Research on Editions of the Records of the Grand Historian

Author: Zhang Yuchun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-07-01
Features: The study of the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) is the foundation of its research, yet it remains a weak link. This book traces its lineage through historical bibliographies and public and private catalogs, using extant manuscripts and printed editions as evidence. By examining the textual forms of each version and cross-referencing the variations found in these texts, it conducts a comprehensive study of the Shiji manuscript system, pioneering the construction of its framework. Through an investigation of the manuscript conditions of the Shiji before and during the Tang Dynasty, the book concludes that numerous variant versions of the Shiji emerged during the Wei and Jin periods, though they did not form a systematic structure, they had undergone some level of organization. By presenting its arguments, the book clarifies certain ambiguities in previous understandings of the Shiji manuscript lineage, corrects erroneous conclusions in the field of manuscript studies regarding the Shiji, and objectively reveals the transmission system of the Shiji manuscripts.