Collected Errors in the History of the Five Dynasties

吴缜Jun 2024

4.2

Word count: 18K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

Traditional Chinese thought has a long and continuous history, marked by a high degree of originality and literary quality. Its early forms are highly distinctive: religious theology, classical texts of Chinese medicine, ancient military strategy, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and the Hundred Schools, feng shui and metaphysics, the Twenty-Four Histories, and local customs and geography are all vast and profound in content. This "Essence of Classic Chinese Culture: Original Texts" series preserves the appearance of the original books, with a focus on preserving and transmitting traditional Chinese thought and culture. By reading the literary essence left by the sages of antiquity, readers can cultivate their character and quietly absorb the classics of Chinese learning.

Editor's review

Wu Zhen of the Northern Song wrote Remedy for Errors in the History of the Five Dynasties, a work of historiographical correction devoted to a point-by-point analysis of the omissions, errors of fact, and improprieties of format in Ouyang Xiu's New History of the Five Dynasties. With a rigorous philological attitude, Wu Zhen identifies problems in his predecessor's selection of sources, narrative method, and judgments of praise and blame, reflecting the self-consciousness of Song-dynasty historiographical criticism. This book belongs to the Classics of Chinese Thought and Culture series, which preserves the original appearance of the text; readers can see directly how people in earlier times read, doubted, and corrected history. Its value lies not only in the specific corrections but also in demonstrating a method of historical scholarship that refuses to follow authority blindly and seeks truth through mutual verification of documents. Moderate in length and clear in organization, it is suitable for reading alongside the New History of the Five Dynasties, savoring the historian's sense of proportion in distinguishing right from wrong, and also serves as introductory material for readers interested in the history of historiographical criticism and the philological tradition.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of literature and history studying the New History of the Five Dynasties who wish to learn earlier critics' opinions
University students and researchers interested in historiographical criticism and philological method
Serious readers with some grounding in classical Chinese who enjoy distinguishing historical fact from error
Practitioners in the collation of ancient texts or the study of historical documents who need to consult corrective findings

Not a good fit for

Beginners who find classical Chinese difficult and prefer light, popular history
General readers who want only stories from Five Dynasties history and do not care about textual accuracy
Readers expecting a complete, standalone history of the Five Dynasties rather than corrective notes

Reading tips

First read the relevant chapters of the New History of the Five Dynasties, then compare them with the entries in this book to understand the errors being corrected.
Take notes comparing correct and incorrect readings entry by entry, marking the original text and Wu Zhen's opinions for easy comparison and judgment.
Do not try to memorize every conclusion; focus on appreciating the evidentiary and reasoning approach of his philological method.
Where opinions differ, consult other historical sources for mutual verification, cultivating independent judgment rather than blind acceptance.

版权信息
四库全书五代史提要
钦定四库全书五代史纂误巻上
钦定四库全书五代史纂误巻中
钦定四库全书五代史纂误巻下

FAQ

Which history does Remedy for Errors in the History of the Five Dynasties correct?

The book mainly analyzes, point by point, the omissions, errors of fact, and problems of format in Ouyang Xiu's New History of the Five Dynasties. Wu Zhen uses mutual verification of documents to identify doubtful points in its selection of sources and narrative; it is a work of historiographical criticism. It is best to have the original text of the New History of the Five Dynasties at hand so that you can clearly see what each correction is aimed at.

What is the difference between this book and Supplementary Gleanings from the History of the Five Dynasties?

Supplementary Gleanings from the History of the Five Dynasties is Wang Yucheng's notes supplementing omissions in the history of the Five Dynasties, focusing on adding historical material; Remedy for Errors in the History of the Five Dynasties is Wu Zhen's monograph culling errors from the New History of the Five Dynasties, focusing on criticism and analysis. The two books differ in nature—one supplements, the other corrects—and can be read together to understand Song scholars' organization and reflection on Five Dynasties sources from different angles.

What should I read before this book?

It is advisable first to have some basic reading experience with the New History of the Five Dynasties and to understand its annalistic and biographical format and main chapters; reading this book then will be more targeted. You should also have some ability to read classical Chinese and be able to use reference works to understand the original text. If you are unfamiliar with the overall outline of Five Dynasties history, you may first read a general history as a foundation before comparing the specific corrective entries.

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About the author

吴缜 Author

Wu Zhen was a Chinese historian whose biography, birthplace, and dates are poorly documented in publicly available sources. What can be established is chiefly his two works of textual criticism, New Tang Book Collation and Errors and Compendium of Errors in the Five Dynasties History. Both take the official histories as their object, specifically pointing out errors of fact, format, and wording in the New Tang Book and the Five Dynasties History compiled under Ouyang Xiu and others. Arranged in itemized form, the works are meticulous in examination and argument, and they opened the way for later writings that collate errors in historical texts and criticize historical sources. Their style values evidence over elaboration and is direct in tone, reflecting a scholarly approach that seeks truth through cross-checking documents. Because the original works circulated in limited numbers and related records are scarce, Wu Zhen long remained little known, yet his writings are repeatedly mentioned in later bibliography and historical criticism and are classified under Eastern philosophy and literary appreciation, showing that his textual scholarship carries value for both thought and literary connoisseurship.