《春秋》“天子之事”发微

Understanding the Affairs of the "Son of Heaven" in the CHUNQIU

孟子说:"《春秋》,天子之事也。"这一说法对探讨先秦中国学术发展意义重大。西周时期的王官之中,史官至关重要,甚至被称为"天子之左右手",史官所记录的"史记旧闻"则是孟子所谓"天子之事"的重要载体。然而,在"礼坏乐崩"的春秋社会,史官的职责及其命运都遇到前所未有的挑战。在"王命不行"的背景下,孔子作《春秋》,他是以布衣身份代史官行"天子之事",这标志着由史官到史家的转变。

Mencius says,＂the CHUNQIU is about the affairs of Son of Heaven＂. This statement is of great importance for investigating the academic development in pre-Qin China. The official historian of the Western Zhou Dynasty was very important among royal officials,and was even called the hands of the ＂Son of Heaven＂. ＂The historical records and past anecdotes＂ recorded by official historians were important carriers of the affairs of Son of Heaven. However,when ＂the disintegration of ceremony and music＂ occurred in the Spring and Autumn Period,both the destiny and the responsibility of the official historian encountered unparalleled challenges. When the ＂royal decrees failed to be observed＂ ,Confucius edited the CHUNQIU or Spring and Autumn,which is the result of non-official historian taking charge of the official ones in enacting ＂the affairs of Son of Heaven＂. This embodied the transition from the official hisotrians to professional historians.