Confucius was born on the twenty-seventh day of the eighth lunar month in the twenty-first year of King Ling of Zhou (September 28, 551 BC), and was born in the state of Lu. The sixth-generation ancestor of Confucius was named Kong Fujia. He was a senior official in the Song Dynasty and served as a Grand Sima. He was killed in the palace civil strife. His son Mu Jinfu fled to Zouyi in the Lu Kingdom to avoid the disaster. From then on, Confucius The family settled in Zouyi and became a native of Lu. Liang He, the uncle of Confucius' father, lived in Poyi, Ping Township, Luchang (now southeast of Qufu County, Shandong Province) and was a doctor in Poyi. Uncle Liang He's first wife Shi Shi gave Kong He nine daughters. Kong He was eager to have a son, so he married another concubine. Although he gave birth to a son named Meng Pi, he had a disabled foot. Therefore, when Kong He was 72 years old, he married 18-year-old Yan Zhengzai for the third time and gave birth to Kong Qiu Zhongni. "Historical Records: The Family of Confucius" says that "(Shuliang) He and Yan's daughter married and gave birth to Confucius." Legend has it that before Confucius was born, Yan Zheng once dreamed of a mountain god riding auspicious clouds, and murmured to himself: "Pray to Niqiu to get a noble son. After the decline of the Zhou Dynasty, he will become the king of Su, and choose Kongmulberry as the place of production." Kong He and the Yan family followed the mountain god's instructions. After giving the order, he got a strong man, who was Confucius. (See the first volume of "History of Chinese Literature", written by Professor Qian Niansun, Zhengzhong Bookstore, first edition 1999) Around the age of thirty, some of the first disciples came to Confucius. Since then, Confucius has been engaged in education. He recruited many disciples. According to legend, he had three thousand disciples and seventy-two sages. He pioneered the idea of ??teaching without distinction and teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. He became the pioneer and representative of academic downward movement and private teaching at that time. Therefore, later generations respected him as "the eternal teacher" and "the most holy teacher".
At the age of 35, Duke Zhao of Lu was defeated by Dr. Sanhuan and fled to Qi State. Confucius went to Qi State. Jinggong of Qi asked Confucius several times about government affairs, and wanted to confer Confucius the title of Nixitian, but was dissuaded by the advice of Qi Prime Minister Yan Ying. Later, when Confucius learned that he was not being used, he returned to the state of Lu and gathered his disciples to give lectures.
From the ninth year of Lu Dinggong to the fourteenth year of Lu Dinggong, Confucius served in Lu, first as the Prime Minister of Zhongdu (Zhongdu is now Wenshang County, Shandong Province), then as Sikong, and later as Chief Kou Xingshe This is the pinnacle of his political career. In the tenth year of Lu Dinggong's reign, Lu Dinggong and Qi Jinggong were in Jiagu. Confucius won a diplomatic victory and made Qi return Wenyang and other places that had invaded Lu. In the thirteenth year of Lu Dinggong, in order to re-establish the authority of Lu Gong's office, Confucius planned and implemented the political and military action of "subjugating the three capitals". He hoped to reduce the strength of the Sanhuan officials, so he first fell to the Shusun family, and then fell to the throne. At Ji Sun's expense, the siege and offensive ultimately failed.
Under the rule of Confucius, the state of Lu improved quite a lot, which aroused the people of Qi to be alarmed. The doctor of Qi, Li Chu, planned to send female musicians and horses to Lu, causing Lu Dinggong to be indifferent to government affairs. This made it difficult to bridge the moral and political differences between Confucius and Lu Gong, Ji Zi, etc. Confucius eventually went to Lu Shiwei. After that, Confucius led his disciples to travel around the country and visited Wei, Cao, Song, Zheng, Chen, Cai, Ye, Chu and other places, but they were not reused. During this period, Confucius and his party were trapped and in danger many times in Kuang, Song, Pu and other places.
After fourteen years of wandering around the world, in 484 BC, Confucius, who was nearly 70 years old, was welcomed back to the state of Lu by Ji Kangzi and honored as an elder, but he was not appointed by Duke Ai of Lu. During this period, Confucius focused on education and compilation of ancient books. Kong Li, Yan Hui and Zi Lu all left before him. Confucius sighed with emotion: "Those who followed me in Chen and Cai in the past were not as good as my disciples." Five years later, Confucius died and was buried on the shore of Surabaya in the north of Qufu City. His disciples mourned him for three years, and Zigong guarded Confucius' grave for six years.
