Grand Scribe’s Records, Volume VI

Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145-ca. 86 BC) was an official at the court of the Han Emperor Wu (r. 141-87 BC), who was involved in the compilation of a mammoth historical project that resulted in this history, which came to be known as the Shih chi (The Grand Scribe's Records).William H. Nienhauser, Jr., is the Halls-Bascom Professor of Classical Chinese Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and editor of six previous volumes of The Grand Scribe's Records.Masha Kobzeva is Lecturer at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has contributed to several of the volumes of The Grand Scribe's Records, and is managing editor of Chinese Literature: Essays Articles and Reviews (CLEAR).

The Grand Scribe's Records, Volume VI, contains annotated translations of the "hereditary houses" for the Ch'in and Han dynasties. Such "houses" were an invention of Ssu-ma Ch'ien and in early periods treated the history of various states. Here, however, the subjects vary, often containing merely biographies of their main protagonist. The volume begins with an account of the rebel Ch'en She in chapter 48, whose "house" consisted of the other rebel leaders he spurred into action against the Ch'in dynasty, and ends in chapter 60 with the memorials concerning the reigns of the sons of Emperor Wu of the Han born to concubines, men whose reigns ended badly. Besides accounts of the kings from the royal Liu family, included are the stories of the maternal relatives, empresses, and imperial consorts, as well as the major statesmen and military leaders who guided the Han victory.

DedicationAcknowledgmentsIntroductionOn Using this BookWeights and Measures (Lu Zongli)List of AbbreviationsTranslated Chapters"Ch'en She, Hereditary House 18," trans. by William H. Nienhauser, Jr."Affectionate Members of the Outer Family, Hered. House 19," trans. by Hans van Ess"King Yüan of Ch'u, Hereditary House 20," translated by Marc Nürnberger"King Ching and King Yan, Hereditary House 21," translated by Zheyu Su"King Tao Hui of Ch'i, Hereditary House 22," translated by Sebastian Eicher"Chancellor of State Hsiao, Hereditary House 23," translated by Hongyu Huang"Chancellor of State Ts'ao, Hereditary House 24," translated by Clara Luhn"The Marquis of Liu, Hereditary House 25," translated by Masha Kobzeva"Chancellor Ch'en, Hereditary House 26," translated by Weiguo Cao"Chou Po, Marquis of Chiang, Hereditary House 27," translated by Yixuan Cai"King Hsiao of Liang, Hereditary House 28," translated by Nicolae Statu"The Five Lineages, Hereditary House 29," translated by Jakob Pöllath"The Three Kings, Hereditary House 30," translated by Maria KhayutinaFrequently Mentioned CommentatorsIndex