The ''Gongyang Zhuan'', also known as the ''Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals'' or the ''Commentary of Gongyang'', is a commentary on the '' Spring and Autumn Annals'', and is thus one of the

Chinese classics The Chinese classics or canonical texts are the works of Chinese literature authored prior to the establishment of the imperial Qin dynasty in 221 BC. Prominent examples include the Four Books and Five Classics in the Neo-Confucian traditi ...

. Along with the '' Zuo Zhuan'' and the ''

Guliang Zhuan The is considered one of the Chinese classics, classic books of ancient Chinese history. It is traditionally attributed to a writer with the surname of Guliang in the disciple tradition of Zixia, but versions of his name vary and there is no de ...

'', the work is one of the '' Three Commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals''. In particular, ''Gongyang Zhuan'' is a central work to New Text Confucianism (), which advocates

Confucius Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...

as an institutional reformer instead of a respected scholar, and ''Chunqiu'' as an embodiment of Confucius' holistic vision on political, social, and moral issues instead of a merely chronicle. ''Gongyang Zhuan'' significantly influenced the political institution in

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. It fell out of favor among elites and was eventually replaced by the ''Zuo Zhuan''. ''Gongyang Zhuan'' scholarship was reinvigorated in late Ming dynasty and became a major source of inspiration for Chinese reformers from the eighteenth to early twentieth century. Sima Qian states that

Mencius Mencius (孟子, ''Mèngzǐ'', ; ) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher, often described as the Second Sage () to reflect his traditional esteem relative to Confucius himself. He was part of Confucius's fourth generation of disciples, inheriting ...

, Gongsun Gu, Xunzi and Han Fei often drew on the Gongyang, while actually they drew on commentaries similar to what we now call the '' Zuozhuan''; for him the distinction was meaningless.Liang Cai The Journal of the American Oriental Society. 131.3 (July–September 2011): p371. Excavating the genealogy of classical studies in the western Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.-8 C.E.)

Content

''Gongyang Zhuan'' argues that the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' is not merely a history, but a magnum opus of

' ideas regarding sociopolitical order. Unlike ''Zuo Zhuan'', a later favorite among many scholars for its vivid narrative of historical events, ''Gongyang Zhuan'' was compiled in a dialogistic style resembling a class conversation between a Confucian scholar and his student discussing the profound meanings behind the subtle words of the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' and was brief in explaining the historical context. Because of its emphasis on the theoretical interpretation of the Annals, Jiang Qing (b. 1953) dubbed it "the political theory wing of Confucianism ()." The primary assumption of ''Gongyang Zhuan'' is that Confucius authored the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' in order to criticize the politics of his time and set a constitutional guideline for future generations. Moreover, Confucius is not merely a transmitter of ancient scholarship but a charismatic sage () who should have received the

Mandate of Heaven The Mandate of Heaven ( zh, t=天命, p=Tiānmìng, w=, l=Heaven's command) is a Chinese ideology#Political ideologies, political ideology that was used in History of China#Ancient China, Ancient China and Chinese Empire, Imperial China to legit ...

and become a King himself. But since Confucius did not receive the kingship due to the political circumstances at the time, he compiled the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' based on official chronicles, in which he criticized () the events and historical figures of the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

according to a coherent philosophy. Based on this assumption, ''Gongyang Zhuan'' strives to undercover what it claims to be the deeper meaning behind layers of subtle texts. ''Gongyang Zhuans interpretation of the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' is more voluntarism than that advocated by the Old Texts scholars.

Dong Zhongshu's interpretation

Dong Zhongshu was a leading Confucian scholar in the Western Han dynasty, and was regarded as an authority on ''Gongyang Zhuan''. Dong advocated According to

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

scholar Kang Youwei's summary, some of ''Gongyang Zhuans political agenda including the establishment of a well-ordered hierarchical regime (), a strong and centralized political authority (), and a merit-based civil government (), and a benevolent ruler whose legitimacy is based on the

Jiang Qing's reading

According to contemporary scholar Jiang Qing's ''Introductory Treatise on Gongyang Scholarship'' (), ''Gongyang Zhuan'' includes the following themes: *Three Stages of Human History (). ''Gongyang Zhuan argues that human society evolves over time and could be divided into three phases. The first stage (據亂世) is marked by political chaos and social anomy, the second stage () is characterized by the reestablishment of legitimate political order, and the third stage (太平世) is when the world as a whole experiences great harmony and every individual is able to fully realize their potential. *Unity of cosmological and political order () *Reconciliation between past and present sources of political legitimacy () *Limitation on monarchical power () *Distinction between legitimate political maneuver and realpolitik () *Interaction between human and heaven () *Distinction between Chinese and non-Chinese cultures () *Just retribution ()

Early development

The genealogy of ''Gongyang Zhuan'' has been a contested issue among scholars. According to the '' Book of Han'', Bu Shang (Zixia), one of the top disciples of Confucius, taught Confucius' class notes to his disciple of the State of Qi during the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

(475–221 BCE). An oral commentary at first, it was written down and edited during the early

by Gongyang Gao's decedent Gongyang Shou (公羊壽) and his collaborator Humu Sheng (胡母生). Humu Sheng later became a ''boshi'' ("erudite") in the Han court in charge of the studying and teaching of ''Gongyang Zhuan''. Along with him was another ''Gongyang Zhuan'' authority Dong Zhongshu. With

Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), born Liu Che and courtesy name Tong, was the seventh Emperor of China, emperor of the Han dynasty from 141 to 87 BC. His reign lasted 54 years – a record not broken until the reign of the Kangxi ...