Looking back on his life, Confucius said: "When I was fifteen, I was determined to learn; when I was thirty, I was established; when I was forty, I was not confused; when I was fifty, I knew the destiny of heaven; when I was sixty, my ears were obedient; when I was seventy, I followed my heart's desires without exceeding "June."
Mencius (372 BC - 289 BC) (born in the fourth year of King Lie of Zhou and died in the twenty-sixth year of King Nan of Zhou), whose name was Ke and whose courtesy name was Ziyu. Also known as Ziche and Ziju. The father's name is Ji, and the mother's name is Chen. Famous thinker in ancient China. A representative figure of Confucianism during the Warring States Period. A native of Zoucheng, Shandong. Author of "Mencius". Mencius studied under Zisi (some say he was a student of Zisi), inherited and carried forward Confucius' thoughts, and became a generation of Confucian masters second only to Confucius. ".
Mencius once imitated Confucius and led his disciples to lobby various countries. However, he was not accepted by other countries at that time, so he retired to write with his disciples. There are seven chapters of "Mencius" handed down from generation to generation, and the titles are: "King Hui of Liang" (Part 1 and Part 2); "Gongsun Chou" (Part 1 and Part 2); "Teng Wengong" (Part 1 and Part 2); "Li Lou"; "Wan Zhang" (Part 1 and Part 2);) "Gaozi" goes up and down; "Jinxin" goes up and down. The starting point of his theory is the theory of good nature, proposing "benevolent government" and "kingly way", and advocating the rule of virtue. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi combined "Mencius", "The Analects of Confucius", "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean" together as the "Four Books". From then until the end of the Qing Dynasty, the "Four Books" had been a required part of the imperial examination. Mencius's articles are fluent in reasoning, detailed and powerful, and good at argument.
The distant ancestor of Mencius was the Mengsun family, a nobleman of the Lu State. After his family declined, he moved from the Lu State to the Zou State. It is said that Mencius lost his father when he was three years old, and Meng's mother raised him with great difficulty. Meng's mother was very strict. Her stories of "Meng's mother moved three times" and "cutting off the opportunity to teach her son" have become a legend through the ages and a model of maternal education for future generations.
Laozi (legendary about 600 BC - about 470 BC), an ancient Chinese thinker. His surname is Li, his given name is Boyang, and some people say he is also called Lao Dan. According to legend, Lao Tzu had white eyebrows and beard when he was born, so he was later called Lao Tzu. According to legend, he lived in the Spring and Autumn Period. Laozi wrote the Tao Te Ching and was the founder of the Taoist school. His theory was later developed by Zhuang Zhou.
The descendants of Taoism regarded Laozi as their master, compared with Confucius in Confucianism, and believed that Confucius had learned from Laozi. In Taoism, Laozi is a very important immortal, known as Taishang Laojun. The essence of Laozi's works is simple dialectics. For example, the famous sentence: "Misfortune is where blessings depend; blessings are where misfortune lies. Things may be damaged and benefited, or they may be benefited and damaged." Although there are many era limitations in his works. But this Tao Te Ching, which has been circulated for more than two thousand years, is indeed a work that spans the ages. In different eras, this work will be interpreted with different meanings. According to some statistics, the Tao Te Ching is the work that has been translated into the most languages ??after the Christian Bible. The Bible was translated by missionaries on their own initiative, while this work was appreciated by many nations and translated by themselves.
In terms of self-cultivation, Lao Tzu is the ancestor of Taoism's dual cultivation of life and life, which emphasizes the practice of being open-minded and solid, and not competing with others. In politics, Laozi advocates governing by doing nothing and teaching without speaking. In terms of power, Lao Tzu emphasizes the principle that things must be reversed when they reach their extreme. The main work "Tao Te Ching" is also directly called "Laozi".
