Book of Chen

姚思廉Bashu Publishing House · ChinaJul 2024

4.2

Word count: 198K words
Chapters: 38

Summary

The Book of Chen is a biographical-style history and one of the Twenty-Four Standard Histories. The term "standard history," according to the Bibliographic Treatise of the Sui History, referred to works whose authors modeled themselves on Ban Gu and Sima Qian. The Qing dynasty's Complete Library of the Four Treasuries further ruled that only histories sanctioned by the emperor could be listed, since standard histories were so revered that their authority was considered equal to that of the classics. The Twenty-Four Standard Histories generally include imperial annals, biographies, tables, and treatises, interwoven and coherent, recording not only the historical overview of each dynasty but also reflecting a complex, continuous historical process.

Editor's review

The pleasure of reading The Book of Chen often lies not in storytelling but in structure. The work has annals and biographies but no tables or treatises, making it relatively lean among the standard histories and letting readers clearly see how the annal-biography form uses individuals to trace a dynasty's rise and fall. Yao Silian's style is terse, with many edicts and memorials included, preserving a large amount of the political language of the time—first-hand material for those interested in Southern Dynasties institutions and literary style. As one stop in reading the Twenty-Four Histories, it is suited to being kept at hand for casual consultation. Note that the narrative stance carries a distinct official tone, and evaluations of figures come with preset praise and blame; readers who do not analyze critically may mistake the historian's judgments for fact. Reading it alongside the relevant chapters of History of the Southern Dynasties is recommended—differences in detail and evaluation are clues to sources and editorial intent. For beginners it is not an introductory book; for readers with some historical training, its concision offers a clear contrast.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have read one or two standard histories and want to complete the Southern Dynasties chain
History students researching Southern Dynasties political institutions and edicts and memorials
Enthusiasts interested in the annal-biography form who want to practice source analysis
Writers who need to consult Chen-dynasty biographies and the original text of memorials

Not a good fit for

Beginners who want to start reading history from scratch and need vernacular explanations
Readers who only want stories and lack patience for classical Chinese and institutional detail
Those who treat standard histories as absolute truth and are unwilling to compare other records

Reading tips

Read the annals first to clarify the dynastic succession, then select biographies by figure, avoiding getting stuck in details at the start.
Skip edicts and memorials on the first pass and return to them on the second; that is often where institutional information is densest.
Read the biography of the same figure in History of the Southern Dynasties alongside it, noting differences in detail and evaluation.
Keep a pen handy to mark reign titles, place names, and official posts as you go—especially necessary for Southern Dynasties history.

About the publisher

Bashu Publishing House China · Founded in 1983

Bashu Publishing House is a publisher centered on collating and publishing classical Chinese cultural texts, with its main publishing areas covering classical literature, Eastern philosophy, ancient poetry, and educational classics. Its library currently holds 1,075 titles, including representative works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering, Renjian Cihua, and Out to the Frontier, involving authors such as Cao Xueqin, Wang Xizhi, Wang Guowei, Wang Changling, Liu Xie, and Yan Yu. These reflect the publisher's focus on literary classics, poetry criticism, and philosophical readings. Its publishing character lies in working around ancient texts and canonical works, with attention to textual collation and presentation. Public information on its more detailed publishing background and series plans is limited; this introduction is based only on the library's book information.

版权信息
纪第一
纪第二
纪第三
纪第四
纪第五
纪第六
列传第一
列传第二
列传第三
列传第四
列传第五
列传第六
列传第七
列传第八
列传第九
列传第十
列传第十一
列传第十二
列传第十三
列传第十四
列传第十五
列传第十六
列传第十七
列传第十八
列传第十九
列传第二十
列传第二十一
列传第二十二
列传第二十三
列传第二十四
列传第二十五
列传第二十六：孝行
列传第二十七：儒林
列传第二十八：文学
列传第二十九：群凶
列传第三十：二逆王
附：曾巩《陈书目录序》

FAQ

Can I read The Book of Chen without a foundation in classical Chinese?

It will be fairly difficult. The original is in classical Chinese and includes many edicts and memorials, with condensed syntax and dense allusions. It is advisable to first read one or two annotated selections from standard histories, or use reference books and chronological tables before entering the original; you could also start with a modern overview of Southern Dynasties history to build the framework of figures and dates.

What is the relationship between The Book of Chen and History of the Southern Dynasties?

Both record the Chen dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, but their backgrounds and structures differ: History of the Southern Dynasties covers the Southern Dynasties as a whole, while The Book of Chen is devoted to a single dynasty. The same figure often appears with different detail and evaluation in the two, and reading them together reveals differences in source selection—a very practical exercise in reading standard histories.

Why does The Book of Chen have no tables or treatises?

The Book of Chen has only annals and biographies, no tables or treatises, so institutional content such as the economy, official posts, and geography is not presented in a concentrated way but scattered through biographical narratives. To understand institutions, you must piece them together from edicts, memorials, and official careers, or supplement with other histories.

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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.