Sima Qian, with his historical knowledge of "studying the relationship between heaven and man, understanding the changes of ancient and modern times, and becoming a family", made "Historical Records" the first biographical general history in Chinese history, which had a huge impact on later generations. It was hailed by Lu Xun as "the swan song of historians and the most rhymeless Li Sao". His father Sima Tan was the Taishi Ling (equivalent to the current position of director of the National Library). In his early years, Sima Qian lived a poor life in his hometown. In the sixth year of Jianyuan, after the death of Empress Dowager Dou, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty deposed Huang Lao, Xing Ming, and Bai Jia Zhi Yan, and restarted the respect for Confucianism. This is the famous "depose Bai Jia, and only respect Confucianism." In the second year of Yuanshuo, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian moved from Xia Yang [pronounced "false"] to Chang'an, and then moved with his family to the capital. He studied Chinese classics "Shang Shu" from Kong An and "Spring and Autumn" from Dong Zhongshu. Later, he inherited his father's business and became Taishi Ling. In 104 BC, while presiding over the revision of the calendar, Sima Qian officially started writing the "Tai Shi Gong Shu". In the second year of Tianhan (99 BC), due to the "Li Ling Incident", he interceded for Li Ling who surrendered to the Huns. His outspoken words angered Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who thought he was defending Li Ling, so he was castrated. In prison, Sima Qian worked hard and strived for self-improvement. He endured the pain that extraordinary people can endure and continued to write "Historical Records". After Sima Qian was released from prison, he was appointed Zhongshu Ling, and continued to write books vigorously, and finally completed "Historical Records" in 91 BC. In 90 BC, Sima Qian died at the age of 56. As for the cause of Sima Qian's death, there is no clear record in historical data, and it remains an unsolved mystery.

Xiayang, the name of the county, is close to Longmen. Therefore, Sima Qian called himself "Qian Sheng Longmen" (Taishigong's preface). Longmen, Longmen Mountain, is very famous. Legend has it that Dayu once opened mountains and controlled floods in Longmen. To the south of Longmen Mountain is the Yellow River. Sima Qian's home is right between the Yellow River and Longmen. There are many local places of interest. While Sima Qian enjoyed the sights of mountains and rivers since he was a child, he also had the opportunity to hear many historical legends and stories.

[Edit this paragraph] Biography of Characters

There is no clear record of Sima Qian’s birth and death dates. The recent scholar Wang Guowei's "Tai Shi Gong Xing Nian Kao" believes that Sima Qian was born in the fifth year of the Zhongyuan Dynasty of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty (145 BC), and died approximately in the first year of the First Yuan Dynasty of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty (86 BC), at the age of 60. It is said that Sima Qian's family was a historian and astronomer passed down from generation to generation from Tang and Yu to Zhou Dynasty. Sima Cuo was a famous general who conquered Shu during the reign of King Qin Hui, and Sima Chang was an iron officer of the First Emperor of Qin. When Sima Qian's father Sima Tan became the Taishi Ling of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he restored the ancestral history of being a historian.

The location of Sima Qian’s birthplace, Hancheng

Sima Qian’s boyhood was “the sun of farming and herding rivers and mountains”. Sima Qian grew up in this natural environment of "mountains surrounded by water, mosaic and winding" ("Hancheng County Chronicles Preface"). He was not only influenced by the pure and beautiful atmosphere of the mountains and rivers, but also had some experience in folk life.

At the age of ten, Sima Qian followed his father to the capital Chang'an, where he had to learn from the old doctor Fu Sheng and the great Confucian Kong Anguo. His family had a deep academic background, and he learned from famous teachers again, and benefited a lot from their inspiration and guidance. At this time, when the Han Dynasty was powerful, economically prosperous, and culturally prosperous, Zhang Qian was envoyed to the Western Regions, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing defeated the Xiongnu, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established Yuefu... It was also a time when Sima Qian was rich in knowledge and enthusiasm in the capital.

