What do you think?
Rate this book
失败者的春秋
本书是刘勃继《战国歧途》后的新作，依然关注古老中国的青春时代。
春秋是礼崩乐坏的时代。以周天子为中心的分封制难以为继，新的集权制度亦未建立。
春秋是承前启后的时代。齐桓晋文称雄称霸，狐偃管仲封侯拜相，孔子老子更是影响深远。乱世丛林，英雄伟人辈出。
一部春秋史，奠定了整部中国史的基础。
面对令人望而生畏的杂多人物和纷繁事件，作者刘勃抽丝剥茧，比勘真假莫辨的史籍记载，吸收新近的考古资料，以诙谐轻松的语言，化芜杂晦涩为起伏跌宕，勾画出一幅春秋时代诸国兴亡变幻的画卷，也留下贵族时代最后的背影，重现他们所面临的困境、挣扎和奋斗。
与之前出版的《读罢春秋不成歌》截然不同，刘勃试图搭建新架构，再写春秋史。从地缘关系视角分析梳理历史发展脉络，是本书写作的一大特色。
内忧外患中，周天子为何突围失败？齐、晋、秦、楚，大国雄主如何博弈？世家贵族，为何在春秋时代渐入黄昏？这些看似是古代中国的独有问题，实际也是现代世界面临的特有挑战。春秋史的激荡，依然能给予我们诸多灵感和想象。
春秋是礼崩乐坏的时代。以周天子为中心的分封制难以为继，新的集权制度亦未建立。
春秋是承前启后的时代。齐桓晋文称雄称霸，狐偃管仲封侯拜相，孔子老子更是影响深远。乱世丛林，英雄伟人辈出。
一部春秋史，奠定了整部中国史的基础。
面对令人望而生畏的杂多人物和纷繁事件，作者刘勃抽丝剥茧，比勘真假莫辨的史籍记载，吸收新近的考古资料，以诙谐轻松的语言，化芜杂晦涩为起伏跌宕，勾画出一幅春秋时代诸国兴亡变幻的画卷，也留下贵族时代最后的背影，重现他们所面临的困境、挣扎和奋斗。
与之前出版的《读罢春秋不成歌》截然不同，刘勃试图搭建新架构，再写春秋史。从地缘关系视角分析梳理历史发展脉络，是本书写作的一大特色。
内忧外患中，周天子为何突围失败？齐、晋、秦、楚，大国雄主如何博弈？世家贵族，为何在春秋时代渐入黄昏？这些看似是古代中国的独有问题，实际也是现代世界面临的特有挑战。春秋史的激荡，依然能给予我们诸多灵感和想象。
352 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2019
3 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 29, 2026
不要因为总被身边人吹捧就忘了自己的文史教育就是个大路货水平
December 26, 2021
一段不熟悉的历史，在刘勃老师娓娓道来下，读的津津有味。以史为鉴，的确在过了两千多年后，发现很多事依然不陌生。
January 12, 2026
12/31/2025-1/11/2026
【2026Book01】Liu Bo’s《失败者的春秋》 (the title can be translated as “Spring and Autumn Period: A Time of Losers”). This is the third book in my “Chinese history catch-up plan” (the first two were Lü Simian’s 《中国通史》(A General History of China) and Li Shuo’s 《翦商》(Cutting Down the Shang Dynasty). The Spring and Autumn period is a time in Chinese history, part of the Zhou dynasty, roughly spanning 770 BCE to 403 BCE.
