the first Chinese chronological history, said to be the traditional history of the vassal state of Lu, as revised by Confucius. It is one of the Five Classics (Wujing) of Confucianism. The name, actually an abbreviation of “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter,” derives from the old custom of dating events by season as well as by year. The work is a complete—though exceedingly sketchy—month-by-month account of significant events that occurred during the reign of 12 rulers of Lu, the native state of Confucius. The account begins in 722 bc and ends shortly before Confucius’s death (479 bc). The book is said to pass moral judgment on events in subtle ways, as when Confucius deliberately omits the title of a degenerate ruler.
Among many who sought to discover profound meanings in the text was Dong Zhongshu (c. 179–c. 104 bc), a great Han-dynasty Confucianist, who claimed that the natural phenomena recorded in the book (e.g., eclipse of the sun, shower of stars at night, drought) were intended as unmistakable warnings to future leaders of what happens when rulers prove unworthy. Since Confucian scholars were the official interpreters of this and the other classics, the book was a means for imposing Confucian ideals on government.
The fame of Chunqiu is mainly due to Zuozhuan, a commentary (zhuan) once thought to have been composed by the historian Zuo Qiuming. Two other important commentaries on Chunqiu are Gongyangzhuan by Gongyang Gao and Guliangzhuan by Guliang Chi. All three commentaries are listed among the alternative lists of the Nine, Twelve, and Thirteen Classics of Confucianism.
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