定公八年十月，季氏的家臣打算在宴席上杀掉自己的主人。家臣叫阳虎；季氏是鲁国三家之一，鲁国的政事早在这一家手里。《左传》把这一天写得极细：人名、干支日、车的次序、车上的对话；《史记·鲁周公世家》记同一件事只有五六句。本文用两页：现场据《左传》，骨架据《史记》；两处不同，并列不合并。「家臣」二字，两页都没有定义；一个季氏之臣能在鲁国「为政」，是两页写出来的事，不是两页解释过的制度。
一、政在季氏
定公即位时，赵简子问史墨：「季氏亡乎？」史墨对：「不亡。季友有大功于鲁，受鄪为上卿，至于文子、武子，世增其业。鲁文公卒，东门遂杀适立庶，鲁君于是失国政。政在季氏，于今四君矣。民不知君，何以得国！」末一句是：「是以为君慎器与名，不可以假人。」问话的人是外人，答话是对鲁国政局的判断；书把这段安在定公即位的开头。
阳虎的起点，《史记》只有四条。定公五年：「季平子卒。阳虎私怒，囚季桓子，与盟，乃舍之。」盟的内容不写，本文只用这一句作背景。七年：「齐伐我，取郓，以为鲁阳虎邑以从政。」《左传》同年作「阳虎居之以为政」——他已有自己的邑，也已经在执政。一个家臣，邑与政都有了，才有第八年那场事。
二、五个人，三个位子
《左传》先列班底，按各自的不得意：「季寤、公鉏极、公山不狃皆不得志于季氏，叔孙辄无宠于叔孙氏，叔仲志不得志于鲁，故五人因阳虎。」然后是计划：「阳虎欲去三桓，以季寤更季氏，以叔孙辄更叔孙氏，己更孟氏。」——三家不废，换的是三家的人头。「己更孟氏」一般认为就是自己去做孟氏之主；页面上只有这一句，没有解释。
《史记》同段写法不同：「阳虎欲尽杀三桓适，而更立其所善庶子以代之」——杀尽三家的嫡子，换立自己中意的庶子。两说并列：一说明写替换的人名，一说只写「所善庶子」；不合并，也不替它们裁断。
三、辛卯、壬辰、癸巳
《左传》用三个干支日记这场事，照录：「冬十月，顺祀先公而祈焉。辛卯，禘于僖公。壬辰，将享季氏于蒲圃而杀之，戒都车曰：『癸巳至』。」先祭祀，再动手，再调兵：三步，三个日子。干支不折公历，本文也不给西历日期。
泄露在这道命令上。「成宰公敛处父告孟孙曰：『季氏戒都车，何故？』孟孙曰：『吾弗闻。』处父曰：『然则乱也，必及于子，先备诸。』与孟孙以壬辰为期。」——成邑的宰去问孟孙，孟孙说没听说；那就是乱了，会轮到你，先备着；于是把日子定在壬辰。壬辰在癸巳之前一日，这是据推测：页面只把两个日子并排放着，没有一句说「提前」。
车序先写：「阳虎前驱，林楚御桓子，虞人以铍盾夹之，阳越殿，将如蒲圃。」孟氏那边：「孟氏选圉人之壮者三百人，以为公期筑室于门外。」三百个壮丁，在门外盖房子。圉人，一般认为指养马的人，本页无注。
四、车上的话
路上有一段对话，照录：桓子咋谓林楚曰：「而先皆季氏之良也，尔以是继之。」对曰：「臣闻命后。阳虎为政，鲁国服焉，违之征死，死无益于主。」桓子曰：「何后之有？而能以我适孟氏乎？」对曰：「不敢爱死，惧不免主。」桓子曰：「往也。」——主人先认旧情，驭手先说难处，主人再问「能把我送到孟氏吗」，驭手答「不敢惜死，怕的是救不了主人」。这一天是从这几句里翻过来的。
脱身只三句：「林楚怒，马及衢而骋，阳越射之不中。筑者阖门。有自门间射阳越，杀之。」——车上了大路就猛跑，阳越一箭没中，筑室的壮丁把门关上，门缝里一箭射死阳越。计划到此为止。
五、巷战、宝玉大弓与出走
接着是巷战：「阳虎劫公与武叔以伐孟氏，公敛处父帅成人，自上东门入，与阳氏战于南门之内，弗胜。又战于棘下，阳氏败。」然后是取宝：「阳氏说甲如公宫，取宝玉大弓以出，舍于五父之衢，寝而为食。」——说甲即脱甲，进公宫把宝玉与大弓取出来。经只写「盗窃宝玉大弓」，传写明是阳氏。最后是那句自负：徒曰「追其将至」，虎曰：「鲁人闻余出，喜于征死，何暇追余？」从者曰：「嘻，速驾，公敛阳在。」
《左传》把他送出鲁国：「阳虎入于讙、阳关以叛。」定公九年，「阳虎归宝玉大弓」，经曰「得」，「器用也」。鲁伐阳关，阳虎「使焚莱门，师惊，犯之而出，奔齐」，请齐师伐鲁，说「三加必取之」；齐侯将许，鲍文子谏止；齐侯执阳虎，他两次「载葱灵」而逃，奔宋，遂奔晋，适赵氏。《史记》一句作结：「九年，鲁伐阳虎，阳虎奔齐，已而奔晋赵氏。」《左传》在这段末尾记孔子一句：「赵氏其世有乱乎。」晋国的事，两页只有「适赵氏」这一点，本文不补。
参考来源与延伸阅读
