Historical Records was written from 104 to 9 1 year ago. At first, it had no title. After Sima Qian finished this masterpiece, he showed it to Dong Fangshuo, a great scholar at that time. Dong Fangshuo appreciated it so much that he added the word "Tai Shigong" to his book. "Taishigong" is Sima Qian's official position, "Gong" is a good name, and "Taishigong" just shows whose works. Ban Gu's Records of Han Shu Literature and Art was changed to 130 Taishi Gong, and later generations simplified it into Taishi Gong, Taishi Gong Shu and Taishi Gong Zhuan. Over time, people omitted it as a historical record according to Taishi Gongzhi. Liang Qichao, a close friend, praised this masterpiece as "a masterpiece through the ages" (On the General Trend of the Changes of China's Academic Thoughts). Lu Xun praised it as "the historian's swan song, Li Sao has no rhyme" ("Outline of China Literature History")
Sima Qian was born in a middle and lower official family. Great-grandfather Sima Chang was an iron-fisted official when Qin Shihuang was the first emperor. Great-grandfather Sima Wuze was the "mayor" of Chang 'an in the early Han Dynasty. Zusima Xi, not an official, has grade nine and is the fifth doctor. His family may be the so-called "Han family" when Emperor Wen of Han Dynasty made a fortune by farming and animal husbandry, so he was able to buy a title. Sima Qian said that he was a "grandson of farming and reading rivers and mountains", which does not necessarily mean that he personally participated in farming and grazing.
Sima Tan, his father, made a Tashi Order in the first year of the establishment of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (BC 140-BC 135), which was called Tashi Gong in history. This is a historian, an ancient official newly restored by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The official position is not high, and the authority is not big. The chief official is responsible for ephemeris, etiquette, collection and preservation of ancient books and documents. This is a tradition of historians.
Historians master cultural knowledge and are the earliest officials in history. From the Yin Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the authority and status of historians gradually declined, but their political status never changed. Their work has been handed down from generation to generation, and the most important thing is to take notes for the Wangs. In the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, they recorded the words and deeds of the royal family. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the scope of its records expanded to the words and deeds of rulers and their officials in various countries. But by the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Taishiling did not have this position, and Sima Tan consciously prepared to write notes for the emerging feudal ruling class according to the tradition of ancient historians. During his thirty years (BC 140 ~ BC 1 1) as an official of Taishi, he not only had the will and intention to explore history, but also probably started some writing work under the convenient condition of "in a hundred years, the legacy of the world and the ancient things will gather together". After Sima Tan became an official in Chang 'an, Sima Qian naturally went to Chang 'an with his father and had more learning opportunities. Sima Qian said, "When you were ten years old, you would recite ancient prose", and that was after you arrived in Chang 'an. The so-called "ancient prose" is an ancient book written in ancient Chinese characters. Many of the ancient books handed down in the early Han dynasty were written in the so-called "modern prose", which was widely used in the Han dynasty, and some were preserved in the pre-Qin period and written in ancient prose. The "ancient prose" that Sima Qian recited at the age of ten refers to some books written in ancient prose, not just a certain kind of books. It can be seen that Sima Qian had the cultivation of ancient Chinese prose very early.
