Li Lou II · 孟子 4B.21

Passage 21

孟mèng子zǐ曰yuē：「王wáng者zhě之zhī跡jì熄xī而ér《詩shī》亡wáng，《詩shī》亡wáng然rán後hòu《春chūn秋qiū》作zuò。晉jìn之zhī《乘chéng》、楚chǔ之zhī《梼táo杌wù》、魯lǔ之zhī《春chūn秋qiū》，一yī也yě。其qí事shì則zé齊qí桓huán、晉jìn文wén，其qí文wén則zé史shǐ。孔kǒng子zǐ曰yuē：『其qí義yì則zé丘qiū竊qiè取qǔ之zhī矣yǐ。』」

Mencius said, 'The traces of sovereign rule were extinguished, and the royal odes ceased to be made. When those odes ceased to be made, then the Chun Qiu was produced. The Sheng of Jin, the Tao Wu of Chu, and the Chun Qiu of Lu were books of the same character. The subject of the Chun Qiu was the affairs of Huan of Qi and Wen of Jin, and its style was the historical. Confucius said, "Its righteous decisions I ventured to make."'

First-principles reading

Begin with the words and context, expose the premise beneath the argument, then test the conditions and limits of the principle.