When he was about 20 years old, Sima Qian began to travel - "traveling to the south of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, going to Kuaiji, exploring Yu's cave, peeping into nine doubts, floating in Yuan and Hunan, traveling to Wen and Si in the north, giving lectures In the capitals of Qi and Lu, observing the legacy of Confucius, he went to the villages of Zou and Yi, and was trapped in Po, Xue, and Pengcheng. After returning to Chang'an, he became the emperor's close servant and accompanied Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He visited Pingliang and Kongtong, and also served as envoy to Bashu. The furthest south he reached was Kunming. According to Sima Qian himself, he used to "farm and herd the sun of rivers and mountains" when he was a boy, which means that he once engaged in some agricultural labor in his hometown during his childhood. Later, his father Sima talked about Chang'an and became the Taishi Ling. Sima Qian followed his father to Chang'an. Under his father's guidance, he studied hard and laid a solid cultural foundation. He worshiped many famous teachers as teachers. Sima Qian's family, his family, has been a historian for generations, and as a historian, he has the responsibility to record the words and deeds of emperors and sages, and also has the responsibility to collect and organize the world's relics and ancient events. He also has the responsibility to discuss people through narrative and make contributions to the history of the time. Rulers provide reference. Then his father Sima Tan was determined to organize thousands of years of Chinese nation's history and tried to write a historical work of unprecedented scale. It is to write a history book. He has had such an ideal since his father. After his father became the Taishi Ling, he began to collect and read historical materials to prepare for the compilation of history. However, Sima Tan felt that he was getting old and that he did not have enough time, energy, or knowledge to complete a historical work independently. Therefore, Sima Tan had high hopes for his son Sima Qian, hoping that he could participate as soon as possible. In fact, such an ambition will finally be realized.

So, he asked his son to start traveling thousands of miles on the basis of reading thousands of books. He asked his son to conduct a nationwide roaming for more than two years. So I want to introduce Sima Qian's wanderings here, so Sima Qian started a wandering when he was 20 years old. Sima Qian was a field trip to prepare for writing "Historical Records". He personally interviewed and obtained a lot of first-hand materials, ensuring that The authenticity and scientific nature of "Historical Records". So his wandering is also a concrete embodiment of the record spirit of "Historical Records".

For example, he wandered to the Miluo River. On the Miluo River, at the place where Qu Yuan threw himself into the river, he recited Qu Yuan's poems loudly. He cried bitterly, so he wrote "The Biography of Qu Yuan" " was written so emotionally. He personally inspected it. He wrote Qu Yuan on the basis of studying Qu Yuan. For example, in Huaiyin, Han Xin's hometown, he also collected many stories about Han Xin. For example, he personally asked others that Han Xin was humiliated by his crotch. Everyone knows this allusion, why Han Xin was able to be crotched. Humiliation without getting angry? Rather than being willing to do illegal things, I endured it. Han Xin, who was so tall, crawled between the legs of a gangster. If he had followed his personality, he would have killed him with one knife. But if you kill him, will you still be able to make contributions later? Han Xin later helped Liu Bang overthrow the Qin Dynasty, established the Western Han Dynasty, made a king and a marquis, and returned to his hometown. Han Xin himself said, if I had killed you at the beginning, I would not have made any achievements later, so a small impatience will mess up a big plan.

For example, in Qufu, he visited the tomb of Confucius, and together with some Confucian scholars from Confucius’ hometown, he rolled up his clothes, rolled up his sleeves, bowed his hands step by step, and learned to ride horses, archery, and perform ancient rituals. To express his commemoration of Confucius, the mountains look up to commemorate Confucius.

For another example, in Xuecheng, the hometown of Lord Mengchang, he walked through the countryside and alleys to inspect the folk customs, and he examined the relationship between the folk customs of this place and the hospitality of Lord Mengchang to raise scholars, so he walked all the way and inspected Along the way, it can be said that during his wandering journey, Sima Qian did not let go of anyone who knew history, and did not let go of any story that remained in people's reputation. He obtained many historical materials that could not be obtained from ancient books. , at the same time, he went deep into the folk and had extensive contact with the lives of the people, which gradually deepened his observation and understanding of society and life.

In addition, he traveled through famous mountains and rivers, enjoyed the magnificence of the mountains and rivers of his motherland, cultivated his temperament, and thus improved the expressiveness of his literature. Therefore, I want to talk about Sima Qian’s wandering. An extremely solid step towards success is a very typical so-called reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles.

