The Grand Scribe's Records, Volume X

Ssu-ma Ch'ien, William H. Nienhauser, William H. Nienhauser, Jr., Chiu Ming Chan, Hans van Ess, Thomas D. Noel, Marc Nürnberger, Jakob Pöllath, Andreas Siegl, Lianlian Wu

• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9780253050526
• eBook ISBN:
  9780253056795
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Ancient History
• Index: History

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.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• On Using This Book
• Weights and Measures
• 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