Book of Liang

姚思廉Qunyan Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.3

Word count: 359K words
Chapters: 58

Summary

The Book of Liang comprises six volumes of annals and fifty volumes of biographies, with no tables or treatises. It chiefly chronicles the political events of the late Xiao Qi period of the Southern Dynasties and the more than fifty years of the Xiao Liang dynasty (502–557). Twenty-six volumes of concluding commentary are signed "Chen Minister of Personnel Yao Cha says," indicating that these volumes came from Yao Cha's hand—nearly half of the entire work. In compiling the Book of Liang, Yao Silian not only inherited his father's draft manuscripts but also consulted and absorbed the achievements of historians of the Liang, Chen, and Sui dynasties who had compiled histories of Liang. One notable feature of the book is that, apart from quoted passages, it is written not in the parallel prose then in fashion but in plain prose.

Editor's review

The Book of Liang is the core historical source in the Twenty-Four Histories for the Xiao Liang dynasty of the Southern Dynasties. Yao Silian completed it by continuing his father Yao Cha's draft manuscripts; with two generations working in succession, nearly half of the concluding commentaries in the book are signed directly "Chen Minister of Personnel Yao Cha says." This layered father-and-son authorship is relatively rare among the official histories and preserves for readers a continuous perspective on Liang from the Chen-dynasty historian to the early Tang historian. The book consists of six volumes of annals and fifty volumes of biographies, with no tables or treatises; its focus falls on political figures and events, and the narrative is relatively concentrated rather than sprawling into institutional history. Its style deserves note: apart from quoted passages, it does not follow the fashionable parallel prose but is written in plain prose, making it more lucid than several contemporary histories and friendlier to modern readers unaccustomed to parallel style. This 2024 Qunyan Press edition is convenient for general readers. It can be read as an introductory official history for understanding the political contours of the Xiao Liang's fifty-odd years, or read alongside the relevant sections of the History of the Southern Dynasties to appreciate how different historical sources select and omit.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Southern Dynasties history who want a systematic understanding of the political contours of the Xiao Liang dynasty
History students who need basic sources on Liang-era figures and events
General readers of history and literature who enjoy the annal-biography format of the official histories and are willing to read volume by volume
Writers and researchers who need to cite Liang-era figures and deeds in writing or research

Not a good fit for

Casual readers who want a quick read and a连贯, plot-driven narrative
Readers interested only in the evolution of institutions and who need treatises and tables
Beginners with major difficulties in reading classical Chinese who are unwilling to use annotations

Reading tips

Read the six volumes of annals first to clarify the dynastic succession and imperial genealogy, then read biographies according to interest, rather than plowing straight through from beginning to end.
When encountering concluding commentaries such as "Chen Minister of Personnel Yao Cha says," extract them separately and compare them with the main text to appreciate the historian's praise and blame.
Read alongside the biographies of Liang-era figures in the History of the Southern Dynasties, noting differences in detail and omission for the same figure across different histories.
Keep a pen handy to mark personal names and official titles; the aristocratic relationships of the Liang era are complex, and jotting them down as you go lightens the reading burden.

About the publisher

Qunyan Publishing House China · Founded in 1989

Founded in 1989, Qunyan Publishing House has long been committed to publishing academic and educational books for mid- and high-level readers, and has built up a certain presence in Eastern philosophy, classical literature, and classic works. Representative titles available in the database include Records of the Grand Historian, Dream of the Red Chamber, Selections of Refined Literature, Complete Song Ci, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Record of Daily Knowledge, Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang, and The Collected Works of Wang Yangming, covering common categories such as ancient poetry, medicine, and examinations. Its author resources include Sima Qian, Cao Xueqin, Xiao Tong, Li Shan, Pu Songling, and Gu Yanwu. The press also offers distinctive series such as the Biographical Series of the China Democratic League and the Historical Documents Series of the China Democratic League, and publishes research on historical documents, biographies, memoirs, and textbooks and academic works by League members. Public information is limited, and its overall publishing scale and complete catalogue require further verification.

