Spring and Autumn period
The Spring and Autumn period in Chinese history lasted approximately from 770 to 481 BCE[1][a] which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name[b] derives from the Spring and Autumn Annals, a chronicle of the state of Lu between 722 and 481 BCE, which tradition associates with Confucius (551–479 BCE).
Spring and Autumn period
Chūnqiū shídài
Chūnqiū shídài
Chūnqiū shídài
ㄔㄨㄣ ㄑㄧㄡ
ㄕˊ ㄉㄞˋ
Chuen chiou shyrday
Chʻun1-chʻiu1 Shih2-tai4
Chunciou shíhdài
Chwūn chyōu shŕdài
Chuēn chiōu shŕdài
Ceon1 cau1 si4 doi6
/t͡ɕʰiuɪn t͡sʰɨu d͡ʑɨ dʌiH/
*tʰun tsʰiw
[d]ə (~ [d]əʔ) lˤək-s
/*tʰjun sʰɯw djɯ l'ɯːɡs/
During this period, royal control over the various local polities eroded as regional lords increasingly exercised political autonomy, negotiating their own alliances, waging wars amongst themselves, up to defying the king's court in Luoyi. The gradual Partition of Jin, one of the most powerful states, is generally considered to mark the end of the Spring and Autumn period and the beginning of the Warring States period. This periodization dates back to late Western Han, c. 48 BCE – c. 9 CE.[9]
The Five Hegemons (春秋五霸):
With the royal house of Zhou lacking the military strength to defend itself, and with the various states experiencing tension and conflict, certain very powerful lords took the position of hegemon, ostensibly to uphold the house of Zhou and maintain the peace to the degree possible. They paid tribute to the royal court, and were owed tribute by the other rulers. Traditional history lists five hegemons during the Spring and Autumn period:[56]
Alternatively:
Bureaucrats or Officers
Influential scholars
Other people
