What is the significance of Sima Qian's roaming experience to his creation of Historical Records?

145-90) Historian and writer of the Western Han Dynasty. Zichang, Zuo Fengyi, was born in xia yang (now southwest of Hancheng, Shaanxi). Born in the fifth year of Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty (145 BC), born in the sixth year of Emperor Jian Yuan of Han Dynasty (135 BC), died in 90 BC at the age of 55.

Sima Qian 10 years old began to study ancient literature biographies. During Yuan Guang and Yuan Shuo of Han Dynasty, he studied under the modern writer Dong Zhongshu's "The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ram" and the ancient prose writer Kong Anguo. At the age of 20, he roamed south from Chang 'an, the capital, and traveled all over the Jianghuai Valley and the Central Plains, where he visited local customs and collected legends. Soon, he became a doctor, bodyguard and retinue of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and accompanied him to the Western Seas many times, and sent envoys to Bashu.

In the third year of Yuanfeng (BC 108), Sima Tan, the stepfather of Sima Qian, was the official of Taishi, in charge of astronomical calendar and royal atlas, so it depends on the books collected by historians. In the first year of Taichu (before 104), he, Luo and others customized calendars to replace the Zhuan Xu calendar inherited by Qin, and the new calendar adapted to the needs of the society at that time.

From then on, Sima Qian began to write historical records. Later, he was convicted, imprisoned and rotted for defending Li Ling who surrendered to Xiongnu. After he was released from prison, he worked as a secretary, continued to write angrily, and finally finished the writing of Historical Records. People call his book Taishi Gongshu. It is the first biography of China, which has a far-reaching influence on later historiography. Historical Records has vivid language and vivid image, and is also an excellent literary work. Sima Qian also wrote a book, Bao Ren 'an, describing his imprisonment and his ambition to write a book, which was praised by all previous dynasties.

Sima Qian is a great historian in the history of China. "He was jailed for his outspoken suggestions, but he became even more furious, wrote books and created historical records of famous historians at home and abroad, leaving a precious cultural heritage for the people of China and the people of the world.

One, stepfather, is a historian.

Sima Qian, born in five years (BC 145) at the foot of Longmen Mountain (now Hancheng County, Shaanxi Province), was born in the Han Dynasty.

In the third year of Yuanfeng (BC 108), Sima Qian inherited his father Sima Tan's legacy and became an official, and began to sort out and select the historical classics of the Royal Library. Sima Qian's ancestors were not very prominent, and the family was in charge of Taishi's position for generations. But Sima Qian and his father were proud of it. In their minds, compiling history is a lofty cause. They devoted their lives to it.

Sima Tan has been preparing to write a history book linking the past and the present. Under the direct guidance of his father, Sima Qian began to learn ancient Chinese at the age of ten. Later, I studied Chunqiu from Dong Zhongshu and Shangshu from Kong Anguo. Sima Qian studied hard, made rapid progress and was full of learning spirit.

When Sima Qian's father died, he took his son by the hand and said to him with tears: "... after I die, you must continue to be a teacher." Don't forget my wish to write a general history in my life. You must inherit my career, don't forget! " This earnest entrustment greatly shocked Sima Qian. He saw his father's rare sense of mission and responsibility as a historian, and he also knew that his father had pinned his unfinished business on himself. Sima Qian lowered his head with tears and replied sadly and firmly, "Son, although I have no talent, I will definitely fulfill your wish."

After Sima Qian made the Taishi Order, he had the opportunity to read books and important materials that could not be seen by the outside world. This provided good conditions for him to write historical records in the future. However, data sorting is very complicated. Due to the confusion of books and national archives at that time, even there was no catalogue to consult, Sima Qian had to look for clues from a large number of wooden slips and silk books, and sort out and textual research on historical materials. Over the past few years, Sima Qian has racked his brains and made great efforts to sort out and textual research historical materials almost every day.

Sima Qian has always remembered his father's legacy and is determined to follow Confucius' example in compiling Spring and Autumn Annals and write a historical work that can also be immortal. In BC 104, Sima Qian presided over the revision of the calendar, and at the same time officially began to write his masterpiece Historical Records.

