Records of the Grand Historian: Qin Dynasty

Records of the Grand Historian

by Sima Qian, Chien Ssu-Ma

Sima Qian (145?-90? BCE) was the first major Chinese historian. His "Shiji," or "Records of the Grand Historian," documents the history of China and its neighboring countries from the ancient past to his own time. These three volumes cover the Qin and Han dynasties.

Genres: History, China, Nonfiction, Classics, Chinese Literature, Asia, Historical

Hardcover

First published January 1, 95

About the author

Sima 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)

Reviews

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

The whole work was interesting, but the letter in his own hand about how the Grand Historian chose the humiliation of castration rather than nobly committing suicide in order to finish his history was the most moving.

[Helmut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Geschichtswerk des antiken China

Das "Shi Ji", hier als "Records of the Grand Historian" präsentiert, ist mit die wichtigste Quelle für Informationen über das antike China vor und während der Han-Dynastie. Ganz gemäß dem Temperament der konfuzianischen Chinesen mit ihrer Vergangenheitsfixierung werden hier detaillierte Informationen, die auch den neuesten archäologischen Forschungen standhalten, über Personen und Begebenheiten festgehalten.
In diesem Band sammelt Übersetzer Burton Watson die Kapitel des "Shi Ji", die sich auf die Qin-Dynastie beziehen. Da der Autor der Texte, Sima Qian, selbst in der Han-Dynastie lebte, fällt das Fazit über Qin natürlich recht düster aus - der "Erste Kaiser" Shihuangdi, sein Nachfolger und auch Generäle und hohe Politiker wie Fürst Wuan werden als soziopathische Massenmörder dargestellt. Diese Vertreter des Legalismus im antiken China, der drakonische Strafen und blindes Rechtsverständnis ohne Berücksichtung der Umstände mit sich brachte, gelten noch heute als abschreckende Beispiele für Regierung, wie sie nicht sein sollte.

Man muss sich als Leser bei der Lektüre dieses Bandes im Klaren darüber sein, dass man keinen Roman liest. Einige Stellen, leider insbesondere der Anfang, sind sehr mühsam zu lesen und bestehen hauptsächlich aus Kalendereinträgen: Person X machte in diesem Jahr dies und dies. Im Jahr darauf machte er das und das. Und so weiter, teilweise seitenlang. Immer wieder aber findet man ausgearbeitete Erzählungen, die das dröge Geschichtsbuch sehr erfrischen und unterhaltsam machen.

Wenn man sich für die Geschichte des Prä-Han-China interessiert, ist dieses Buch aber unerlässliche Lektüre; insbesondere, da Sima Qian nicht nur die kurzlebige Qin-Dynastie selber behandelt, sondern zurückgeht bis zu den Ursprüngen dieser Dynastie bis zur Zeit der Frühlings- und Herbstannalen und der Streitenden Reiche.
Die Übersetzung ist selektiv, wählt also nur die Kapitel des "Shi Ji" aus, die etwas mit der Qin-Dynastie zu tun haben, was ein gewisser Vorteil ist, da die entsprechenden Kapitel über das ganze Werk Sima Qians verteilt sind. Die Präsentation ist spartanisch, aber gelungen; Kommentare und Fußnoten zu schwer verständlichen Stellen sind als Erklärungshilfe vorhanden.

Wer sich für diese Historienschreibung begeistert, sollte dann auch zu den weiteren Bänden mit Übersetzungen des Shi Ji von Burton Watson greifen, die sich dann auf die Han-Dynastie konzentrieren.

[bitmaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is translation makes a hell lot of difference. I read the original text, of course, because I can. But even most Chinese speakers need translation from that to modern Mandarin and I have seen so many shitty translations riddled with mistakes that skew what it's actually said. The language is particular and precise and the style is unique to that of biography of imperial orders (this book is a collection of biographies) and is composed by one of the greatest historians of all time, so if the translation doesn't reflect that, it's bad. I have seen one version translated into modern Mandarin that's adequate and it's online. Not sure if I can post the link on here. It's a lot easier to learn Mandarin and then read this book than trying to read it in English. There is bound to be a fuckton of things lost in translation, the translator actually does more interpretating than translating, as much work as a re-write.