's adoption of Dong's proposal to formally establish Confucianism as the state ideology, the power and influence of the Gongyang School increased significantly. Later, Dong Zhongshu authored '' Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals'', '' Interactions Between Heaven and Mankind'' and ''Strange Calamities of Yin and Yang'', in which he popularized his mysticism interpretation of ''Gongyang Zhuan''. Along with the widespread adoption of

divination Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...

practices, the Han intelligentsia became shrouded in an atmosphere of superstition and mystery. Nonetheless, among officials, ''Gongyang School'' was seen as a vital political classic that provided ideological basis and historical precedents in governing, and was cited during policy debates. Dong Zhongshu's two students, and Yan Anle (顏安樂) became the leaders of Gongyang School after Dong's death. Some exegesis monographs by Gongyang scholars mounts to over one million characters in length, that scholars from other schools accused Gongyang school for being too fixated on the trivia of ''Chunqiu''. At the end of Western Han dynasty, scholar Liu Xin proposed to establish professorship for ''Zuo Zhuan'' and ‘’Guliang Zhuan''. Once his advice was adopted, Gongyang school no longer monopolized the official interpretation of Spring and Autumn Annals. From the time of the Eastern Han dynasty onwards, more and more people criticized Dong Zhongshu's interpretation of the ''Gongyang Zhuan''. During the later years of the Han dynasty, became the most ardent defender of Gongyang School. He combated vigorously with scholars who prefer ''Zuo Zhuan'' and ''Guliang Zhuan''. After spending seventeen years, he wrote a hermeneutics work on ''Gongyang Zhuan'', which is largely survived into modern days. He Xiu's work became the primary source for textual reconstruction of ''Gongyang Zhuan'' and a major source of inspiration for later Gongyang scholars. Huan Kuan (桓寬), author of the Confucian political treatise '' Discourses on Salt and Iron'', was another notable Gongyang Scholar.

Commentaries

In his Confucian work ''Discourse on the Six Arts'' (六藝論), the Han scholar Zheng Xuan makes the following comment: :''The Zuo Zhuan is best with regards to Confucian rites, the ''Gongyang Zhuan'' for divination and the

for the classical view of Confucianism.'' The Eastern Jin dynasty scholar (grandfather of Fan Ye, author of the '' Book of the Later Han''), in his commentary on works relating to the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' said that the ''Zuo Zhuan'' was colorful and rich in content but contains too much wizardry, the ''Guliang Zhuan'' was clear and elegantly written but too short whilst the ''Gongyang Zhuan'' seemed argumentative, judgmental and vulgar in style. In the opinion of the Han scholar and official , the ''Gongyang Zhuans achievement is its appraisal of the ''Spring and Autumn Annals'' to expound the "great way of Confucianism" through the use of subtle and profound language.

Later development

In the period between the

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...

and the end of the Southern and Northern dynasties (229-589 CE), the official He Xiu School was established. During the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, study of the ''Gongyang Zhuan'' gradually declined with very few academics concentrating on the work. Gongyang scholarship was introduced to Japan. Notable scholars include Hayashi Razan and his son Hayashi Gahō. Hayashi Gahō later published a commentated version of ''Gongyang Zhuan'' in 1688, attributing the comments to his father. During the

the study of textual criticism flourished with successive scholars researching the ''Gongyang Zhuan'' and reinvigorating its ideas. This re-evaluation of the work was probably a response to the massive social and political changes of the period which caused scholars to reassess the dominant official interpretation of Confucianism. ''Gongyang Zhuan'' played an important role in the works of the Changzhou School of Thought proponents. The school held an important position during the late

as a mainstream center of learning with scholars such as , Zhuang Cunyu, , Gong Zizhen, Wei Yuan and Kang Youwei amongst others. The school's main target for criticism was the Old Texts. In particular, Kang Youwei's interpretation helped facilitated the widespread doubt on the Old Texts among intellectuals, and thus creating a sympathetic audience for his reformist ideas, which later became well known in Hundred Days' Reform. In 1995, Chinese scholar Jiang Qing published his work ''Introductory Treatise on Gongyang Scholarship'', which marked the revived interest in the ''Gongyang Zhuan'' among modern political theorists.

Notes

References

*Duan, Xizhong ''Gongyangxue jiangshu'' Nanjing: Nanjing University Press, 2002 *Jiang, Qing ''Gongyangxue yinlun: Rujia de zhengzhi zhihui yu lishi xinyang'' Shenyang: Liaoning Jiaoyu Chubanshe, 1995.

External links

《春秋公羊傳 - Gongyang Zhuan》
Chinese text at the Chinese Text Project

Chinese text with matching English vocabulary at Chinese Notes {{Confucian texts 5th-century BC history books Chinese classic texts Chinese history texts Chinese literature Confucian texts Thirteen Classics Zhou dynasty texts