Zhuangzi (approximately 369 BC - 286 BC) [1], named Zhou, his birth and death years cannot be determined, but he was about the same time as Mencius. During the Warring States Period, Meng Guomeng of the Song Dynasty (a native of Shangqiu in present-day Henan [1], also said to be a native of Mengcheng, Anhui) served as an official in Qiyuan. A famous thinker, philosopher, and writer, he is a representative of the Taoist school and the inheritor and developer of Laozi's thoughts. Later generations will call him "Laozi and Zhuangzi" together. He is also known as Meng Li, Meng Zhuang and Meng Sou. Laozi believes that "Tao can be Tao, but it is not Tao"[30], and Zhuangzi also believes that Tao is ineffable. But the Tao cannot be expressed, and it has to be said, so Zhuangzi adopts the method of "卮yan", "Nineteen fables, seventeen tautology, the sunrise, and the sky." [31] This method allows Zhuangzi's thoughts are like water, and he will not be afraid of being dismembered by future generations. At the same time, his views will not be lost to history. Reading it at different times will give you newer meanings. Zhuang Zhou's Dream of Butterflies, Chaos Enlightenment, Cook Ding Jie Niu, etc. are all his outstanding fables. Zhuangzi's writing can be called a wonder in the history of Chinese literature, pushing pre-Qin prose to a new peak.
Compared to Laozi, Zhuangzi’s thoughts tend to be the pursuit of art and freedom. It can be seen from events such as Zhuangzhou's dream of butterfly and Haoliang's debate (Zifei Yuan knows the joy of fish)
Li Bai (701-762), whose courtesy name was Taibai and whose name was Qinglian Jushi. A famous poet in the Tang Dynasty of China, he is known as the "Immortal of Poetry". Li Bai and Du Fu are collectively called "Li Du". There is "Collection of Li Taibai" handed down from generation to generation. Li Bai's ancestral home was Chengji, Longxi (now Qin'andong, Gansu). He was born in the first year of Chang'an of Wu Zetian (701). There are many opinions about his birthplace. Now it is generally believed to be Suiye in the Western Regions (located near Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan today). According to the "New Book of Tang", he was the ninth grandson of Emperor Xingsheng (Liang Wuzhao King Li Hao), and he was actually the same ancestor as the kings of Li and Tang. According to the "Old Book of Tang", Li Bai's father was Rencheng Wei. In 705, when Li Bai was five years old, he and his father Li Ke moved to Qinglian Township, Mianzhou County, Shu County (now Jiangyou County, Sichuan), and began to receive enlightenment education. Beginning in the first year of Jingyun (710), Li Bai began to read the history books of various scholars. In the third year of Kaiyuan (715), he became fond of writing poems, swordsmanship, strange books, and immortals. In his youth, he began to travel throughout China. Around the fifth year of Kaiyuan, Li Bai studied under Zhao Rui, who wrote the Long and Short Classics, for more than a year. This period of study had a profound impact on Li Bai. In the sixth year of Kaiyuan, he studied at Daming Temple in Daitian Mountain.
According to the "Old Book of Tang", Li Bai showed extraordinary talents in his youth, and he was ambitious and had a transcendent mind. He and other students from central Shandong, including Kong Chaofu, Han Mian, Pei Zheng, Zhang Shuming, Tao Mian, etc., hid in Culai Mountain, singing and drinking heavily, and were known as "Zhuxi Liuyi" at that time.
Li Bai once worshiped Hanlin in the first year of Tianbao (742 years) of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty. One time, the emperor was drunk and asked Li Bai: "How is our dynasty like the dynasty of the Queen of Heaven?" Bai said: "The Queen of Heaven's government has many affairs, the country is treacherous, and the way of appointing people is like a child selling melons. They don't care about the fragrance, but only the fragrance. Picking out the fat and big ones; in my dynasty, people are like sifting for gold from sand, cutting open stones, and harvesting the essence." Xuanzong laughed endlessly after hearing this. But because of his unruly character, he left Chang'an in less than two years. It is said that he was not allowed to be included in the palace because his "Qing Ping Tiao" offended Concubine Yang, who was the favorite in the harem at that time (Concubine Yang thought that the words "Poor Feiyan leaning on her new makeup" were a satire on her).
[edit] Middle age
Later he met Du Fu, another famous poet of the Tang Dynasty in China, in Luoyang and became a good friend. After the Anshi Rebellion broke out, in December 756, Li Bai was invited to serve as an aide to King Yong Li Lin in order to quell the rebellion. After King Yong was angry and killed Suzong of Tang Dynasty, Li Bai was also convicted and imprisoned. Soon after, he was exiled to Yelang (now Tongzi, Guizhou). He was pardoned during his exile, when he was 59 years old.