Second, the truth of castration.

In the second year of Tianhan (99 BC), Sima Qian, while writing historical records wholeheartedly, encountered unexpected troubles, namely the Liling incident.

This summer, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent his favorite younger brother, General Li Guang of the Second Division, to crusade against Xiongnu, and another sent Li Guang's grandson Li Ling to accompany Li Guangli to escort the trench. Li Guang led five thousand foot soldiers out of Juyan, and went deep into Jishan alone, suffering from Khan. Xiongnu besieged Li Ling with 80,000 cavalry. After eight days and nights of fighting, Li Ling killed more than 10,000 Huns, but because he could not get the support of the main force, he ran out of ammunition and was unfortunately captured.

After the news of Li Ling's defeat reached Chang 'an, Emperor Wu hoped that he could die. Later, when I heard that he surrendered, I was furious. The civil and military officials of the Qing Dynasty watched and listened. A few days ago, he praised Li Ling's bravery, and now he echoes Emperor Wu and accuses Li Ling of sin. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty asked the Taishi for Sima Qian's advice. On the one hand, Sima Qian comforted Emperor Wu, on the other hand, he hated those ministers in have it both ways and tried his best to defend Li Ling. He believes that Li Ling is filial to his mother, loyal to his friends, courteous to people, loyal to soldiers, and always desperate for the country's urgent needs, and has the demeanor of a national scholar. Sima Qian hated ministers who only knew how to protect themselves and their families. Now they see that Li Ling's invasion is unfavorable, so they blindly hit people when they are down and exaggerate the charges. He said to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty: "Li Ling led only 5,000 infantry, went deep into the Huns, fought alone, and killed many enemies, which made great contributions. Without reinforcements, ammunition and food, and desperate, we still fought bravely to kill the enemy. Even the famous soldiers in ancient times were so powerful. Although Li Ling himself failed, he killed many Huns, which is famous all over the world. The reason why he did not die, but surrendered to the Huns, must be to find a suitable opportunity to repay the Han family. "

Sima Qian seems to mean that Li Guangli, the general of the Second Normal University, failed to fulfill his responsibilities. His outspoken remarks angered Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who thought that he was defending Li Ling and satirizing Li Guangli, who returned from the failed expedition, and ordered Sima Qian to be put in prison.

After Sima Qian went to prison, the case fell into the hands of Du Zhou, a notorious cruel official at that time. Du Zhou tortured Sima Qian, and Sima Qian endured all kinds of cruel physical and mental torture. In the face of cruel officials, he never gave in or confessed. Sima Qian kept asking himself in prison: "Is this my sin? Is this my sin? " I am a courtier, so I can't express my opinion. "Soon, it was rumored that Li Ling led the Xiongnu soldiers to attack the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty believed it and hastily killed Li Ling's mother, wife and son. Sima Qian was also sentenced to death for this incident.

According to the provisions of the criminal law of the Han Dynasty, there are two ways to reduce the death penalty: one is to make amends with 500,000 yuan, and the other is to punish the crime of corruption. Sima Qian's official family is poor, and of course he can't afford so much money for atonement. Corruption not only cruelly destroys people's body and spirit, but also greatly insults people's personality. Sima Qian certainly didn't want to endure such punishment. He even thought of suicide in grief. But later he thought that people always die, but "death is heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather", and the meaning of death is different. He felt that if he "died before the law" in this way, if a cow lost a hair, it would be worthless. He thought of Confucius, Qu Yuan, Zuo Qiuming and Sun Bin, their humiliation and their impressive achievements. Sima Qian suddenly felt full of strength, and he resolutely chose corruption. In the face of the most cruel punishment, Sima Qian suffered to the extreme, but at this time he had no resentment and fear. He has only one belief, that is, he must live and finish the Historical Records. "If you live in the intestine nine times a day, you will suddenly die, but if you leave, you don't know where to go." "Every time I think about my shame, I feel sweaty and have clothes on my back." Because he didn't finish the historical records, he survived with humiliation.

