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Work #1147 · Early

The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu)

Confucius (traditionally attributed)
5th c. BCE (traditional); chronicling events 722-481 BCE · Classical Chinese
Historical chronicle / Canonical text · Confucianism / Chinese classical canon

Confucian classic — chronicle of the state of Lu 722-481 BCE, traditionally attributed to Confucius as compiler

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu) (Early)
Time · Extent Finite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Finite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Active
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency Impersonal
Observer · Moral Authority Tradition
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Discrete

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu)

The 722-481 BCE Spring-and-Autumn period of Lu state history.

Space

The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu)

The state of Lu and the broader pre-Qin Chinese political world.

Matter

The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu)

The embodied rulers, ministers, and communities whose actions the chronicle records.

Observer

The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu)

The Confucian historian-moralist (traditionally Confucius) as proper observer.

Energy

The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu)

The political-moral energies of the Spring-and-Autumn period's decline.

Information

The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu)

The terse chronicle-content as morally-encoded historical record.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

The Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu)

The traditional attribution to Confucius as compiler has been contested; the work's role in the Confucian canon is uncontested. The "subtle words" hermeneutic has been variously assessed across Chinese intellectual history.