Records of the Grand Historian

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* Book: Records of the Grand Historian. Ssu-Ma Ch’ien.

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"Shiji (史記), or Historical Records became the most commonly used title in Chinese. This title was originally used to refer to any general historical text, although after the Three Kingdoms period,[note 2] Shiji gradually began to be used exclusively to refer to Sima Qian's work. In English, the original title, Records of the Grand Historian is in common use,[8] although Historical Records,[9] The Grand Scribe's Records,[10] and Records of the Historian[11] are also used." [1]


Contextual Quote

"Does the Tao operate in history, what are the stages in history? For Ssu-Ma Ch’ien, it was the sage-king that intervened when the Tao degenerated. History and future are thus cyclical with the rise and fall of the Tao. When wisdom and learning separate, then society degenerates."

- B. Watson, translator.


Description

From the Wikipedia:

"Records of the Grand Historian, also known by its Chinese name Shiji, is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The Records was written in the late 2nd century BC to early 1st century BC by the ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian, whose father Sima Tan had begun it several decades earlier. The work covers a 2,500-year period from the age of the legendary Yellow Emperor to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han in the author's own time, and describes the world as it was known to the Chinese of the Western Han dynasty.

The Records has been called a "foundational text in Chinese civilization". After Confucius and the First Emperor of Qin, "Sima Qian was one of the creators of Imperial China, not least because by providing definitive biographies, he virtually created the two earlier figures." The Records set the model for all subsequent dynastic histories of China. In contrast to Western historical works, the Records do not treat history as "a continuous, sweeping narrative", but rather break it up into smaller, overlapping units dealing with famous leaders, individuals, and major topics of significance."

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Records_of_the_Grand_Historian)


Publications

About:

  • Watson B. (1958). Ssu-Ma Ch’ien: Grand Historian of China. 221 pp. New York: Columbia University Press.

"Excellent interpretation of the ancient Chinese philosopher Ssu-Ma Ch’ien. Does the Tao operate in history, what are the stages in history? For Ssu-Ma Ch’ien, it was the sage-king that intervened when the Tao degenerated. History and future are thus cyclical with the rise and fall of the Tao. When wisdom and learning separate, then society degenerates."


From:

  • Watson, Burton, trans. (1961). Records of the Grand Historian of China. New York: Columbia University Press.

Second edition, 1993 (Records of the Grand Historian). Translates roughly 90 out of 130 chapters.

  1. Qin dynasty, ISBN 978-0-231-08169-6.
  2. Han dynasty, Volume 1, ISBN 978-0-231-08165-8.
  3. Han dynasty, Volume 2, ISBN 978-0-231-08167-2.


  • William H. Nienhauser, Jr., ed. (1994– ). The Grand Scribe's Records, 9 vols. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Ongoing translation, and being translated out of order. As of 2020, translates 92 out of 130 chapters.
  1. I. The Basic Annals of Pre-Han China (2018), ISBN 978-0-253-03855-5.
  2. II. The Basic Annals of the Han Dynasty (2018), ISBN 978-0-253-03909-5.
  3. V. part 1. The Hereditary Houses of Pre-Han China (2006), ISBN 978-0-253-34025-2.
  4. VII. The Memoirs of Pre-Han China (1995), ISBN 978-0-253-34027-6.
  5. VIII. The Memoirs of Han China, Part I (2008), ISBN 978-0-253-34028-3.
  6. IX. The Memoirs of Han China, Part II (2010), ISBN 978-0-253-35590-4.
  7. X. The Memoirs of Han China, Part III (2016), ISBN 978-0-253-01931-8.
  8. XI. The Memoirs of Han China, Part IV (2019), ISBN 978-0-253-04610-9.