Third, anger against historical records.

Sima Qian began reading, sorting out historical materials and preparing for writing after the third year of Yuanfeng (BC 108), and basically completed all the writing plans in the fourth year of Taishigong (BC 93), which lasted for 16 years. This is a great work written by him with all his life energy, painstaking efforts and great physical and mental pain, which always shines brilliantly.

The book includes 12 biographies, 30 aristocratic families, 70 biographies, 10 tables, 8 books and 5 * * * parts, covering about 526,000 yuan.

1, strive for the truth

Sima Qian wrote historical records with a rigorous and serious attitude, and the spirit of record-keeping is his greatest feature. Every historical figure or event he wrote has undergone a lot of investigation and study, and the historical facts have been checked repeatedly. At the age of 20, Sima Qian left Chang 'an, the capital, to travel to famous mountains and rivers, to visit places of interest on the spot, to learn about the legacy of many historical figures and the customs and economic life of many places, and to broaden his horizons and mind. Ban Gu, a historian of Han Dynasty, said that Sima Qian is "a true record, because his writing is straightforward, and his essence is not empty beauty and evil". In other words, his article is fair, historical facts are reliable, and he doesn't say good things or hide bad things. This spoke highly of Sima Qian's scientific attitude and detailed historical records.

If Sima Qian insists on the spirit of "recording", he must face the reality and record it, which will inevitably lead to the problem of "taboo". However, when he wrote biographies for characters, he did not stick to the conventions of traditional historical books, but recorded his own thoughts and feelings about historical facts. From the supreme emperor to the nobility, to the ministers, to the local governors, etc., Sima Qian will certainly not obliterate their magical brilliance, but what is outstanding is to expose their decadent ugliness and exploitation and oppression of the people. In particular, it exposed the evils of the ruling class in the Han Dynasty. Although he was a courtier of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian did not hide his fault at all. He profoundly exposed and criticized the falsehood of the activities of worshipping ancestors and visiting immortals that prevailed at that time. In the book Enchanting Zen, he vividly described the absurd and boring behavior of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty who was superstitious about immortals and tried his best to pray for elixir.

Sima Qian wanted to provide historical reference for feudal rulers, which reflected the real history and was very valuable. In the spirit of record, Sima Qian chose characters not according to his official position or social status, but according to his actual behavior. For example, he wrote many biographies of low-level people such as forest rangers, businessmen, doctors and advocates for Excellence. In Sima Qian's mind, these people all have merits. Sima Qian initiated a writing method that always tells a person's life story. Paying attention to "being a man" and its complexity is Sima Qian's brushwork. In his biography, he put his point of view in an objective factual narrative and expressed his love-hate attitude towards the characters. Take Xiang Yu as an example. Sima Qian sympathized with him and wrote this failed hero with great enthusiasm. He not only praised Xiang Yu's bravery, but also criticized his lack of ambition and cruelty. However, in Biography of Xiang Yu, Sima Qian did not comment on it, but his love and hate for Xiang Yu were fully revealed in the narrative. This is the greatest feature of Sima Qian's biography, that is, the unity of authenticity and tendency.

2. Love and hate are completely different.

Sima Qian's clear love and hate are fully expressed in Historical Records. He spoke highly of the peasant uprising in the late Qin Dynasty. Chen She, who was born in a poor peasant, was the leader of the peasant uprising, but Sima Qian juxtaposed him with the princes and described him as a "family". It is not easy for a feudal historian to do this. In Biography of Historical Records, he compared Chen She with the famous ancient emperors-Shang Tang and Zhou Wuwang, and clearly pointed out that as long as the feudal emperor was cruel and heartless, the people had the right to overthrow him. Although this peasant army led by Chen She didn't succeed, it set off a magnificent peasant war at the end of Qin Dynasty, and finally overthrew the lawless rule of Qin Dynasty. Chen She's first uprising and the historical achievement of overthrowing the Qin Dynasty were completely positive.

