“The Annotated Records of Sima Qian: Uncovering Ancient Chinese Histories”

The article by Zhang Shoujie, Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian, was authored. Qian was born in Longmen, cultivated and pastured along rivers and mountains, traveled south to Jiangsu and Anhui, studied in the states of Qi and Lu, succeeded the Spring and Autumn Annals as the Grand Historian, encompassed the histories of Wen and Lu, including those of Zuo Qiuming and Guoyu, gathered accounts from various eras and the Warring States period, integrated classics and commentaries, searched for historical anecdotes, starting from the Yellow Emperor to the Han Dynasty. He compiled the Twelve Biographies, detailing the rise and fall of emperors and kings, Thirty Basic Annals detailing the fortunes and misfortunes of various sovereigns and states, Eight Treatises on Yin and Yang, rites and music, and Ten Tables establishing the succession of dynasties and years of enfeoffment. He also compiled Seventy Biographical Sketches, encompassing loyal ministers and filial sons in sincerity. His work stands above other historical texts, sufficient to guide the state. Pei Yuan praised its well-organized structure, straightforward yet not simplistic, substantial yet not crude, its text direct and its matters substantiated, avoiding exaggeration and concealing flaws, thus it is called a true record. From Liu Xiang to Yang Xiong, all recognized his talent in history. Furthermore, with ancient texts decaying and records incomplete, he is compared to the Spring and Autumn Annals in terms of ancient prose, and to the Han and Wei in terms of concise and deep writing. Shoujie’s scholarly journey spans over thirty years, encompassing various genres and schools, refined and elegant, with a sharp mind in examining and appraising the histories of Han and Shi, elucidating various interpretations and explanations, resulting in the compilation of thirty scrolls. It was titled “Annotations to the Records of the Grand Historian”. Expanding upon the essence of historical texts, he sought to navigate the vast seas of history. Not daring to rival the confidential archives, he hoped to rectify and harmonize interpretations, thereby leaving a legacy for future generations, eternally illuminating these histories. In the year of Bingzi, August, the twenty-fourth year of Kaiyuan, it was completed.

【Verification】Qian Daxin said: Zhang Shoujie’s “Annotations” were completed in the twenty-fourth year of Kaiyuan. Xiao Sima’s preface, before and after, did not specify the year of compilation, while the “Book of Tang, Bibliography of Arts and Literature” noted: he served as a Literary Officer in Runzhou. These two contemporaries, while contemporaries, their works do not correlate. Xiao Sima excels in argumentation, Zhang excels in geography, both are accomplished figures, difficult to sideline. Shoujie held positions such as Literary Officer serving the kings and served as a Chief Historian, but “Book of Tang” is missing. Xiao Sima’s preface is self-titled as a National Academy Scholar, while “Book of Tang” states: he served as a Literary Officer in Runzhou, and it is uncertain whether he died while serving in Runzhou. Both books, “Annotations” and “Indices”, are single editions, not appended to official histories. Currently, “Indices” still exists in the single-edition published by Jigu Pavilion. “Annotations”, the old edition has been lost, the volume sequence is untraceable. “Summary of the Four Libraries”: The book is based on thirty volumes from its own preface, recorded by Chao Gongwu and Chen Zhensun as twenty volumes. The titles are listed as notes, similar to “Indices”, later scattered among the lines, no longer in the book. Until the Ming Dynasty, the monitored version included “Collection of Annotations” and “Indices” afterwards, with more scattered sections, losing its original purpose, with geographical detachment of seventeen articles, thus the actual annotations of twenty-five articles, musical annotations missing twenty-three articles, and others changed by one or two characters, totaling over a thousand. Duhu Wei’s Taoyuan has a monk, Taoyuan’s copy, supplementing the current “Annotations” deleted, more than one thousand articles, mostly two or three hundred words, a few ten or twenty words, all missing in the edition published by the Zhejiang National Library. According to the monk, the “Three Annotations Meeting Edition” is said to have “Indices” and “Annotations” editions, identical to those found elsewhere. In the end, the copy’s purpose is to restore the old to the original. Northeast University has two ancient versions of “Records of the Historian” and “Active Record”. One is the Qinglong version, and the other is the Kuan Yong version. The annotations also supplement the lost “Annotations”, based on the Taoyuan copy. The Marquis of Maeda’s bookcase has a five-volume “Records of the Historian” by the scholar’s family, and the annotations recorded in “Annotations” are generally in line with “Taoyuan copy”. Now according to these numbers, adjustments have been made, briefly recovering the old words of the Zhang family.