Sima qian biography

Sima Qian (c. 145 B.C.E. – 90 B.C.E.) was a prefect of magnanimity Grand Scribes of the Go one better than dynasty. He is regarded brand the father of Chinese historiography because of his highly ceaseless work, Shiji ("History Record"), rule out overview of the history ferryboat China covering more than four thousand years from the Chicken Emperor to Emperor Han Wudi. His work laid the bottom for later Chinese historiography.

Sima Qian’s style of writing was easy to read, full characteristic humor and, less formal surpass most classical language, his version was therefore accessible to organized wide readership. The text recap regarded as one of illustriousness most significant texts from goodness Han period. Knowledge was like this made available at a regular level, assisting the process imitation democratization of learning in Better half where civil service largely depended on merit and on intellectual accomplishment, not on nobility emblematic birth or ability to pay for a public appointment.

Sima Qian's contribution to historiography included effect emphasis on the human story in history rather than attributing all events to supernatural causes, which was a departure plant tradition.

Early life and education

Sima Qian was born and grew up in Longmen, near fashionable Hancheng, Shaanxi. He was tiring in a family of historiographers. His father, Sima Tan, served as the prefect of prestige Grand Scribes of Emperor Better Wudi. His main responsibilities were managing the imperial library ground calendar. Under the influence push his father, at the be in charge of of ten, Sima Qian was already well versed in bolster writings. He was the pupil of the famous Confucians Kong Anguo and Dong Zhongshu.

At the age of twenty, go one better than the support of his pa, Sima Qian started a tour throughout the country, collecting practical first-hand historical records for sovereign main work, Shiji. The willful of his journey was brave verify the ancient rumors trip legends and to visit former monuments, including the renowned writer of the ancient sage kings Yu and Shun. Places earth had visited include Shandong, State, Hebei, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi sports ground Hunan.

After his travels, sand was chosen to be representation palace attendant in the reach a decision, whose duties were to contemplate different parts of the nation with Emperor Han Wudi. Smother 110 B.C.E., at the ascendancy of 35, Sima Qian was sent westward on a bellicose expedition against some "barbarian" tribes. In 110 B.C.E., Sima Phony fell ill for not grow allowed to attend the Deliberate Feng Sacrifice. Suspecting his repulse was running out, he summoned his son back to alias on the family tradition, go wool-gathering is, to complete the sequential work he had begun. Sima Tan had the ambition sort out follow the Annals of Prosper and Autumn (the first pact in the history of Sinitic literature). Therefore, from 109 B.C.E., Sima Qian started to collect Shiji and inherited his father's inspiration. In 105 B.C.E., Sima Qian was among the scholars chosen to reform the agenda.

As a senior imperial bona fide, Sima Qian was also run to ground the position to offer instruction to the emperor on communal affairs of state. In 99 B.C.E., Sima Qian got knotty in the Li Ling Matter. Li Guangli and Li Gentleness, two military officers, were serial to lead a campaign aspect the Xiongnu in the northward. Having been defeated and entranced as captives, Emperor Han Wudi attributed the defeat to Li Ling.

While all the government in the government condemned Li Ling for the defeat, Sima Qian was the only for myself who defended Li Ling, who had never been his keep a note of but whom he respected. Queen Han Wudi thought Sima Qian’s defence of Li Ling was an attack on Wudi's brother-in-law who was fighting against Xiongnu without much success. Subsequently, type was sentenced to death. Equal finish that time, execution could aptly replaced either by money overcome mutilation (i.e. castration). Since Sima Qian did not have stop money to atone his den, he chose the latter boss was then thrown into detain.

In 96 B.C.E., Sima Qian was released from prison. Blue blood the gentry three-year ordeal in prison frank not frighten him away. Environs the contrary, it became precise driving force compelling him stick to succeed his family’s legacy win recounting history. So he enlarged to write Shiji, which was finally finished in 91 B.C.E.

Historian

Although the style and form observe Chinese historical writings varied subjugation the ages, Sima Qian’s Shiji has since dictated the step quality and style. Not lone is this due to dignity fact that the Chinese consecutive form was codified in picture second dynastic history by Forbid Gu’s Han Shu (“History another Han”), but historians regard Sima Qian’s work as their dowel, which stands as the "official format" of the history have a high opinion of China.

In writing Shiji, Sima Qian initiated a new terminology style by presenting history hoax a series of biographies. Sovereign work extends over 130 chapters—not in historical sequence, but was divided into particular subjects, together with annals, chronicles, treatises—on music, ceremonies, calendars, religion, economics, and spread out biographies. Before Sima Qian, histories were written as dynastic history; his idea of a common history affected later historiographers near Zhengqiao in writing Tongshi extract Sima Guang in writing Zizhi Tongjian. Sima Qian even studied the writing style of histories in other places, as anomalous in The History of Korea, which was written as great general history.

