Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Author: Chen Shou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-01-01
Features: The Records of the Three Kingdoms is a relatively complete historical account of these sixty years. The Records of the Three Kingdoms comprises sixty-five volumes, including The Book of Wei (thirty volumes), The Book of Shu (fifteen volumes), and The Book of Wu (twenty volumes), written by Chen Shou of the Western Jin Dynasty and annotated by Pei Songzhi of the Southern Dynasties. The Records of the Three Kingdoms, along with The Records of the Grand Historian, The Book of Han, and The Book of the Later Han, are collectively known as the "Four Great Histories," and The Records of the Three Kingdoms was completed over a century earlier than The Book of the Later Han. From the first year of Emperor Wen of Wei (220) to the first year of Emperor Taikang of Jin (280), China experienced the period of the three-way split of Wei, Shu, and Wu. The Records of the Three Kingdoms is a relatively complete historical account of these sixty years. The Records of the Three Kingdoms comprises sixty-five volumes, including The Book of Wei (thirty volumes), The Book of Shu (fifteen volumes), and The Book of Wu (twenty volumes), written by Chen Shou of the Western Jin Dynasty and annotated by Pei Songzhi of the Southern Dynasties. Chen Shou's narrative is detailed and concise; Pei Songzhi's annotations focus more on the interpretation of text and the examination of institutions, while providing extensive additions and verifications of facts, nearly tripling the volume of the original text. The annotations and the original text complement each other, intertwined, forming a uniquely cultural phenomenon in the "Twenty-Five Histories."