[edit] Later years
Li Bai wandered around the south of the Yangtze River in his later years. When he was 61 years old, he heard that Lieutenant Li Guangbi was leading an army to attack the Anshi rebels, so he went north to prepare to follow Li Guangbi and join the army to kill the enemy, but he turned back due to illness on the way. The next year, Li Bai defected to his uncle Li Yangbing, who was the county magistrate of Dangtu (now Ma'anshan, Anhui). In November of the same year, Li Bai died of illness in his residence at the age of 62 and was buried in Tulongshan. In the twelfth year of Tang Yuanhe (817), Fan Chuanzheng, the observer of Xuanshechi, moved his tomb to Dangtu Qingshan in accordance with Li Bai's last wish of "aiming at Qingshan" during his lifetime.
There are many different legends about his death. One theory is that he was admiring the moon in a boat and fell into the water while trying to pick the moon. "Old Tang Book" records that although Li Bai was pardoned during his exile, he died drunk in Xuancheng due to excessive drinking on the way.
Du Fu (February 12, 712 - 770), courtesy name Zimei, nicknamed Shaoling Yelao, was born in Xiangyang (now Xiangfan City, Hubei Province) and was born in Gong County, Henan Province, China (now Gongyi City) ), a realist poet of the Tang Dynasty. He once served as Wailang, a member of the Inspection and Engineering Department, so later generations called him Du Gongbu; and because he lived in Shaoling outside Chang'an City, he was also called Du Shaoling. His influence on Chinese classical poetry was very profound, and he was called the "Sage of Poetry" by later generations, and his poems were also called the "History of Poetry". The grandson of Du Shenyi, a poet in the early Tang Dynasty. Du Fu's grandfather was a high-ranking official in Gongyi, Henan. Du Fu was studious since he was a child and could compose poems at the age of seven. After he was 20, he traveled around Wuyue and Qilu. He was determined to "bring the emperors Yao and Shun to the throne and make customs pure". He met Li Bai in Luoyang. Du Fu went to Chang'an to take the examination at the age of 35. He stayed in Chang'an for ten years, working hard to give gifts, but he was depressed, frustrated in his official career, and lived a life of poverty. After the Anshi Rebellion, Du Fu defected to Su Zong, "seeing the emperor in hemp shoes", and served as Zuo Shixiu. Later, he was demoted to Huazhou for his direct remonstrance. In 759, he abandoned his official position and traveled westward, building a thatched house on the bank of Huanhua River in the western suburbs of Chengdu. During four years, he wrote more than 240 poems. In the second year of Emperor Guangde's reign (764) of the Tang Dynasty, he served as a staff officer under Yan Wu, the Jiedushi envoy of Jiannan, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, and as a school inspector and a member of the Ministry of Works, Wai Lang. "Wu Yufu was of old age, and his treatment was very good" ("Old Tang Book" ("Wenyuan Biography·Du Fu")). Soon he once again lived a homeless life, wandering around today's Sichuan, Hubei and Hunan provinces, making a boat his home. In the fifth year of Dali of the Tang Dynasty (770), he fell ill and died on a small boat in the Xiangjiang River from Changsha to Yueyang [1]. It is said that Du Fu encountered a flood in Leiyang and did not eat for more than ten days. Later, the magistrate of Nie County in Leiyang hired a boat to pick him up and presented him with a lot of beef and liquor. Du Fu ate all the food in one night and died of drunkenness and gluttony. He is fifty-nine years old[2][3][4]. The coffin rested in Yueyang and was moved to the foot of Shouyang Mountain in Henan by his grandson Du Siye in the eighth year of Yuanhe (813).
There are more than 1,400 poems in existence. Poetry writing can be divided into four periods:
[edit] Early schooling
Before the age of thirty-five. He traveled with Li Bai and Gao Shi to Liang and Song Dynasties (today's Kaifeng and Shangqiu). There is a poem dedicated to Li Bai, which goes: "Yu Yidong is a guest, and he pities you like a brother. He sleeps drunkenly in the autumn, and walks hand in hand with the sun." It also goes, "I spend the days drinking and singing in vain, who is the hero of flying and domineering", which can be called happy. .
[edit] The period of being trapped in Chang'an
Tianbao five years to Tianbao fourteenth year. Du Fu was "starved for food and clothing" and had to go in and out of aristocratic mansions to donate gifts and obtain a small amount of support. During this period, there were works such as "Military Chariots", "Beautiful Women", "Out of the Fortress Before", "Out of the Fortress Behind", "From Beijing to Fengxian County in Five Hundred Words".
