Shiji Suoyin Yin Shu Kao Shi (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Cheng Jinzao (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not Available
Features: Professor Cheng Jinzao of the Chinese Department at Beijing Foreign Studies University has dedicated his life to studying the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), publishing the monograph Insights into the Shiji (published by Shaanxi People's Publishing House) and numerous research papers on the Shiji in journals such as New Construction and Philosophy, History, and Literature. This book is another monograph by the author on the study of the Shiji. From the Han to the Jin dynasties, due to the (winding transmission and copying), there were significant differences in the text. Xu Guang of the Jin dynasty wrote Compendium of the Shiji and Its Pronunciation, recording the variations of the time, which were often substantial. During the Liu Song dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, Pei Zhen wrote Collected Explanations of the Shiji, expressing deep regret: "When comparing this book, the sentences differ in number and content, making it impossible to discern the truth. Yet the confused people of the world arbitrarily decide which version to follow, leading to confusion and contradictions between truth and falsehood, with genuine and spurious texts mixed together." This was the state of the Shiji in the 5th century. By the early Tang dynasty, Sima Zhen wrote Compendium of the Shiji, when the problems with the Shiji itself had become even more complex. To address these issues, he cited over 400 books for explanation. Now, over a thousand years later, most of the books he cited have been lost, and those that remain may differ from the current edition. Through meticulous research, this book clarifies these issues. The Compendium of the Shiji cites a wide variety of books with different names, even misidentifying The Spring and Autumn Annals as The Book of Changes. The author has resolved all such issues, demonstrating his worth. The book not only compiles the full titles of all the cited books in the Compendium of the Shiji but also introduces the basic information about the ancient books cited. This is also an important aspect of studying the Shiji. Readers can learn what materials Sima Qian relied on when writing the Shiji, deepening their understanding of the book. On the other hand, it also shows how other ancient texts cited the Shiji after its publication. Therefore, although the topic of this book is relatively obscure and its readership may not be very broad, it holds significant academic value, and the author's work remains highly meaningful. Through meticulous work, the author has reconstructed the citations of over 400 ancient books from the Compendium of the Shiji. Especially since most of these books are long lost, readers can see the general appearance of these lost texts without the effort of searching, making the book an undeniable index for readers. The author's summaries of each book are rich, solid, and concise in language, with arguments that are fair and rigorous. For example, regarding the Confucian annotations to the Book of Documents, the book cites Wu Chengshi's views as a conclusion. Wu's evaluation of the Confucian annotations is more comprehensive than the views of Qing dynasty scholars.