Wen Bai Duiying Shiji: Volume 1 and Volume 2

Author: Sima Qian (China)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Records of the Grand Historian initially did not have a fixed title. It was sometimes called "The Works of Sima Qian," "The Records of Sima Qian," or abbreviated as "Sima Qian." "Records of the Grand Historian" was originally a general term for ancient historical texts. From the Three Kingdoms period onwards, it gradually became the specific title of "The Works of Sima Qian." Sima Qian, styled Zichang, was a native of Xuya in the commandery of Zuo Fengyi. He was born in the middle year of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty and died around the third year of Emperor Wu's Zhenghe era. Sima Qian's father, Sima Tan, served as the Grand Historian in the central government of the Han Dynasty, responsible for managing imperial archives and collecting historical materials, as well as studying astronomy and calendar systems. Sima Tan had planned to compile a comprehensive history, but died before realizing his ambition. On his deathbed, he entrusted Sima Qian with completing the unfinished work. From a young age, Sima Qian was diligent in his studies. At the age of ten, he began learning ancient Chinese literature and later studied The Spring and Autumn Annals of Gongyang and The Ancient Texts of the Book of Documents under Dong Zhongshu and Kong Anguo. In the third year of Emperor Wu's Yuanshuo era, when Sima Qian was twenty, driven by his thirst for knowledge, he traveled throughout the famous mountains and rivers of his homeland, examining historical sites and collecting legends. Through this field research on historical relics and historical facts before and after the founding of the Western Han Dynasty, Sima Qian broadened his horizons and gained knowledge, laying a solid foundation for later compiling Records of the Grand Historian. After Sima Tan's death, Sima Qian succeeded him as the Grand Historian, gaining access to a vast amount of books, documents, and state archives, which was an indispensable condition for him to compile Records of the Grand Historian. In the first year of Emperor Wu's Taichu era, Sima Qian began compiling Records of the Grand Historian. In the second year of Tianhan, Li Ling led an army with Li Guangli to fight against the Xiongnu but was defeated and surrendered. Emperor Wu asked Sima Qian for his opinion on Li Ling. Sima Qian said that Li Ling surrendered because of outnumbered forces and the lack of reinforcements, and that the blame should not rest solely on Li Ling. Emperor Wu believed that Sima Qian was deliberately defending Li Ling, criticizing Li Guangli, the brother of Emperor Wu's favorite concubine, Lady Liufu. As a result, Sima Qian was imprisoned and subjected to castration. Three years later, he was released and redoubled his efforts to write Records of the Grand Historian. Around the second year of Zhenghe, he basically completed the compilation. Many years after Sima Qian's death, his grandson-in-law, Yang Xiong, finally made this immortal masterpiece of over 520,000 words public. Records of the Grand Historian is a comprehensive history that spans from the legendary Yellow Emperor to the first year of Emperor Wu's Yuanshou era, narrating the history of China for about three thousand years. According to Sima Qian, the book consists of twelve "Basic Annals," ten "Tables," eight "Treatises," thirty "Hereditary Houses," and seventy "Biographies," totaling one hundred and thirty chapters. Ban Gu, in The Book of Han, mentioned that Records of the Grand Historian was missing ten chapters. Zhang Yan of the Wei Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms period identified these ten chapters as The Basic Annals of Emperor Jing, The Basic Annals of Emperor Wu, The Treatise on Rites, The Treatise on Music, The Treatise on Laws, The Year-Table of Generals and Ministers since the Rise of the Han Dynasty, The Biography of the Astrologers, The Hereditary Houses of the Three Kings, The Biography of the Tortoise and Oyster Diviners, and The Biographies of Chu Jing and Yin Xin. Most later scholars disagree with Zhang Yan's identification, but the incompleteness of Records of the Grand Historian is undeniable. The current edition also consists of one hundred and thirty chapters, with a few chapters clearly not written by Sima Qian. During the reigns of Emperor Yuan and Emperor Cheng of the Han Dynasty, the scholar Chu Shaojun added to Records of the Grand Historian, and the passages marked as "Chu Shaojun said" in the current edition are his additions. Records of the Grand Historian draws on a wide range of sources. Works such as Shiben, Yuguo, Guocuo, Qin Records, Chu-Han Spring and Autumn, as well as the writings of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and state archives, along with materials gathered through field research, were all important sources for Sima Qian's compilation. What is particularly valuable is that Sima Qian conducted a serious analysis and selection of the materials, discarding unreliable information. For issues that could not be clarified, he either adopted a stance of doubt or recorded various differing accounts. Due to the extensive sources and his rigorous attitude in compiling history, Records of the Grand Historian is known for its factual accuracy and rich content.