Complete Translation of the Twenty-Four Histories (Dedication by Jiang Zemin) (16K, 88 Volumes)

Author: None
Publisher: China Academic Press
Publishing Time: None
Features: The lineup of translators, editors, and publishers of this book is unprecedented, laying a solid foundation for its high quality. The translation is accurate, the collation meticulous, and the organization rigorous, meeting the standards of "faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance." The book adopts a literal translation method, which is challenging, and includes a parallel text of classical and modern Chinese, a bold approach. The book standardizes the text, setting an example for the normalization of Chinese characters. The Complete Translation of the Twenty-Four Histories is the most comprehensive, highest-quality, and most accessible translation of Chinese history to date. The Twenty-Four Histories is the national history of the Chinese nation, passed down for nearly two thousand years, traditionally overseen by the state and managed by high-ranking officials. The compilation and editing of earlier histories, as well as the annotation, translation, research, and collation of ancient texts for reading and dissemination, are responsibilities that political leaders of every era in China cannot shirk to maintain the continuity of national history. During certain periods, the state organized the reorganization of national history and officially published it, a practice that became prominent in the Song Dynasty with the maturity of woodblock printing technology. Educational institutions were entrusted to oversee it, making it a nationally recognized version. Since the Song Dynasty, it has become the Twenty-One Histories of the Song Imperial Academy. In the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor ordered the compilation and naming of the Twenty-Four Histories, which began a comprehensive reorganization and publication in 1739, known as the Wuying Dian edition. In the 1950s, after the founding of the People's Republic, Chairman Mao Zedong instructed the nationwide mobilization of talent to punctuate, collate, and revise the Twenty-Four Histories, a process that lasted two decades. This was a modernization of national history in line with the demands of the era. Since the 20th century, the written form of Chinese has completely transformed into modern Chinese. In 1991, under the leadership of Mr. Xu Jialu and the coordination of the College Libraries of Ancient Books in Higher Education Institutions across the country, a modern Chinese translation of the Twenty-Four Histories was undertaken based on the principles of textual research, lasting thirteen years. This was an further modernization of national history, carrying forward the tradition since the Ming Dynasty, embodying the spirit of using history for the present, and serving as a comprehensive rescue and translation of national history written in classical Chinese, leaving a convenient-to-read version for future generations. The arduous efforts to rescue Chinese culture—the Complete Translation of the Twenty-Four Histories is the most complete edition: the only full translation of the Twenty-Four Histories to date, leaving no part of the Ji, Zhuan, Zhi, and Bi untranslated. Convenient reading format: A parallel text of classical and modern Chinese is adopted, facilitating reading, learning, understanding, and use. Accurate translation: Translated and reviewed by contemporary experts from the College Libraries of Ancient Books, with high academic value and attention to incorporating recent research findings, ensuring accuracy. Precise and comprehensive translation: The translation adheres to the principles of ancient text collation, with a thorough understanding and interpretation of the original text in terms of sound, form, and meaning. The translation is both elegant and refined, with careful word choice, and strives to retain the style of classical Chinese: the songs and lyrical texts in the translation are required to be neatly rhymed while maintaining the form of poetry, ensuring both form and meaning are preserved. The translation of the Zhi books (institutional histories) places particular emphasis on the accuracy of technical terms: repeatedly verified by experts, serving as a reference for specialized historical research in various fields, something lacking in current translations of the Twenty-Four Histories. Jiang Zemin inscribed the title of the book. The Complete Translation of the Twenty-Four Histories, edited by Mr. Xu Jialu as chief editor and Mr. Ping Qiu as deputy editor, began in the early 1990s. The authors who participated in the collation and modern translation were experts and professors from the College Libraries of Ancient Books in various universities. Among them were renowned scholars such as Mr. Xu Jialu, Mr. Zhang Peiheng, Mr. Huang Yongnian, Mr. Zeng Zaozhuang, Mr. Ni Qixin, Mr. Li Xiusheng, and Mr. An Pingqiu. With the full support of the National Planning Group for the Collation of Ancient Books and the College Libraries of Ancient Books in Higher Education Institutions under the Ministry of Education, after eight years of effort, this magnificent work of nearly 100 million characters was finally completed. Over the next five years, it underwent repeated deliberation and revision by more than 20 experts and editors, with standardized formats and meticulous proofreading, before being published by China Academic Press. The publication of this book reflects its accurate translation, meticulous collation, rigorous organization, and parallel text of classical and modern Chinese, making it the most complete and most accessible text to date and an embodiment of the normalization of Chinese characters.