左氏之文，雄博恣肆，百代師法。立意謀篇，裁章佈局，其術多方，而繁稱博引，居功厥偉。或引《詩》、《書》、《易》、《禮》，或引《夏訓》、《周志》，或引箴銘、史佚、周任，或引君子、仲尼，或引謠諺，或引古人之言，或引時賢讜論，不一而足，洋洋灑灑。引用耆賢重言或前賢文辭，乃訴諸權威或大眾的修辭法，對於詞令的說服力與議論的卓越性，都有助益。 《左傳》中的諺語，針對性不似歌謠明顯，往往語南意北，聲東擊西，耐人尋味。除此之外，諺語在《左傳》中亦作為預示伏筆、微言側筆、政治預言等，不但是謀篇佈局、沉吟鋪辭的一種修辭技巧，也是一種耆賢「重言」，一種印證公理的「成辭」。 左氏身為國史，解經與經世資鑑自是其歷史使命，故本《春秋》之旨，善名必書，惡名不滅。藉「《詩》曰」、「《書》曰」、「君子曰」、「諺曰」、「古人有言曰」等，闡明其史論，寄託其歷史資鑒，以期達到勸善懲惡、教化後世的目的。本文即本此旨趣發微，嘗試領略左氏為《春秋》經作傳的苦心孤詣。

Zuo Zhuan (the Chronicle of Zuo) is a classic novel that serves to interpret the meaning of the Chun Chiu (the Spring and Autumn Annals). It is a gracious composition that incorporates a number of rhetorical techniques. Among the techniques, the use of citation is the most important. The book cites from a variety of sources, including Shi Jing (the Classic of Poetry), words of Confucius, words of nobilities, and songs and proverbs. "Citation" is a rhetorical means to connect to the canons or to rely on common senses. Its purpose is to strengthen the prominence and persuasiveness of its exposition through the support of former classics. Zuo Zhuan makes extensive citing of proverbs, and they mold naturally in the writings of the author. These cited references aid the author of Zuo Zhuan to develop and express a sense of history, as well as to reflect on the Truth of life in order to achieve the mission of condemning evil and praising goodness, which is the unshirkable duty of historians. The proverbs cited by Zuo Zhuan often times have certain hidden contents. Readers must exploit the words in order to discover the inner meanings the author has meticulously and diligently placed between the lines. Being truthful to this spirit of exploration, this study thus intends to adventure into the words of Zuo Zhuan in order to discover the connotations of the cited proverbs.