Sima Qian (former 145 or former135-about 87) (note: former 145 is taken from justice in Taishi Gongxu, according to Zhang Shoujie's annotation in justice in Tang Dynasty: "In the first year of Taishu, it was moved to 42 years old." In the first year of Taichu (BC 104), it was pushed up for 42 years, which was said by Wang Guowei, Liang Qichao and others in the fifth year of Jingdi's Central Plains (BC 145). The former 135 is taken from Suoyin in Preface to Taishi Gong, and according to Zhang Hua's Natural History of Jin Dynasty, "Doctor Sima Qian, 28 years old, Gu Yijun Mao,". In other words, in the third year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (BC 108), Sima Qian was promoted to Taishiling at the age of 28, which means that the sixth year of Emperor Jian Yuan (BC 135) should be the year of Sima Qian's birth. Guo Moruo and others said this. Note: Those who hold the theory of "Six Years of Jian Yuan" try their best to prove that natural history is right, but think that Zhang Shoujie's record of justice is wrong. The main reasons are as follows: First, this article in natural history records the Hanshu, which records Sima Qian's name, age, place of residence, rank, years of official worship, salary and so on. So detailed and true, from the Han Dynasty literature records, its authenticity is beyond doubt. This is a kind of original data, and its value far exceeds that of general history books. Secondly, there is a sentence in Sima Qian's "Report to Ren 'an": "Unfortunately, my servants have long lost their second relatives." For example, according to heaven, Sima Qian was born in the fifth year of Jingdi, and his father Sima Tan died in the first year of Yuanfeng (1 10 BC). Sima Qian should be 36 years old. According to common sense, parents who died at the age of 36 can't say that they lost their parents early. For example, according to natural history, Sima Qian was born in the sixth year of Jianyuan, that is, his father died at the age of 26, so it makes sense to say that he lost his parents long ago. Third, Sima Qian's Letter to Ren An was written in the second year of Zheng He (9 1 BC). If he was born in Jingdi Zhongyuan for five years, he should be 55 years old this year. He became a doctor around the age of 20 and was invited to travel all over the country. Then, he should say that he has been waiting for the crime for more than 30 years. Obviously, Sima Qian will never forget what he did. It was not until 10 years later, that is, six years after Liang Wudi was founded, that it conformed to his theory.
In addition to Zhang Shoujie's "justice", those who hold the "five-year theory of Jingdi Central Plains" also put forward the following questions or arguments. First of all, Wang Guowei thinks that the year of "28" should be the mistake of "38" because later generations cited natural history. The Theory of Justice points out that Sima Qian's "forty-two years" is correct. Secondly, according to the second year of Yuan Shuo (BC 127) recorded in Historical Records, Biography of Rangers, he ordered the rich people all over the country to move to Maoling. Guo Jie had no property and was forced to move. Sima Qian also met Guo Jie. He said: "I don't think Guo Jie looks as good as a China person, and he still lacks words." If Sima Qian was born in Jianyuan six years ago, when he was only nine years old, he would never have had such profound observation and psychological activities on people. It seems more appropriate if Sima Qian was born in Jingdi for five years and was nineteen years old. Thirdly, according to History of the Scholars, Sima Qian learned ancient Chinese from Kong Anguo. However, according to Historical Records of Confucius and Zi Tongzhi Jian, Kong Anguo was a doctor in Yuanshuo for two years, and Sima Qian was nine years old in Yuanshuo for two years. It is impossible for a nine-year-old child to go to imperial academy to consult and discuss with a master of Confucian classics. If you were born in the fifth year of Emperor Jingdi's reign and this year is nineteen years, it seems reasonable.
Word length, Zuo xia yang (now Hancheng, Shaanxi) people.
Note: Where was Sima Qian born? "Preface to Taishi Gongxu" says: "The day of moving Longmen and plowing rivers and mountains." There have been two different views about where this Longmen is, one is in Hancheng, Shaanxi, and the other is in Hejin County, Shanxi.
Zhang Shoujie, the earliest advocate of Hancheng in Shaanxi Province, said in Historical Records Justice that Longmen Mountain is in xia yang County (now Hancheng). At the same time, there are two surnames, Feng Hetong, living in Xucun, a ghost town in Hancheng. They both consider themselves descendants of Taishigong. They claimed to be Sima's family, because Sima Qian was imprisoned, and later generations felt humiliated, so they changed their surnames: adding a vertical to the left of Sima's word "Si" became the word "Tong"; Add two points to the left of the word "horse" to become the word "feng", and list it as Sima Qian Temple in Zhichuan Town, Hancheng, Shaanxi Province.
People who hold the view of Hejin County in Shanxi believe that Longmen (including Longmen Mountain and Yumenkou) has been recorded in Hejin County in Shanxi since ancient times. The Yellow River flows out of Yumenkou from northwest to southeast and turns sharply from north to south, which is exactly what Sima Qian called "the day of farming, animal husbandry and mountains". It is reported that there used to be a monument to "the hometown of Taishigong Sima in the Han Dynasty", but it was unfortunately destroyed when water conservancy was built. And now there are Sima residents in the village.
