Historical Records *** 130, with more than 520,000 words, consists of five styles: biography, biography and biography. Benji is a chronological account of the political achievements of monarchs or actual rulers in past dynasties, and it is the outline of the whole book; "Table" lists the major events in various historical periods in tabular form, which is the supplement and connection of the narrative of the whole book; "Book" is a record of special matters such as astronomy, calendar, water conservancy and economy. "Shi Jia" records the biographies of princes established since the Zhou Dynasty, as well as Confucius and other figures who never stopped offering sacrifices in previous dynasties; Biography records the deeds of representatives from all walks of life, including famous thinkers, politicians, strategists, writers, officials, scholars, cruel officials, rangers, assassins and so on. , some of which recorded the history of all ethnic groups in the border areas of China. Through these five different styles, Historical Records cooperate with each other and complement each other, forming a complete historical system. This genre of works, referred to as "biographical style" for short, was used by historians of past dynasties. Except for the increase or decrease of the number of cases or slightly different names, it remained unchanged as a whole and became one of the main historical styles in ancient China.
The chronicle of Historical Records, from the Yellow Emperor to the early years of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, is the time when the author himself lived. Its space includes the whole territory of the Han Dynasty and all the surrounding areas that could be understood at that time. This book is not only a summary of China's 3,000-year history in politics, economy, culture and other aspects, but also the history of human beings and the world in Sima Qian's consciousness throughout the ages. In this extremely grand structure, there is an intention to explore and grasp the way of human existence fundamentally and integrally. For example, Sima Qian himself said in his book "Bao Ren An" that his goal is to "learn from the changes of ancient and modern times and become a family statement when studying the relationship between man and nature". Therefore, Historical Records cannot be regarded as a simple history book, and it has made great achievements in history, literature and philosophy.
The narrative mode of Historical Records is basically the objective narrative of the third person. As a narrator, Sima Qian stood almost completely outside the event, and only in the last part of On Zan did he directly appear as a commentator and express his views. In this way, it provides a broad leeway for free narration and setting scenes. The so-called objective narrative does not contain the author's position and tendency, but just does not show it. Through the unfolding of historical events and the comparison of different characters in their historical activities, the emotional tendency of the narrator is actually reflected.
In order to reproduce the historical scenes and the activities of characters at that time, many biographies in Historical Records are composed of a series of vivid stories. For example, Lian Po's and Lin Xiangru's biographies include Return to Zhao with a Perfect Treasure, Mianchi Club, Offer a humble apology, etc., and Sun Bin's biographies include Tian Ji Horse Racing and Killing Pang Juan, etc ... This is one of the reasons why Historical Records has special literary charm in many historical books in China. At the same time, Sima Qian is very good at putting characters in sharp contradictions and conflicts, and completing the characterization of characters through their words and deeds. Stories like the famous "The Hongmen Banquet" are simply one-act dramas with climaxes. The appearance, exit, expression, movement, dialogue and even the orientation of the seat of the characters are clearly explained. It has realistic literary expression effect, avoiding long and slow narration and gripping people. And in sharp conflicts, it is easier to show the personality of the characters.
Historical Records has always been famous for its large number, rich types and distinctive characters. This book is a magnificent history, which contains a large number of personal biographies, including nearly 100 impressive figures such as Xiang Yu, Liu Bang, Sean, Han Xin, Reese, Qu Yuan, Sun Wu and Jing Ke. Although it is still dominated by upper-level politicians, its scope has expanded to the whole society, including middle and lower-level figures and non-political figures. Emperors, governors, peasant leaders, ministers, generals, queens, eunuchs, writers, thinkers, assassins, rangers, businessmen, actors, doctors, Toy Boy and fortune tellers represent different aspects of social life, and together they form a colorful and magnificent historical picture. These characters come from all walks of life, engaged in different activities and experienced different life fates. Uprising to rule the world; A hero who looks timid, incompetent and ambitious; Those who are not in power but are shocking; Those brave and invincible generals; An assassin with five steps of blood spatter; Those resourceful and weak scholars; Those rich widows, beautiful women who dare to sympathize with others to elope ... these extraordinary figures constitute the most wonderful and important part of Historical Records. Therefore, Historical Records is full of romantic feelings and legends, just like a heroic epic.
Historical Records is listed as the first official history of China. Since then, the compilation of "official history" has never stopped, and it has merged into a long river of literary history, which can be called a miracle in the history of world historiography. Moreover, although Sima Qian was a court historian, Historical Records was written by him alone and did not reflect the will of the supreme ruler. It is said that some articles also angered Emperor Wu. The excellent tradition of "straight writing" of ancient historians has been reproduced in Sima Qian, and because of this, the official history is not only an ornament of literary ambition and martial arts, but also a "historical history" of a generation, becoming a towering figure who is not afraid of power. In this sense, Sima Qian left us more than just books.