Page:Elementary Chinese - San Tzu Ching (1900).djvu/95

 that of the author of one of the three commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals, who flourished in the 5th cent. B.C. Like that of Ku-liang it is much inferior to the great work of Tso ; indeed, from striking similarities in the two former, it has been suspected either that one is a copy of the other or that both may be from the same hand.]

Yu see.

Tso is composed of the old form for 手 shou hand as radical, over 工 kung labour, its modern radical, and means the left hand, calling to mind the discredited position of the left hand among Hindus and other eastern nations. The left is now the place of honour in China, but in ancient times the right; hence left is found in literature with such senses as wrong, heterodox, etc. Here it stands for the surname of 左邱明 Tso-ch'iu Ming, the most important of the three commentators and a reputed disciple of Confucius. His commentary is of infinitely more value, from every point of view, than the original text, and is popularly known as the Tso Chuan.

Shih is said to be the picture of a landslip, with an obsolete phonetic added. It is now a radical meaning family name, family, clan, and is often tacked on to surnames. In the case of a woman, it then means her maiden name.

Yu see.

Ku see.