It is said that Chunqiu was written by Confucius. However, the research of modern scholars confirms that it should be a collection catalogue of historical officials in Lu dynasties. As early as before the birth of Confucius, Chunqiu had been circulated, and it had a set of traditional meanings, that is, the so-called "calligraphy". At that time, Jin, Qi, Chu, Song and other countries had such historians and similar history books, and their genres and "calligraphy" were basically the same. The Spring and Autumn Annals can record the major events of various countries, which is the result of these historians informing each other. In addition, Chunqiu contains taboo words and the right of exemption from punishment that violate "calligraphy", as well as records contrary to Confucius' views, as well as some omissions and errors, and even records the birth and death years of Confucius. All these show that the Spring and Autumn Annals can't be written by Confucius.
Confucius' comments on historical figures and events in the Spring and Autumn Period are recorded in The Analects of Confucius and Zuo Zhuan, which shows that this is one of the important contents of Confucius' disciples' discussion. At that time, under the circumstances of social unrest, improper etiquette, the collapse of rites and music, and "the emperor lost his official position", the classics such as The Book of Songs, Shangshu and Chunqiu, which were originally in charge of the government, were circulated among the people and became precious materials for Confucius' teaching. Copying the national history handed down from generation to generation as a textbook is probably what Confucius did after he learned it. It is said that Xia Zi, a high-footed disciple of Confucius in his later years, was a master who was proficient in the Spring and Autumn Annals, and recording the birth and death of Confucius in the Spring and Autumn Annals should also be out of respect for his former teacher. Although Confucius has never compiled Chunqiu, the study of Chunqiu should begin with Confucius.
The existing Spring and Autumn Annals are contained in Zuo Zhuan, Yang Gongzhuan and Gu Liangzhuan, and their biographies are similar. The classics of Spring and Autumn Annals are extremely simple, with no more than 20 notes per year and at least two notes; The longest article is only over forty words, and the shortest is only one or two words. Obviously, this is just the catalogue title of several historical events. This is because the history at that time was still dominated by oral history management, and written records were just reminders. Although the Spring and Autumn Annals is short, it records the exact time, place and characters, which endows historians with the value of trusting history and makes great progress in the development of historiography. However, Spring and Autumn Annals was ridiculed by later generations as a "waste newspaper" because of its simple narrative. Zuo Zhuan made up for the deficiency of Chunqiu with a large number of detailed and rich historical facts. But politically, Chunqiu and Zuozhuan have the same meaning. After the Han Dynasty, Chunqiu was regarded as a Bible compiled by Confucius, and it was in a supreme position politically and academically. Many Confucian scholars in the past dynasties misinterpreted and exerted it, which made it have a great influence in the fields of Confucian classics, history and political life.
Red leaves: Preface to the Spring and Autumn Annals, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1983. Xu Zhongshu: The author of Zuo Zhuan and the time of his writing, Selected Prefaces of Zuo Zhuan, Zhonghua Book Company, Beijing, 1963. Yang Bojun: Preface to Zuo Zhuan in the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhonghua Book Company, Beijing, 198 1.