Guoyu_(book)
Guoyu (book)
Ancient Chinese text
The Guoyu (Chinese: 國語), usually translated Discourses of the States, is an ancient Chinese text that consists of a collection of speeches attributed to rulers and other men from the Spring and Autumn period (771–476 BC). It comprises a total of 240 speeches, ranging from the reign of King Mu of Zhou (r. 956–918 BC) to the execution of the Jin minister Zhibo in 453 BC.[1] The Guoyu was probably compiled beginning in the 5th century BC and continuing to the late 4th century BC. The earliest chapter of the compilation is the Discourses of Zhou.[2]
The text's author is unknown, but it is sometimes attributed to Zuo Qiuming, a contemporary of Confucius;[3][4][5] although as early as Jin dynasty, Fu Xuan objected to that attribution of authorship.[6]