Master Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals (Lushi chunqiu) inspired the king who united the warring states to become China's first emperor. In this work on the Lushi chunqiu, author James Sellmann finds that the concept of "proper timing" makes the work's diverse philosophies coherent. He discusses the life and times of its author, Lu Buwei, and the structure of the work. Sellmann also analyzes the role of human nature, the justification of the state, and the significance of cosmic, historical, and personal timing in the Lushi chunqiu. An organic instrumentalist position begins to emerge from the diverse theories of the Lushi chunqiu. In conclusion, Sellmann looks at the implications of the syncretic philosophies of the Lushi chunqiu for contemporary conceptions of time, human nature, political order, and social and environmental ethics.