In the first year of Yuanfeng (110 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty held a large-scale tour to Fengchan, with 180,000 people on foot and 180,000 riders, and flags flying for more than a thousand miles. Sima Qian's father Sima Tan was a historian and should have been in the profession, but he died of illness in Luoyang. Sima Qian accepted his father's will and rushed to Mount Tai to participate in the Fengchan ceremony. Then he followed the East China Sea and detoured outside the Great Wall back to Chang'an.

In the third year of Yuanfeng (108 BC), when Sima Qian was thirty-eight years old, he officially became the Taishi Ling and had the opportunity to read all the books, archives and various historical materials collected by the Han Dynasty court. While sorting out historical materials, he participated in the revision of the calendar. When the first year of Taichu (104 BC), my country's first almanac "Taichu Calendar" was completed, he began to write "Historical Records". "Historical Records" tells many stories about capable people.

In the second year of Tianhan (99 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent General Li Guangli of the Second Division to lead 30,000 troops to attack the Xiongnu. They suffered a huge defeat and almost wiped out the entire army. Li Guangli escaped and returned. Li Guang's grandson Li Ling was serving as the cavalry captain and led 5,000 infantrymen to fight against the Huns. Shan Yu personally led 30,000 cavalry to surround Li Ling's infantry regiments. Although Li Ling's archery skills were very good and his soldiers were very brave, 5,000 infantrymen killed 5,000 or 6,000 Huns cavalry. Chanyu mobilized more troops, but he was still unable to compete with Li Ling. Just when Chanyu was about to retreat, one of Li Ling's soldiers rebelled and reported Li Ling's internal military information. He told Shanyu that Li Ling had no reinforcements behind him, and taught Shanyu's subordinates how to make bows and arrows that could fire continuously. Chanyu then continued to fight Li Ling. In the end, Li Ling was outnumbered, and only more than 400 Han soldiers were left to break out. Li Ling was captured by the Huns and surrendered.

The ministers all condemned Li Ling for surrendering to the Huns because he was afraid of life and death. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty asked Taishi Ling Sima Qian for his opinion.

Sima Qian said: "The infantry brought by Li Ling was less than five thousand. He went deep into the enemy's hinterland and attacked tens of thousands of enemies. Although he lost the battle, he killed so many enemies and could attack the enemy. The people of the world have told him that if Li Ling refuses to die immediately, he must have his own ideas. He must also want to repay his sins to the emperor." After hearing this, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty thought that Sima Qian was defending Li Ling in this way. He deliberately belittled Li Guangli (Li Guangli was the brother of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's favored concubine), and became furious and said: "You are so strong in defending those who surrendered to the enemy, aren't you deliberately opposing the imperial court?" He moved Sima to prison and handed it over to Tingwei for interrogation. . After Sima Qian was imprisoned, the case fell into the hands of Du Zhou, a notoriously cruel official at the time. Du Zhou interrogated Sima Qian severely, and Sima Qian endured all kinds of cruel physical and mental torture. In the face of cruel officials, he never gave in or confessed. In prison, Sima Qian kept asking himself, "Is this my crime? Is this my crime? As a minister, why can't I express my opinion?" Soon, there were rumors that Li Ling had led the Huns to attack the Han Dynasty. towards. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty believed it to be true and summarily executed Li Ling's mother, wife and son. Sima Qian was also sentenced to death for this incident. The next year Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty killed Li Ling's family and sentenced Sima Qian to castration. Corruption is a great humiliation, which taints ancestors and makes relatives and friends laugh. Sima Qian was in prison and suffered humiliation. He was "hands-on-hand, subjected to wooden ropes, exposed to skin, subjected to banners, and secluded among the walls. At this time, when he saw the jailer, he would fight for the ground, and when he saw the slaves, he would be wary. Rest." (Sima Qian's "Report to Ren An") almost lost his life.

He originally wanted to die, but then he thought about the information he had collected for many years and said: "Everyone is destined to die. It may be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather." He had a long-cherished wish to write a history book, so in order to complete the writing of "Historical Records", he endured the humiliation and endured the hardship, hoping for a slight turn of events.

