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Records of the Grand Historian (Han Dynasty I)

Records of the Grand Historian (Han Dynasty I)

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By Sima Qian
Translated by Burton Watson
1993 (Revised Edition)
Co-published with Columbia University Press
xxvii + 499 pages
ISBN 0231-08164-2

Sima Qian (145?–90? BC) is the first major Chinese historian. His Shi ji, or Records of the Grand Historian, records the history of China and much of the adjacent world from the remote past to his own time. These three volumes contain a new translation of the history of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a revised version of the Han dynasty (from 206 up to c. 90 BC) portion of the Records.

Western readers will value this book not only for its historical importance, but perhaps even more for Sima Qian's warm interest in people. His brief, keen characterizations, his skilful use of dialogue, and his method of presenting different aspects of a figure in the different chapters give Sima Qian's history the engrossing power of a novel.

This volume begins in 209 BC and traces the fall of the Qin dynasty and the rise of the Han. Sima Qian records here the revolt of Chen She, the bitter struggle between Xiang Yu, King of Chu, and Liu Bang, the first Han Emperor, and the acts of the outstanding ministers and generals in both camps. He then goes on to the reign of Empress Lü (Liu Bang's widow), Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, and gives an account of the nobles and ministers as well as the empresses and imperial concubines. Each major figure in Sima Qian's vast drama is allowed to display his most noble qualities as well as the baser aspects of his character.

Table of Contents

Sima Qian to his friend Ren An — xiii
General Introduction — xv
Translator’s Note on the Text — xxi
The Founding of the Han Dynasty (Parts I–VI) — xxiii

Part I: The Beginning of the Revolt
Shi ji 48: The Hereditary House of Chen She — 3

Part II: The Vanquished
Shi ji 7: The Basic Annals of Xiang Yu — 17

Part III: The Victor
Shi ji 8: The Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu — 51
Shi ji 16 (Excerpt): Reflections on the Rise of Emperor Gaozu — 87

Part IV: The Great Ministers
Shi ji 53: The Hereditary House of Prime Minister Xiao — 91
Shi ji 55: The Hereditary House of the Marquis of Liu (Zhang Liang) — 99
Shi ji 56: The Hereditary House of Prime Minister Chen — 115

Part V: The Disaffected
Shi ji 89: The Biographies of Zhang Er and Chen Yu — 131
Shi ji 90: The Biographies of Wei Bao and Peng Yue — 147
Shi ji 91: The Biography of Qing Bu — 153
Shi ji 92: The Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin (Han Xin) — 163
Shi ji 93: The Biographies of Hann Xin and Lu Wan — 185
Shi ji 94: The Biography of Tian Dan — 197

Part VI: The Loyal Followers
Shi ji 95: The Biographies of Fan Kuai, Li Shang, Lord Teng, and Guan Ying: Concluding Remarks — 205
Shi ji 96: The Biography of Chancellor Zhang — 207
Shi ji 97: The Biographies of Li Yiji and Lu Jia — 219
Shi ji 98: The Biographies of Fu Kuan, Jin Xi, and the Marquis of Kuaicheng: Concluding Remarks — 233
Shi ji 99: The Biographies of Liu Jing and Shusun Tong — 235
Shi ji 100: The Biographies of Ji Bu and Luan Bu — 247
The Second Era of Han History (195 BC–141 BC) (Parts VII–XI) — 255

Part VII: The Rulers
Shi ji 9: The Basic Annals of Empress Lü — 267
Shi ji 10: The Basic Annals of Emperor Wen the Filial — 285
Shi ji 11: The Basic Annals of Emperor Jing the Filial — 311
Shi ji 12: The Basic Annals of Emperor Wu (Fragment) — 319

Part VIII: The Empresses
Shi ji 49: The Hereditary Houses of the Families Related to the Emperors by Marriage — 323

Part IX: The Great Families
Shi ji 50: The Hereditary House of King Yuan of Chu — 337
Shi ji 51: The Hereditary Houses of Jing and Yan — 341
Shi ji 52: The Hereditary House of King Daohui of Qi — 347
Shi ji 54 (Excerpt): The Hereditary House of Prime Minister Cao — 363
Shi ji 57: The Hereditary House of Zhou Bo, the Marquis of Jiang — 369
Shi ji 58: The Hereditary House of King Xiao of Liang — 381
Shi ji 59: The Hereditary Houses of the Five Families — 389

Part X: The Leaders of the Revolt
Shi ji 106: The Biography of Liu Pi, the King of Wu — 403

Some Remarks on the Han Peers: I
Shi ji 17: The Chronological Table of the Feudal Lords from the Beginning of the Han, Introduction — 423

Some Remarks on the Han Peers: II
Shi ji 18: The Chronological Table of the Distinguished Followers of Gaozu who became Marquises, Introduction — 427

Some Remarks on the Han Peers: III
Shi ji 19: The Chronological Table of the Marquises during the Reigns of Emperors Hui to Jing, Introduction — 431

Part XI: The Eminent Officials
Shi ji 84: The Biographies of Qu Yuan and Master Jia — 435
Shi ji 101: The Biographies of Yuan Ang and Chao Cuo — 453
Shi ji 102: The Biographies of Zhang Shizhi and Feng Tang — 467
Shi ji 103: The Biographies of Lord Wanshi and Zhang Shu — 477
Shi ji 104: The Biography of Tian Shu — 489

Finding List of Chapters of the Shi ji — 495

Maps
The Topography of Han China — 497
Principal Feudal Kingdom of Late Zhou and Early Han Times — 498
Principal Cities and Areas Mentioned in the Text — 499

Review(s)

'Burton Watson's elegant renditions will continue to be useful, especially when readers are primarily interested in the Shiji as literature.'
—CLEAR

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  • AUTHOR(s)

    Sima Qian set these aims for himself: to separate fact from legend, to be accurate in geographical details, and to give as full an account as possible of historial events and the lives of those concerned. His achievement is a landmark in Chinese history which has maintained its eminent position for 2,000 years. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean scholars have never ceased to read, admire, and love the Shi ji.

  • TRANSLATOR(s)

    Burton Watson is a world renowned translator of Chinese and Japanese literature and an adjunct professor of Chinese and Japanese at Columbia University. He lives in Osaka, Japan.