Records of the Grand Historian (Annotated and Fully Translated, 6 Volumes)

Sima Qian / Li HanwenBeijing United Publishing Co., Ltd.2016

Rating 4.8
Word count
1.7M words
Chapters
11
ISBN
9787550280496

Tags

History Historical Classics Records of the Grand HistorianWestern Han HistoryHistorianSima QianEmperor WuGeneral HistoryChinese HistoryChinese Classics

Summary

Records of the Grand Historian is the first comprehensive chronological history of China written in the biographical style, composed by the Western Han historian Sima Qian under its original title Taishigong shu (The Book of the Grand Historian). The work spans from the legendary Yellow Emperor down to the first year of the Yuanshou era of Emperor Wu of Han (122 BCE), covering roughly three thousand years of figures, events, and institutional evolution across one hundred and thirty chapters: twelve Basic Annals recording major affairs of rulers; ten Tables organizing lineages and contemporary events; eight Treatises on specialized institutions including rites and music, astronomy, calendrics, water conservancy, and the economy; thirty Hereditary Houses chronicling the rise and fall of feudal lords and meritorious nobles; and seventy Biographies presenting the words and deeds of individuals from all social strata, with the final chapter being the author's own preface. Sima Qian aspired to "investigate the relationship between Heaven and humanity, comprehend the transformations of past and present, and establish a distinct school of thought." His prose is concise and vivid, his narratives charged with tension; the work stands as a model of historiography and has been praised by Lu Xun as "the supreme achievement of historians, a Li Sao without rhyme."

This edition is a six-volume annotated and fully translated reader's edition. The original text has been collated with reference to multiple widely circulated versions and textual scholarship. Each chapter presents the original text first, followed by paragraph-by-paragraph annotations and a vernacular translation; rare and difficult characters are provided with phonetic glosses and definitions. The original and translation are arranged in a parallel format, and a chronological table of the entire work is appended, allowing modern readers to read through the text without losing touch with the original. This edition contains all one hundred and thirty chapters in their entirety, unabridged, and is intended as a reading edition for general readers.

Editor's review

《史记》难读，难在字句古奥、典章名物隔膜，也难在篇目浩繁、不知从何入手。这个六册本解决的正是“读不下去”的问题：原文在前，注释与白话译文紧随其后，逐段对照，不必来回翻检；生僻字词注音释义，制度、地名、人名有交代，初读者也能顺着文字把故事读完。 在体例上，它保留了《史记》一百三十篇的完整结构，本纪、表、书、世家、列传俱全，不做节选式编选，因此既能当故事读，也能当史料查。原文经过校勘整理，避免了坊间劣本常见的错字脱漏。 如果你想要一套可以长期放在书架上、随时抽一册翻读的《史记》，又不希望在注疏本和纯白文本之间纠结，这个版本是相当省心的选择。

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Reading tips

  1. 先读《项羽本纪》《廉颇蔺相如列传》等名篇，感受叙事节奏，再回头补表、书。
  2. 每读一篇，先通读原文，遇阻再对照译文，最后回看注释，避免一开始就依赖白话。
  3. 表、书部分可作资料查阅，不必按顺序硬读，可按兴趣跳读。
  4. 准备一支笔做人物关系与事件的旁批，读世家、列传时尤能见效。

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

Contents

  1. Volume One, Chapter 1: Basic Annals of the Five Emperors
  2. Chapter 2: Basic Annals of Xia
  3. Chapter 3: Basic Annals of Yin
  4. Chapter 4: Basic Annals of Zhou
  5. Chapter 5: Basic Annals of Qin
  6. Chapters 1–12: Basic Annals
  7. Chapters 13–22: Tables (Genealogical Table of the Three Ages, Chronological Table of the Twelve Feudal Lords, Chronological Table of the Six States, etc.)
  8. Chapters 23–30: Treatises (Treatise on Rites, Treatise on Music, Treatise on Pitch Pipes, Treatise on the Calendar, Treatise on Astronomy, Treatise on the Feng and Shan Sacrifices, Treatise on Rivers and Canals, Treatise on the Balanced Standard)
  9. Chapters 31–60: Hereditary Houses
  10. Chapters 61–130: Biographies (including the Grand Historian's Postface)
  11. Appendix: Chronological Table

FAQ

这个版本是全本吗，有没有删节？ 本版按《史记》原有一百三十篇的篇目编排，本纪、表、书、世家、列传俱全。主要以原文、注释和白话译文逐段对照的形式呈现，出版方把这一版定位为全本整理本。具体印刷细节，以你手中实物的版权页为准。
古文不好，能直接读这个版本吗？ 可以。书中每段先列原文，后附注释与译文，生僻字有注音释义，初读者可以先看译文再回原文，基本不需要额外查工具书。若要精读，仍建议配合古代汉语常识类读物。
和中华书局三全本《史记》比有什么区别？ 中华书局三全本的注译团队是陈曦、周旻等学者，以点校本修订本为底本，共十册；岳麓书社版由杨燕起译注。本版六册，译注者署名李翰文，册数和分工规模不同。学术纵深上，中华书局本更受推崇；本版胜在篇幅紧凑、价格友好。
六册和十二册的“精注全译”是同一本书吗？ 不是。六册本是2016年北京联合出版公司版，ISBN 9787550280496；十二册本由中国文史出版社出版，主编石磊，ISBN 9787520527187。购书时请核对出版社、册数与ISBN。

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About the author

Sima Qian Author · Chinese (Western Han)

Sima Qian was a historian, man of letters, and thinker of the Western Han dynasty. His courtesy name was Zichang, and he was a native of Xiayang in Zuo Fengyi (present-day Hancheng, Shaanxi). Succeeding his father Sima Tan as Grand Astrologer, he traveled widely to collect historical materials. Later, having suffered punishment in connection with the Li Ling affair, he endured humiliation and devoted himself to his work, ultimately completing the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji, originally titled Taishigong shu), China's first comprehensive history in the biographical (jizhuanti) style. The work covers events from the Yellow Emperor down to Emperor Wu of Han, organizing three thousand years of history through the five sections of annals, tables, treatises, hereditary houses, and biographies. Its narrative is concise and richly literary, its characters vividly drawn, and it has been praised as "the supreme swan song of historians." Later generations have often classified his writings under historical reading and Eastern philosophy, and his influence on Chinese historiography and literature has been profound.

Li Hanwen Author

Li Hanwen is an author about whom limited public information is available. The only known work associated with this name is Records of the Grand Historian (Annotated and Fully Translated, 6 volumes). This suggests that Li Hanwen's work focuses on organizing and making accessible classical Chinese historical texts, particularly Sima Qian's biographical general history. The format of detailed annotation combined with a complete modern translation indicates an approach that serves both readers who need scholarly notes on the original text and general readers seeking a more accessible version. Such work typically requires familiarity with classical Chinese, historical sources, and textual editions, as well as careful editorial attention. Although little is known about Li Hanwen's life, identity, or academic background, the book's classification under history and historical classics points to a direction centered on transmitting traditional Chinese historiography. For readers who wish to read the Records of the Grand Historian systematically, this kind of annotated translation offers practical reference value.