In the first year of Taishi (96 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty changed the Yuan Dynasty and issued a general amnesty to the world. At this time, Sima Qian was fifty years old. After he was released from prison, he became the Secretary of the Central Committee. In the eyes of others, it may be a "respectful appointment", but he still concentrated on writing his book. It was not until the second year of Zhenghe (91 BC) that the entire book was completed, with 130 chapters and more than 520,000 words.

Later generations spoke highly of Sima Qian. There is a saying that "two Sima were responsible for the writings of the Western Han Dynasty, and one Wolong was responsible for Nanyang's economy."

Sima Qian as an astrologer: Among the astrologers during the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian must be mentioned first. Everyone knows that Sima Qian is a great historian, but they do not know that he is also an expert in astronomy and stars. In fact, as long as you carefully read the "Book of Heavenly Officials", "Book of Laws" and "Almanac" in his "Historical Records", you will understand that calling him an expert in astronomers is by no means a false reputation. A broad and profound literary master like Sima Qian would never limit his own knowledge system and field of exploration. The ancient Shigong originally regarded astrology as one of his duties, so it is not surprising that he was proficient in the study of astrology. However, Sima Qian was able to use the far-sighted vision of a historian to combine astrology with historical issues to study the changes between heaven and man through the past and present. This was a clarification that other astrologers and historians could not match. Sima Qian did not use astrology to predict specific personnel changes, but to summarize historical laws. This can not but be said to be his creative application of astrology.

Sima Qian inherited his father's will and legacy, completed the "Historical Records" and the task of "explaining the changes in the past and the heavens", and clearly stated that he "understood the changes in the past and the present, and studied the relationship between heaven and man". His conclusion was expressed in "The Heavens". "Official Book", that is, according to the thirty-six solar eclipses, three comet sightings and other astrological phenomena between the Spring and Autumn Period 242, it is related to the decline of the emperor, the power of the princes, the rise of the Five Bo Dynasties, and the social unrest in the Warring States and Qin and Han Dynasties. , and summed up the "big numbers" that the destiny of heaven changes slightly in thirty years, changes in one hundred years, one major change in five hundred years, three major changes in one era, and big preparations in three eras, and finally it is considered that "the destiny of heaven" Continuing to prepare for the times of human beings." This is the most important example of the application of Sima Qian's astrology, and it occupies the highest position in the entire history of astrology.

In addition, Sima Qian also summarized the basic principles of astrology since the Warring States Period, expressed as follows (also recorded in the "Book of Heavenly Officials"):

"I carefully checked the records in the history books. Examining events in history, we found that all five stars have been retrograde during the past 100 years. When the five stars are retrograde, they often become particularly bright. Speed ??and period are the most basic data on which astrology is based. The positions of the purple palace star clusters and the four constellations in the east, west, south, and north, as well as the stars to which they belong, remain unchanged, and their sizes and interactions remain unchanged. The directional distance is also constant, and their distribution and arrangement symbolizes the position of the five sense organs in the sky. This is the unchanging basis in astrology, and water, fire, metal, wood, and Saturn are in the sky. The five auxiliaries have a certain time and period for their appearance, but their speed is uneven. This is the "latitude" in astrology, which is the two types of fixed and changing parts. By combining the astrology, changes in personnel can be predicted.

Why are the three places of Sima Qian’s death year different in the same entry?

Sima Qian’s chronology

●The third year of Yuanshuo: 20 years old, starting the long journey of "Southern Journey to Jianghuai"

●The fourth year of Yuanshou: 27 years old. After seven or eight years of traveling around the country, he joined the imperial court as a doctor.

●In the sixth year of Yuanding: At the age of 35, Sima Qian, a doctor, was ordered to appease Bashu.

● In the second year of Yuanfeng: 37 years old, he visited Goushi and Donglai with Emperor Wu in the spring. In the summer, the banks of the Yellow River broke out at Huzikou, and he went with Emperor Wu to control the river.

●The third year of Yuanfeng: 38. At the age of 10, he succeeded his father as the Taishi Ling.

