Sima Qian wrote Historical Records with a rigorous and serious attitude, and the spirit of recording is its greatest feature. Every historical figure or event he wrote has undergone a lot of investigation and research, and historical facts have been checked repeatedly. As early as the age of 20, Sima Qian left Chang 'an, the capital city, to travel to famous mountains and rivers, to visit places of interest on the spot, to learn anecdotes of many historical figures, local customs and economic life in many places, and to broaden his horizons. Ban Gu, a historian of the Han Dynasty, said that Sima Qian was "honest in writing, honest in substance, beautiful but not false, evil but not concealed, so it was called a record". In other words, his article is fair, the historical facts are reliable, and there is nothing to hide. This spoke highly of Sima Qian's scientific attitude and detailed records in Historical Records.
In order to adhere to the spirit of "recording", Sima Qian must face the reality and record it, which will inevitably lead to the problem of "taboo". However, when he wrote biographies for characters, he was not bound by the rules of traditional historical books, but recorded his own thoughts and feelings about historical facts. From the supreme emperor to the nobles, to the ministers, to the local governors, Sima Qian will certainly not erase their magical and glorious side. However, the outstanding thing is to expose their decadence, ugliness, exploitation and oppression of the people, especially the sins of the ruling class in the Han Dynasty. Although he was a courtier of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian made no secret of his mistakes. He profoundly exposed and criticized the falsehood of ancestor worship and immortalization activities at that time. In the book Enchantment, he vividly described the absurd and boring behavior of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty who was superstitious about immortals and tried his best to pray for elixir.
Sima Qian wanted to provide historical reference for feudal rulers, which reflected the real history and was very valuable. In the spirit of record, Sima Qian chose people not on the basis of official position or social status, but on the basis of actual behavior. For example, he wrote many biographies of rangers, businessmen, doctors and others, as well as biographies of those who advocated superiority and inferiority. In Sima Qian's mind, these people all have merits. Sima Qian initiated the people-oriented thought. It is Sima Qian's brushwork to always describe a person's life story. Focus on his "being a man" and pay attention to the complexity of his "being a man". When he was doing a biography, he put his views in an objective factual narrative and expressed his love-hate attitude towards the characters. For example, Sima Qian sympathized with him and enthusiastically wrote about failed heroes. He praised Xiang Yu's bravery and had no feelings for him. In Biography of Xiang Yu, Sima Qian did not comment on it, but his attitude towards Xiang Yu was clearly expressed in the narrative. This is the greatest feature of Sima Qian's biography, that is, the unity of authenticity and tendency.
2. Love and hate are completely different.
Sima Qian's clear love and hate are fully expressed in Historical Records. He spoke highly of the peasant uprising in the late Qin Dynasty. Chen She was a poor peasant and the leader of the peasant uprising, but Sima Qian juxtaposed him with the princes and described him as a "family". It is not easy for a feudal historian to do this. In the preface of Biography of Historical Records, he compared Chen She with the famous ancient emperor-and made it clear that as long as the feudal emperor was cruel and heartless, the people had the right to overthrow him. Although this peasant army led by Chen She didn't succeed, it set off a magnificent peasant war at the end of the Qin Dynasty and finally overthrew the ruthless rule of the Qin Dynasty. The four things are completely positive for the historical achievement of Chen She's first uprising to overthrow the Qin Dynasty.
Sima Qian also greatly praised many heroes in history who were loyal to the motherland and loved the people. When traveling that year, he visited the Miluo River in the north of Changsha, Hunan Province, and paid tribute to the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan by the river. This eulogy had a great influence on Sima Qian, and his mind was deeply imprinted with Qu Yuan's poems and life experiences. When he wrote Biography of Qu Yuan, he thought that Qu Yuan could compete with the sun and the moon. He angrily condemned the ugly behavior of the noble rulers of Chu state, who did not distinguish between loyal subjects and traitors. At that time, Sima Qian also visited Lingling County, Hunan Province, where Shun was buried, and made a field trip to Shun's deeds. Later, when he was writing historical records, he wrote the story of Shun into the book of Five Emperors, praising his noble quality of caring for the country and the people. Sima Qian also spoke highly of Lin Xiangru, the hero in the stories of "Bao Gui Zhao" and "Making Peace".
In the historical records, Sima Qian also praised the assassins who risked their lives to resist violence, as well as the rangers who saved lives and acted bravely in times of crisis. For example, in order to repay the kindness of Yan Taizi Dan, Jing Ke, who is "a phoenix rustling over the cold water and a strong man is gone forever", did not hesitate to stab the king of Qin alone, and finally Qin Ting was splashed with blood. Sima Qian's bold praise of these characters is actually sympathy for the working people. Appreciate the people's desire to resist rape. Sima Qian recorded their vivid deeds and medical theories in a long space, and dedicated them to the people who benefited the people, such as famous doctors Bian Que and Yu Yi. These people had no social status at that time, but in Sima Qian's mind, they were far more noble than some princes.
