Record of the First Month of Summer

吕氏春秋Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaApr 2020

4.5

Word count: 3.4K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

A masterpiece of Huang-Lao Daoism compiled under the auspices of Lü Buwei, chancellor of Qin, with the collective effort of his retainers. Completed on the eve of Qin Shi Huang's unification of China, the work takes Confucianism as its backbone and Daoist theory as its foundation, drawing on the teachings of the Logicians, Legalists, Mohists, Agriculturalists, Militarists, and Yin-Yang thinkers. Fusing the Hundred Schools into a single forge, it radiates a light of vast and profound wisdom.

Editor's review

The "Record of the First Month of Summer" is the chapter of the Lüshi Chunqiu's twelve seasonal records corresponding to the first month of summer. Organized around seasonal ordinances and government decrees, it also gathers discussions on judging men and encouraging learning, embodying the work's arrangement of monthly ordinances as its framework and the debates of the Hundred Schools as its texture. This edition is printed from the old plates of Shanghai Jinzhang Book Company, preserving the traditional layout and textual appearance so that readers may approach the reading experience of the original carving. Its strength lies in the clarity of its short chapters: on one hand it sets out the celestial phenomena, natural signs, and governmental taboos of the first summer month; on the other it uses parables and dialogues to discuss recognizing men, employing men, and cultivating oneself, so that the reading never grows dull. For today's readers it offers not only ancient calendrical knowledge but a way of thinking that holds the rhythms of nature and the order of human affairs up as mirrors to each other. It serves well as a light entry point into the thought of the Miscellaneous School, and equally well for reading alongside the "Record of the First Month of Winter" to observe how the four seasonal records unfold different topics within a unified framework.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers of history and literature who wish to approach the Lüshi Chunqiu through short chapters
Readers researching the relationship between ancient monthly ordinances, seasonal cycles, and government decrees
Teachers who need selected chapters for classroom instruction in pre-Qin prose
Readers who enjoy argumentation through parable in texts of moderate length

Not a good fit for

Advanced readers seeking a complete, fully annotated edition
Readers who rely entirely on vernacular translations and are unwilling to engage with classical Chinese
Readers who want only a digest of famous sayings from the Hundred Schools

Reading tips

Read through the monthly-ordinance passages first to grasp the natural signs and governmental priorities of early summer, then turn to the discursive chapters.
When you meet a parable, read the story on its own first, then return to the moral the compilers draw from it.
Read in comparison with the "Record of the First Month of Winter," noting similarities and differences in topic selection and arrangement between the two seasons.
Keep a notebook and sort your notes under themes such as "seasonal ordinances," "judging men," and "encouraging learning."

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
序
○孟夏
○劝学
○尊师
○诬徒
○用众

FAQ

What is the "Record of the First Month of Summer" mainly about?

Taking the early-summer season as its framework, it sets out the celestial phenomena, natural signs, and governmental dos and don'ts of that month, and also includes short pieces discussing recognizing men, encouraging learning, and cultivating oneself—combining monthly-ordinance knowledge with the debates of the Hundred Schools.

Is this book suitable for high school students?

It can serve as supplementary selected reading. The parables and dialogues are fairly narrative, but the original text still requires annotation, so it is best to read selected chapters under a teacher's guidance or with an annotated edition rather than insisting on reading every chapter straight through.

What does it mean that it was printed by Shanghai Jinzhang Book Company?

This is publication information for this printed edition, indicating that it was printed from the traditional plates of an old-time book company, with a layout and textual appearance on the archaic side. Readers may use this to understand the edition's provenance, but should not infer collation quality from it.

Will reading this single record alone make the whole book incomprehensible?

It will not be entirely incomprehensible, but understanding will be limited. The twelve records each have their own role and echo one another; reading one gives you the early-summer portion, but grasping the book's overall structure still requires the other records and the Lan and Lun sections.

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About the author

吕氏春秋 Author

Lüshi Chunqiu is not a single author but a work compiled under the direction of Lü Buwei, the chancellor of Qin in the late Warring States period, and it is commonly cited under the name "Lüshi Chunqiu." Publicly available information about the individual compiler's life is limited, and no exact dates of birth or death or nationality are recorded. The book is broad in scope, gathering materials from the various schools of pre-Qin thought and covering subjects such as astronomy, calendars, ritual institutions, politics, and ethics. The works listed in the catalog, such as the Annals of Midsummer, Early Summer, Early Spring, Midsummer, Early Winter, Late Spring, Late Autumn, and the Discourses of the Opening of Spring, are chapters arranged by season and month, reflecting a style organized around the seasons and integrating the doctrines of the Hundred Schools. The book is often mentioned in cultural and Eastern philosophy categories and is an important source for understanding pre-Qin thought and the concept of monthly ordinances.