His father, Sima Tan, is a knowledgeable scholar, who has deep research on astronomy, history and philosophy. His article "Six Classics" made a brief and unique comment on the main theories in the pre-Qin period. This is undoubtedly of great significance to Sima Qian's early education. When he was nearly ten years old, Sima Qian moved to Chang 'an with his father and took office as Taishiling. Later, he learned Chunqiu from Dong Zhongshu and Shangshu from Kong Anguo, which laid his knowledge foundation. At the age of twenty, he began to roam widely. According to the preface to Historical Records, this trip arrived in today's Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and other places, and visited the legendary Dayu site and the former sites of activities of historical figures such as Qu Yuan, Han Xin and Confucius. I became a doctor after roaming back and have been to Yunnan, Sichuan. Later, due to Liang Wudi's attendance, I went to more places. He wandered around almost all parts of the country several times. Roaming broadened his mind and horizons, exposed him to the lives of people from all walks of life, and collected information and legends of many historical figures. All this played a great role in his later writing Historical Records.
Sima Qian inherited his father's thought and regarded Confucian etiquette as a code of conduct and a standard for measuring historical right and wrong. He declared: "It is impossible for a country to know nothing about Chunqiu, because there are peeps before and thieves after. A minister can't help but understand the Spring and Autumn Annals, and he doesn't know what to do when he keeps the scriptures, and he is changed to be ignorant of power. Those who are your father and don't understand the meaning of Chunqiu will be branded as the first evil. Those who are courtiers and don't understand the meaning of Spring and Autumn Annals will be trapped in death. " "Therefore, Chunqiu is also rich in etiquette."
Sima Qian received two bequests from his father Sima Tan. One is the knowledge of Taishitie, which may include historical works written by Sima Tan; Another is the study of Confucianism, mainly the study of Spring and Autumn Annals. But Sima Qian is not limited to these two, he has his own opinions. It is also because he said that historians began to appear in the history of China.
In the first year of Yuanfeng (1 10 BC), Sima Tan died. Before he died, he entrusted Sima Qian with the unfinished business of writing history as his last wish. In the third year of Yuanfeng (108), Sima Qian succeeded Taishiling. Since then, he has tirelessly read the National Library, studied various historical materials, devoted himself to writing history, and participated in the formulation of taichu calendar.
In the process, a catastrophe happened. In the second year of Tianhan (the first 99 years), Li Ling fought against the Huns, and after a vigorous battle, she was defeated and surrendered. When the news came, Emperor Wu was furious, and courtiers followed suit and scolded Li Ling. Sima Qian was very angry, and the courtiers who enjoyed wealth were so unsympathetic to the generals who risked their lives, so he said that Li Ling surrendered out of helplessness and would wait for an opportunity to repay the Han Dynasty in the future. Li Ling failed because Emperor Wu appointed incompetent Li Guangli as commander in chief. Sima Qian's defense also angered Emperor Wu. Therefore, he was punished by "corruption". For Sima Qian, this is a great shame in life, far more painful than the death penalty. In this incident, he had a new understanding of the unreasonable power of the autocratic monarch and the situation that life was fundamentally oppressed by external forces. He once thought about suicide, but he didn't want his precious life to end worthless, so he "lived in silence" and sought the highest realization of life in the history of writing. This is exactly what a scholar can do to resist the arrogance and cruel fate of the monarch. Finally, Sima Qian described his destiny and mood completely in the book "Bao Ren An" written in the first four years (the first 93 years). After that, his deeds were unclear, and he probably died in the last years of Emperor Wu. Note: Wang Guowei died in the first 87 years) about the second year of Zheng He (9 1 year ago), and basically completed the compilation work.
