The Grand Historian

Chen HengqingNanhai Publication Company · ChinaJun 2024

3.3

Word count: 384 words
Chapters: 2

Summary

In my hometown, at the gate of Grand Historian Yu, the New Year couplet read: "How good it is to dig a well rather than pray for rain; the great man does not lose the heart of a child." I said: "The intent is excellent. I will borrow the two characters 'child's heart' and make a couplet: 'Eight years in retreat embracing the child's heart; ten years a palace graduate, yet like a commoner.'" For the village proverb says: "If you don't become an official, go home and hold the baby." It also says: "An old palace graduate cannot read." That is the sense used here. As for old palace graduates being unable to read, this did not begin today. A Tang poem says: "Jade pendants and trailing robes, the new palace graduate; looking back at the Odes and Documents, he treats them as idle matters." This shows that once they pass, they throw away their books and do not read. Generally, in the examination era, men studied only examination essays; those who actually read books were very few. It is said that an old Hanlin scholar, strolling in the countryside, heard the sound of reading from a family school and grandly entered. He asked the students what book they were reading. They answered: "The Records of the Grand Historian." He asked again: "Who wrote it?" They answered: "The Grand Historian." He asked again: "Which examination's Grand Historian?" They answered: "The Grand Historian of the Han, not today's Grand Historian." Then he took up the book and looked at it. After a few lines he put it down and said: "It is not particularly good." Then, leaning on his staff, he shuffled away with a clatter.

Editor's review

With the brief brush of notebook writing, this book sketches a corner of the reading men and official world of the examination era. The author starts from a New Year couplet, moves from "the heart of a child" to "old palace graduates cannot read," then brings in the anecdote of an old Hanlin scholar who hears the Records of the Grand Historian being read in a school but does not know the Grand Historian was a man of the Han, advancing layer by layer to depict with sharp yet restrained irony the atmosphere in which examination-world people threw away their books after passing. The village proverb, Tang poem, and rumor echo one another; there is the leisurely interest of notebook writing and also cool observation of the spirit of the age. Though short, it reveals the narrowness of traditional literati knowledge and how the examination system shaped ways of reading. Suited to careful reading in leisure, savoring what lies beyond the words; also suited as an introduction to modern notebook style and a sidelight on examination culture. While reading, note how the author links a couplet, proverb, poem, and anecdote through one small matter, and appreciate the understated satire.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in examination culture and literati life
Readers who enjoy modern notebook sketches and anecdotes
Students and self-learners needing short classical Chinese reading material
Readers concerned with traditional reading habits and knowledge structure

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a systematic account of the examination system's evolution
Readers who prefer long narratives or complete historical argument
Readers impatient with the classical notebook genre

Reading tips

Read through once first, grasp the connections among the couplet, village proverb, Tang poem, and old Hanlin anecdote, then return to savor the author's intent.
Look up classical terms or allusions as needed; do not translate word by word—focus on tone and the measure of satire.
Read alongside other examination-themed notebooks to compare different authors' angles on literati reading habits.
After reading, retell the old Hanlin story in modern Chinese to test whether you understand its satirical logic.

About the publisher

Nanhai Publication Company China · Founded in 1988

Nanhai Publication Company is a comprehensive publisher known for its literature and arts titles, covering fields such as classical poetry, martial arts fiction, and folk literature. Judging from the more than 1,600 books in the database, the company has released classical poetic works including the Nineteen Old Poems and the Nine Songs, as well as multiple volumes of Huanzhulouzhu's series The Swordsmen of Mount Shu, along with related writings by authors such as Guan Hanqing, Qu Yuan, Zuo Si, and Wang Zhihuan. Its publishing character lies in balancing the organization of classic texts with the dissemination of popular literature, placing poetry anthologies alongside long martial arts novels and presenting a relatively diverse literary profile. Public information is limited, and further details about its editorial practices and series planning remain to be supplemented.

版权信息
太史公

FAQ

Why did the old Hanlin scholar say "not particularly good" after reading only a few lines of the Records of the Grand Historian?

The old Hanlin scholar asked what book the students were reading and who wrote it; on learning it was "the Grand Historian of the Han, not today's Grand Historian," he still read only a few lines before putting it down and saying "not particularly good." This detail satirizes examination-world people who long focused only on examination essays and threw books aside: facing a real history, they had neither patience nor discernment, yet used a casual judgment to cover their ignorance.

What does the couplet "Eight years in retreat embracing the child's heart; ten years a palace graduate, yet like a commoner" mean?

The first line adapts the village proverb "If you don't become an official, go home and hold the baby," saying that after retreat one returns to a childlike heart. The second adapts "An old palace graduate cannot read," satirizing how years of examination success bring no real learning. The author plays on the two characters "child's heart," placing retreat and baby-holding beside the palace graduate who is like a commoner, creating an effect both self-mocking and ironic.

What phenomenon does this short piece mainly criticize?

Mainly the examination-era atmosphere in which literati studied only examination essays and threw away their books once they passed. Through village proverb, Tang poem, and the old Hanlin anecdote, the author confirms layer by layer that examination success did not equal real learning—even to the absurd extent that "an old palace graduate cannot read." The tone is restrained and satirical.

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About the author

Chen Hengqing Author · Chinese · 1844–1920

Chen Hengqing (1844–1920), courtesy name Zijiu, was a native of Weixian in Shandong (present-day Weicheng District, Weifang). A late Qing official and scholar, he passed the provincial examination in 1873 and the metropolitan examination in 1886. He served successively as a secretary in the Ministry of Works, rising through the Waterways, Construction, and Colonization Departments, and later held posts as Supervising Censor of the Ministry of War, Investigating Censor of the Henan Circuit, and Chief Supervising Censor. In 1908 he was appointed prefect of Jinzhou. He retired at sixty and wrote works including Jianshu Xian Notes (also known as Jili Qingtan) and Unofficial Gleanings of the Late Qing. His extant writings are considerable, with 154 titles held in our collection, many drawing on folk literature and Eastern philosophy. They touch on modern upheavals such as the militia conflicts, the Boxer movement, and the Nian rebels, as well as rural tales and social types like foxes and swindlers, and social issues such as Manchu-Han differences, bearing the documentary flavor of note-style historiography. Public information is limited, and his literary standing and influence await further study.