Hanzi

Confucius's thoughts were profound and extensive, leading later generations to revere him as a sage. At that time, three thousand disciples followed him to study. For educational purposes, Confucius once organized and revised classics like 'The Spring and Autumn Annals'. He emphasized that 'The Spring and Autumn Annals' conveyed 'righteousness,' guiding people to understand this virtue. However, Confucius himself never wrote extensive works, instead choosing to 'transmit but not create.'

The Analects record an instance where Zi Gong inquired about 'the Way of Heaven.' Confucius replied, 'I do not wish to speak of it.' Zi Gong pressed, 'If our Master does not speak, how can we follow?' Confucius then explained, 'How can the Way of Heaven be clearly articulated? The four seasons run by it, and all things grow because of it. How can the Way of Heaven be clearly articulated?' Perhaps this was his reason for not writing.

During the Tang Dynasty, Liu Zongyuan remarked: 'Since Confucius revised 'The Spring and Autumn Annals,' the number of commentaries on it has greatly increased. There were five major ones at the time: Zuo Zhuan, Gongyang Zhuan, Guliang Zhuan, Zou Shi Zhuan, and Jia Shi Zhuan. Subsequently, through successive dynasties, hundreds and thousands of scholars wrote annotations and explanations, producing a vast array of works with diverse interpretations. These books, when piled up, could fill houses, and when transported, would cause oxen and horses to sweat from the effort.'