The official history does not include the year of Sima Qian's death. Some people think that this is the proof of Sima Qian's good death, while others think that it just shows that Sima Qian died in an unknown way and there are many doubts. In Historical Records, Wei Hong, a scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was quoted as saying in Notes on the Old Instruments of the Han Dynasty: "Sima Qian wrote a biography of Emperor Jing, which was very short and was passed down by Emperor Wu, so it was lightly cut. After sitting for Li Ling, Li Ling surrendered to Xiongnu, so he went down to the silkworm house. If you complain, you will die in prison. " Ge Hong's Miscellanies of Xijing also has similar records. On this basis, some people think that Sima Qian died because he wrote "Bao Ren An Shu" and died in the year when he wrote "Bao Ren An Shu". (According to Wang Guowei's research, Baoren An Shu was written four years ago (10 1 year ago). ) Guo Moruo thought that Sima Qian's imprisonment would spread all over the world, so Wei Hong and Ge Hong wrote it in the book. Wei Hong and Ge Hong, both prestigious university experts at that time, would not distort the facts out of thin air. Ban Gu lamented that "he can learn from things, learn from things, but can't learn from things" in the praise of History of Sima Qian, and lamented that he couldn't "protect himself" after being "executed", which shows that Sima Qian didn't die of natural causes. Sima Qian was lucky enough to be the official secretary of the emperor after he was imprisoned in Hanshu, which can be said to be "among the ministers". Guo Moruo thinks that "going to the silkworm house" and "sawing with a knife" in On Salt and Iron Zhou Qin is another allusion to Sima Qian's death in prison.
Some scholars have raised objections to this. There are still records about Wei Hong's reference to Taishiling and Sima Qian. There are four * * *, and at least two of them are not in line with historical facts. So Wei Hong's statement that Sima Qian "died in prison" is almost unbelievable, or at least isolated proof. The ancients believed that "parents who are connected by flesh and blood dare not harm each other." Han Shu lamented that Sima Qian was "trapped in the capital punishment" and could not "protect himself", which should be understood from the meaning of the ancients. The literary discourse in Qin Zhou on Salt and Iron has nothing to do with Sima Qian. After "going to the silkworm house", he "sawed with a knife" The original intention only refers to a bad social atmosphere caused by punishment, which proves that the harsh laws of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty are invalid and cannot be interpreted as Sima Qian's imprisonment twice.
Others think that Sima Qian may have died in the "prison of witchcraft" in the later years of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty. The witchcraft case occurred in the first year of Zheng He (92). As an emissary of witchcraft, Jiang Chong had a grudge against Prince Wei, fearing that the prince would be punished after his death, so he killed the prince to cut him off. After the prince killed Jiang Chong, he committed suicide. Emperor Wu's prison of poverty and witchcraft turned to the prison of the eldest son's death. Until the fourth year of Zheng He (the first 89 years), hundreds of thousands of people died before and after, and Sima Qian's good friend Ren An. Is one of the victims of witchcraft prison. This disaster recorded many civil and military officials at that time, and Sima Qian was probably not spared. From the analysis of Historical Records, there are still notes from the fourth year to the second year of the levy, but there are no notes after one year of the levy. Sima Qian is probably the victim of the cloud "Witch disaster, a mere scholar" in Hanshu.
It is also said that Sima Qian died after Emperor Wu, and there is posthumous title "Emperor Wu" of Han Sejong in the history books. "Emperor Wu" was awarded by later generations after the death of Han Sejong Liu Che. For example, Sima Qian died before Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. How do you know this posthumous title? According to textual research, Sima Qian's "Letter to Ren An" was written in November of Zheng He's second year (9 1 year ago), only four years before the collapse of Emperor Wu. Judging from the contents of Bao Ren An Shu, it is not surprising to know that Historical Records was not completely completed at that time, and there must be some revisions and additions afterwards, so the place involving Emperor Wu was renamed posthumous title.