- 《春秋左氏传·定公》（定公五年、七年、八年、九年传；维基文库本，页面白文无注，未与中华书局点校本复核） — The Zuo Tradition for Duke Ding of Lu. Fifth year: Yang Hu imprisons Ji Huanzi. Seventh year: Yang Hu dwells at Yun and 'administers' from it. Eighth year, the core of this article: five men who had got nowhere attach themselves to Yang Hu, who plans to replace the heads of the three great houses — Ji Wu for the Ji, Shusun Zhe for the Shusun, himself for the Meng; after sacrifices on xinmao and renchen he means to feast and kill the Ji lord at Puqu, ordering the capital's chariots for the guisi day, but the steward of Cheng warns the Meng and they fix on renchen; the carriage order, the exchange between Huanzi and his driver Lin Chu, the Meng's three hundred grooms building outside the gate, the gallop, the missed shot, the shutting gate and the arrow from between its leaves; fighting inside the south gate and at Jixia; the taking of the treasures and the great bow; his boast and his follower's correction; his rebellion at Huan and Yangguan. Ninth year: the treasures returned, Yangguan attacked, his flight to Qi, the twice-used covered cart, and his passage to Song and then to the Zhao clan in Jin.
- 《史记》卷三十三·鲁周公世家（西汉司马迁撰；维基文库本，页面白文无注，未与中华书局点校本复核） — Sima Qian's brief account, used for the frame. When Duke Ding came to the throne, Shi Mo tells Zhao Jianzi that the Ji will not perish: Ji You had done great service, the family's estate grew through generations, and since the killing of the rightful heir under Duke Wen the ruler of Lu had lost the government — 'the government is in the Ji, four rulers now; the people do not know their lord, how should he hold the state?', ending that a ruler is careful with emblems and names and does not lend them out. Then four entries: in Duke Ding's fifth year Yang Hu, in private anger, imprisons Ji Huanzi and makes a covenant before releasing him; in the seventh year Qi takes Yun and it is made Yang Hu's town, from which he takes part in government; in the eighth year he wishes to kill all the legitimate heirs of the three houses and replace them with sons he favours, and when Huanzi escapes by a ruse the three houses attack him and he holds Yangguan; in the ninth year Lu attacks him, and he flees to Qi and then to the Zhao clan in Jin.