Thanks for your interest nonetheless, I am deeply touched by the striving intellect.

[Harry]

" It is the nature of every man to love life and hate death, to think of his parents and look after his wife and children. Only when he is moved by higher principles is this not so. Then there are things that he must do. Now I have been most unfortunate, for I lost my parents very early. With no brothers or sisters, I have been left alone and orphaned. And you yourself, Shaoqing, have seen me with my wife and child and know I would not let thoughts of them deter me. Yet the brave man does not necessarily die for honor, while even the coward may fulfill his duty. Each takes a different way to exert himself. Though I might be weak and cowardly and seek shamelessly to prolong my life, I know full well the difference between what ought to be followed an what rejected. How could I bring myself to sink into the shame of ropes and bonds? ...
Too numerous to record are the men of ancient times who were rich and noble and whose names have yet vanished away. It is only those who were masterful and sure, the truly extraordinary ones, who are still remembered. ... All these men had a rankling in their hearts, for they were not able to accomplish what they wished. Therefore ... they retired to compose books in order to set forth their thoughts and indignation, handing down their writings so they could show posterity who they were.
I too have ventured not to be modest but have entrusted myself to my useless writings.
....
I cannot convey my full meaning in a letter, but I have ventured to set forth in brief my unworthy opinion."

[Eadweard · Rating 5 out of 5]

In-depth look into the rulers of Qin and the expansion of the state. If you enjoy ancient chinese history, you've probably heard of Sima Qian. This book starts with an ancient mythological account of the ancestors of the rulers Qin, then continues with the Spring & Autumn, Warring States periods, the unification of China and ends with the disintegration of the Qin empire. The most enjoyable part for me was the biography section, biographies of famous statesmen and generals that helped the state expand. Must read if you're into chinese history.

[jersey9000 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest history texts ever- also one of the first. Is it better than Herodotus? I dunno, but it sure has many more beheadings.

[Sam toer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling scholarly read of Chinese history.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the end, I am so glad I read this. Of course I missed tons of details but I caught some - like the practice was to avoid besmirching the honor of a powerful leader who wanted to punish you for your shortcomings - so they send you a sword and a "do the right thing" message and fully expect you to kill yourself. Also, the person being sentenced will find their own reason for why they should die, I suppose as a way to make their peace with it?

Often while I have been reading this, I've thought, if Sima Qian can submit to living the rest of his life as a eunuch so he'll be able to finish his history, then I can deal with Mondays.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

The "basic annals" chapters were tedious. The various biography chapters were quite interesting.

# 18 of 133 on Clifton Fadiman's New Lifetime Reading Plan

[Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic history, too little known,

[Frank Marzano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your typical history book.

While most books follow a chronological narrative, Sima Qian tells the story of the early Han Dynasty with a series of biographies of various people who played an important part. Thus, the same event will be told a number of times, from different perspectives.

Also, at the end of most chapters, Sima Qian provides a "moral" (for example, how a person will have many friends at the height of his influence and popularity, but they'll drop like flies after his fortunes decline).

Note: Sima Qian was sentenced to castration by Emperor Wu because he took the side of one of his friends (a general punished for an unsuccessful campaign against the Xiongnu). In those days, most people condemned to castration chose to commit suicide rather than to suffer the indignity. Sima Qian chose to stay alive so that he could finish RECORDS OF THE GRAND HISTORIAN. Sima Qian (who lived during the years that he wrote about), suffered much for this book!

A consequence of this is that Sima Qian is not always able to conceal his bias. Mostly, his criticisms of Emperor Wu's regime are done in the form of subtle satire. For example, a chapter on "reasonable officials" uses people from previous regimes, while the chapter on "harsh officials" uses only people from Emperor Wu's regime.

Because of the breadth of the subject, however, there are a staggering number of difficult (for Westerners) names of people and places to keep track of. On the whole, though, RECORDS OF THE GRAND HISTORIAN is well written (or well-translated), with plenty of our own idioms, making for an enjoyable read.

