Sima Qian wrote historical records with a rigorous and serious attitude, and the spirit of record-keeping is his greatest feature. Every historical figure or event he wrote has undergone a lot of investigation and study, and the historical facts have been checked repeatedly. At the age of 20, Sima Qian left Chang 'an, the capital, to travel to famous mountains and rivers, to visit places of interest on the spot, to learn about the legacy of many historical figures and the customs and economic life of many places, and to broaden his horizons and mind. Ban Gu, a historian of Han Dynasty, said that Sima Qian is "a true record, because his writing is straightforward, and his essence is not empty beauty and evil". In other words, his article is fair, historical facts are reliable, and he doesn't say good things or hide bad things. This spoke highly of Sima Qian's scientific attitude and detailed historical records.
If Sima Qian insists on the spirit of "recording", he must face the reality and record it, which will inevitably lead to the problem of "taboo". However, when he wrote biographies for characters, he did not stick to the conventions of traditional historical books, but recorded his own thoughts and feelings about historical facts. From the supreme emperor to princes and nobles, to ministers, to local governors and so on. Of course, Sima Qian will not obliterate their magical and glorious side, but the outstanding thing is to expose their decay, ugliness and exploitation and oppression of the people. In particular, it exposed the evils of the ruling class in the Han Dynasty. Although he was a courtier of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian did not hide his fault at all. He profoundly exposed and criticized the falsehood of the activities of worshipping ancestors and visiting immortals that prevailed at that time. In the book Enchanting Zen, 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Sima Qian wanted to provide historical reference for feudal rulers, which reflected the real history and was very valuable.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 characters not according to his official position or social status, but according to his actual behavior. For example, he wrote many biographies of low-level people such as forest rangers, businessmen, doctors and advocates for Excellence. In Sima Qian's mind, these people all have merits. Sima Qian initiated a writing method that always tells a person's life story. Paying attention to "being a man" and its complexity is Sima Qian's brushwork. In his biography, he put his point of view in an objective factual narrative and expressed his love-hate attitude towards the characters. Take Xiang Yu as an example. Sima Qian sympathized with him and wrote this failed hero with great enthusiasm. He not only praised Xiang Yu's bravery, but also criticized his lack of ambition and cruelty. However, in Biography of Xiang Yu, Sima Qian did not comment on it, but his love and hate for Xiang Yu were fully revealed 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, who was born in a poor peasant, was 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 Biography of Historical Records, he compared Chen She with the famous ancient emperors-Shang Tang and Zhou Wuwang, and clearly pointed out 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 Qin Dynasty, and finally overthrew the lawless rule of Qin Dynasty. Chen She's first uprising and the historical achievement of overthrowing the Qin Dynasty were completely positive.
Sima Qian also praised many heroes who were loyal to the motherland and loved the people in history. When traveling that year, he had been to the Miluo River in the north of Changsha, Hunan Province, and paid tribute to the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan by the river. This mourning had a great influence on Sima Qian, whose mind was deeply imprinted with Qu Yuan's poems and life experiences. When he made a biography of Qu Yuan, he thought that Qu Yuan could win glory with the sun and the moon, and 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 writing historical records, he wrote Shun's story into the Chronicle of the Five Emperors, praising his noble quality of caring for the country and the people. Sima Qian also highly praised Lin Xiangru and Lian Po, the protagonists in Rehabilitation and Peace, and praised their patriotic behavior.
In historical records, Sima Qian also praised assassins who risked their lives to resist rape and rangers who saved people from danger and did good deeds. Jing Ke, for example, said that "the phoenix is cold and the strong man is gone forever". In order to repay the kindness of Yan Taizi Dan, he did not hesitate to stab the king of Qin alone, and eventually his blood spilled on Qin Ting. Sima Qian's bold praise of these characters is actually sympathy for the working people and appreciation of the people's desire to resist rape. Sima Qian recorded the vivid deeds and medical theories of the famous doctor Bian Que and those who benefited the people. 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 Corrupt Officials is the biography of 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. "Tang is treacherous and dances with wisdom to control people." I started as a junior official, but I didn't do it. I made personal friends with Fu Jiatian's family and Uncle Yu Weng in Chang 'an. The so-called "dry" is 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 worked with Zhao Yu to formulate various laws, one of which is called "the law of condescension", 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, but also catered to the desire of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to deal with "prisoners". Under his auspices, often a case will implicate countless families, leading to killing people like hemp and treating human life 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 bold style of exposing the faults of emperors are worthy of recognition. For the historical evolution process, his thought is relatively complete. After giving a correct evaluation of history, he fully affirmed the conclusion that history is constantly developing.
