Sima Qian's "Records of History" has been extremely highly evaluated since ancient times, and it is not only sung by historians, but also leading the way in literature. The history books before the "Shi Ji", such as "Spring and Autumn" and "Zuo Zhuan", only recorded at that time, and the "Zuo Zhuan" began with "Zheng Boke Duan Yu Yan", which was the year of Lu Yin's common era, the Spring and Autumn Period. When it comes to Sima Qian's "Records of History", starting with the "Five Emperors Benji", so the "Five Emperors Benji" is the beginning of China's historiography, Sima Qian's strokes go back to ancient times, and before Sima Qian, no one has achieved this point.
But there has always been a problem that people do not pay much attention to, and the "Five Emperors Benji" is headed by the "Yellow Emperor". This is definitely a choice that Sima Qian's self-academic cognition and carefully made, at least this is different from his historiography enlightenment teacher, Sima Tan, who is also Tai Shi Ling's father.
So, why did Sima Qian honor the Yellow Emperor first?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >01.Sima Qian made a choice in contradiction</h1>
Lin Botong said that the system since ancient times was formulated by the Yellow Emperor, but Sima Qian's "Five Emperors Benji" took him as a beginning, which had another deep meaning.
This is the cognition of a small number of people, and the "Penglu Wenqian" directly says that Sima Qian was the "first Yellow Emperor", not out of original intent. The evidence is also obvious. Sima Qian made a self-prologue for the "History of History", which says:
"So since the Tao Tang Dynasty, as for the Lin Dynasty, since the Yellow Emperor. Wei Xi Huangdi, Fa Tian Ze Di, the Four Saints Obey the Order, each into the FaDu; Tang Yao abdicated, Yu Shun did not tai; Yu Mei Di Gong, Wan Shi Zaizhi. As the first of the Five Emperors. ”
This is also more or less true in Sima Qian's Book of Sealing Zen.
Sima Qian repeatedly emphasized "since Yao" and "since Tao Tang". Directly explain the deletion of the "book", cut off from Tang Yu. It can be seen that taking the "Yellow Emperor" as the leader is not out of intention.
But in reality, Sima Qian had to make a choice. Because Han gaozu Liu Bang, since Han Gaozu, built a shrine for the Yellow Emperor in Peiting. In Sima Qian's other texts, such as the "Family of Foreign Relatives", it is repeatedly said that Empress Dou, who was in power at that time, was good and old. Huang Lao, that is, the Yellow Emperor and Lao Tzu thought. The Yellow Emperor of the Han Dynasty, the Xiaojing Emperor, and the Emperor Wu all read through the Book of Huang Lao, and Emperor Wu of han even once lamented: "I am as sincere as the Yellow Emperor, and I regard my wife as a de-eared ear." "Because the emperor once had a legend of feathering into immortals, the so-called feathering into immortals, in fact, is the saying of health maintenance, and eventually transformed into feathers, fluttering immortals." Emperor Wu of Han wanted to live forever, and he sighed.
But this shows that he is very yearning for the "Yellow Emperor", at least Huang Lao thought that he is very admired.
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Sima Qian recorded in the Book of Sealing Zen that Emperor Wudi of Han was patrolling the world and changing the calendar, and the root cause of all the things was entrusted to the Yellow Emperor, when Gongsun made a cover for Emperor Wu of Han's poor army, saying that "the Yellow Emperor fought and learned immortals", that is, grasping reality, fighting wars and grabbing benefits did not conflict with xuexian seeking the Tao, because the Yellow Emperor did this.
The Yellow Emperor fought and learned immortals
Sima Qian's father, Sima Tan, regretted the most that he did not follow Emperor Wu of Han to seal Mount Tai. Sima Qian began to write history, and when he wrote the Five Emperors Benji, it was exactly the first year of the first taichu, when the Ming Hall was rebuilt and all the gods had to be sacrificed, and the calculation method used by Emperor Wu of Han was the Yellow Emperor's method of pushing the pods. If Sima Qian did not bow the Yellow Emperor, he would have lost the way of his courtiers.
Therefore, Sima Qian's "Five Emperors Benji" is actually Sima Qian's admonition, and it is known by comparing it with the "Book of Sealing Zen".
This was Sima Qian's choice after judging the situation, and it was very contradictory to think that Tai Shi Gong was at that time.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >02.Sima Qian left his own meaning in many texts</h1>
Sima Qian, in the praise of the Five Emperors Benji, said it very clearly:
"Scholars are mostly called the Five Emperors, Shangyi. However, the "Book of Shang" alone contains Yao, and the Yellow Emperor of the Hundred Houses of Speech, whose writing is not elegant, it is difficult to recommend Mr. Gentleman. Confucius's "Zaiyu Qing Wu Di De" and "Imperial Surname", Confucianism or not... Yu Guan "Spring and Autumn", "Chinese", his invention "Five Emperors", "Imperial Family Name" Zhang Yi... His anecdotes are seen in him from time to time. It is not easy to learn and think deeply, and it is difficult to know its meaning, and it is difficult to see and hear the truth. Yu ju discussed the second time, and chose his words to be elegant, so he wrote the first book of this book. ”
Sima Qian's meaning is very simple, many scholars respect the Five Emperors, but the more credible "Book of Shang" only writes "Yao Zi", the Hundred Sons and Hundreds of Families say the Yellow Emperor, but they can't talk about ghosts and gods at every turn, it is not very credible, he had to make some choices from the "Spring and Autumn" and "Chinese", arrange the order, choose the one whose theory is more reliable, and make the "Five Emperors Benji" the first of the "Records of History".
