Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Author: (Western Jin) Chen Shou compiled, (Southern Dynasties) Pei Songzhi annotated, Yi Xing, Sun Jiazheng edited
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2008-05-01
Features: The Records of the Three Kingdoms is a historical record of the period of the three rival states of Wei, Shu, and Wu in China, comprising sixty-five volumes, including thirty volumes of the Book of Wei, twenty volumes of the Book of Wu, and fifteen volumes of the Book of Shu. Compiled by Chen Shou of the Western Jin Dynasty and annotated by Pei Songzhi of the Southern Dynasties. In the first year of the Taikang era of Emperor Wu of Jin (280 AD), the Western Jin dynasty conquered Wu, and at the age of forty-eight, Chen Shou began to compile the history of the Three Kingdoms, eventually writing the Book of Wei, the Book of Wu, and the Book of Shu, collectively known as The Records of the Three Kingdoms. Over one hundred and thirty years after Chen Shou's death, Pei Songzhi of the Southern Dynasties was commissioned by Emperor Wen of the Southern Dynasties to annotate The Records of the Three Kingdoms. He made full use of the advantage of having access to more historical materials than Chen Shou, providing great convenience for later scholars in studying The Records of the Three Kingdoms. The original text of The Records of the Three Kingdoms and its annotations complement each other and are inseparable, becoming a highly unique cultural phenomenon among the "Twenty-Four Histories."