3, the historian's swan song
Mr. Lu Xun once said: Historical Records are "the swan song of historians, leaving Sao without rhyme". In other words, as a large-scale and complete system of China's 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, the description of Tian Dan's defense of Jimo City in Tian Dan Biography. Tian Dan defeated Yan with six coups, which enabled Qi to recover. "Fire Bull Array" is one of the most important strategies. In the evening, Tian Dan put purple cloth with dragon pattern on more than 1000 cows, tied sharp swords on their horns, soaked their tails with oil and set them on fire. As a result, 1000 bulls rushed into Yan Bing's position like monsters burning with flames. Soldiers of Qi also rushed to the enemy with weapons. Some people beat gongs and drums and shouted loudly to show their strength. Confused Yan Bing was scared to flee everywhere, and as a result, he was killed. Yan Bing's body was everywhere on the battlefield, and Qi won a great victory. Although Sima Qian didn't write much, the "Fire Bull Array" appeared in readers' minds like a picture.
Sima Qian also vividly portrayed different types of historical figures. His description of Xiang Yu, the overlord of the western Chu Dynasty, 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 rations, 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, with one for ten, wiped out Qin Jun, which was far more numerous than himself, and played a decisive role in the war to overthrow Qiang Qin's rule. 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's description of Xiang Yu's siege is even more touching. A generous: "If you push a mountain, you will be angry with the world, but when it is unfavorable, you will not die." Through this song, Sima Qian completely depicts the complex mood of the hero who is generous and tragic after failure, but unable to 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 shouted 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 in front of them.
Another example is Sima Qian's description of the three chapters of the agreement with the people when Emperor Gaozu entered the customs, which fully shows the demeanor of a politician. Emperor gaozu also had the habit of calling names on hooligans and improvising personality. On one occasion, Han Xin wrote a letter to Emperor Gaozu, demanding that he be named as a false king of Qi. Emperor gaozu was very angry. He just wanted to have an attack, but Sean hinted that he didn't want to have an attack. He immediately turned his back and said, "A gentleman can pacify a vassal. As long as he is willing to do it, he is a real king. What are you doing as a fake king? " 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 uses oral proverbs, idioms and ballads, and does not shy away from dialects. His language is a dialect close to spoken language. Usually, the dialogue between narrative and characters is harmonious. Although it is clear but implicit, the implication is worth pondering. Complex and concise, eclectic, each in its place, generally serving the description of character characteristics. His description of the characters' intonation is the most interesting, which fully shows the characters' mental attitude. In order to highlight the characters, he often emphasizes and exaggerates appropriately. For example, The Legend of Emperor Gaozu: "In the first month (five years), the vassal general invited Hanwang as emperor. ..... Hanwang three let, had to, saying: You must think it is convenient, convenient for the country. "This passage of Emperor Gaozu's abdication is a direct simulation of the spoken language 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 popular language 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, in which "the people lost their lives, and the eight tones suppressed the four seas for three years", and the words "let them do whatever they can to make it work for Xian Xi" were translated as "the people lost their parents, and the four sides enjoyed three years", and "If they believed in hurting hundreds of officials, they would all achieve prosperity." The excellent biographies of Historical Records are 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. Sima Qian chose the latter way. With the aim of "studying the relationship between heaven and man, making 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 brand-new historical method. Sima Qian recorded history in the form of personal biography and discipline, and took society as the center, showing a large-scale history of social changes for future generations. Sima Qian has made brilliant achievements in history and literature.