[edit] The period of Anshi Rebellion
From Su Zong to Deyuan Zai (756) to Qianyuan 2 (759). In this period, there are "Moonlight Night", "Spring View", "Aijiangtou", "Sad Chen Tao", "Northern Expedition", and "Three Officials" ("Shihao Officials", "Tongguan Officials", "Xin'an Officials") , "Three Farewells" ("Farewell to the Married", "Farewell to the Elderly", "Farewell to the Homeless") and other poems.
[edit] Wandering period
The first year of Shangyuan (760) of Suzong to the fifth year of Dali (770) of Daizong. In the first year of Baoying's reign (762), Chengdu Shaoyin and censor Xu Zhizhi rebelled in Chengdu, and Du Fu went into exile in Zizhou and Langzhou. His works include "The Water Threshold Refreshes the Heart", "Spring Night Joyful Rain", "Song of Thatched Cottage Broken by the Autumn Wind", "Sick Orange", "Climbing the Tower", "The Prime Minister of Shu", "Wearing that the Government's Army Takes Henan and Hebei", and "The Present to Wu" Lang", "Denggao", "Qiu Xing", "Three Quatrains", "Suiyan Xing" and other famous works. More than a thousand poems were written during this period, accounting for more than 70% of all Du's poems, which profoundly reflected the overall social picture of the Tang Dynasty for more than 20 years before and after the Anshi Rebellion.
Du Fu's poetry collection has 60 volumes and was lost early. In the second year of Baoyuan of the Northern Song Dynasty (1039), Wang Zhu compiled 1,405 articles into 18 volumes, titled "Collection of Du Gongbu". Qian Qianyi compiled "Annotations to Du Gongbu Collection". Yang Lun said: "Since the Six Dynasties, many Yuefu titles have imitated plagiarism, and they are the most disgusting. Zimei came out and was alone based on what he felt at the time. He pitied the country's calamity at the top and the people's poverty at the bottom. He set up the title at will and was totally free. Get rid of the stereotypes of predecessors." (Volume 5 of "Du Shi Jing Quan")
Du Fu is known as the history of poetry, which was first seen in Meng Qi's "Poem of Ben Shi" in the late Tang Dynasty. "Gao Yi No. 3": "Du met with difficulty in Lushan and fled to Yong, Long, and Shu. He completed his poems and inferred that he had gone into hiding, but almost nothing was left behind, so it should be called the history of poetry." By the Song Dynasty, the conclusion was reached, but the meaning of the history of poetry has its own interpretation. . Some people annotate Du's poems with historical events, thinking that Du's poems are documentary poems that can supplement history and prove history, so they are called "History of Poetry". This theory only emphasizes the truth and falsehood of historical events, but underestimates the emotional characteristics of poetry. Some people think that Du Fu has a good knowledge of history and his strict writing style is comparable to that of Sima Qian, a historian of the Han Dynasty. Those who comment on people and events in poetry can "not hide evil and not promote good", so it is called the history of poetry. This is advisable. Another theory is that the reason why Zimei is called Shi Shi is because he is compassionate and compassionate about the times and events. This is also feasible.
Some people also talk about the history of poetry from the perspective of "Du Fu's poems are prepared in all styles".
[edit] Main achievements
Du Fu experienced the period from prosperity to decline of the Tang Dynasty in his life. Most of his works reflected the social situation at that time, with a wide range of themes and far-reaching implications, especially descriptions. The suffering of the people often expresses his compassion for the country and the people.
The style of Du Fu's poetry is melancholy, with concise language, rigorous meter, exquisite craftsmanship, sincere feelings, plain and elegant conversation, profound description, delicate and touching, and vivid image. "If you don't speak shockingly, you will never stop" is his creative style. Han Yu, a great writer in the Tang Dynasty, once compared Du Fu and Li Bai and said: "Li and Du's articles are as bright as ever."
Du Fu’s influence on future generations also had a moral aspect. Wen Tianxiang composed 200 five-character poems by Du Fu in prison. He said in the preface: "Whatever I want to say, Zimei will speak for me first."
In 1481, South Korea translated Du Fu's poems into Korean. It's called "Explanation of Du Shi's Proverbs". American modern poet Rex Ross believes that what Du Fu cares about is the love between people, tolerance and sympathy between people. He also believes that only this kind of character can save our world in the end. What saves the world in the end is not high technology or other things, but love, tolerance and sympathy between people. He also believed that Du Fu, who had such a character, gave birth to a culture that was greater than the Greek culture that gave birth to "Homer's Epic".