Previously, my knowledge of the Spring and Autumn period was limited to knowing there was such a term as the “Five Hegemons,” another term, “the collapse of rites and music,” a classic called the “Spring and Autumn Annals”, and that Confucius lived around this time. Professor Liu Bo, however, uses very plain language to depict this turning point in Chinese history. The “collapse of rites and music” in the Spring and Autumn era meant the decline of the aristocracy—a kind of chaos before the rise of a more efficient, centralized emperor power and a bureaucratic system. Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin; Duke Mu of Qin and King Zhuang of Chu; Helü and Goujian—hegemons rising from among the aristocratic feudal lords take the stage one by one, the moral ideals of the old world are torn to shreds layer by layer, and the local polities move step by step toward a brutal struggle for absolute power. China’s emperor–bureaucrat politics matured very early, and in Liu Bo’s view, the Spring and Autumn period was the twilight of the chivalric aristocracy in ancient China. It was their age: in peacetime, they schemed against one another and their morality disintegrated, yet on the battlefield, they still showed restraint, observed ritual propriety, and left room for mercy. The hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period were not simply unalloyed hegemonists; to varying degrees, they were still constrained (whatever their motives) by moral imperatives such as “honoring the King of Zhou and repelling the barbarians” and “supporting the weak and resisting the strong.” Yet, against the backdrop of hegemonic rivalry and facing the historical tide toward centralization, the hereditary aristocracy was destined to be the losers.
I have three takeaways. First, “When great powers adjust their strategies, it is sometimes not out of malice toward small states; yet for small states, it can still be a catastrophe.” More than two thousand years later, the world seems not to have changed much. Second, history really is like a little girl one can dress up however one likes. After reading Liu Bo’s interpretation, I understood for the first time what people mean by “the Spring and Autumn style of writing—subtle words bearing grand moral judgments.” In truth, it often amounts to smuggling in one’s own perspective: where one’s ass sits determines what one’s head thinks. How many historical facts have been buried under recorders’ selective choices based on their “stance,” or been treated so lightly with a single stroke? As a modern reader, I feel that historical truth should come before constructing a historical view. Without getting as close to the facts as possible, it’s impossible to build a sound historical view—let alone to know where the future is heading. Third, if someone could adapt the stories of the Spring and Autumn period into a “Game of Thrones”-style TV series, it would surely be extremely compelling.
2025年12月31日-2026年1月11日
【2026年的第一本书】刘勃的《失败者的春秋》。这算是我“中国史补习计划”的第三弹（前两本是吕思勉的《中国通史》和李硕的《翦商》）。以前我对春秋时期的了解仅限于知道有个词叫“春秋五霸”，还有个词叫“礼崩乐坏”，有本书叫《春秋》，以及孔老夫子大约是生活在这个时代。而刘勃老师则以非常浅白的语言，描绘了这个中国历史的转折时期——春秋时期的礼崩乐坏，是贵族的没落，是效率更高的君主集权和官僚体制建立之前的混沌。齐桓晋文，秦穆楚庄，阖闾勾践，从贵族诸侯中崛起的霸主一个接着一个粉墨登场，旧时代的道德理想一层接着一层被撕碎，列国一步接着一步走向追求绝对实力的残酷斗争。中国的君主-官僚政治非常早熟，而刘勃老师认为，春秋是古代中国有骑士精神的贵族的黄昏——这是属于他们的时代，他们在和平时尔虞我诈，道德崩坏，在战场上却又克制守礼，留有余地；春秋时代的霸主们并不是单纯的霸权主义者，他们多或少还是受到尊王攘夷，扶弱抗强的道德制约（不论目的为何）；然而，在争霸的大背景下，在集权的历史洪流面前，世袭贵族注定是逃不开失败者的命运的。
有三点感想：其一，“大国的战略调整，有时对小国本无恶意，但于小国而言，一样是灭顶之灾”，两千多年过去了，这个世界似乎是没得什么变化。其二，历史着实是任人打扮的小姑娘；看了刘勃老师的解读，我才第一次真正理解了什么叫“春秋笔法，大义微言”，其实就是夹带私货，屁股决定脑袋罢了；有多少历史事实被掩埋在了所谓史家出于立场的取舍和一笔带过里了呢？我觉得作为现代人，看重史实应该优先于建立史观；不尽可能地接近史实，不可能建立起正确的史观，更不可能知道未来何去何从。其三，如果有人能把春秋的故事拍成《权力的游戏》式的剧集，想必也是极好看的。
【2026Book01】Liu Bo’s《失败者的春秋》 (the title can be translated as “Spring and Autumn Period: A Time of Losers”). This is the third book in my “Chinese history catch-up plan” (the first two were Lü Simian’s 《中国通史》(A General History of China) and Li Shuo’s 《翦商》(Cutting Down the Shang Dynasty). The Spring and Autumn period is a time in Chinese history, part of the Zhou dynasty, roughly spanning 770 BCE to 403 BCE.
