Book of Song
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Summary
A biographical history in the annals-and-biographies style, one of the Twenty-Four "Standard Histories." According to the "Treatise on Classics and Bibliography" in the Book of Sui, the name "standard history" derives from the fact that "writers of every age modeled their works on Ban [Gu] and Ma [Sima Qian], and these were regarded as standard histories." The Siku Quanshu of the Qing dynasty further stipulated that in the standard-history category, "works not personally approved by the emperor shall not be admitted indiscriminately. For the standard history is august in form, its significance matching that of the classics; without an imperial edict, none may presume to add to it"—that is, without imperial approval a work could not be listed as a standard history. Most of the Twenty-Four Standard Histories contain annals, biographies, tables, and treatises, interwoven and coherent, recording not only the general outline of each dynasty's history but also reflecting an exceedingly complex yet highly continuous historical process.
Editor's review
The Book of Song is Shen Yue's biographical history of the Liu Song dynasty and one of the Twenty-Four Standard Histories, preserving important records of the institutions, social life, and political evolution of the early Southern Dynasties. Its annals, biographies, and treatises work together; the treatises in particular cover ritual, music, astronomy, and auspicious omens in great detail, making the work a core source for studying the institutions and culture of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Its narrative continues the Ban-Ma tradition, with polished prose, and its biographies combine historical craft with literary quality. For general readers, the work is long and dense in classical Chinese, better suited as a base text for specialized study of Southern Dynasties history than as an introductory read. Paired with an overview of Wei-Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties history and a chronological table, it becomes easier to grasp the place of the Liu Song in the North-South confrontation and to appreciate the compilation features of the standard-history form.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- University students studying Wei-Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties history who need primary sources
- Readers interested in ancient Chinese institutions and ritual-music culture
- Readers of history and literature with classical Chinese reading ability who wish to read the standard histories systematically
Not a good fit for
- Beginners with weak classical Chinese who hope to learn history through light stories
- Readers expecting vernacular rewrites or abridged editions and unwilling to consult the original text
Reading tips
- Read the annals first to clarify the Liu Song imperial line and major events, then read selected biographies and relevant treatises.
- Keep a chronology of Northern and Southern Dynasties events and reference works on official titles and geography at hand; look up names and places as you read.
- Read the preface and editorial notes of the punctuated edition first to understand the textual history and compilation structure before entering the main text.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 本纪第一
- 武帝（上）
- 本纪第二
- 武帝（中）
- 本纪第三
- 武帝（下）
- 本纪第四
- 少帝
- 本纪第五
- 文帝
- 本纪第六
- 孝武帝
- 本纪第七
- 前废帝
- 本纪第八
- 明帝
- 本纪第九
- 后废帝
- 本纪第十
- 顺帝
- 志第一：律历（上）
- 志第二：律历（中）
- 志第三：律历（下）
- 志第四：礼（一）
- 志第五：礼（二）
- 志第六：礼（三）
- 志第七：礼（四）
- 志第八：礼（五）
- 志第九：乐（一）
- 志第十：乐（二）
- 志第十一：乐（三）
- 志第十二：乐（四）
- 志第十三：天文（一）
- 志第十四：天文（二）
- 志第十五：天文（三）
- 志第十六：天文（四）
- 志第十七：符瑞（上）
- 志第十八：符瑞（中）
- 志第十九：符瑞（下）
- 志第二十：五行（一）
- 志第二十一：五行（二）
- 志第二十二：五行（三）
- 志第二十三：五行（四）
- 志第二十四：五行（五）
- 志第二十五：州郡（一）