Studying "Historical Records"

Sima Qian started reading after being granted the title of Taishi Ling in the third year of Yuanfeng (108 BC). , organized historical materials, prepared for writing, and basically completed all writing plans in the fourth year of Taishi (91 BC). After 16 years, he spent his whole life's energy, hard work, and endured physical and mental stress. A great work that will always shine with great spiritual pain.

Lu Xun praised "Historical Records" as "the swan song of historians and the rhymeless Li Sao". p> "Historical Records" is the first general history of China written by Sima Qian. It contains 130 chapters and more than 526,000 words. It records the history of three thousand years from the legendary Yellow Emperor to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. It is also a literary masterpiece and the pioneer of Chinese biographical literature. The main part of it is the chronicle, family history and biographies, of which the biographies are the essence of the book.

Sima Qian wrote historical records with a rigorous and serious attitude, and the spirit of recording is his greatest feature.

Every historical figure or historical event he writes about has gone through a lot of investigation and research, and has repeatedly checked the historical facts. As early as the age of 20, Sima Qian left the capital Chang'an and traveled to famous mountains and rivers to inspect historical sites and learn about many anecdotes of historical figures as well as the people's customs and economic life in many places, which broadened his horizons and broadened his mind. . Ban Gu, a historian of the Han Dynasty, said that Sima Qian's "writing is straightforward, his affairs are precise, he does not pretend to be beautiful, and he does not hide evil, so it is called a true record." That is to say, his article is fair and reliable in historical facts, and he does not say good things or conceal bad things. This highly praises Sima Qian's scientific attitude and the detailed records of historical records.

If Sima Qian wants to adhere to the spirit of "real records", he must face reality and record reality, which inevitably leads to "taboo" issues. However, when he wrote biographies of characters, he was not bound by the conventions of traditional historical records, but recorded according to his own thoughts and feelings about historical facts. From the highest emperor to princes and nobles, to generals and ministers, to local governors, etc., Sima Qian will certainly not obliterate their magical and glorious side, but what stands out is exposing their corruption, ugliness, and their exploitation and oppression of the people. In particular, it exposed the crimes of the ruling class of the Han Dynasty. Although he was a minister of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian did not conceal his faults at all. He profoundly exposed and criticized the nonsense of the activities of worshiping ancestors and praying to gods that were popular at that time. In "Book of Fengchan", he vividly described the ridiculous and boring behavior of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty who was superstitious about gods and tried every means to pray for the elixir of immortality.

Sima Qian wanted to provide historical reference for feudal rulers and reflect the true history, which is very valuable. In the spirit of real records, when Sima Qian selected characters, he did not select characters based on their official positions or social status, but based on their actual behavioral performance. For example, he wrote many biographies of lower-class figures such as knights, businessmen, doctors, and advocates. In Sima Qian's mind, these people all have merit. Sima Qian pioneered the writing method of using people to describe events and always describing a person's life story. It is Sima Qian's writing style that emphasizes his "being" and pays attention to the complexity of his "being". When he wrote his biography, he incorporated his views into objective factual narratives to express his love and hate attitude towards the characters. For example, Sima Qian sympathized with the character Xiang Yu and wrote about this failed hero with great enthusiasm. He not only praised Xiang Yu's bravery, but also criticized him for his lack of ambition, cruelty and self-reliance. However, in "The Chronicles of Xiang Yu", Sima Qian did not comment, but his love and hate attitude towards Xiang Yu was clearly shown in the narrative. This is the biggest feature of Sima Qian's biography, that is, the unity of authenticity and tendency.

[Edit this paragraph] Ancestral Tomb

The Sima Qian Ancestral Tomb is located on the cliff of Hanyipo in Zhichuan Town, 10 kilometers south of Hancheng City. It was first built in the 4th year of Yongjia in the Western Jin Dynasty. In February 1982, the State Council announced it as a national key cultural relic protection site. The building of Sima Qian's ancestral tomb is built on the cliff from the bottom of the slope to the top, and goes up layer by layer. Climbing to the top, you can see the roaring Yellow River to the east, the majestic Liangshan Mountain to the west, the Great Wall of the ancient Wei Dynasty to the south, and the long flowing Zhishui River to the north. The spectacular natural forms and beautiful scenery reflect Sima Qian's noble personality and great achievements.