Previously, my knowledge of the Spring and Autumn period was limited to knowing there was such a term as the “Five Hegemons,” another term, “the collapse of rites and music,” a classic called the “Spring and Autumn Annals”, and that Confucius lived around this time. Professor Liu Bo, however, uses very plain language to depict this turning point in Chinese history. The “collapse of rites and music” in the Spring and Autumn era meant the decline of the aristocracy—a kind of chaos before the rise of a more efficient, centralized emperor power and a bureaucratic system. Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin; Duke Mu of Qin and King Zhuang of Chu; Helü and Goujian—hegemons rising from among the aristocratic feudal lords take the stage one by one, the moral ideals of the old world are torn to shreds layer by layer, and the local polities move step by step toward a brutal struggle for absolute power. China’s emperor–bureaucrat politics matured very early, and in Liu Bo’s view, the Spring and Autumn period was the twilight of the chivalric aristocracy in ancient China. It was their age: in peacetime, they schemed against one another and their morality disintegrated, yet on the battlefield, they still showed restraint, observed ritual propriety, and left room for mercy. The hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period were not simply unalloyed hegemonists; to varying degrees, they were still constrained (whatever their motives) by moral imperatives such as “honoring the King of Zhou and repelling the barbarians” and “supporting the weak and resisting the strong.” Yet, against the backdrop of hegemonic rivalry and facing the historical tide toward centralization, the hereditary aristocracy was destined to be the losers.
I have three takeaways. First, “When great powers adjust their strategies, it is sometimes not out of malice toward small states; yet for small states, it can still be a catastrophe.” More than two thousand years later, the world seems not to have changed much. Second, history really is like a little girl one can dress up however one likes. After reading Liu Bo’s interpretation, I understood for the first time what people mean by “the Spring and Autumn style of writing—subtle words bearing grand moral judgments.” In truth, it often amounts to smuggling in one’s own perspective: where one’s ass sits determines what one’s head thinks. How many historical facts have been buried under recorders’ selective choices based on their “stance,” or been treated so lightly with a single stroke? As a modern reader, I feel that historical truth should come before constructing a historical view. Without getting as close to the facts as possible, it’s impossible to build a sound historical view—let alone to know where the future is heading. Third, if someone could adapt the stories of the Spring and Autumn period into a “Game of Thrones”-style TV series, it would surely be extremely compelling.
