In this Chinese name, the family name is Sima (Ssu-ma).
Sima Qian
Born
c. 145 BC
Longmen, Han dynasty (now Hancheng, Shaanxi)
Died
c. 86 BC (after 91 BC)
Occupation(s)
Astronomer, astrologer, historian, poet
Known for
Records of the Grand Historian
Relatives
Sima Tan (father)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
司馬遷
Simplified Chinese
司马迁
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Sīmǎ Qiān
Bopomofo
ㄙㄇㄚˇㄑㄧㄢ
Wade–Giles
Ssu1-ma3 Ch'ien1
IPA
[sɹ̩́.mà tɕʰjɛ́n]
Wu
Shanghainese Romanization
Sy-ma Tshie
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization
Sī-máh Chīn
Jyutping
Si1 maa5 Cin1
IPA
[siː˥.maː˩˧ tsʰiːn˥]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ
Su-má Chhian
Tâi-lô
Su-má Tshian
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
Sɨ-mæX Tshjen
Old Chinese
Baxter–Sagart (2014)
*s-ləmˤraʔ[tsʰ]ar
Courtesy name
Traditional Chinese
子長
Simplified Chinese
子长
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Zǐzhǎng
Bopomofo
ㄗˇㄓㄤˇ
Wade–Giles
Tzu3-chang3
IPA
[tsɹ̩̀.ʈʂàŋ]
Wu
Shanghainese Romanization
Tsy-tsan
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization
Jí-jéung
Jyutping
Zi2 zoeng2
IPA
[tsiː˧˥.tsœːŋ˧˥]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ
Tzú-tiúnn
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
TsɨX-drɨang
Old Chinese
Baxter–Sagart (2014)
*tsəʔCə-[N]-traŋ
Sima Qian ([sɹ̩́mà tɕʰjɛ́n]; c. 145 – c. 86 BC) was a Chinese historian during the early Han dynasty. He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his Records of the Grand Historian, a general history of China covering more than two thousand years beginning from the rise of the legendary Yellow Emperor and the formation of the first Chinese polity to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, during which Sima wrote. As the first universal history of the world as it was known to the ancient Chinese, the Records of the Grand Historian served as a model for official history-writing for subsequent Chinese dynasties and the Sinosphere in general until the 20th century.[1]
Sima Qian's father, Sima Tan, first conceived of the ambitious project of writing a complete history of China, but had completed only some preparatory sketches at the time of his death. After inheriting his father's position as court historian in the imperial court, he was determined to fulfill his father's dying wish of composing and putting together this epic work of history. However, in 99 BC, he would fall victim to the Li Ling affair for speaking out in defense of the general, who was blamed for an unsuccessful campaign against the Xiongnu. Given the choice of being executed or castrated, he chose the latter in order to finish his historical work. Although he is universally remembered for the Records, surviving works indicate that he was also a gifted poet and prose writer, and he was instrumental in the creation of the Taichu calendar, which was officially promulgated in 104 BC.
As his position in the imperial court was "Grand Historian" (tàishǐ太史)—variously translated as 'court historian', 'scribe', 'astronomer', or 'astrologer'—later generations would accord him with the honorific title of "Lord Grand Historian" (Tàishǐ gōng太史公) for his monumental work. However, his magnum opus was completed many years after his tenure as Grand Historian ended in disgrace and after his acceptance of punitive actions against him including imprisonment, castration, and subjection to servility. He was acutely aware of the importance of his work to posterity and its relationship to his own personal suffering. In the postface of the Records, he implicitly compared his universal history of China to the classics of his day, the Guoyu by Zuo Qiuming, "Li Sao" by Qu Yuan, and the Art of War by Sun Bin, pointing out that their authors all suffered great personal misfortunes before their lasting monumental works could come to fruition. Sima Qian is also depicted in the Wu Shuang Pu by Jin Guliang.
