Historical Figures Codexery

Sima Qian

Father of Chinese historiography who endured castration to complete the Shiji.

He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for the Shiji, a general history of China covering more than two thousand years.[1] The early Han dynasty historian Sima Qian, whose birth year is estimated at 145 BC, came from Xiayang in Zuopingyi.[1][2] Official histories for later dynasties throughout the Sinosphere, up to the 20th century, took the Shiji as their template.[1]

Quick Facts

Born
c. 145 BC
Birthplace
Longmen, Han dynasty (now Hancheng, Shaanxi)
Relatives
Sima Tan (father)
Known for
Shiji
Occupation
  • Historian
  • astronomer
  • astrologer
  • poet

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Around 136 BC, Sima Qian's father Sima Tan was appointed grand historian at the imperial court.[2] The grand historian's main duty was to formulate the yearly calendar and record daily events at court and around the country.[3] After his travels, Sima was chosen to be a Palace Attendant and inspected parts of the country with Emperor Wu in 122 BC.[4] In 99 BC, Sima became embroiled in the Li Ling affair, where two military officers were defeated and taken captive by the Xiongnu.[5]

Upon release, Sima continued to serve in the Han court as zhongshuling, a court archivist position reserved for eunuchs.[6] The Letter to Ren An, written in 91 BC, is the last record of Sima Qian in contemporary documents.[7] When he was about twenty years old in 126 BC, Sima Qian set out on a lengthy journey across the Han dynasty's territory.[8] Emperor Wu decreed the death penalty for Sima after he alone spoke up for Li Ling.[5]

Lacking the funds to pay for a commutation, Sima accepted castration as an alternative and spent three years imprisoned.[5] After his release in 96 BC, Sima opted to continue existing as a eunuch in the palace so he could finish his historical writings, instead of taking his own life.[1]

What the cited sources add

The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing states that the Shiji totals over 500,000 characters in length, organized into 130 chapters.[1][9] The same source notes that Sima's idea of a general history guided later historiographers like Sima Guang.[1][9] According to the Encyclopedia, Sima wrote his work in a very literary style, using irony, sarcasm, and invented speeches.[10][9] The Encyclopedia also states that archaeological discoveries have confirmed the basic accuracy of the Shiji.[1][9]

The Encyclopedia records that the Shiji was a privately written history, unlike the Book of Han written under imperial supervision.[10][9] The Letter to Ren An and Sima Qian's Legacy notes that Sima would have been reluctant to aid Ren An given his earlier suffering for supporting Li Ling.[11][12] The same source states that one common interpretation suggests the letter tacitly expressed a refusal to help secure a reduced punishment for Ren An.[11][12]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Sima Qian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jay, "The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing Volume 2", FitzRoy Dearborn, 1999, p. 1093–1094 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Sima Qian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Knechtges 2014, p. 959 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Sima Qian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Knechtges 2014, p. 959; Hughes-Warrington 2000, p. 291 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Sima Qian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jay, "The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing Volume 2", FitzRoy Dearborn, 1999, p. 1093–1094; Jay, "The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing Volume 2", FitzRoy Dearborn, 1999, p. 1093–1094 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Sima Qian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hughes-Warrington 2000, p. 291 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Sima Qian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Classical Authors : 500 BCE to 1100 CE", Britannica Educational Publishing in association with Rosen Educational Services, LLC, 2014, p. 112–116; Durrant, "The letter to Ren An and Sima Qian's legacy", University of Washington Press, 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Sima Qian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Knechtges, ""Key Words," Authorial Intent, and Interpretation: Sima Qian's Letter to Ren An", Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews, 2008, p. 75–84 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Sima Qian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Knechtges 2014, p. 959; Knechtges 2014, p. 959; Knechtges 2014, p. 959; Watson 1958, p. 47; Knechtges 2014, p. 959 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Open Library record, ISBN 9781884964336 ("Encyclopedia of historians and historical writing"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Sima Qian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jay, "The Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing Volume 2", FitzRoy Dearborn, 1999, p. 1093–1094; Chin 2010, p. 318–319; Chin 2010, p. 318–319; Chin 2010, p. 318–319; Chin 2010, p. 318–319; Chin 2010, p. 318–319; Chin 2010, p. 318–319 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Sima Qian" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Durrant, "The letter to Ren An and Sima Qian's legacy", University of Washington Press, 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Open Library record, ISBN 9780295806389 ("Letter to Ren an and Sima Qian's Legacy"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Sima Qian (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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