Sima Qian also praised many heroes who were loyal to the motherland and loved the people in history. When traveling that year, he had been to the Miluo River in the north of Changsha, Hunan Province, and paid tribute to the great patriotic poet Qu Yuan by the river. This mourning had a great influence on Sima Qian, whose mind was deeply imprinted with Qu Yuan's poems and life experiences. When he made a biography of Qu Yuan, he thought that Qu Yuan could win glory with the sun and the moon, and angrily condemned the ugly behavior of the noble rulers of Chu State who did not distinguish between loyal subjects and traitors. At that time, Sima Qian also visited Lingling County, Hunan Province, where Shun was buried, and made a field trip to Shun's deeds. Later, when writing historical records, he wrote Shun's story into the Chronicle of the Five Emperors, praising his noble quality of caring for the country and the people. Sima Qian also highly praised Lin Xiangru and Lian Po, the protagonists in Rehabilitation and Peace, and praised their patriotic behavior.

In historical records, Sima Qian also praised assassins who risked their lives to resist rape and rangers who saved people from danger and did good deeds. Jing Ke, for example, said that "the phoenix is cold and the strong man is gone forever". In order to repay the kindness of Yan Taizi Dan, he did not hesitate to stab the king of Qin alone, and eventually his blood spilled on Qin Ting. Sima Qian's bold praise of these characters is actually sympathy for the working people and appreciation of the people's desire to resist rape. Sima Qian recorded the vivid deeds and medical theories of the famous doctor Bian Que and those who benefited the people. These people had no social status at that time, but in Sima Qian's mind, they were far more noble than some princes.

Sima Qian also deeply understood the ugly face of feudal rulers and mercilessly exposed the sins of the ruling class. For example, The Biography of the Corrupt Officials is the biography of ten cruel and heartless officials, including nine courtiers of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. At that time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty attached great importance to Zhang Tang. "Tang is treacherous and dances with wisdom to control people." I started as a junior official, but I didn't do it. I made personal friends with Fu Jiatian's family and Uncle Yu Weng in Chang 'an. The so-called "dry" is empty-handed. What is described here is how Zhang Tang used tricks to subdue the people when he was a small official. After Zhang Tang came to power, he worked with Zhao Yu to formulate various laws, one of which is called "the law of condescension", that is, no matter whether he is guilty or not, as long as he is accused of being dissatisfied with the court, he can be punished accordingly. Zhang Tang was not only good at making laws, but also catered to the desire of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to deal with "prisoners". Under his auspices, often a case will implicate countless families, leading to killing people like hemp and treating human life like dirt. The criminal activities of these people were recorded by Sima Qian, and it was through these that he exposed and accused the cruelty and darkness of the autocratic rule during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Sima Qian's progressive view of history and bold style of exposing the faults of emperors are worthy of recognition. For the historical evolution process, his thought is relatively complete. After giving a correct evaluation of history, he fully affirmed the conclusion that history is constantly developing.

3, the historian's swan song

Mr. Lu Xun once said: Historical Records are "the swan song of historians, leaving Sao without rhyme". In other words, as a large-scale and complete system of China's general history, it is also an excellent literary work.

In Sima Qian's works, a historical event or a historical figure can be vividly portrayed in a few words. For example, the description of Tian Dan's defense of Jimo City in Tian Dan Biography. Tian Dan defeated Yan with six coups, which enabled Qi to recover. "Fire Bull Array" is one of the most important strategies. In the evening, Tian Dan put purple cloth with dragon pattern on more than 1000 cows, tied sharp swords on their horns, soaked their tails with oil and set them on fire. As a result, 1000 bulls rushed into Yan Bing's position like monsters burning with flames. Soldiers of Qi also rushed to the enemy with weapons. Some people beat gongs and drums and shouted loudly to show their strength. Confused Yan Bing was scared to flee everywhere, and as a result, he was killed. Yan Bing's body was everywhere on the battlefield, and Qi won a great victory. Although Sima Qian didn't write much, the "Fire Bull Array" appeared in readers' minds like a picture.