版权信息
序
武帝上
武帝中
武帝下
简文帝
元帝
敬帝
太祖张皇后
昭明太子哀太子愍怀太子
王茂曹景宗柳庆远
萧颖达夏侯详蔡道恭杨公则邓元起
张弘策庾域郑绍叔吕僧珍
柳惔弟忱席阐文韦睿族弟爱
范云沈约
江淹任昉
谢朏弟子览
王亮张稷王莹
王珍国马仙琕张齐
张惠绍冯道根康绚昌义之
宗夬刘坦乐蔼
刘季连陈伯之
王瞻王志王峻王暕王泰王份孙锡佥张充柳惲蔡撙江蒨
太祖五王
长沙嗣王业子孝俨业弟藻永阳嗣王伯游衡阳嗣王元简桂阳嗣王象
萧景弟昌昂昱
周舍徐勉
范岫傅昭弟映萧琛陆杲
陆倕到洽明山宾殷钧陆襄
裴邃兄子之高之平之横夏侯亶弟夔鱼弘附韦放
高祖三王
裴子野顾协徐摛鲍泉
袁昂子君正
陈庆之兰钦
王僧孺张率刘孝绰王筠
张缅弟缵绾
萧子恪弟子范子显子云子晖
孔休源江革
谢举何敬容
朱异贺琛
元法僧元树元愿达王神念杨华羊侃子鹍羊鸦仁
司马褧
王规刘瑴宗懔王承褚翔萧介从父兄洽褚球刘孺弟览遵刘潜弟孝胜孝威孝先殷芸萧几
臧盾弟厥傅岐
韦粲江子一弟子四子五张嵊沈浚柳敬礼
太宗十一王世祖二子
王僧辩
胡僧祐徐文盛杜掞兄岸弟幼安兄子龛阴子春
孝行
儒林
文学上
文学下
处士
止足
良吏
诸夷
豫章王综武陵王纪临贺王正德河东王誉
侯景

FAQ

Why does the Book of Liang have no tables or treatises?

According to the extant content, the Book of Liang contains only six volumes of annals and fifty volumes of biographies, with no tables or treatises. This structure concentrates the work on emperors and biographical deeds; information on institutions, geography, and bibliography must be supplemented from other histories, and readers should not expect systematic information on institutional evolution from it.

What does the signature "Yao Cha says" in the concluding commentaries indicate?

Twenty-six volumes of concluding commentary are signed "Chen Minister of Personnel Yao Cha says," about half the book, indicating that these volumes came from Yao Cha's hand. Yao Silian continued and completed the work on the basis of his father's draft manuscripts; father and son completed the book together, and readers can use this to distinguish different layers of historical commentary.

Is the writing style of the Book of Liang difficult to read?

One feature of the book is that, apart from quoted passages, it does not use the parallel prose then in fashion but is written in plain prose, with relatively plain and lucid sentences. For readers with basic classical Chinese reading ability, it is less difficult than histories heavily colored by parallel prose, though it still requires some patience.

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About the author

姚思廉 Author

Yao Silian was a historian of the Tang dynasty, best known for compiling the official histories The Book of Liang and The Book of Chen in the annal-biographical style. Publicly available information about his native place, birth and death dates, and early life is limited, so these details are difficult to describe. Judging from his surviving works, his writing continued the official historiographical tradition from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the early Tang, using annals and biographies as its framework to record the political changes, figures, and institutions of the Liang and Chen dynasties. His narrative is clear and well organized, drawing mainly on official archives and contemporary documents. These two histories were later included among the Twenty-Four Histories and remain basic sources for understanding the politics and society of the Southern Dynasties; they are also often mentioned in categories of historical reading and Eastern philosophy. The library holds four of his works, centering on The Book of Chen and The Book of Liang.