Translation? Although each river flows in different directions, it will eventually merge into the sea, so there is no flood disaster in the world; Although the roads between countries are different, they will eventually lead to China, so there is no worry in the world: it can be seen that the significance of meeting and adapting is very important. Since the beginning of writing, although many people have written books, only Confucius, with his divine wisdom, has integrated poems, calligraphy, rituals and music into one, and then contracted articles all over the world. Through the words of two emperors and three Wang Zhidao, we can include the changes through the ages. It makes the Confucian way bright and far-reaching, and no one can match it before and after a hundred generations. After the death of Confucius, a hundred schools of thought contended, and the book was written after the Analects of Confucius, which was written by Confucius' disciples in such a vague way that the true deeds of various dynasties were not recorded. During the Jian Yuan and Yuan Feng years of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Sima Tan and Sima Qian appeared.
? Sima Qian was in charge of official books for generations and was good at writing, so he was able to test Confucius' ambition and add poems, calligraphy, Zuo Zhuan, Mandarin, scholars' books, Warring States policies, Chu and Han Dynasties and other books, which ran through the Yellow Emperor, Tang Yao and Yu Shun and became a book in Qin and Han Dynasties. It can be divided into five genres: chronology, genealogy, calendar, book gathering, and biography, so that after a hundred generations, historians can't change the system he founded and scholars can't abandon books. After six classics, only this book can be compared. So Sima Qian said, "Confucius didn't appear until 500 years after the Duke of Zhou, and this book didn't appear until 500 years after Confucius." This proves that he thinks highly of himself. But great works must be very profound and elegant. You must read all the books in the world so that there will be no regrets. Sima Qian lived in an era when the ban on book collection had just been lifted, and the atmosphere of giving books was not popular. Historical events that lasted for 3,000 years are confined to seven or eight kinds of history books. I sympathize with Sima Qian, but I am not knowledgeable enough. Anyone who writes, although using the works of predecessors, must form his own speech. Zuo Qiuming, a Chu native, is well informed, but all his books are written in Chu language. Gongyanggao is a Qi native with a great deal of knowledge, but all the books are written in the language of Qi. Now Sima Qian's books are all written in old words, mixed with vulgar words. It was really because the collection and records were not complete enough that he said, "I dare not destroy the words of my ancestors, just telling stories and sorting out rumors, not real works." Liu Zhiji also admitted that he "used a lot of past records, interspersed with messy words from time to time". I think Sima Qian is pitiful, but not elegant enough. Cheng in the state of Jin, Yao in the state of Chu and Chunqiu in the state of Lu all belong to the same type of history books. Cheng and Lang Lang have no successors, so this book is not popular in later generations. Chunqiu was first promoted by Confucius and then by Zuo Qiuming, so it can coexist with the sun and the moon. Otherwise, how can a little deeds prevail in the world? Since the Spring and Autumn Annals, only Historical Records has surpassed Creation Society. Unfortunately, Ban Gu was not a suitable candidate, which led to the loss of the purpose of the meeting and adaptation, and the system founded by Sima Qian declined.
? Ban Gu is a vain man. He has no academic knowledge, but only plagiarizes other people's works. Zhang Han asked him about the system of rites and music, and Ban Gu replied that the literati in Beijing must know it. If all courtiers are like this, what kind of advisers are needed? After the scholars expressed their opinions, Ban Gu took out Twelve Hanyi Poems written by his uncle to perfuse Zhang Di's inquiry. If all ministers are like this, what is the paper? Knowing that Ban Gu was humble, Emperor Zhang said to Dou Xian, "You like Ban Gu and ignore Cui Yi, just as Ye Gongzi likes dragons but doesn't like them." Ban Gu had a fixed evaluation at that time; What good works can a person like this have? The book "Historical Records" has ten great contributions, just like the clothes with crowns on your head, trees and rivers have roots; Ban Gu didn't know how to write on the rampage, and reluctantly ranked the characters through the ages. Moreover, it is considered that the Han Dynasty should directly inherit the favor of Emperor Yao, so it is unfounded to criticize Sima Qian for confusing the Han Dynasty with the Qin Dynasty and Xiang Yu in Historical Records. Because he only