Sima Qian also vividly portrayed different types of historical figures. His description of Xiang Yu, the overlord of the western Chu Dynasty, is wonderful. In the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu led a great army to cross the river, then sank all the ships, and ordered only three rations, vividly and concretely depicting Xiang Yu's determination and spirit to cross the rubicon and fight to the death with Qin Jun. Xiang Yu's army, with one for ten, wiped out Qin Jun, which was far more numerous than himself, and played a decisive role in the war to overthrow Qiang Qin's rule. After the battle, Xiang Yu called all the generals. Entering Xiang Yu's Yuanmen, no one dared to walk with his head up. This is a description of Xiang Yu's prestige. Sima Qian's description of Xiang Yu's siege is even more touching. A generous: "If you push a mountain, you will be angry with the world, but when it is unfavorable, you will not die." Through this song, Sima Qian completely depicts the complex mood of the hero who is generous and tragic after failure, but unable to save the fate of failure. Then Sima Qian described Xiang Yu's bravery in the decisive battle in Dongcheng after his breakthrough. At that time, there were only 28 cavalry left in Xiang Yu. When thousands of pursuers approached, Xiang Yu opened his eyes wide and shouted angrily, scaring the Han army away for several miles. Seeing this description, people can't help but feel that the failed hero seems to be in front of them.

Another example is Sima Qian's description of the three chapters of the agreement with the people when Emperor Gaozu entered the customs, which fully shows the demeanor of a politician. Emperor gaozu also had the habit of calling names on hooligans and improvising personality. On one occasion, Han Xin wrote a letter to Emperor Gaozu, demanding that he be named as a false king of Qi. Emperor gaozu was very angry. He just wanted to have an attack, but Sean hinted that he didn't want to have an attack. He immediately turned his back and said, "A gentleman can pacify a vassal. As long as he is willing to do it, he is a real king. What are you doing as a fake king? " There are not many words here, but it vividly depicts the character of Emperor Gaozu who is good at improvising and playing politics.

Sima Qian's narrative language in the book is very vivid, and the characters are lifelike. He widely uses oral proverbs, idioms and ballads, and does not shy away from dialects. His language is a dialect close to spoken language. Usually, the dialogue between narrative and characters is harmonious. Although it is clear but implicit, the implication is worth pondering. Complex and concise, eclectic, each in its place, generally serving the description of character characteristics. His description of the characters' intonation is the most interesting, which fully shows the characters' mental attitude. In order to highlight the characters, he often emphasizes and exaggerates appropriately. For example, The Legend of Emperor Gaozu: "In the first month (five years), the vassal general invited Hanwang as emperor. ..... Hanwang three let, had to, saying: You must think it is convenient, convenient for the country. "This passage of Emperor Gaozu's abdication is a direct simulation of the spoken language at that time, which vividly reflects the affectation of Emperor Gaozu. After reading it, I can't help but feel that the scene of Emperor Gaozu's speech is in front of me. Moreover, when Sima Qian used ancient historical materials, he generally translated ancient sayings in popular language at that time. For example, the story of Yao and Shun written in Chronicle of the Five Emperors is based on the book Yaodian of Shangshu, in which "the people lost their lives, and the eight tones suppressed the four seas for three years", and the words "let them do whatever they can to make it work for Xian Xi" were translated as "the people lost their parents, and the four sides enjoyed three years", and "If they believed in hurting hundreds of officials, they would all achieve prosperity." The excellent biographies of Historical Records are inseparable from Sima Qian's superb language control ability.

After an innocent person is persecuted, there are usually two choices: pessimism and depression, or anger for strength. Sima Qian chose the latter way. With the aim of "studying the relationship between heaven and man, making changes from ancient times to modern times and forming a unified view", he devoted all his "qi" to the creation of Historical Records. Sima Qian created the biographical style of China's historical works and a brand-new historical method. Sima Qian recorded history in the form of personal biography and discipline, and took society as the center, showing a large-scale history of social changes for future generations. Sima Qian has made brilliant achievements in history and literature.

His great patriotism and lofty personality will always shine with immortal light.

