《汉书·传·司马迁传》
太史公说： 先父曾说过： 从周公死后五百年而有孔子，从孔子到现在又五百年了，到了继承并光大孔子的事业，修正《易传》，续作《春秋》，根据《诗》、《书》、《礼》、《乐》衡量一切的时候了。 
太史公曰： 先人有言  自周公卒五百岁而有孔子，孔子至于今五百岁，有能绍而明世，正《易传》，继《春秋》，本《诗》、《书》、《礼》、《乐》之际。 
Tai Shi Gong said: My late father once said: After 500 years since the death of the Duke of Zhou, there was Confucius; 500 years have passed since Confucius, and it is time to inherit and carry forward Confucius's cause, revise the "Yizhuan", continue to write "Spring and Autumn", and evaluate everything based on "Poetry", "Book", "Li", and "Yue".