Sima Qian also deeply understood the ugly face of feudal rulers and mercilessly exposed the sins of the ruling class. For example, the biography of the cruel officials was handed down by ten cruel and heartless officials, including nine courtiers of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. At that time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty attached great importance to Zhang Tang, but "Tang was treacherous, and he was a choreographer. At first, he was a small official, but he didn't do it. He was rich in Chang 'an, Tian Jia and Yu Weng. "That is to say, it means to return empty-handed. What is described here is how Zhang Tang used tricks to subdue the people when he was a small official. After Zhang Tang came to power, he made various laws and regulations with Zhao Yu, one of which is called "Modesty and Restraint Law", that is, no matter whether he is guilty or not, as long as he is accused of being dissatisfied with the court, he can be punished accordingly. Zhang Tang was not only good at making laws and regulations, but also catered to the desire of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty to deal with "prisoners". Under his auspices. Often a case will involve countless families, so that people are killed like hemp and human life is treated like dirt. The criminal activities of these people were recorded by Sima Qian, and it was through these that he exposed and accused the cruelty and darkness of the autocratic rule during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
Sima Qian's progressive view of history and heroic style of daring to expose the faults of emperors are worthy of recognition. His thoughts on historical evolution are relatively complete. After giving a correct evaluation of history, he fully affirmed the conclusion that history is constantly evolving.
3, the historian's swan song
Mr. Lu Xun once said: Historical Records are "the swan song of historians, poems without rhyme". In other words, as a large-scale and complete system of China General History, it is also an excellent literary work.
In Sima Qian's works, a historical event or a historical figure can be vividly portrayed in a few words. For example, in Tian Dan Zhuan, Tian Dan kept Jimo City. Tian Dan used six coups to restore Yan State. "Fire Bull Array" is one of the most important schemes. In the evening, Tian Dan covered more than 1000 cows with purple cloth with dragon patterns. Soak their tails in oil and set them on fire. As a result, 1000 bulls rushed into Yan Bing's position like monsters. Qi soldiers also rushed at the enemy with weapons. Some people beat gongs and drums and shouted loudly, with great momentum. Confused Yan Bing was scared to flee everywhere, and as a result, they were killed. There were bodies everywhere on the battlefield, and Qi won a great victory. Sima Qian
Sima Qian also vividly portrayed different types of historical figures. His description of Xiang Yu, the overlord of Xi Chu, is wonderful. In the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu led a great army to cross the river, then sank all the ships, and ordered only three days of food and grass, vividly and concretely depicting Xiang Yu's determination and spirit to cross the rubicon and fight to the death with Qin Jun. Xiang Yu's army reached ten, destroying Qin Jun, whose number far exceeded his own. It played an important role in the war to overthrow the rule of Qiang Qin. After the battle, Xiang Yu called all the generals. Entering Xiang Yu's Yuanmen, no one dared to walk with his head up. This is a description of Xiang Yu's prestige. Sima Qian described Xiang Yu's besieged scene more touching. Xiang Yu was magnanimous and sang, "Pushing mountains will make you angry and you won't die." Sima Qian described this man completely through this song. And the complicated mood that can't save the fate of failure. Then Sima Qian described Xiang Yu's bravery in the decisive battle in Dongcheng after his breakthrough. At that time, there were only 28 cavalry left in Xiang Yu. When thousands of pursuers approached, Xiang Yu opened his eyes wide and roared angrily, scaring the Han army away for several miles. Seeing this description, people can't help but feel that the failed hero seems to be just around the corner.
Another example is Sima Qian's description of how Han Gaozu negotiated with the people when he entered the customs, which fully showed the demeanor of a politician. Emperor gaozu also had the habit of cursing hooligans and improvising. On one occasion, Han Xin wrote to Emperor Gaozu, asking him to be a fake king of Qi. Emperor Gaozu was very angry and wanted to attack, but Sean hinted that he would not attack. He immediately turned the tune and said, "A gentleman should pacify the princes and do it." There are not many words here, but it vividly depicts the character of Emperor Gaozu who is good at improvising and playing politics.
Sima Qian's narrative language in the book is very vivid, and the characters are lifelike. He widely used oral proverbs, idioms and ballads, and did not shy away from dialects. His language is a dialect close to spoken language. Usually, the dialogue between narrative and characters is harmonious. Although lively but implicit, it is worth pondering. Complex and concise, eclectic, each in its place, generally serving the description of the character. His description of the tone of voice of the characters is the most interesting, which fully shows the mental attitude of the characters. In order to highlight the characters, he often emphasizes and exaggerates appropriately. For example, Chronicle of the Emperor Gaozu: "In the first month of (five years), the generals of the princes * * * invited Hanwang to be the emperor. Hanwang was granted three concessions. " This passage of Emperor Gaozu's abdication is a direct simulation of spoken English at that time, which vividly reflects the affectation of Emperor Gaozu. After reading it, I can't help but feel that the scene of Emperor Gaozu's speech is in front of me. Moreover, when Sima Qian used ancient historical materials, he generally translated ancient sayings in the lingua franca at that time. For example, the story of Yao and Shun written in Chronicle of the Five Emperors is based on the book Yaodian of Shangshu. Words such as "ordinary political achievements, virtuous Xi" are translated as "people are like parents who have lost their children, and happiness is everywhere for three years" and "faith hurts hundreds of officials, and all political achievements are thriving" Compared with the original, the translation will be easier to read. The excellent biography of Historical Records is inseparable from Sima Qian's superb language control ability.
After an innocent person is persecuted, there are usually two choices: pessimism and depression, or anger for strength. However, Sima Qian chose the latter way. With the aim of "studying the relationship between heaven and man, linking the changes from ancient times to modern times, and forming a unified view", he devoted all his "qi" to the creation of Historical Records. Sima Qian created the biographical style of China's historical works and a new style of historical methods.