Sima Qian should not despise the miscellaneous studies of ancient history

Ge's "What's the Crime of Huo Zhi" (Reading,1No.9, 996) is free and easy, with examples from ancient and modern times that are easy to understand, which can be described as excellent in both arts and sciences and very beneficial. However, it is misleading to say, "I deeply feel that Tai Shigong's foresight is superior not only to ordinary scholars, but also to some historians of his time." Sima Qian is far superior to some historians today. Sima Qian is unparalleled in doing history, which is probably the knowledge of ancient and modern times. From a broader perspective, it is probably not a lie that no scholar behind Sima Qian can compare with him in the comprehensive grasp of history, society and personnel.

Sima Qian said: "The ancestors said: Since the death of Duke Zhou, there was Confucius at the age of 500. As for the five hundred years after Confucius' death, it is possible to announce the Ming Dynasty, but it is only easy to spread, following the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Book of Poetry, Rites and Music. I'm serious, I'm serious! How dare this boy give way? " (Preface to Taishi Gongxu) Sima Qian has always regarded writing as an equal career with Chunqiu, and it should be said that it has been done. Forgive my ignorance, but I don't seem to have seen anyone make irresponsible remarks about Sima Qian's self-assertion that "when studying heaven and man, we can learn from the changes of ancient and modern times and become a family statement." In this sense, Sima Qian should be regarded as a saint-like career. Since Sima Qian contributed to Chunqiu, did he enjoy even a moment of social reverence like Confucius? The answer is never. Therefore, Sima Qian left a heavy proposition to future generations: Why didn't the author who wrote the "saint-level" monograph get the treatment of saint-level? The reason why I say this is because the above sentence pattern of Mr. Ge will never be translated into "I deeply feel that Confucius' foresight ... is smarter than some contemporary people". And since ancient times, there has never been a similar conversion sentence pattern.

In fact, this proposition was left by Sima Qian, who first cracked it himself. He said: "there are no more unpunished people. They have never been far away ... and they have been ashamed of it since ancient times." ("Bao Ren An Shu") People who lose their qualities lose their respected qualifications. Therefore, Sima Qian added: "Although it takes a hundred years, it is very polluted." It seems that Sima Qian's heartbreak is not only because corruption is the most humiliating thing in the world, but more importantly, after this creation, his books will never be regarded as saints and sacred objects by future generations. Sure enough, not only did later scholars often say that "history moves without observing", but even people as smart as Mr. Ge unconsciously used Sima Qian's large scale to weigh people they didn't deserve. In this sense, Sima Qian's greatness lies not only in his ability to manage the previous history, but also in his ability to foresee the future. When people are crying for Sima Qian's earth-shattering literary thoughts, they inevitably fall into the secular ideas that he had before his death and still lingers behind him, so they will not face Sima Qian with pious reverence.

It should be pointed out that although Sima Qian foresaw the world two thousand years later in advance, he could not predict his own destiny. Some people may say that Sima Qian was sentenced to castration. This understanding is undoubtedly accusing Sima Qian of burning too much foot washing water, and it is completely brazen to cover up the cruelty of the ruler. Not to mention whether Li Ling turned himself in when Sima Qian was sentenced is still unclear. Even if it is resolved, it is common for the two countries to surrender and rebel. At least in the era of Sima Qian, this is not the official name used to convict. There is a man in the Biography of General Wei's title of generals in ancient times who was captured by Xiongnu for ten years and never heard that he lost his title. Therefore, the reason why Sima Qian was punished should also follow his own statement, that is, "he thinks he is a servant and a teacher", that is, he suffered an unwarranted condescension. Therefore, it can be asserted that the injustice suffered by Sima Qian two thousand years ago was a heinous crime.

Of course, Mr. Ge doesn't think Sima Qian deserved it. This can be concluded from the aversion to rule and reverence for Sima Qian shown everywhere in the article. However, Mr. Ge's unconsciousness is still influenced by secular ideas, so that he associates people and phenomena that he does not agree with with with Sima Qian. It should be noted that no matter who you are, as long as you can compete with Sima Qian in one place, it is a compliment, not the opposite. In addition, on the issue, Mr. Hu Shi and Mr. Ge had a similar conclusion, which is the so-called great minds think alike.