Su Shi (1037-1101), also known as Zizhan and Hezhong, was born in Meishan, Meizhou (now Meishan County, Sichuan). His poems, lyrics, poems, and prose are all of high achievement. He is also good at calligraphy and painting. He is a rare all-rounder in the history of Chinese literature. His prose and Ouyang Xiu are also called Ou Su; his poetry and Huang Tingjian are called Su Huang; his poetry and Xin Qiji are called Su Xin; his calligraphy is listed as one of the four major calligraphers of the Northern Song Dynasty: "Su, Huang, Mi, and Cai[1]"; his paintings He founded the Huzhou School of Painting. He opposed Wang Anshi's more radical reform measures, and did not agree with Sima Guang's complete repeal of the new law. Therefore, he was ostracized by both the old and new parties, and his official career was very bumpy. Renzong of the Song Dynasty was born in the third year of Jingyou, and in the second year of Jiayou's reign, he was a Jinshi. During the reign of Emperor Shenzong, Su Shi served as Wai Lang, a member of the ancestral hall. Because he opposed Wang Anshi's new law, he sought a foreign position and served as general magistrate of Hangzhou, with knowledge of Mizhou, Xuzhou and Huzhou. In the second year of Yuanfeng, when he was forty-three years old, the famous "Wutai Poetry Case" of Li Ding occurred. He was imprisoned for this incident and almost died. The next year he was demoted to Huangzhou. Zhezong was a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy at that time. He had traveled to Hangzhou, Yingzhou, etc., and was appointed Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Later, he was demoted to Huizhou and Danzhou by Zhang Dun. He died of illness in Changzhou in the second year after returning to the north, at the age of sixty-six. In the Southern Song Dynasty, he was posthumously named Wenzhong. Politically, it belongs to the old party, but it also has demands for reforming bad governance. He served as an upright official in various places, worked for the benefit of the people and eliminated disadvantages. He had many political achievements and a good reputation. The Su Causeway of West Lake in Hangzhou is evidence of this.
Sima Qian (135 BC - 90 BC), courtesy name Zichang, was born in Xiayang, Zuofengyi (now Hancheng, Shaanxi). He was a historian and writer in ancient China. The "Historical Records" he wrote is considered a model of Chinese history books, so later generations respectfully called him Shi Qian and Tai Shi Gong. In the third year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (98 BC), Li Ling was defeated and surrendered to the Huns. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was furious. All the civil and military officials in the Han Dynasty believed that Li Ling was guilty of a serious crime and his whole family should be executed. Sima Qian defended Li Ling, which angered Emperor Wu and was thrown into prison and sentenced to death. Regarding the punishment of corruption, he once said: "No harm is greater than profit, no sadness is greater than heartbreak, no behavior is ugly than humiliation, and no criticism is greater than palace punishment. The number of people who have been spared from punishment is incomparable, and it is not a lifetime."
[edit] Writing
After he was released from prison, Sima Qian was appointed as Zhongshu Ling, and wrote history books vigorously, "In order to study the relationship between heaven and man, understand the changes in ancient and modern times, and become a family. ", completed China's first biographical general history - "Historical Records". "Historical Records" initially had no title. Sima Qian showed the manuscript to Dongfang Shuo. Dongfang Shuo was so impressed that he named it "Tai Shi Gong Shu". Later generations called "Tai Shi Gong Ji" "Shi Ji".
"Historical Records" was originally a general term for the historical records of various countries, and Sima Qian's writings were based on the historical records of various countries during the Warring States Period. But later, due to the influence of "Tai Shi Gong Shu", around the Eastern Han Dynasty, it became the proper name of this book. After Sima Qian completed "Historical Records", he knew that the book would not be accepted by the current generation, so he saved a copy in advance in a famous mountain and passed it down to future generations.
"Historical Records" has had a profound impact on the development of later historiography and literature. Lu Xun praised "Historical Records" as "the swan song of historians and the rhymeless Li Sao". Zhao Yi's "Twenty-Two Historical Notes" said: "Sima Qian considered the past and the present, set examples, and created the whole history. This chronicle is used to preface the emperors, the aristocratic families are used to record the feudal states, the ten tables are used to tie current events, the eight books are used to detail the system, and the biographies are used to describe the history. The records of historical figures, the merits and demerits of a generation of monarchs and ministers, are summarized in one series. From then on, the historians of the past dynasties could not go beyond the scope of this work, which is the ultimate rule of historians.
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