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SimaQian ([sɹ̩́mà tɕʰjɛ́n]; c. 145 – c. 86 BC) was a Chinese historian during the early Han dynasty. He is considered the father of Chinese historiography...
late 2nd century BC to early 1st century BC by the historian SimaQian, whose father Sima Tan had begun it several decades earlier. The work covers a 2...
Müller 2021, "Introduction". SimaQian 2007, pp. 15–20, 82, 99. Loewe 2000, p. 654. SimaQian 1994, p. 127. 司马迁 [SimaQian]. 《史记》 [Records of the Grand...
kingdoms to each other through trade. Zhang's accounts were compiled by SimaQian in the 1st century BC. The Central Asian parts of the Silk Road routes...
Grand Historian was completed by his son SimaQian, who is considered the founder of Chinese historiography. Sima Tan studied astronomy with Tang Du, the...
SimaQian. 《史記·卷九十二·淮陰侯列傳第三十二》 ["Ranked Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin", Records of the Grand Historian]. 項王亡將鐘離眛家在伊廬，素與信善。 SimaQian. 《史記·卷九十二·淮陰侯列傳第三十二》...
a king list that largely matches that of the traditional histories of SimaQian and the Bamboo Annals. The inscriptions also give insight into royal concerns...
[Qin] Er Shi's elder brother's son Prince Ying as the King of Qin. — SimaQian, Records of the Grand Historian, "Records of Qin Shi Huang" An elder brother...
musicians. The construction of the tomb was described by the historian SimaQian (145–90 BCE) in the Records of the Grand Historian, the first of China's...
Ga-gə′. Although his parentage was questioned by many historians including SimaQian, they accepted Qin Er Shi as a member of the state of Qin's House of Ying...
According to SimaQian, Confucius said: "The disciples who received my instructions, and could themselves comprehend them, were seventy-seven individuals...
century later in the Han dynasty official SimaQian's Records of the Grand Historian. As a court scholar, Sima had every reason to denigrate the earlier...
1 May 2024. Sima, Qian. The Grand Historian. "Minister Fan Ju". Archived from the original on 2018-12-24. Retrieved 2018-12-24. Sima, Qian. The Grand Historian...
clan (夫人 柏氏) Sons: Sima Fu (趙世子 司馬荂; d. 301) Sima Fu, Prince Jiyang (濟陽王 司馬馥; d. 301) SimaQian, Prince Ruyin (汝陰王 司馬虔; d. 301) Sima Xu, Marquis Bacheng...
construction of the mausoleum including descriptions of the tomb was given by SimaQian in chapter six of his Records of the Grand Historian, which was written...
state of Zhao. According to the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) by SimaQian, Elai was known for his immense physical strength. In the historical novel...
year 841 BC, is highly significant in ancient Chinese history, in that SimaQian was able to construct a year-by-year chronology back to that point. Any...
classifications. Sun Tzu's historicity is uncertain. The Han dynasty historian SimaQian and other traditional Chinese historians placed him as a minister to King...
ISBN 0-231-08166-9; ISBN 0-231-08167-7 (pbk) SimaQian, Records of the Grand Historian of China. Translated from the Shih Chi of SimaQian by Burton Watson. New York:...
Sima Rangju", based on SimaQian's description of the work as being largely attributed to the famous fourth-century BC Qi general Sima Rangju. Sima Qian...
Guifan Dictionary advocating for Efang.: 161–2 The Han dynasty historian SimaQian does not explain what the name means, but the later commentator Yan Shigu...
from 481 BC to 403 BC as the beginning of the Warring States period, SimaQian's choice of 475 BC is the most often cited. The Warring States period largely...
confederation." SimaQian, 4:160. Records of the Grand Historian, ed. Burton Watson, Hong Kong: Columbia University Press, 1962. SimaQian, 6:282. SimaQian, 1:87–88...
Working from all the available documents, the Han dynasty historian SimaQian assembled a sequential account of the Shang dynasty as part of his Records...
SimaQian thought that Xiang Yu had failed to see his own shortcomings and to make attempts to correct his mistakes, even until his death. SimaQian thought...
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