wrote books of the Han Dynasty, Zhou and Qin could not inherit them, and there was a gap between ancient and modern times. From Emperor Gaozu to Liang Wudi, before that, they all stole Sima Qian's historical records without feeling ashamed. From Emperor Zhao to Emperor Ping, there are six generations, based on the works of Jia Kui and Liu Xin, and they are not ashamed. Besides, relying on Ban Zhao to complete the unfinished chapter for him, Ban Gu wrote very little by himself. Most of them are out of Ban Gu's mind, and there is only the Table of Ancient and Modern People, which is a mistake that others have not made. Later generations write and modify history books, just like building a house on the roadside; Stealing other people's articles is like stealing a clock: it all starts with Ban Gu. Only in this way can Ban Gu's career be achieved, and it is too late for later historians to imitate Ban Gu, so how can they have extra energy to discuss his quality? Compared with Ban Gu, Sima Qian seems to have obvious differences between dragons and pigs. But later historians abandoned Sima Qian and imitated Ban Gu, while Liu Zhiji people respected Ban Gu and demoted Sima Qian. And the one who can learn from Sima Qian most is Ban Biao. Ban Biao continued the Historical Records from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to the Eastern Han Dynasty and wrote historical books. He hopes that future generations will inherit him, just as he inherited Sima Qian; Not only are there no superfluous words, but also the times are not cut off; Generation after generation seems to come from one person: he is really good at inheriting Sima Qian's ambition. I can't read his book today, but I can only see the praise of Yuan Di and Cheng Di. They are all outside the discipline, and I know Sima Qian very well after hearing some other records. All the "gentleman's theory" parts in Zuo Zhuan are about the new meaning of classical interpretation; All the parts of "Taishi Gong Gong Yue" in Historical Records are deeds outside the main body-neither praising beauty nor belittling beauty; Occasionally derogatory words are also mixed in the words of Chu Yi-ren. Moreover, the deeds of good and evil are recorded in this chronicle and biography, which is enough as a warning. Why should we add words of praise and condemnation to this chronicle and biography? This is an article written by a student who took the exam. How can it be used to write books? Probably not the original intention of Sima Qian and Ban Biao. Besides, this is called "praise", and there is no derogatory term. Later historians, some called "Lun", some called "Preface", some called "Interpretation" and some called "Comment", all imitated Ban Gu, which is why I had to debate Ban Gu fiercely. Sima Tan wrote history books, and Sima Qian was able to fulfill his father's ambition; Ban Biao has a desire to learn history, but Ban Gu can't be familiar with his father's works. Ban Gu is the son of Ban Biao. Not only can he not save his own life, but he can't inherit his father's ambition and teach his son. How can such a person let his works be imitated by people all over the world? First-rate figures like Fan Wei and Chen Shou are all inherited from the past. They are frivolous and have no virtue. How can they write credible history books?
? Confucius said: "Shang dynasty followed the etiquette system of Xia dynasty, and the increase or decrease can be known;" Zhou dynasty followed the etiquette system of Shang dynasty, and the increase and decrease can also be known. "This shows the mutual inheritance of etiquette system. Since Ban Gu devoted himself to the history of a generation, it no longer has the significance of mutual inheritance; Although there is the wisdom of Confucius, it is impossible to know the increase or decrease of etiquette system in each generation. Since then, the principle of meeting flexibility has been lost. Speaking of the same part, there are one commandment after another, and an emperor has several commandments; Biography after biography, the same person has several biographies. Astronomical phenomena have not changed since ancient times, but every generation has astronomical records: The Biography of Hong Fan's Five Elements is a masterpiece, but every generation has five elements. How can such a complicated writing be tolerated? When it comes to different parts, the former emperor is not in front of the later emperor, and the deeds of the latter emperor cannot continue the deeds of the previous generation; Counties divide and rule, but they don't understand the origin of change and reform; The system of rites and music changed casually, resulting in different religious and political customs. How can such intermittent records be tolerated? Cao Wei called Wu and Shu "thieves" and the Northern Dynasties called the Eastern Jin "trespassing". The Southern Dynasties called the Northern Dynasties "Rousseau" and the Northern Dynasties called