2025年12月31日-2026年1月11日
【2026年的第一本书】刘勃的《失败者的春秋》。这算是我“中国史补习计划”的第三弹（前两本是吕思勉的《中国通史》和李硕的《翦商》）。以前我对春秋时期的了解仅限于知道有个词叫“春秋五霸”，还有个词叫“礼崩乐坏”，有本书叫《春秋》，以及孔老夫子大约是生活在这个时代。而刘勃老师则以非常浅白的语言，描绘了这个中国历史的转折时期——春秋时期的礼崩乐坏，是贵族的没落，是效率更高的君主集权和官僚体制建立之前的混沌。齐桓晋文，秦穆楚庄，阖闾勾践，从贵族诸侯中崛起的霸主一个接着一个粉墨登场，旧时代的道德理想一层接着一层被撕碎，列国一步接着一步走向追求绝对实力的残酷斗争。中国的君主-官僚政治非常早熟，而刘勃老师认为，春秋是古代中国有骑士精神的贵族的黄昏——这是属于他们的时代，他们在和平时尔虞我诈，道德崩坏，在战场上却又克制守礼，留有余地；春秋时代的霸主们并不是单纯的霸权主义者，他们多或少还是受到尊王攘夷，扶弱抗强的道德制约（不论目的为何）；然而，在争霸的大背景下，在集权的历史洪流面前，世袭贵族注定是逃不开失败者的命运的。
有三点感想：其一，“大国的战略调整，有时对小国本无恶意，但于小国而言，一样是灭顶之灾”，两千多年过去了，这个世界似乎是没得什么变化。其二，历史着实是任人打扮的小姑娘；看了刘勃老师的解读，我才第一次真正理解了什么叫“春秋笔法，大义微言”，其实就是夹带私货，屁股决定脑袋罢了；有多少历史事实被掩埋在了所谓史家出于立场的取舍和一笔带过里了呢？我觉得作为现代人，看重史实应该优先于建立史观；不尽可能地接近史实，不可能建立起正确的史观，更不可能知道未来何去何从。其三，如果有人能把春秋的故事拍成《权力的游戏》式的剧集，想必也是极好看的。
September 12, 2024
非常好的历史故事书，读起来很轻松，读完之后对春秋时期的历史有了一个大概框架。最近刚好也在读希罗多德的《历史》，发现两本书文风还挺像，看了作者后记发现是有意为之。我觉得每个朝代都应该有一本不那么严肃的高水平历史故事书，这样能够让更多对历史感兴趣的人入门。
June 27, 2025
历史似乎只是研究的内容与产物，与原本的历史关系不大。
March 27, 2025
25.03.24-25.03.26 二编
之前写的评论是多么傲慢。对不起刘老师，要将历史故事及分析写得如此轻松有趣是多么难得…能将（历史）书写得如此好读是多么难得！连狡黠的幽默，也不能不承认是一种才气。
春秋战国，并非好写好读的历史时期。中国的青春期，说得多么好…青春期就是如此天真又残忍，懵懂又血腥，高贵又卑贱。啊，用这样一种轻松自然又温和的笔触写古老的青春，不是很自然吗？其实连《入关》中建州女真的崛起，也可以看作是一种别样的青春吧，虽然说到这里已有某种隐隐危险的趋势，笑。再想到《东周列国志》，又是另一种别样的、古典的浪漫了。
———————————————
看了几本作者的书，感觉是停止的时候了。作为入门科普类的口袋书，读过的几本的确是写得很好，但若要真沉下心来研习，仍然要往深处求。
之前写的评论是多么傲慢。对不起刘老师，要将历史故事及分析写得如此轻松有趣是多么难得…能将（历史）书写得如此好读是多么难得！连狡黠的幽默，也不能不承认是一种才气。
春秋战国，并非好写好读的历史时期。中国的青春期，说得多么好…青春期就是如此天真又残忍，懵懂又血腥，高贵又卑贱。啊，用这样一种轻松自然又温和的笔触写古老的青春，不是很自然吗？其实连《入关》中建州女真的崛起，也可以看作是一种别样的青春吧，虽然说到这里已有某种隐隐危险的趋势，笑。再想到《东周列国志》，又是另一种别样的、古典的浪漫了。
———————————————
看了几本作者的书，感觉是停止的时候了。作为入门科普类的口袋书，读过的几本的确是写得很好，但若要真沉下心来研习，仍然要往深处求。
January 3, 2021
很不错的春秋诸侯历史小品文
February 20, 2021
Wonderful narrative of one of the most fascinating period in the Chinese history.
May 2, 2022
想给这本书打4.5颗星，其实春秋这段历史个人是不太感兴趣的，但是这本书写得着实通俗有趣，其中也有一些地方让人深思，如春秋时期的贵族做派。0.5扣在黄到不行的轻型纸以及比较小的字体，等我老一点可能就不太能看得动了。我为我自己拖拖拉拉两年还没有看完这本书的行为进行反省，之后想要读一读战国歧途。
February 9, 2024
封建分封是贵族的时代，公侯和贵族是相互成就的关系；也许是为了维护这种关系，繁复的礼仪自然发展了起来并推至历史高峰。然而受中原文化影响较小的边陲之国（齐楚秦晋）能摆脱这些无谓的“开销”，以更高效的方式组织生产、军事建设，逐渐发展壮大并相继称霸，成为春秋时代的主角。另外作者多次指出《春秋》、《左传》、《史记》等史书中有诸多不合乎逻辑的陈述，需要带有批判性的精神来研究这些史料。
October 9, 2022
尽管有些许的新观点以及对多文本的尊重，但是结构着实松散，难得称之为一部合格的优秀历史书籍。
January 1, 2023
古典贵族世界的风景
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews