Research on the Grammatical Features of the Records of the Grand Historian

Author: He Leshi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-10
Features: The Records of the Grand Historian is one of the books the author loves to read the most, and its author, Sima Qian, is a scholar the author greatly admires. In Letter to Ren Shaoqing, Sima Qian once explained the birth of great works: "King Wen was detained and thus compiled the Book of Changes; Confucius was in dire straits and wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals; Qu Yuan was exiled and composed the Li Sao; Zuo Qiu was blind and authored the Records of the States; Sun Tzu lost his legs and refined the Art of War; Li Buwei was exiled to Shu and the Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals was passed down through generations; Han Fei was imprisoned in Qin and wrote The Difficulty of Persuading and The Solitary Anguish; the Book of Songs consists largely of works composed by sages and scholars in their moments of frustration." Today, as we read The Records of the Grand Historian, we truly wish to add, "Sima Qian endured severe punishment and completed The Records of the Grand Historian!" Scholars who study the characteristics and historical development of our mother tongue are no exception. The Records of the Grand Historian has left us with the living language used by our ancestors two thousand years ago, and when we read it, we feel as if we see them and hear their voices. The language of a particular era provides the source for the creation of writers and scholars of that time. One of the important reasons why great works enjoy a wide readership is that they resonate with the language of the masses, making them familiar and beloved to readers. The Records of the Grand Historian provides us with extremely valuable linguistic materials for studying the language of the Han Dynasty, hence it is highly valued by linguists. The Records of the Grand Historian is one of the books the author loves to read the most, and its author, Sima Qian, is a scholar the author greatly admires. In Letter to Ren Shaoqing, Sima Qian once explained the birth of great works: "King Wen was detained and thus compiled the Book of Changes; Confucius was in dire straits and wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals; Qu Yuan was exiled and composed the Li Sao; Zuo Qiu was blind and authored the Records of the States; Sun Tzu lost his legs and refined the Art of War; Li Buwei was exiled to Shu and the Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals was passed down through generations; Han Fei was imprisoned in Qin and wrote The Difficulty of Persuading and The Solitary Anguish; the Book of Songs consists largely of works composed by sages and scholars in their moments of frustration." Today, as we read The Records of the Grand Historian, we truly wish to add, "Sima Qian endured severe punishment and completed The Records of the Grand Historian!" Scholars who study the characteristics and historical development of our mother tongue are no exception. The Records of the Grand Historian has left us with the living language used by our ancestors two thousand years ago, and when we read it, we feel as if we see them and hear their voices. The language of a particular era provides the source for the creation of writers and scholars of that time. One of the important reasons why great works enjoy a wide readership is that they resonate with the language of the masses, making them familiar and beloved to readers. The Records of the Grand Historian provides us with extremely valuable linguistic materials for studying the language of the Han Dynasty, hence it is highly valued by linguists.