- 志第二十六：州郡（二）
- 志第二十七：州郡（三）
- 志第二十八：州郡（四）
- 志第二十九：百官（上）
- 志第三十：百官（下）
- 列传第一：后妃
- 列传第二
- 刘穆之
- 王弘
- 列传第三
- 徐羡之
- 傅亮
- 檀道济
- 列传第四
- 谢晦
- 列传第五
- 王镇恶
- 檀韶
- 向靖
- 刘怀慎
- 刘粹
- 列传第六
- 赵伦之
- 王懿
- 张邵
- 列传第七
- 刘怀肃
- 孟怀玉、孟龙符
- 刘敬宣
- 檀祗
- 列传第八
- 朱龄石、朱超石
- 毛修之
- 傅弘之
- 列传第九
- 孙处
- 蒯恩
- 刘钟
- 虞丘进
- 列传第十
- 胡藩
- 刘康祖
- 垣护之
- 张兴世
- 列传第十一
- 宗室
- 列传第十二
- 庾悦
- 王诞
- 谢景仁、谢述
- 袁湛、袁豹
- 褚叔度
- 列传第十三
- 张茂度、张永
- 庾登之、庾炳之
- 谢方明
- 江夷
- 列传第十四
- 孔靖
- 羊玄保
- 沈昙庆
- 列传第十五
- 臧焘
- 徐广
- 傅隆
- 列传第十六
- 谢瞻
- 孔琳之
- 列传第十七
- 蔡廓
- 蔡兴宗
- 列传第十八
- 王惠
- 谢弘微
- 王球
- 列传第十九
- 殷淳
- 张畅
- 何偃
- 江智渊
- 列传第二十
- 范泰
- 王淮之
- 王韶之
- 荀伯子
- 列传第二十一
- 武三王
- 列传第二十二
- 羊欣
- 张敷
- 王微
- 列传第二十三
- 王华
- 王昙首
- 殷景仁
- 沈演之
- 列传第二十四
- 郑鲜之
- 裴松之
- 何承天
- 列传第二十五
- 吉翰
- 刘道产
- 杜骥
- 申恬
- 列传第二十六
- 王敬弘
- 何尚之
- 列传第二十七
- 谢灵运
- 列传第二十八
- 武二王
- 列传第二十九
- 刘湛
- 范晔
- 列传第三十
- 袁淑
- 列传第三十一
- 徐湛之
- 江湛
- 王僧绰
- 列传第三十二
- 文九王
- 列传第三十三
- 颜延之
- 列传第三十四
- 臧质
- 鲁爽
- 沈攸之
- 列传第三十五
- 王僧达
- 颜竣
- 列传第三十六
- 朱修之
- 宗悫
- 王玄谟
- 列传第三十七
- 柳元景
- 颜师伯
- 沈庆之
- 列传第三十八
- 萧思话
- 刘延孙
- 列传第三十九
- 文五王
- 列传第四十
- 孝武十四王
- 列传第四十一
- 刘秀之
- 顾琛
- 顾觊之
- 列传第四十二
- 周朗
- 沈怀文
- 列传第四十三
- 宗越
- 吴喜
- 黄回
- 列传第四十四
- 邓琬
- 袁顗
- 孔觊
- 列传第四十五
- 谢庄
- 王景文
- 列传第四十六
- 殷孝祖
- 刘勔
- 列传第四十七
- 萧惠开
- 殷琰
- 列传第四十八
- 薛安都
- 沈文秀
- 崔道固
- 列传第四十九
- 袁粲
- 列传第五十
- 明四王
- 列传第五十一：孝义
- 列传第五十二：良吏
- 列传第五十三：隐逸
- 列传第五十四：恩幸
- 列传第五十五：索虏
- 列传第五十六：鲜卑吐谷浑
- 列传第五十七：夷蛮
- 列传第五十八：氐胡
- 列传第五十九：二凶
- 列传第六十：自序
FAQ
Can I read the Book of Song without a classical Chinese foundation?
Reading the original directly is fairly difficult. It is advisable first to build background through popular works on Wei-Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties history, then start with selected passages from the annals using an annotated or punctuated edition, consulting reference works for official titles and place names as needed, and gradually move on to reading whole chapters.
What special value do the treatises in the Book of Song have?
The treatises in the Book of Song cover a rich range of topics, with detailed records of ritual, music, astronomy, and auspicious omens, preserving extensive detail on the institutions and culture of the early Southern Dynasties. They are an important basis for studying the institutions and society of this period and a substantial part of the standard-history form.
What books should be used alongside the Book of Song?
A general history of the Northern and Southern Dynasties can provide a framework, together with reference works on official titles and geography and a chronological table. If institutions are the focus, compare the relevant treatises in other standard histories to understand differences and developments.
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About the author
沈约
Author
Shen Yue was an important literary figure and historian of the Southern Dynasties. In extant catalogues his name is attached to works such as the Song Shu (Book of Song), Yong Sheng (Ode to the Sheng), and Su Shuo. Because public information is limited, details of his native place, dates of birth and death, and official career cannot be reliably established and are not conjectured here. Judging from the four works held in this collection, Shen Yue's writing spans two broad fields: historical compilation and poetry. On the one hand, his annalistic-biography history preserves the institutions and figures of an era, with an emphasis on orderly arrangement of materials and coherent narrative; on the other, his short poems on objects attend to tonal pattern and parallelism, draw delicate images, and use compressed language, reflecting the Qi-Liang taste for refined form. Later ages classified his works under Eastern philosophy and classical poetry, indicating that readers value both their historical evidence and their exemplary poetic language. He offers an entry point for understanding the literary and historical landscape of the Southern Dynasties.