Although Sima Qian was imprisoned, there is no doubt that he had a daughter. "A Long History of Han Yang" records: "An empty mind is the daughter of Sima Qian. Yun began to read the grandfather of a surname, and it was quite spring and autumn. He is famous for his talent and has made good friends with handsome Confucianism. "
"Biography of Women in the Same County" also said: "Mrs. Yang is the daughter of Sima Qian, the great teacher of Han Dynasty, and the wife of Hou Yangchang of Anping. Zhao Han collapsed, and the king of Changyi rose to the top, which was fornication. General Huo Guang and general Zhang Anshi, who rode chariots, wanted to abolish it. It was decided through discussion that the agricultural field in the Great West could be extended to the public. Open consternation don't know what to say, sweating like a pig, always passive Nuo Nuo. After New Year's Eve, he suddenly said from the east wing:' Today, the major events in this country have been decided by the general, and the nine ministers have reported them to your Majesty. Your majesty's illness does not respond, and he is one with the general. It is still undecided, and the story is decided first. "Yan Nian returned from dressing, opened his wife and Yan Nian to participate in the speech, and promised to be ordered by the general to abolish the King of Changyi and establish Xuan Di. After living for more than a month, 3,500 households were opened. A gentleman addressed his wife as the governor. "Judging from the above historical data, Yang Yun, the daughter and grandson of Sima Qian, is a talented and courageous person. Historical Records can be handed down to later generations because of their contributions. The argot of "Famous Mountain in Tibet" in Biography of Historical Records of Taishigong is to hide the original of Historical Records in Huayin at the foot of Huashan Mountain in Xiyue, Yang Yun's hometown. As Wang Guowei said in "Examination of Taishi Gong Xing Nian": "Historical Records are published at the beginning, and Hanshu is published at the beginning. After his death, his book was published briefly. When Xuan Di proclaimed himself emperor, his grandson moved to Pingtong and Houyang to narrate his book and announce it. The so-called announcer was stamped by the DPRK and passed on to the public. " It is conceivable that Sima Qian's daughter really saved the Historical Records like "the righteous save the orphans", and Sima Qian's grandson Yang Yun saved the Historical Records like "the agarwood splits the mountain to save the mother"! Many years after Sima Qian's death, his grandson Yang Yun (supplementary note: Yang Yun (? -the first 54) Huayin (now Shaanxi) people in the Western Han Dynasty. When Xuan Di was proclaimed Emperor Pingtong Hou, he was promoted to corps commander, and was later exempted from being Shu Ren, and was executed for resentment. These deeds are attached to the biography of Han Yang Chang. "Biography of Sima Qian in Han Dynasty" contains: "After the relocation, his book was published briefly. When Emperor Xuan Di proclaimed himself emperor, Sun Pingtong, the founder of Hou Yang, told him about his book and announced it. " Lu Xun's Outline of the History of China Literature made this immortal masterpiece of more than 520,000 words public. Sima Qian's Historical Records has two kinds: original and copy. From Historical Records Biography of Taishigong, it is said that it was originally "hidden in the famous mountains of the capital". The so-called codex is stored in Tianlu Pavilion or Shiqu Pavilion of Hanting Pavilion. The records of historians seen by the imperial court and Confucianism are copies. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Wang Yi did not indicate the source of Historical Records when quoting this article, so some people speculated that the transcript of Historical Records might have been copied at that time. There may be a copy for sale in Luoyang Bookstore in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Sima Qian's manuscript may have been destroyed by Wang Mang's rebellion.
One of the existing early editions, Huang Jiashu's Engraving Edition in Southern Song Dynasty, is recognized as a rare edition, and has been photocopied into 100 copies of Twenty-four History by the Commercial Press. 1959, Zhonghua Book Company published the punctuated version of Historical Records, which is easy to read. The original version was an engraving by Jinling Book Company.
The Supplement to Historical Records is a general history that runs through ancient times and modern times. It records the history of China for about 3,000 years from the legendary Huangdi to the first year of Emperor Wudi's Yuan Shou (BC 122). The book is slightly shorter than the pre-Qin period and more detailed than the Qin and Han dynasties. The history from the Reform of Shang Yang in Qin Dynasty to the last years of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty accounts for about three-fifths of the book. According to Sima Qian's records, biographies 12, tables 10, 8 books, 30 aristocratic families, 70 biographies and 30 biographies10. "Biography" is actually the biography of the emperor, because the emperor is the supreme leader in charge of state affairs, so it is called "Biography", which shows the status of this system in the world and makes the officials and people act under certain discipline.
