“王者之迹熄而《诗》亡”申述

A Critical Review on the View that with the Decline of Royal Court,the Book of Songs Withered Away

孟子所谓"王者之迹熄而《诗》亡"即西周之礼乐制度崩而《诗》亡。孟子以王道一统天下为政治理想,所以他强调孔子作《春秋》是秉承了《诗》之礼乐血脉,《春秋》所叙即为"天子之事",这也就是他说"《诗》亡然后《春秋》作"的深层用意。

The words ＂with the decline of royal court, the Book of Songs withered away＂ said by Mencius referred to the Books of Songs withered away along with the collapse of Liyue system of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Mencius＇ political thought is ruling the society with benevolent government. So he emphasized that the Spring and Autumn annals written by Confucius took the blood of Liyue of the Books of Songs. What narrated in the Spring and Autumn annals was ＂the matter of the son of the Heaven＂, which was also the implication of what once said ＂when the Books of Song withered away, the Spring and Autumn annals was written. ＂