Shiji

The first page of Shiji .

The Shiji ( Chinese 史記 , Pinyin Shǐjì , W.-G. Shih-Chi - " records of the chronicler , records of the chroniclers , records of historians , records of the court clerk , historical records or records of the historian ") by Sima Qian (resp. Sima Qian and his father Sima Tan 司馬談) from the early Han period (written between 109 and 91 BC) is considered the first significant example of Chinese historiography and the first of the 24 dynasty histories . It comprises 130 rolls or volumes ( 卷 , juǎn ).

content

The Shiji describes the time from the mythological beginnings of history to the early Han Dynasty. For the Han period, it is based on the court files to which Sima Qian had direct access because he was a court astrologist. What is new about it are, on the one hand, chronological tables, on which a synopsis of the important central events with the events in the royal fiefs and court offices is offered, and the monographs on astronomy , astrology , imperial sacrificial ceremonies, rites, music, economy and irrigation, the Sima Qian to largely based on his own expertise.

structure

The Shiji comprises 130 chapters, which are divided into five categories:

12 biographies of emperors and kings ( běnjì本紀), including Qin Shihuang and Xiang Yu
10 genealogical tables ( biǎo表)
8 chapters on state and culture ( shū書), including rites, music, law and calendar systems
30 biographies of dukes and princes ( shìjiā世家), including King Goujian of Yue ( Yuè Wáng Gòujiàn 越王句踐) and Chen She ( Chén Shè陳涉)
70 biographies of exemplary personalities ( lièzhuàn列傳), including Confucius , Menzius , Sunzi , Shang Yang , Lü Buwei , Sima Xiangru, but also groups of people who often enjoy little respect such as “assassins” ( cìkè刺客) and “jokers” ( huájī滑稽).

Translations

German

Gregor Kneussel, Alexander Saechtig (translator), Sima Qian: From the records of the chronicler / Shǐjì xuǎn «史记选», 3 volumes. Foreign Language Literature Publishing House, Beijing 2016, ISBN 978-7-119-09676-6 . Volumes 1 and 2 translated by Kneussel, volume 3 by Saechtig. The edition also includes the original text and a translation into modern Chinese by Ān Píngqiū 安平秋.

English

Burton Watson (translator), Ssu-ma Ch'ien: Records of the Grand Historian of China . Columbia University Press, New York 1961, 2nd edition 1993, ISBN 0-231-08169-3 .
Yang Hsien-yi , Gladys Yang : Records of the Historians . Commercial Press, Hong Kong 1974.
William H. Nienhauser (Ed.), Ssu-ma Ch'ien: The Grand Scribe's Records , 9 volumes. Indiana University Press, Bloomington 1994 ff., ISBN 978-0-253-34021-4 , etc.

French

Édouard Chavannes (transl.): Les Mémoires historiques de Se-ma Ts'ien , 6 volumes. Ernest Leroux, Adrien Maisonneuve, Paris 1895–1905; New edition: Librairie d'Amérique et d'Orient Adrien-Maisonneuve, Paris 1967.

Japanese

Otake Fumio小竹文夫, Otake Takeo 小竹武夫 (transl.), Shiba Sen 司馬遷: Shiki gendaigo yaku『史記現代語訳』, 7 volumes. Kōbundō 弘文堂, Tokyo 1957–1958.

Russian

Rudolf Vsewolodowitsch Vjatkin (transl .), Syma Cjan ': Istoričeskie zapiski (Ši czi) , 9 volumes. Nauka, Moscow 1972-2010. Volumes 1 and 2 translated with Vsevolod Sergeevič Taskin, Volume 8 with Artemij Mihajlovič Karapet'janc, Volume 9 with Anatolij Rudol'fovič Vjatkin, Artemij Mihajlovič Karapet'janc and Mark Jur'evič Ul'janov.

literature

Anthony François Paulus Hulsewé: Shih chi. In: Michael Loewe (Ed.): Early Chinese Texts. A bibliographical guide. (= Early China Special Monograph Series. 2). The Society for the Study of early China - University of California, Berkeley CA 1993, ISBN 1-55729-043-1 , pp. 405-414.

Web links

Wikisource: Shiji - Sources and full texts (Chinese)

Shiji . Chinese Text Project

Individual evidence

^ So the title of the translation by Kneussel and Saechtig 2016; also in Wojciech Jan Simson: The story of the sayings of Confucius (Lunyu) . Peter Lang, Zurich 2006, ISBN 3-03910-967-7 , p. 92.
↑ Hans van Ess: Politics and historiography in ancient China. Pan-ma i-t'ung.班馬異同 (= Lun Wen. Studies on intellectual history and literature in China 18). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2014, ISBN 978-3-447-10107-3 , pp. 3 and 9.
↑ Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer: History of Chinese Literature . Scherz, Bern a. a. 1990, ISBN 3-502-16482-7 , p. 32.
↑ Bernd Führer: Forgotten and Lost. The history of Austrian Chinese studies . Bochum: Project, 2001, p. 63.
↑ Bai Shouyi (ed.): China's history at a glance . Foreign Language Literature Publishing House, Beijing 2009, pp. 127 and 139.
↑ Hans van Ess: Politics and historiography in ancient China. Pan-ma i-t'ung. 2014, p. 3.

[1] So the title of the translation by Kneussel and Saechtig 2016; also in Wojciech Jan Simson: The story of the sayings of Confucius (Lunyu) . Peter Lang, Zurich 2006, ISBN 3-03910-967-7 , p. 92.

[2] Hans van Ess: Politics and historiography in ancient China. Pan-ma i-t'ung.班馬異同 (= Lun Wen. Studies on intellectual history and literature in China 18). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2014, ISBN 978-3-447-10107-3 , pp. 3 and 9.

[3] Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer: History of Chinese Literature . Scherz, Bern a. a. 1990, ISBN 3-502-16482-7 , p. 32.

[4] Bernd Führer: Forgotten and Lost. The history of Austrian Chinese studies . Bochum: Project, 2001, p. 63.

[5] Bai Shouyi (ed.): China's history at a glance . Foreign Language Literature Publishing House, Beijing 2009, pp. 127 and 139.

[6] Hans van Ess: Politics and historiography in ancient China. Pan-ma i-t'ung. 2014, p. 3.