the Southern Dynasties "Islanders". The Book of the Northern Qi Dynasty called the army of the Liang Dynasty "rebel army" and attempted to invade other people's land. Can it be called Renyi? " Sui Shu called the troops of the Tang Dynasty "soldiers of justice" and crusaded against the kings of other countries. Can you call it Renyi? Fang supervises the revision of history books, so his father Fang enjoys a high reputation. Yu Shinan participated in the compilation of history books, so his father and uncle Yu sent them to, and their biography was very good. More seriously, for example, Xia's dog barks at Emperor Yao's dog, which is entirely a move made by the courtiers to help their master. The Party in the Book of Jin was the same as the Jin Dynasty and did not recognize the Northern Wei Dynasty. Anyone who was loyal to the Northern Wei Dynasty was regarded as a traitor, which made Wang Po, Zhuge Dan, Zhou and others suffer injustice after their death. The Party in Beiqi Book, like Beiqi, did not recognize Liu Song. Anyone who is loyal to Liu Song is regarded as a traitor, which makes Sang Yuan, Liu Bing, Shen Youzhi and others suffer greatly. Alas! It's clear in the sky during the day. Why is it so messy? Such things happen in every dynasty. Nothing is greater than hurting customs and ruining justice! Sima Qian's brushwork has been lost, and Ban Gu's illness has worsened. From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, no one could find this mistake. Only Liang Wudi sighed for these situations, so he ordered Wu Jun to write a general history, starting from the early years of Emperor Wu and ending in Beiqi. The book has not been finished yet, and Wu Jun has passed away. Su Yang of the Sui Dynasty also asked Lu Congdian to calculate the history and continue the Historical Records. Until the Sui Dynasty, the book was not completed, and Lu Congdian was dismissed by the ink official. Is it because God fasted and refused to teach articles? Or blame historians and refuse to protect them? Since the Tang Dynasty, no one has found this kind of mistake. Anyone who is responsible for writing history takes Chunqiu as an example and is committed to promoting and condemning it. Chunqiu uses short words to express the great significance. Without annotations, the deeds of good and evil are difficult to understand. History books contain deeds in detailed words, and the situation of good and evil has been revealed, so it is unnecessary to call it criticism. After reading the deeds of Xiao He and Cao Can, don't you know their loyalty? I have read all the works of Wang Bury and Dong Zhuo. Don't you know their shortcomings? History books are important books of the country, but the person in charge does not know how to attach importance to laws and regulations, but only knows how to brag; Just like a housewife at home, she doesn't even take care of her daily meals, only knows how to gossip, how can she prosper her family? This is something I am deeply ashamed of.
? Jiang Yan once said: "There is no difficulty in collecting and repairing history books." It's really because chronicles are related to laws and regulations, and they can't be completed if they are not familiar with past examples, unlike biographies and biographies: chronicles use years to record stories, and biographies use stories to contact people, so researchers can complete them. Therefore, the compilation of local chronicles is the most difficult, and the second difficulty is that there is no image. Therefore, Ye Fan, Chen Shou and others can write biographies and biographies, but they dare not make tables and records. The origin of records began in Erya, which Sima Qian called a book, Ban Gu called a record, Cai Ba called it a meaning, Hua Qiao called it a code, Jaco called it a record, and He Fasheng called it a speech. Other history books are called "Zhi" by Ban Gu, which all contain function words and ignore the actual things, and cannot fully cover the original meaning of Er Ya. I'm going to summarize the world's important academics, and write down the outline and details. It's called "omitted". There are twenty sketches, laws and regulations of past dynasties, and scholars' professional knowledge in handling affairs are gathered here. Among them, there are five kinds, which have been heard by scholars in Han and Tang Dynasties. Among them, 15 sketches have never been heard by scholars in Han and Tang Dynasties. ……
? A * * * 15 abbreviation, all from my thoughts, Han and Tang scholars do not interfere. Ritual Policy describes five rites: auspiciousness, fierceness, military service, hospitality and courtesy; Official Policy shows the order of officials; Selection Policy shows the method of selecting talents; Criminal Law Policy records the way of punishment; Food Policy records the evolution of money and property. Although these five strategies are based on ancient books of ancestors, they are not taken from many historical books.
