The Grand Scribe's Records, Volume X

by Ssu-ma Ch'ien, William H. Nienhauser Jr. (Editor)

Overview

A remarkable document of ancient Chinese history: “[An] indispensable addition to modern sinology.” —China Review International
 
This volume of The Grand Scribe’s Records includes the second segment of Han-dynasty memoirs and deals primarily with men who lived and served under Emperor Wu (r. 141–87 B.C.). The lead chapter presents a parallel biography of two ancient physicians, Pien Ch’üeh and Ts’ang Kung, providing a transition between the founding of the Han dynasty and its heyday under Wu. The account of Liu P’i is framed by the great rebellion he led in 154 B.C. and the remaining chapters trace the careers of court favorites, depict the tribulations of an ill-fated general, discuss the Han’s greatest enemy, the Hsiung-nu, and provide accounts of two great generals who fought them. The final memoir is structured around memorials by two strategists who attempted to lead Emperor Wu into negotiations with the Hsiung-nu, a policy that Ssu-ma Ch’ien himself supported.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253056795
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	03/12/2021
Series:	The Memoirs of Han China
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	378
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145–ca. 86 BC) served for several decades as a high official at the court of the Han Emperor Wu around the year 100 BC. As China's greatest historian, he overcame political and personal conflicts to complete this huge narrative account of ancient China, from its beginnings through the end of the second century BC. William H. Nienhauser, Jr., is Halls-Bascom Professor of Classical Chinese Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His books include The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature (two volumes, Indiana University Press, 1985, 1998), (as translator) Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical by André Lévy (Indiana University Press, 2000), and (as editor and translator) the previous six volumes of The Grand Scribe's Records. He is a founding editor of the journal Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
On Using This Book
Weights and Measures (Lu Zongli)
List of Abbreviations

Memoir 53 The Southern Yüeh
Memoir 54 The Eastern Yüeh
Memoir 55 Ch’ao-hsien
Memoir 56 The Southwestern Barbarians
Memoir 57 Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju
Memoir 58 Huai-nan and Heng-shan
Memoir 59 The Officials Who Follow Reason
Memoir 60 Chi and Cheng
Memoir 61 The Confucian Scholars

Frequently Mentioned Commentators
Selected Recent Studies of the Shih chi
Index

Editorial Reviews

This volume is a highly valuable addition to this well-established series. When read against the original text of the Shiji, these translations, the notes, and all the other material provided by the translators and the editor will serve as inspiring points of departure for further explorations in the wider field of Chinese history and literature.

Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies

"

The significance of Nienhauser's contribution cannot be overstated. The Shiji is one of the cornerstones of early Chinese history, and giving students and scholars access to fully annotated translations is an achievement that will endure for many generations.

"

China Review International

The English translation has been done meticulously, with full scholarly apparatus. . . . These volumes are essential library additions.

Choice

"The English translation has been done meticulously, with full scholarly apparatus.... These volumes are essential library additions." — Choice

From the Publisher