It is also the general outline of this book, recorded in chronological order. In the writing of Historical Records, Sima Qian adopted the method of making the present a little more detailed, and the farther the times go, the more detailed it is. The origin of "Benji" is because the Yellow Emperor is the ancestor of the Chinese nation and the founder of "rectifying everything". Xiang Yu was included in the "chronology" because of the emergence of politics in Qin and Han Dynasties and respect for his personality. ?
"table", so list the events, so the outline is eye-catching, simplify the complex, be clear at a glance, and be easy to check and retrieve.
"Book" is a special chapter that records chapters and sentences of past dynasties and national codes to clarify the evolution of ancient and modern systems. It is impossible to write a book unless historians are familiar with anecdotes. Ban Gu's Hanshu was renamed Records and became a general rule. The revision of "Book" provides rich materials for the study of various special history.
Home is the record of the vassal kingdom. This is because the princes founded the country, inherited the family and the descendants inherited it, which gave them a biography called the family. From the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the vassal states successively dominated the whole country, and it is very appropriate to describe this situation with the genre of "aristocratic families". Sima Qian's inclusion of Confucius and Chen She as "home" is an exception. Although Confucius is not a prince, he is the patriarch of three generations of culture, not to mention the dominance of Confucianism in Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty. Confucius is the founder of Confucianism, and his inclusion in "home" also reflects the reality in the ideological field. As for Chen She, he was not only the first leader who rose up against Qin, but also the first person who opposed the brutal rule of the civilian in three generations. He established many princes who died in Qin. Sima Qian listed him as a "noble family" and compared his achievements with the Spring and Autumn Annals written by Tang, Wu and Confucius, writing him as a great historical hero who shocked the rule of the Qin Dynasty and dominated the world, which reflected the author's progressive view of history.
Biography is a record of various historical figures other than emperors and princes. There are single pass, joint pass and category pass. A single biography is a biography written by one person, such as Biography of Shang Jun and Biography of Lisi. The joint biography was written by more than two people, such as Biography of Yan Guan and Biography of Zhuang Zi and Shen Han. Type biography refers to the activities of the same kind of characters in a biography, such as The Scholars, Biography of Officials, Biography of Assassins, etc. Sima Qian recorded the history of ethnic minorities around China at that time in the form of biographies, such as biographies of Xiongnu, Koryo and Dawan, which provided an important historical source for studying the history of ancient ethnic minorities in China.
Ban Gu mentioned in the Biography of Sima Qian in Hanshu that there are ten missing pieces in Historical Records. Wei pointed out that these ten articles are Biography of Emperor Jing, Biography of Emperor Wu, Book of Rites, Le Shu, Law and Discipline, Chronicle of Generals Since the Han Dynasty, Biography of Japanese People, Family of Three Kings, Biography of Tortoise and Biography of Fu Jin. Among them, four articles, The Ji of Emperor Wu, The Family of Three Kings, Biography of Turtle Policy and Biography of Japanese People, were all supplemented by Dr. Chu in the Han Dynasty. The Records of Literature and Art of Han Dynasty contains seven supplements to Taishi Gong, and notes that the merchants "received ten Yu Ben books from Taishi Gong". Liu Zhiji thought that there were not only Chu and Feng who supplemented Historical Records, but as many as fifteen schools. Historical Records was published at the beginning of the year, followed by Liu Xiang, Xiangzi, and various good people, such as Feng Shang, Wei Heng, Yang Xiong, Shi Cen, Shen Liang, Si Ren, Jin Feng, Duan Suze, Yan Feng, Wei Rong, Xiao Fen and Liu Yao. , written in succession, sequel, with mourning as the end. Most descendants disagree with Zhang Yan's statement, but the incompleteness of Historical Records is beyond doubt. With a few exceptions, the official history of the past dynasties after Historical Records was presided over by the imperial court and compiled according to the will of the monarch, which is a veritable official history. Although Sima Qian was a court historian, Historical Records did not reflect the will of the supreme ruler, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. It is said that after reading Historical Records, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very angry with several of them and ordered them to be deleted. This is also possible. Sima Qian wrote historical records directly and dared to criticize the court in some aspects, which was not allowed by feudal rulers. The imperial court hated and attached importance to historical records, and was secretive about others. The scope of reading is limited to a very small number of people in the upper echelons of the imperial court. The imperial court once abridged and supplemented historical records. According to Yang Zhongchuan, Yang Zhong was ordered to delete more than 100,000 words from Taishi Gongshu. The Historical Records, with a short span of more than 100,000 words, was lost after the Han Dynasty and has been passed down to this day.