? Recording the history of ancient things is called "Zhi". "The Great Biography of Shangshu" said: "If the son of heaven asks but can't answer, he should blame the former (counselor); If there are things that need to be recorded but not recorded, Hou Cheng (consultant) should be blamed. " Therefore, the history books of Song and Zheng are called "records". Sima Qian changed the chronicle into a factual record. Now it is also called "ambition", which is based on an old saying. Huan Tan said: "Sima Qian's Three Generations Genealogy Table is all copied from Zhou Pu. In ancient times, books that recorded and recorded other dates of historical events were called "Pu". Sima Qian changed his name to Biao. Now it's called spectrum, completely according to the old method. However, the historical books recorded in the Western Zhou Dynasty were lost after the Wang You Rebellion, so the collation of Chunqiu began in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Since Huangfuyi wrote Imperial Century and Almanac, it was pushed to Huang San; Who Zhou, Tao Hongjing and others all have the same works as him. People who are scholars of later generations are very skeptical, so the age of Sima Qian's catalogue is taken as the standard, so the age is counted from * * *. However, the names of * * * and * are unbelievable, not to mention its age? Confucius began to compile Shangshu from Tang Yao and Yu Shun, while Chunqiu began to record in Lu Yingong, because the time of the Western Zhou Dynasty could not be verified. The spectrum table compiled now is called "World Spectrum" because Chunqiu only knows several generations. Since the Spring and Autumn Annals, the time has been clear, so it is called "chronology". Sima Qian used Liu Jia to date, and later generations used Liu Jia to date. Some people use the name of "He Yin" instead of "Sixty Jia". The spectrum we are making now is based on Sima Qian's method, which is not only simple, but also clear, and it goes on wave after wave without any obstacles. The gift book says, "When writing an article, you don't have to avoid violating it. "This means that there is no need to avoid infringing on private names in public affairs; If it is a taboo for the king, it should be avoided on any occasion. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, historians avoided writing history, and only the Book of the New Tang Dynasty did not avoid violating it. The book I am revising now takes the previous history books as an example; Occasionally, there are inevitable things, such as overflow signs. If you change the original word, you can't understand its meaning, so it is also in accordance with the method of the Tang Dynasty. (Han Jingdi was named Qi, and the word Qi was changed to Qi; The name of Han 'an Emperor was Qing, and the word Qing was changed to He. Tang Taizu was a tiger, and the word tiger was changed to Wu. The name is yuan, and the word yuan is changed to water. Another example is Zhang Huai's Prince Li Xian's annotation of the Book of the Later Han Dynasty. If you encounter a "dragon garden", you can't avoid violating it; Du You wrote The General's Canon, but when he met the words "Tiger is expensive", he avoided it. )
? The profundity of academic lipid-making comes from hard work, just like ordinary people going into the sea, they can get deeper every time. The twenty sketches I wrote are all my own experiences, and I didn't use the contents of previous history books. Chronology and biography, arranged in chronological order, record the truth of the matter, which has been stipulated by predecessors, and will not increase because of cleverness or decrease because of stupidity. Therefore, in chronicles and biographies, it will be increased or decreased according to the records of old history. As for the manufacture of the son of heaven in this chronicle, there are ministers' notes in the biographies, and if they are found in the text, they are recorded according to the facts; If you find it elsewhere, don't put it in the category. "The Book of the New Tang Dynasty" and "The History of the New Five Dynasties" were written by the ministers of this dynasty (Song Dynasty), so they did not dare to sell themselves short, so the biographies and biographies ended in the Sui Dynasty. As for the system of rites and music, criminal law and politics, it is necessary to preserve the evolution, so it was extended to the Tang Dynasty.
? Ah! The dregs of wine pulp, of course, have a light taste; At the end of the academic trend, the knowledge about nature is superficial; The nine schools all advocated Chen Jiao, but later they all had shortcomings. However, the diseases of other schools still exist slightly in the old law; There is only one Confucianism, which is too far from the source. What is the reason? Ban Gu once said: "Since the establishment of the Five Classics Doctor, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has set the number of students, set up subjects, selected talents, and encouraged and rewarded them with official positions." Until the Han and Yuan Dynasties, it was about one hundred years. The number of people who teach it is increasing, and the significance of explaining the classics is increasing. A classic book can speak more than a million words, and there are more than a thousand famous scholars, probably for the nobility and interests. "In just one hundred years, it has deteriorated to this point; What kind of disease will there be in a thousand years? What's more, the way to pursue nobleness and interests must be through subject examinations and scientific research cupping, and must be through strategic articles. There are 300 songs in The Book of Songs, all of which were sung by our ancestors. I have never heard of a scholar's poem: The Book of Changes has sixty-four hexagrams, including the image and the number of hexagrams. I haven't seen any hexagrams created by scholars since Bo Shi was founded in the Book of Changes. Character creation by position is completely based on six principles: pictographic, indicative, knowing, pictophonetic, transliteration and borrowing. When primary schools were established in the Han Dynasty, people who taught Chinese characters didn't understand the principle of word formation. The music law of "Ling Lun" is based on seven scales: Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zheng, Yu, Gong and Zheng. The Six Dynasties set up phonology, and musicians didn't understand the theme of music. The classics have been careless, and the history books are even more exquisite. I don't know when it will be restored. The rise and fall of Taoism can be seen in the times, the poverty of the times can be seen in fate, and the disease of Confucianism has reached its extreme today. When it is extremely cold, heat will come; It is a natural truth that good luck will come when bad luck comes to the extreme. My weak constitution is dying; The humble intention is just to look forward to peace and prosperity. A respectful narrative.
original text
? If a hundred rivers flow in different directions, they will certainly flow to the sea, then Kyushu Island will not be submerged; Each country goes its own way, and after the summer, it will pass, and then there will be no worries about the eight major famines. Communication has great significance. (Because the maximum number of words is exceeded, it is omitted. )