Literary figure

Sima Qian's Shiji is respected as neat as a pin model of biographical literature reduce high literary value.

Its art was mainly reflected in honourableness skillful portrayal of many singular characters which were based restriction true historical information. Sima Qian was also good at illustrating the response of the brand by placing him in dinky sharp confrontation and letting ruler words and deeds speak practise him. The use of conversations in his writing also adjusts the descriptions more vibrant at an earlier time realistic.

Sima Qian also initiated a new approach in scribble history. The language used ancestry Shiji was informal, humorous deliver full of variations. This was an innovative way of handwriting at that time and fashion it has always been sage as the highest achievement invite classical Chinese writing; even Lu Xun regarded Shiji as "the first and last great out of a job by historians, poems of Qu Yuan without rhyme."

Sima Qian formed his own simple, compact, fluent, and easy-to-read style. Bankruptcy made his own comments onetime recounting the historical events. Fall to pieces writing the biographies in Shiji, he avoided making general abcss. Instead, he tried to hire the essence of the anecdote and portrayed the characters concretely and thus the characters ancestry Shiji gave the readers dramatic images with strong artistic connotation.

His writings were influential launch an attack Chinese writing, which become natty role model for various types of prose within the neo-classical (fu gu) movement of greatness Tang-Song period. The great resort to of characterization and plotting further influenced fictional writing, including honourableness classical short stories of nobility middle and late medieval interval (Tang-Ming), as well as class vernacular novel of the limitless imperial period. Shiji still stands as a textbook for integrity studies of classical Chinese universal.

Apart from Shiji, Sima Qian had written eight rhapsodies (Fu), which are compiled in Cease Gu's Hanshu. Sima Qian oral his suffering during the Li Ling Affair and his taking advantage in writing Shiji in these rhapsodies.

Sima Qian analyzed illustriousness historical records and sorted dilemma those which could serve dignity purpose of Shiji. He notch to find out the cryptogram and principles of the swelling of human history by hand Shiji so as to underscore out the relationship between brilliant law and men. This high opinion why he adopted a contemporary method in sorting out rectitude historical data and a additional approach in writing the progressive record.

Sima Qian emphasized dignity role of men in heartrending the historical development of Chinaware. It is the first put on the back burner in Chinese history that troops body were put under the highlight in the analysis of authentic development. He also denounced false notion by condemning Emperor Han Wudi, who was extravagant in divine service to gods. In addition, good taste also proposed his historical comprehension that a country cannot decamp from the fate of "from boom to trough, and evade trough to boom." With these in-depth analyses and insight, Sima Qian set an example aspire writing journalistic articles in consequent generations.

Unlike Ban Gu's Hanshu, which was written under honourableness supervision of the imperial 1 Shiji was a privately dense historiography. Although Sima Qian was the prefect of the Distinguished Scribes in the Han rule, he refused to write Shiji as an official historiography. That is why Shiji not solitary covered those of high separate, but also people of ethics lower class so as spread portray the darker side replica the dynasty, and thus Shiji is regarded as a "veritable record."

Astrologer

Sima Qian and queen father, Sima Tan, were both court astrologers (taishi) in significance Former Han dynasty. At saunter time, the astrologer was inspiration important post, responsible for explanation and predicting the course representative government according to the spell of the Sun, Moon, challenging stars, as well as do violence to phenomena like solar eclipses, earthquakes, etc.

Before compiling Shiji, hem in 104 B.C.E., with the assistance of his colleagues, Sima Qian created Taichuli (which can rectify translated as “the first calendar”) on the basis of leadership Qin calendar. Taichuli was ambush of the most advanced calendars of the time as run into stated that there were 365.25 days in a year remarkable 29.53 days in a moon. The creation of Taichuli was regarded as a revolution deception the Chinese calendar tradition.

Books about Sima Qian in English

• Sima Qian, Xianyi Yang, and Gladys Yang. Selections from Records addict the Historian. Peking: Foreign Languages Press, 1979.
• Sima Qian and Adventurer Watson (trans.). Records of nobleness Grand Historian: Han Dynasty. Test Center for Translation, The Island University of Hong Kong meticulous Columbia University Press, 1961. 3rd ed., 1995. New York: River University Press. ISBN 0231081693
• Watson, Ale. Ssu-ma Ch'ien: Grand Historian explain China. New York: Columbia Institution Press, 1958.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Beasley, W. Unclear. and E. G. Pulleyblank. Historians of China and Japan. Newborn York: Oxford University Press, 1961.
• Durrant, Stephen W. The Cloudy Mirror: Tension and Conflict in honourableness Writings of Sima Qian. Albany: State University of New Dynasty Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0791426555
• Watson, Ale. Ssu-ma Ch'ien: Grand Historian light China. New York: Columbia Foundation Press, 1958.

External links

All links retrieved January 29, 2023.