(Note: Many people think that Chu Sunshao is the main supplement of Historical Records, but how much he supplements is different. Zhang Yan believes that Chu has added four more articles. However, Yao Zhenning said in the textual research of Sui Shu Jingnian that 15 articles were omitted from Historical Records, all of which were supplemented by Chu. Some people think that the style of The Legend of Love is similar to Sima Qian, and Sun Shao of Chu may not be able to write such an article.
Historical Records has a wide range of materials. At that time, Shi Ben, Mandarin, National Policy, Ji Qin, Spring and Autumn Annals of Chu and Han Dynasties, Hundred Schools of Thought contend, and other national documents and archives, as well as materials obtained from field investigation, were all important sources of materials for Sima Qian to write Historical Records. What is particularly valuable is that Sima Qian carefully analyzed and screened the collected materials and eliminated some nonsense. For some problems that cannot be clarified, we either take a skeptical attitude or record various opinions. Due to its extensive materials and serious attitude in compiling history, Historical Records is informative and rich in content.
The contributions and characteristics of this thoughtful history book mainly include the following aspects;
(A) created a "biography". What is biographical style? Ji refers to this Ji, which is the biography of the emperor; Biography refers to the biographies of general ministers and various figures. Historical figures are rich and colorful, and historical phenomena are diverse and complicated. How can we include all kinds of people and things in the world in one book? On the basis of predecessors, Sima Qian used the five-body structure of discipline, table, Shu and biography in Historical Records. Creatively explored the historical compilation method with characters as the main body. Benji records the words, deeds and political tracks of emperors in the past dynasties in chronological order. The "table" lists the major events in each period according to the chronological spectrum; The book records the evolution of various laws and regulations; Family describes the rise and fall of vassal States and the achievements of outstanding people; Biography records the activities of various representatives. Sima Qian creatively integrated these five genres to form a complete and unified system.
(2) Historical Records created a comprehensive method of compiling history in politics, economy, nationality and culture. It recorded the history of China for nearly 3,000 years from the legendary Yellow Emperor to the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. It is the first encyclopedic general history in China, with a large scale and comprehensive contents. In Historical Records, Sima Qian made the earliest biographies of economic history: Ping Zhun Shu and Huo Zhi Zhuan; Sima Qian first established biographies of ethnic minorities: Biography of Xiongnu and Biography of Southwest Yi. He was also the first person to write biographies for the humble: The Assassin, The Ranger and so on. For the first time, Historical Records included all aspects of politics, economy and culture into the scope of historical research, thus opening up a new field of historical research and promoting the development of China's history. Because biographies can accommodate a wide range of contents, have certain flexibility, and can reflect the feudal hierarchy, this method of writing history has been adopted by historians of past dynasties and has far-reaching influence.
(3) The straight pen is a precious historical tradition in China, and Sima Qian's Historical Records has played a good role in it. The so-called straightforward expression means that historians must be loyal to historical facts, neither flattering nor demanding, and write history as it is. "Historical Records" clearly expressed its opposition to the practice of "praising those who make mistakes, and destroying those who damage their truth". Xiang Yu is a hero in Sima Qian's mind. So Sima Qian described Xiang Yu's great achievements with great enthusiasm and strong love. However, Sima Qian also profoundly criticized Xiang Yu's arrogance and his fatal weakness in trying to conquer the world by force. Emotionally, Sima Qian resented the pre-Qin Legalists and the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty, but he did not increase the evil because of hatred. On the contrary, he fully affirmed the reform of Legalism and the historical role of the Qin Dynasty in unifying China. It is precisely because of Sima Qian's record spirit that Historical Records is famous for its loyalty to history. Historical Records also runs through an important clue, that is, attaching importance to people's historical role. Sima Qian went against his destiny. Emphasize that man is the center of history. Therefore, while writing about emperors and princes, he paid attention to biographies for all kinds of people in the society, especially put Chen Sheng and Guangwu, the leaders of the peasant uprising, on the same footing as heroes of emperors and princes and saints in feudal society. Therefore, in the historical records, there are both the home of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States and the Prime Minister Xiao (Xiao He). Liu Hou (Sean) family, Confucius family, Chen She family. Sima Qian also attached great importance to the role of material production activities in history and closely linked the economic situation with the rise and fall of political chaos. He also emphasized summing up historical experience. The idea of taking history as a mirror is put forward. Due to Sima Qian's great creative spirit in historiography, progressive historiography thought and strict historical management methods, Historical Records became a towering monument in the history of Chinese historiography, and Sima Qian won the reputation of "the father of China historiography".
