Duke Huan

AnonymousTibet People's Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

2.5

Word count: 7.4K words
Chapters: 20

Summary

In the sixth year, spring, first month, Shi came. Summer, fourth month, the duke met the Marquis of Ji at Cheng. Autumn, eighth month, on the renwu day, there was a great review. The men of Cai killed Chen Tuo. Ninth month, on the dingmao day, a son, Tong, was born. Winter, the Marquis of Ji came to court.

Editor's review

This book takes the brief entries of the Chunqiu for the years of Duke Huan and preserves the annalistic style characteristic of ancient chronicles, letting readers sense the traditional 'subtle words with profound meaning' of early historians. The text covers court meetings, marriages, military reviews, and personnel changes in the feudal states; though limited in length, it offers a primary entry point for understanding interstate relations and ritual practice in the Spring and Autumn period. Published by Tibet People's Publishing House, this edition serves as introductory material for early Chinese classics, especially when read alongside annotations and reference works. The key to such texts is not to read for plot but to verify each entry's background, personal relationships, and wording, reconstructing the historical context behind the terse text. For readers of ancient history, classical studies, or bibliography, it is a short text to revisit, and it suits reading-group discussion entry by entry.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Spring and Autumn history and annalistic histories
Students needing short Classical Chinese texts for close reading practice
Readers of history and literature wanting to understand ancient ritual and interstate relations
Organizers seeking texts for entry-by-entry reading-group discussion

Not a good fit for

Narrative readers expecting a continuous story or biographies
Beginners with no Classical Chinese who are unwilling to consult annotations
Fast readers needing modern vernacular translation alongside the text

Reading tips

Read the original through first, marking personal names, place names, and event verbs, then check background materials entry by entry.
Prepare a chronological table of the Spring and Autumn states and follow the timeline to clarify the sequence of events.
Read alongside relevant passages of the Zuozhuan to appreciate the difference between annalistic records and detailed narrative.
Read only three to five entries at a time, take brief notes, and record questions for later verification.

About the publisher

Tibet People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1971

Tibet People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for collating Tibetan and Chinese ancient texts and publishing traditional culture. Judging from the books in its catalogue, its publishing focuses on medicine, Eastern philosophy, classics, and ancient poetry. It offers traditional Chinese medical and health-preserving works such as the Compendium of Materia Medica, Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold, and Principles of Correct Diet, as well as canonical and philosophical texts including the Book of Changes, Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, Annotated Edition of the Erya, and Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals, along with historical and geographical works such as The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores. Its authors include figures such as Li Shizhen, Sun Simiao, King Wen of Zhou, Zuo Qiuming, Guo Pu, Dong Zhongshu, Hu Sihui, and Ma Huan. The house emphasizes the collation and republication of ancient texts, balancing scholarship and accessibility, and has developed its own strengths in transmitting Tibetan and Chinese cultural classics. Public information is limited, so other publishing details are omitted here.

版权信息
序
桓公元年
桓公二年
桓公三年
桓公四年
桓公五年
桓公六年
桓公七年
桓公八年
桓公九年
桓公十年
桓公十一年
桓公十二年
桓公十三年
桓公十四年
桓公十五年
桓公十六年
桓公十七年
桓公十八年

FAQ

Does this book cover a complete year of events?

The source indicates it contains entries from spring to winter of Duke Huan's sixth year, including court meetings, marriages, a great review, and personnel changes. It is an annalistic fragment, not a detailed history covering the whole of Duke Huan's reign.

Can someone without Classical Chinese read it?

The original is terse and archaic in wording; readers without Classical Chinese need annotations, reference works, or related research, or they may stay at the surface and miss the background of events.

What should one know before reading this book?

It helps to first understand the basic situation of the Spring and Autumn period, the names of the major feudal states, and the annalistic convention of recording events; then read with a chronological table and knowledge of personal relationships.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.