. These two things assaulted each other in my breast. I could not determine which to prefer, and so I wore that look of distress. But now

532-614: The states of the Eastern Zhou and in history. The Annals of Spring and Autumn , for instance, was written with the Lu rulers' years as their basis. Another great work of Chinese history, the Zuo Zhuan or Commentary of Zuo , was traditionally considered to have been written in Lu by Zuo Qiuming . The state's capital was in Qufu and its territory mainly covered the central and southwest regions of what

560-659: The surname Dongye (東野). The Duke of Zhou 's offspring held the title of Wujing Boshi (五经博士; 五經博士 ; Wǔjīng Bóshì). 東野家族大宗世系 Family Tree of the descendants of the Duke of Zhou in Chinese Mencius was a descendent of Qingfu (慶父), one of Duke Huan of Lu 's sons. The genealogy is found in the Mencius family tree (孟子世家大宗世系). List of Lu rulers based on the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian : Annals of Spring and Autumn The Spring and Autumn Annals

588-562: The toponym 魯 Lǔ and its homophone 鹵 lǔ "salty, rock salt " (< OC * C-rāʔ ) since that region was a salt marsh in ancient times. Lu was one of several states founded in eastern China at the very beginning of the Zhou dynasty, in order to extend Zhou rule far from its capital at Zongzhou and power base in the Guanzhong region. Throughout Western Zhou times, it played an important role in stabilising Zhou control in modern-day Shandong. During

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616-615: Was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong . Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji ( 姬 ) that ruled the Zhou dynasty. The first duke was Boqin , a son of the Duke of Zhou , who was brother of King Wu of Zhou and regent to King Cheng of Zhou . Lu was the home state of Confucius as well as Mozi , and, as such, has an outsized cultural influence among

644-465: Was accepted by the entire Chinese scholarly tradition and went almost entirely unchallenged until the early 20th century. The Annals' terse style was interpreted as Confucius' deliberate attempt to convey "lofty principles in subtle words" ( 微言大義 ; wēiyán dàyì ). Not all scholars accepted this explanation: Tang dynasty historiographer Liu Zhiji believed the Commentary of Zuo was far superior to

672-504: Was exiled by them and never returned. It would not be until Duke Mu of Lu 's reign, in the early Warring States period , that power eventually returned to the dukes again. In 249 BC King Kaolie of the state of Chu invaded and annexed Lu. Duke Qing, the last ruler of Lu, became a commoner. The main line of the Duke of Zhou's descendants came from his firstborn son, the State of Lu ruler Bo Qin 's third son Yu (魚) whose descendants adopted

700-448: Was followed by the corresponding passages of the Zuo Zhuan . Du Yu's version of the text was the basis for the "Right Meaning of the Annals " ( 春秋正義 Chūnqiū zhèngyì ) which became the imperially authorised text and commentary on the Annals in 653 AD. During the late Han dynasty, there was a saying that the Guoyu was an "Outer Commentary" to the Spring and Autumn Annals . There

728-527: Was included as one of the Five Classics of Chinese literature. The Annals records main events that occurred in Lu during each year, such as the accessions, marriages, deaths, and funerals of rulers, battles fought, sacrificial rituals observed, celestial phenomena considered ritually important, and natural disasters. The entries are tersely written, averaging only 10 characters per entry, and contain no elaboration on events or recording of speeches. During

756-422: Was likely composed in the 5th century BC. By the time of Confucius , in the 6th century BC, the term 'springs and autumns' ( chūnqiū 春秋 , Old Chinese *tʰun tsʰiw ) had come to mean 'year' and was probably becoming a generic term for 'annals' or 'scribal records'. The Annals was not the only work of its kind, as many other Eastern Zhou states also kept annals in their archives. The Annals

784-425: Was one of the 24 Confucian paragons of filial piety . According to legend, his mother died when he was young; and, after his father remarried, he was raised by his stepmother. Under her care, he was abused and mistreated. His stepmother, during winter, would line her own sons' clothes with warm cotton, while she would line his clothes with weeds. One day, while taking his father out in a carriage, he almost succumbed to

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