The ancestral tomb building complex is stacked with squares from bottom to top. There is a wooden archway erected in the northeast of the slope, which was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty, with six characters "Sima Temple of Taishi of the Han Dynasty" written on it. From there, walk up the slope and pass by Taigong Temple to the fork in the road. There is a platform on the south side of the slope. There are newly relocated Yuan Dynasty buildings such as "Yuwang Temple", "Zhangyao Temple", "Sansheng Temple", etc., which are now designated as exhibition halls. room. Going up from the fork in the road, there is another archway, which is connected to the buildings of Yuan and Ming dynasties. The four characters "High Mountain Yang Zhi" are written on it, which means that Sima Qian's virtue is as high as the mountains and the world respects him. From then on, he meanders up. The four characters "Heshan Zhiyang" are written on the archway. The words come out of "Taishigong's Preface" and he moved to Longmen to cultivate the sun of the rivers and mountains. After walking up the 99 steps, you enter the ancestral temple. The gate of the ancestral hall is inscribed with the words "Taishi Temple" and the dormitory. The ancient cypresses are towering in the sky and the environment is quiet. Being in it feels like climbing a blue cloud or visiting a fairyland.

[Edit this paragraph] Related comments

China has a long history, a vast historical record, rich and colorful historical content, and various historical figures. Our Chinese nation has a history that our descendants are proud of and fascinated by. Of course, everything has two sides. For everyone, in the face of a long and rich history, how can we understand it, learn from it, learn from it, and be enlightened and inspired? This is no longer a simple question. It seems that how to read history is indeed worthy of serious consideration and study. In my superficial opinion, the first thing is to understand and understand the most basic historical facts and historical processes, and the second thing is to focus on obtaining ideological enlightenment from history. This kind of enlightenment can be obtained through the understanding of historical facts and historical processes, and it can be discovered from the comments on history and historiography by historians in the past. Both aspects are important, and it seems that we still have a lot to do in the latter aspect, and there are still many issues that require further in-depth thinking.

Every responsible and accomplished historian in Chinese history will use their hard work to condense their thoughts and leave many useful revelations to future generations. In this regard, the first thing I thought of was naturally Ma Qian of Taishi Company. The "Tai Shi Gong Shu" written by Sima Qian - later known as "Historical Records" - on the one hand shows a brilliant general history of China at that time, and on the other hand embodies his profound understanding and understanding of historiography and history.

For more than 2,000 years, people have been praising it and studying it, proving that it has great charm and immortal status. For the long historical volume presented in such a magnificent historical work, what role do individuals play in the historical movement? What important revelations do these characters, the historical stage and background in which they operate have for people today? Regarding such issues, people of different eras will have some understandings within the scope of thought of their time, and people who look at problems from different angles will also have some understandings that fall within their own field or perspective. This is a novel. Endless "historian's swan song". Despite this, in Tai Shigong's profound ideological realm, there must be some most fundamental ideas that are very important to different people in different eras.

For example, why do people study history? What methods or attitudes should people use to deal with the relationship between history and reality? This is the most fundamental question about the relationship between the public and history. To this day, people continue to raise similar questions. In fact, Tai Shigong has already given an incisive answer to this question. He wrote: "Living in today's world, we aspire to the ancient ways, so we may not be the same after looking at ourselves. Emperors have different rituals and different duties. If we want to take success as the unified discipline, how can we be embarrassed?" ("Historical Records: Emperor Gaozu") "Chronology of Heroes and Marquises" Preface) These sentences are very profound and important. First, he pointed out that the reason why people in reality want to understand and understand history is to view history as a mirror of reality, compare it, and use it as a reference. It does not mean to equate history with reality, nor to imitate reality. History, the two should not be confused. This clearly points out the connection and difference between ancient and modern times: because there is a connection, it can "mirror itself"; because there is a difference, it "may not all be the same." Second, he pointed out that in the past, emperors had "different rituals and different duties." Their systems and policies were often different, but they all aimed to achieve the fundamental purpose of governing the country. It can be seen that "self-mirror" is by no means confused with ancient and modern. These two points very dialectically illustrate why "living in the present world" requires "the way of remembering the past." It can be seen that it is foolish to reject historical experience; it is also unwise to copy historical experience mechanically.

