The Guo yu is one of the most important histories for the Spring and Autumn Period. The last 3 of the 21 juan focus on the history of the conflict between Wu and Yue. According to tradition, the Guo yu's authorship is attributed to Zuo Qiuming 左丘明, who was also considered the author of the Zuo zhuan 左傳.
“予觀春秋、國語，其發明五帝德、帝系姓章矣，顧弟弗深考， 其所表見皆不虛。” Shiji 1《史記 • 五帝本記》
“左丘失明，厥有國語” Shiji 130《史記 • 太史公自序》
“魯君子左丘明懼弟子人人異端，各安其意，失其真，故因孔子”
“史記具論其語，成左氏春秋。” Shiji 14《史記 • 十二諸侯年表 》
“魯君子左丘明論集其文，作左氏傳三十篇，又撰異同，號曰 國語，二十一篇，” Hou Han Shu《後漢書 • 班彪列傳上》
“It is easily recognized (after his analysis), on the one hand the Shu (Shujing), the Shi (Shijing), the Lu (Analects and Mencius), the Tso (Zuozhuan) and the Chuang (Zhuangzi) texts are exponents of strongly diverging dialects, possessing constellations of auxiliaries that are very incongruous; on the other hand that the Kuo yü text has a grammar closely allied to that of the Tso chuan.” (Karlgren, 1926, p. 60)
“I have found no other book (besides the Kuo yü) so closely resembling the Tso chuan in grammar.” (ibid, p. 61)
“a rather archaic form of the literary language, showing feature in common with the Shijing and probably based on a central dialect, used in historical texts such as the the Zuozhuan 左傳 and Guoyu 國語;”(Pullyblank, 1995, p.3)
The Guo yu is one of the primary sources for the story of Wu and Yue contending for hegemony.
卷十九吳語
1、趙王句踐命諸稽郢行成於吳
2、吳王夫差與越荒成不盟
3、夫差伐齊不聽申胥之諫
4、夫差勝於艾陵使奚斯釋言於齊
5、申胥自殺
6、吳晉爭長未成句踐襲吳
7、吳欲與晉戰得為盟主
8、夫差退于黃池使王孫苟告于周
9、句踐滅吳夫差自殺
卷二十越語上
1、句踐滅吳
卷二十一越語下
1、范蠡進諫句踐持盈定傾節事
2、范蠡勸句踐無蚤圖吳
3、范蠡謂人事至而天應未至
4、范蠡謂先為之征其事不成
5、范蠡謂人事與天地相參乃可以成功
6、越興師伐吳而弗與戰
7、范蠡諫句踐勿許吳成卒滅吳
8、范蠡乘輕舟以浮於五湖 “Fan Li embarks on a light boat and floats (away) on the Five Lakes”