Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145–ca. 86 BC) served for several decades as a high official at the court of the Han Emperor Wu around the year 100 BC. As China's greatest historian, he overcame political and personal conflicts to complete this huge narrative account of ancient China, from its beginnings through the end of the second century BC. William H. Nienhauser, Jr., is Halls-Bascom Professor Emeritus of Classical Chinese Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His books include The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature (two volumes, Indiana University Press, 1985, 1998), (as translator) Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical by André Lévy (Indiana University Press, 2000), and (as editor and translator) the previous volumes of The Grand Scribe's Records. He is a founding editor of the journal Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR).

"[T]he Grand Scribe's Records volume 8 is a remarkable achievement and an interesting experiment in combining something resembling a traditional Chinese commentarial style with a Western scholarly context. . . . And, as with previous volumes, the intrepid beginner or the careful specialist will find volume 8 to be ahelpful aid to research on the Shiji."—China Review International"These volumes are most welcome. . . . The English translation has been done meticulously, with full scholarly apparatus. . . . These volumes are essential library additions."—Choice

• DedicationAcknowledgementsIntroductionOn Using This BookA Note on ChronologyWeights and MeasuresList of AbbreviationsPo Yi, MemoirKuan Yi-wu and Yen Ying, MemoirLao Tzu and Han Fei, MemoirMarshal Jang-chu, MemoirSun Tzu and Wu Ch'i, MemoirWu Tzu Hsu, MemoirConfiucius's Disciples, MemoirThe Lord of Shang, MemoirSu Ch'in, MemoirChang Yi, MemoirShu-li Tzu and Kan Mao, MemoirThe Marquis of Jang, MemoirPai Ch'i and Wang Chien, MemoirMeng Tzu and Excellency Hsun, MemoirThe Lord of Meng-ch'ang, MemoirThe Lord of P'ing-yuan and Excellency Yu, MemoirThe Noble Scion of Wei, MemoirThe Lord of Ch'un-shen, MemoirFan Sui and Ts'ai Tse, MemoirYueh Yi, MemoirLien P'o and Lin Hsiang-ju, MemoirT'ien Tan, MemoirLu Chung Lien and Tsou Yang, MemoirCh'u Yuan and Scholar Chia, MemoirLu Pu-wei, MemoirThe Assassin-Retainers, MemoirLi Ssu, MemoirMeng T'ien, MemoirBibliographyIndexMaps

Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145–ca. 86 BC) served for several decades as a high official at the court of the Han Emperor Wu around the year 100 BC. As China's greatest historian, he overcame political and personal conflicts to complete this huge narrative account of ancient China, from its beginnings through the end of the second century BC. William H. Nienhauser, Jr., is Halls-Bascom Professor Emeritus of Classical Chinese Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His books include The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature (two volumes, Indiana University Press, 1985, 1998), (as translator) Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical by André Lévy (Indiana University Press, 2000), and (as editor and translator) the previous volumes of The Grand Scribe's Records. He is a founding editor of the journal Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR).

"[T]he Grand Scribe's Records volume 8 is a remarkable achievement and an interesting experiment in combining something resembling a traditional Chinese commentarial style with a Western scholarly context. . . . And, as with previous volumes, the intrepid beginner or the careful specialist will find volume 8 to be ahelpful aid to research on the Shiji."—China Review International"These volumes are most welcome. . . . The English translation has been done meticulously, with full scholarly apparatus. . . . These volumes are essential library additions."—Choice

• DedicationAcknowledgementsIntroductionOn Using This BookA Note on ChronologyWeights and MeasuresList of AbbreviationsPo Yi, MemoirKuan Yi-wu and Yen Ying, MemoirLao Tzu and Han Fei, MemoirMarshal Jang-chu, MemoirSun Tzu and Wu Ch'i, MemoirWu Tzu Hsu, MemoirConfiucius's Disciples, MemoirThe Lord of Shang, MemoirSu Ch'in, MemoirChang Yi, MemoirShu-li Tzu and Kan Mao, MemoirThe Marquis of Jang, MemoirPai Ch'i and Wang Chien, MemoirMeng Tzu and Excellency Hsun, MemoirThe Lord of Meng-ch'ang, MemoirThe Lord of P'ing-yuan and Excellency Yu, MemoirThe Noble Scion of Wei, MemoirThe Lord of Ch'un-shen, MemoirFan Sui and Ts'ai Tse, MemoirYueh Yi, MemoirLien P'o and Lin Hsiang-ju, MemoirT'ien Tan, MemoirLu Chung Lien and Tsou Yang, MemoirCh'u Yuan and Scholar Chia, MemoirLu Pu-wei, MemoirThe Assassin-Retainers, MemoirLi Ssu, MemoirMeng T'ien, MemoirBibliographyIndexMaps

Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145–ca. 86 BC) served for several decades as a high official at the court of the Han Emperor Wu around the year 100 BC. As China's greatest historian, he overcame political and personal conflicts to complete this huge narrative account of ancient China, from its beginnings through the end of the second century BC. William H. Nienhauser, Jr., is Halls-Bascom Professor Emeritus of Classical Chinese Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His books include The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature (two volumes, Indiana University Press, 1985, 1998), (as translator) Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical by André Lévy (Indiana University Press, 2000), and (as editor and translator) the previous volumes of The Grand Scribe's Records. He is a founding editor of the journal Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR).

"[T]he Grand Scribe's Records volume 8 is a remarkable achievement and an interesting experiment in combining something resembling a traditional Chinese commentarial style with a Western scholarly context. . . . And, as with previous volumes, the intrepid beginner or the careful specialist will find volume 8 to be ahelpful aid to research on the Shiji."—China Review International"These volumes are most welcome. . . . The English translation has been done meticulously, with full scholarly apparatus. . . . These volumes are essential library additions."—Choice

• DedicationAcknowledgementsIntroductionOn Using This BookA Note on ChronologyWeights and MeasuresList of AbbreviationsPo Yi, MemoirKuan Yi-wu and Yen Ying, MemoirLao Tzu and Han Fei, MemoirMarshal Jang-chu, MemoirSun Tzu and Wu Ch'i, MemoirWu Tzu Hsu, MemoirConfiucius's Disciples, MemoirThe Lord of Shang, MemoirSu Ch'in, MemoirChang Yi, MemoirShu-li Tzu and Kan Mao, MemoirThe Marquis of Jang, MemoirPai Ch'i and Wang Chien, MemoirMeng Tzu and Excellency Hsun, MemoirThe Lord of Meng-ch'ang, MemoirThe Lord of P'ing-yuan and Excellency Yu, MemoirThe Noble Scion of Wei, MemoirThe Lord of Ch'un-shen, MemoirFan Sui and Ts'ai Tse, MemoirYueh Yi, MemoirLien P'o and Lin Hsiang-ju, MemoirT'ien Tan, MemoirLu Chung Lien and Tsou Yang, MemoirCh'u Yuan and Scholar Chia, MemoirLu Pu-wei, MemoirThe Assassin-Retainers, MemoirLi Ssu, MemoirMeng T'ien, MemoirBibliographyIndexMaps