Another example, does the development of human society and history have its own laws (what we call laws today)? What significance, if any, does it have for people to recognize this law? This is a fundamental issue for people to learn and study history, and first of all, it is a fundamental issue for understanding the essential attributes of history. It should be frankly admitted that this is one of the issues that people have been debating for thousands of years. This issue was also touched upon by Ma Qian of Taishi Company. From the investigation of social and economic life, he got the following understanding: Therefore, we need to wait for farmers to eat, to survive, to work, and to trade. Wouldn't it be better to have a political and religious campaign? (Preface to "Historical Records: Biographies of Huo Shi") This is a natural phenomenon in which people's division of labor and mutual relations, such as farming, mining, processing, exchange, and changes in status and status in exchange, are regarded as consistent with "Tao". When talking about similar economic phenomena, Tai Shigong also said: "There are many things, so the opposite is true. It means that when things are prosperous, they will decline, and the times will change. One quality and one article will change from beginning to end." He also said: "It is the same. Therefore, it is strange that the flow of events stimulates each other." (Later Commentary of "Historical Records Pingzhunshu") He realized that when things develop to their peak, they will turn to decline, and the favorable objective situation will develop to the top. It will also turn to the unfavorable side. This is caused by the mutual influence and conflict between various things. There is nothing surprising about it. Obviously, the importance of people being able to realize this is not only to have a generally correct view of past history, but also to have a clearer understanding and a more objective attitude towards the actual historical movement and future historical prospects.

For another example, historical movements are mainly composed of human activities; without human activities, it is impossible to discuss various issues of the historical movements of human society. So, as an individual, what role should we play in historical activities? This not only involves people's understanding of the value of their own lives, but also involves the value of individuals as individuals in social life and historical movements. Thinkers and educators in history have various opinions on this, all of which provide useful enlightenment. Most of what they discuss is rational explanation, which can undoubtedly improve people's understanding and enrich people's spiritual world. In this regard, from the perspective of a historian, Tai Shigong calmly observed those historical figures who have not passed away after the turbulent historical tide (such as after the waves washed away the sand), and analyzed and synthesized their spiritual world and social activities, This puts forward the basic principles for writing historical figures; this principle is not only the standard for Tai Shigong to evaluate historical figures, but also the criterion for him to warn future generations on how to behave. Tai Shigong said this when summarizing the biographies he wrote for the "Historical Records": "Support your righteousness and suaveness, don't let yourself lose time, make achievements and fame in the world, and write seventy biographies." ("Historical Records Tai Shigong's Preface") "Fu Yi Suan" mainly talks about virtue and style; "Don't let yourself lose time" means being good at seizing opportunities and opportunities; "Establishing merit and fame in the world" means taking the world as one's own goal of achievement. Obviously, in Tai Shigong's opinion, the historical figures he wants to write into "Historical Records" generally fall into this type of people. However, Tai Shigong did not treat this criterion from an absolute point of view; his historical writings also vividly painted some worldly villains, and it is precisely because of the existence of these people that the writings are more vivid. The true character of an outstanding figure who entered the history books.

From here, we can also see that the so-called "supporting justice and suaveness" and so on are exactly what Taishi Gong hopes for future generations. Later generations should think of themselves as "mirrors" and be decent, adaptable to the historical trend, and beneficial to the people. People in the world.

Tai Shi Gong

Sima Qian's "Historical Records" has left many revelations to future generations; most of these revelations are combined with specific historical events and historical figures. This is the "Historical Records" "The main reason why it is recited and revered by future generations. The three aspects of inspiration cited here focus on why people should pay attention to history, understand history, remember the experiences and lessons of history, what are the laws of historical evolution, and what should people do in historical evolution. These issues were of fundamental nature not only in Sima Qian's time but also at any time in history; they are still issues of fundamental nature even today. To sum up, people of any era can get necessary enlightenment from "Historical Records" in understanding and dealing with the relationship between history and reality, and in treating the relationship between history, society and life.