(4) Historical Records is also a vivid history, and its literary talent has always been praised by China literary circles, creating a precedent for China's biographical literature. Sima Qian, like an excellent painter, sketched vivid portraits for us with his vivid brush. Like a sculptor who is good at capturing moments, he has created statues of different styles for us with his sharp carving knife. In the figure library of Historical Records, we can not only see the heroic attitude of those princes who have made great achievements in history, but also see the elegant demeanor of those literati diners who have hidden their secrets, the pre-Qin philosophers who contended with a hundred schools of thought, the assassins who died for their bosom friends, the rangers who kept their word, the businessmen who were richer than princes, and various figures such as Step One and Four Friends, which gave people beautiful enjoyment and ideological enlightenment. Sima Qian creatively integrated literature and history into one furnace and wrote an image history for us. Therefore, Mr. Lu Xun praised Historical Records as "a historian's swan song, leaving Sao without rhyme". Because of this, among China's voluminous historical works, Historical Records has the second largest readership.
Historical records were widely circulated in China, about after the mid-Eastern Han Dynasty. It began at this time to become the proper name of Sima Qian's works. Prior to this, historical records were referred to as Taishi Gong Shu, Taishi Gong Gong Ji and Taishi Gong Gong Ji. According to the textual research of known materials, Sima Qian's earliest historical book "Historical Records" is the Donghai Temple Monument written by Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, scholars attached great importance to historical records because of the rise of the ancient prose movement. At that time, famous essayists Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan especially praised Historical Records. Ouyang Xiu, Zheng Qiao, Hong Mai and Wang Yinglin after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, as well as the Gong 'an School in the Ming Dynasty and Tongcheng School in the Qing Dynasty, all appreciated the writing of Historical Records. As a result, the prestige of Historical Records is increasing day by day, and books that annotate and evaluate Historical Records by various factions are constantly appearing. Among them, The Collection of Historical Records (Notes on Pei Zhi (Son of Pei Song) in Liu Song Dynasty) and Textual Research on Historical Records (Notes on Sima Zhen in Tang Dynasty: Sima Zhen, Zi Zheng, Tanghe (now Qinyang) were the most influential people. From Kaiyuan official to Chao San doctor, bachelor of Hong Wen Museum, responsible for the compilation, writing and drafting of imperial edicts. A famous historian in the Tang Dynasty wrote 30 volumes of Historical Records, with the world number "Little Sima". Sima Zhen lost the meaning of the old annotations in Historical Records, and adopted the annotations of Southern Dynasties, Pei Jian's Historical Records, Historical Records, Historical Records of Tang and Liu Bozhuang and Historical Records Place Names. See Zhao Wei, Jia Kui, Du Yu, Qiao Zhou and others. Later historians praised this book as "more valuable than Pei and Zhang") and "Historical Records of Justice" (Zhang Tang's note on the festival). Xie Ji also adopted the previous research results of historical books that Pei Jian could see at that time, and indicated the names of the authors one by one. Meticulous. Suoyin further pointed out the mistake of Ji Jie's improper textual research. And put forward the rectification of the original version of Historical Records, and issued a warning. The author of Justice is good at geography, especially in the textual research of place names in Historical Records. It will be more helpful to read the original historical records and have a look at these three notes at the same time.
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