Shi zhuan 史传 and Zhu zi 诸子 are the classification of literature in

Han Shu Yiwenzhi

汉书·艺文志， but that of styles in

Wen Xin Carving the Dragon

文心雕龙， about which Ji Yun 纪昀 has posed his questions. From a stylistic perspective，historical narratives must maintain the characteristic

s of seeking truth and establishing great righteousness. For example， the “great righteousness” and the “historical accounts of Lu” together establish the style of Confucius’s

The Spring and Autumn Annals

春秋. Straightforward records cannot ignore the discussion of righteousness such as good and evil， without which the

The Spring and Autumn Annals

would be dim and lifeless. This gives rise to the historical distinction between Confucius as the author who “created the Spring and Autumn” and the compiler who “edited the Spring and Autumn”， which can be analyzed from both textual studies and historical studies. From the perspective of the historical narrative， on one hand， Confucius created

The Spring and Autumn Annals

， highlighting its originality and value as a significant text. On the other hand， Confucius’s compilation demonstrates the integration of historical thoughts and archives， resulting in a text so good that even his most esteemed disciples， Zi You and Zi Xia 游夏之徒， were unable to propose any critiques or revisions to it. However， from Confucius to Zuo Qiuming 左丘明 and onwards to the

Records of the Historians

史记 and B

ook of Han

汉书， the relationship between historians and archives has varied and is often uncertain， leading the Song-dynasty Confucian scholars to bring the “Spring and Autumn” studies down from their exalted status. Thus， historical texts such as

Records of the Historians

and

Book of Han

， with their nature as human-created works， reveal the historiographical limitations of integrating historians and archives， highlighting the enduring contradictions and confusions inherent in the genre of historical narrative.