[Edit this paragraph] Supplementary information

The debate on birth year

The first 145 chapters are taken from "Justice" in "Tai Shi Gong's Preface", based on Zhang Shoujie's "Justice" of the Tang Dynasty noted: "In the first year of Taichu, Qian was 42 years old." Pushing forward 42 years from the first year of Taichu (104 BC), it was the fifth year of Emperor Jing's reign in Zhongyuan (145 BC). Wei, Liang Qichao and other masters said this. The first 135 is taken from "Suoyin" in "Taishigong's Preface". According to Zhang Hua's "Natural History" of the Jin Dynasty, it is said that "Doctor Sima Qian was 28 years old in the sixth month of the sixth month, Yi Sui Mao, Shi Ye". In other words, in the third year of Emperor Wu's Yuanfeng reign (108 BC), Sima Qian was promoted to Taishi Ling at the age of 28. From this, it was pushed up twenty-eight years, that is, the sixth year of Emperor Wu's founding year (135 BC). The year Sima Qian was born. Guo Moruo and others said this. Generally speaking, it is said before.

Those who hold the "sixth year of Jianyuan theory" do everything possible to prove that "Natural History" is correct, but think that the records in Zhang Shoujie's "Justice" are wrong. The main reasons are as follows: First, what is recorded in this article of "Natural History" is the Han Dynasty record book, which records Sima Qian's name, age, place of residence, official title, year of appointment as official, salary, etc. It is so detailed and true. It was recorded in a document from the Han Dynasty, and its authenticity is undoubtedly true. This is a kind of original material, its value far exceeds the material in ordinary history books. Secondly, there is a sentence in Sima Qian's "Report to Ren An": "Unfortunately, this servant lost his two relatives early." According to "Justice", Sima Qian was born in the fifth year of Zhongyuan of Emperor Jing and the first year of Yuanfeng (110 BC). When his father Sima Tan died, Sima Qian should have been 36 years old. According to common sense, the death of a parent at the age of 36 cannot be described as "losing a second parent prematurely." As stated in "Natural History", Sima Qian was born in the sixth year of Emperor Wu's reign, that is, his father died at the age of 26. It is reasonable to say that he lost his parents early. Thirdly, Sima Qian's "Report to Ren An" was written in the second year of Zhenghe (91 BC). If he was born in the fifth year of Emperor Jing's reign, he would have been 55 years old this year. When he was a doctor, he was invited to travel around the world when he was around 20 years old. What happened after he came back, then, it should be said that he has been serving as the boss of the crime chariot for more than 30 years. Obviously, Sima Qian couldn't even remember what he had done. Only when he was born 10 years later, that is, the sixth year of Emperor Wu's founding, is it consistent with his theory.

In addition to relying on Zhang Shoujie's "Justice", those who hold the "theory of Emperor Jing's Zhongyuan Five Years" also raise the following questions or arguments. First, Wang Guowei believed in "Taishi Gongxing Annals" that later generations quoted "Natural History" so the year "twenty-eight" should be an error of "thirty-eight". "Justice" notes that in the fifth year of Taichu, Sima Qian was "at forty-two", which is correct. Secondly, according to the "Historical Records: Biographies of Rangers", in the second year of Yuanshuo (127 BC), Emperor Wu ordered the wealthy households from all over the country to move to Maoling with wealth of more than 3 million yuan. Guo Jie did not have much property, so he also After being forcibly relocated, Sima Qian also saw Guo Xie. He said, "I think Guo Xie's appearance is not as good as that of the other people, and his words are not good enough." If Sima Qian was born in the sixth year of Jianyuan, he was only nine years old at the time, and he would never have had any affection for others. Such profound observation and mental activity. If Sima Qian was born in the fifth year of Emperor Jing's reign, and his age is nineteen, it seems more appropriate. Thirdly, according to "Book of Han·The Scholars", Sima Qian once studied ancient Chinese from Kong Anguo. However, according to "Historical Records·Confucius Family" and "Zizhi Tongjian", Kong Anguo became a doctor in the second year of Yuanshuo, and Sima Qian became a doctor in the second year of Yuanshuo. He is only nine years old. It is impossible for a nine-year-old child to go to Taixue to seek advice and discuss issues from a master of Confucian classics. If he was born in the fifth year of Emperor Jing's reign, it would be nineteen years this year, which seems more reasonable. Sima Qian experienced many controversies in his life, and his birth date was the most controversial.