[Adam Nelson]

I just couldn't finish this. I'm sure it holds rich delights for students of ancient Chinese history, as recorded by a noted ancient Chinese historian, but I just found it too dry. I did admire the way Sima Qian editorialized on various aspects of Qin history, stepping into the facts and histories and making personal observations, but mostly I just got lost in the names and details, which hit the reader like a tsunami. I would enjoy something that breathed a little more, allowed me to get more intimately acquainted with the players. That's just me. I'm not giving this a star rating because I don't feel right in ascribing value to something that predates me by thousands of years as if I could cast judgment on how it could have been done better. It's just a matter of personal preference.

[Matthew Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Han I book last year and though I found the content interesting it was more times than not a chore to read. Compared to Han I this book is a much quicker and intriguing read. The "burning of the books and burying of the scholars" are in this. So is The First Emperor's mausoleum.

With all this recognizable content I think that this book would make a great "introductory" read for a young or amateur historian. Its a primary source but it is more dynamic than other sources yet thinner than some novels. I recommend it!

[Kenneth Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really 4.5 stars.
Readers who came upon "Mysteries of the Terra Cotta Warriors," a docu-drama currently on Netflix--which is excellent by the way, don't miss it; it is not merely video of people in goggles brushing dirt off pottery shards, but also a gripping drama of what followed after the death of the first Qin emperor (Qin Shihuang, d. 210 BCE)--may also wish to peruse this somewhat neglected excerpt (published 1993) from the weighty Chinese classic the "Shi Ji" translated by Burton Watson.
China-hands are familiar with Watson, who translated a number of Chinese classics. In fact, students of Chinese joke, "Is there anything this guy didn't translate?" Watson was a professor at Columbia (in NYC). After translating several volumes of Chinese classics, he asked where was his tenure. They still didn't give it to him, and he resigned in a tiff and went off to Japan, where he remained for the rest of his life (d. 2017) He is a towering figure in the study of Chinese classics. This volume is an extrapolation from his dissertation, which was also on the "Records." He did several individual volumes deriving from this long historical work.
Back to the terra cotta warriors and Qin Shihuang: the account of the death of the first Qin emperor and what followed is on page 62. This entire volume is only excerpts of course, but Watson picked out most of the salient events for us to review. From what I gathered over one afternoon of comparisons to a Chinese volume of the classic I picked up in Beijing when stationed there (Shiji Sanjia Zhu, Jiangsu Guangling Guji Keyinshi, Beijing 1990), the translation is very faithful. And this material is by no means easy to deal with.
If you enjoyed "Mysteries of the Terra Cotta Warriors" or even just feel it is time to explore a little bit about the Qin dynasty, this volume is informative and has excellent footnotes.
Enjoy!

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the ultimate example of speaking truth to power. Sima Qian - the Grand Historian - stood up to the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty and defended someone he thought had been wronged by the emperor. He did this despite his Records which chronicled how pretty much anyone who crossed emperors ended up dead. Sure enough, emperor Wu sentenced Qian to death, which could be commuted by a large fine or castration. Qian said, "Go ahead an unman me - I've got more history to write." And then he became a palace eunuch rather than take the honorable alternative of committing suicide - all so he could keep writing his (quite good) history.

As for this volume of Records, it's quite a compelling read. No wasted language, fairly unbiased, and insightful into the motives and corruptions of powerful men.

[Ars Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly shorter than the other volumes, Qin Dynasty is a succinct description of how the Qin came to power, and all of the internal struggles that came with the iron fist ruling Qin became known for.

[Yun Rou · Rating 4 out of 5]

An essential work of scholarship, though the translation feels a bit dated now.

[Chris]

hao de

[Csuren]

this is a well translated work from chinese.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of this was new knowledge for me and, I suspect, it would be for most living in Western cultures. The author, Sima Qian, is the East's Thucydides. The translator, Burton Watson, has a significant fan base. Since I'm motivated to have at least some acquaintance with Eastern history and culture, I found it easy to absorb and enjoy this book. If reading history puts you to sleep, you might have that experience reading this. For all others, I highly recommend this excellent book.