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Records of the Grand Historian of China
Translated from the Shih chi of Ssu-ma Ch'ien
Volume I: Early years of the Han Dynasty 209 to 141 B.C.
Volume I: Early years of the Han Dynasty 209 to 141 B.C.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
563 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1961
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About the author
Sima Qian
254 books45 followersSima Qian (Szu-ma Chien; 司馬遷 c. 145 or 135 BC – 86 BC) was a Chinese historian of the Han dynasty. He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his work, the Records of the Grand Historian, a Jizhuanti-style (纪传体) general history of China, covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to his time, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. Although he worked as the Court Astrologer (Chinese: 太史令; Tàishǐ Lìng), later generations refer to him as the Grand Historian (Chinese: 太史公; taishigong or tai-shih-kung) for his monumental work. (Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 2, 2023
I’m very glad I got to read this book. It tells the stories of people who are long gone and would otherwise be forgotten, with an incredible nuance to the moral lessons we can learn from this history.
The first half tells the story of a chaotic civil war between several sides, each with their own noble leaders. The second half shows how the victors of the civil war begin to decay in their high-minded goals and descend into the petty squabbles that would, years after this book was written, lead to the end of the Han Dynasty.
The first half was the most enjoyable to read, with the stories of the leaders Hsiang Yu and Kao-Tsu, and the men who supported them, like Hsiao Ho, Han Hsin, and Chang Liang, Chang Erh and Chen Yu, people who had noble goals that culminated in either legendary success and tragic defeat. In each of their biographies there’s something new to learn about history, philosophy, and morals.
The second half is less exciting, though there is still plenty to learn. Many of the great conflicts of the previous era are reduced to petty issues over land distribution and who deserves what position in the government. I really enjoyed the stories of Emperor Wen and Liu P’i, and the last few chapters in the eminent officials like Yuan Ang and Chao Ts’o. One of the most interesting chapters is that of Ts’ao Ts’an, who Sima Qian wrote about with great respect BECAUSE he did nothing to attempt to change the laws of his predecessor.
Sima Qian wrote this story with incredible insight, and his thoughts on the lessons we can learn are very interesting. The translator, Burton Watson, does his part to offer his own insights and clear up the cross-cultural confusion. He translated this with a focus on readability, though I’m curious what I could learn from a more accurate translation; I think I’ll check out the AC graham translation.
All in all, I learned a lot from this, and am curious what the volume on the Chin Dynasty and the second volume of the Han Dynasty will tell.
The first half tells the story of a chaotic civil war between several sides, each with their own noble leaders. The second half shows how the victors of the civil war begin to decay in their high-minded goals and descend into the petty squabbles that would, years after this book was written, lead to the end of the Han Dynasty.
The first half was the most enjoyable to read, with the stories of the leaders Hsiang Yu and Kao-Tsu, and the men who supported them, like Hsiao Ho, Han Hsin, and Chang Liang, Chang Erh and Chen Yu, people who had noble goals that culminated in either legendary success and tragic defeat. In each of their biographies there’s something new to learn about history, philosophy, and morals.
The second half is less exciting, though there is still plenty to learn. Many of the great conflicts of the previous era are reduced to petty issues over land distribution and who deserves what position in the government. I really enjoyed the stories of Emperor Wen and Liu P’i, and the last few chapters in the eminent officials like Yuan Ang and Chao Ts’o. One of the most interesting chapters is that of Ts’ao Ts’an, who Sima Qian wrote about with great respect BECAUSE he did nothing to attempt to change the laws of his predecessor.
Sima Qian wrote this story with incredible insight, and his thoughts on the lessons we can learn are very interesting. The translator, Burton Watson, does his part to offer his own insights and clear up the cross-cultural confusion. He translated this with a focus on readability, though I’m curious what I could learn from a more accurate translation; I think I’ll check out the AC graham translation.
All in all, I learned a lot from this, and am curious what the volume on the Chin Dynasty and the second volume of the Han Dynasty will tell.
Displaying 1 of 1 review