The Book of Sealing Zen says, "His words are not seen, and the gentleman is not the way." This means that such a record is not found in the classics, and people with status do not say these things.
In the "Biography of Dawan Lie", it is directly stated that Sima Qian's criteria for selecting materials are more practical and similar to those of the "Book of Shang", such as those monsters and strange things in the "Yu Benji" and "Classic of Mountains and Seas", which dare not be said.
This was a guideline set by Sima Qian for later historians.
Hegel once said that in the East only China has the most history books, while other countries only have legends and no history books. But Hegel did not know that the beginning of Chinese historiography was in the "Five Emperors Benji".
Sima Qian's criteria for selecting historical materials and the reasons for making his choices are left in his writings.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >03.Sima Qian's choice is very much in line with Chinese objective philosophical thought, curious and serious</h1>
Sima Qian's choice and the criterion in this way are of profound significance. It is also more in line with Chinese objective philosophical thought.
In the Chinese philosophical thought of the Hundred Sons and Hundred Schools, whether it is Confucianism, Taoism, Mojia, etc., they are highly unified with the criterion of Sima Qian. Sima Qian is really well-read and well-intentioned.
Like what:
The Analects of Shuzhi: "The Son does not speak strangely, forcefully, chaotically, and Divinely. "Confucius does not talk about ghosts.
"Zhuangzi Qiwu Theory": "Outside of the Liuhe, the saints exist and do not care." "It is not a human thing, the saint that Zhuangzi admires is when it exists, but will never say, this is called existence and disregard.
Qu Yuan's "Heavenly Questions", which involves the "preaching" (legend) of the ancients, is what Sima Qian called "anecdotes" that "dare not speak".
In short, Sima Qian's writing is exactly like Li Zhen's words, "Zhiwen is out of a child's heart", maintaining curiosity and seriousness, but never eliminating the truth.
Ancient history, calligraphy is not hidden. It is precisely the portrayal of Sima Qian.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > summary:</h1>
Sima Qian is really a model of Chinese historians, and he is by no means curious and gullible. The language and narrative of the "Zuo Chuan" are very concise, but for those historians with conscience, it is particularly appreciated, and the twenty-five years of Xianggong especially record that Nan Shishi is straight and fearless, and the "Zuo Chuan" only says that this person knows good and evil. In fact, good and evil are not the first choice for history, but faith and doubt are the first priority in history. Historical materials are like rain, it is difficult to identify, and it takes hard work to be able to do such a thing as Sima Qian. At least, Sima Qian would never "believe in letters and spread rumors, and hear different words" as the Spring and Autumn Period says.
Throughout his life, Sima Qian's painstaking writings were based on the principle of philosophers analyzing reasoning and making people understand the truth. The facts of the things he pursued, even in many texts, say that the previous records are not to be trusted, that rumors must be chosen, and that the colloquial theory of history rather than "anecdotes" should be excluded from the history. The "savage" is fond of words, and the "gentleman does not speak lightly", and must make a careful choice.
This is the true meaning of Mencius's so-called "letterlessness is better than no booklessness."
In fact, sima qian's most admirable place is that he dared not speak boldly, or even ignored it. Throughout his life, Sima Qian adhered to the principle of curiosity and not credulity.
Sima Qian often made very beautiful solutions to this problem, and he wrote in the Book of Sealing Zen that Shen Gong said: "The Yellow Emperor fought and learned immortals,...... More than 100 years old and then have to meet the magic ,...... There are dragons with beards, down to meet the Yellow Emperor, and the Yellow Emperor rides on the horse", but this is what others said, and the people who befriended Emperor Wu of Han said that the Yellow Emperor was fighting while cultivating immortals, and later there was a dragon to meet the Yellow Emperor, and the Yellow Emperor rode away on the dragon.
Sima Qian only recorded such people, and he would never say such a thing, Sima Qian composed the "Five Emperors Benji", very cautiously said: "The Yellow Emperor collapsed, buried Qiaoshan." "After the Yellow Emperor died, he was buried at Qiaoshan Mountain. Sima Qian did not say anything that was unbelievable to the gods.
Sima Qian also made a deep satire on such a stubborn person, saying in the Book of Sealing Zen that Emperor Wu of Han went to pay homage to the tomb of the Yellow Emperor, suddenly woke up, and asked, Doesn't it mean that the Yellow Emperor is not dead, why is there still a tomb? Those who patted the horse had to say that the Yellow Emperor had ascended to heaven and that the courtiers had buried the emperor's clothes here.
In the "Warring States Policy", it is written that Yu Rang assassinated Zhao Xiangzi, saying that Yu Rang used his sword to cut Zhao Xiangzi's clothes three times, and his clothes were bleeding, and Zhao Xiangzi died immediately after he returned.
Sima Qian's "Biography of the Assassins" wrote that Yu Rang assassinated Zhao Xiangzi, absolutely would not say such strange things as clothes bleeding, lest he involve strange delusions, directly write that Zhao Xiangzi gave clothes to Yu Rang, Yu Rang drew his sword and jumped three times and hit it, and it was over.
The historians of the world can be called the generalists, but Sima Qian is only one person. As for the "Emperor Wu Benji" honoring the Yellow Emperor as the head, the ins and outs, Sima Qian explained clearly, but the situation at that time had to be done!