Chapter 4 Section 3 Inextricably linked

The rulers of all dynasties in China have attached great importance to historiography, and have long understood the truth of taking history as a mirror.They strive to obtain the experience and lessons of governance from historical works.For ordinary literati students, "Historical Records" and "Hanshu" are their must-reads.From today's perspective, there is a clear distinction between history and literature.Historiography requires hard facts, not fiction and imagination.However, literature is inseparable from fiction and imagination.However, historiography and literature were once integrated, and the differentiation of the two has gone through a long historical process.In the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties, this division had not yet been completed.The boundaries and distinctions between history and literature were not as clear and strict as they were later.In the historical prose of the pre-Qin and Han Dynasties, fragments with strong literary colors can often be found, and the elements of imagination have not been completely excluded.

"Zuo Zhuan" is a chronological history book.It is said that it was written by Zuo Qiuming, the historian of Lu State.It is also said that it was compiled by people at the beginning of the Warring States Period or later.People in the Western Han Dynasty called it "Zuoshi Chunqiu", and Ban Gu in the Eastern Han Dynasty called it "Zuoshi Chunqiu Zhuan".Later generations called it "Zuo Zhuan".Then, why is Zuo Qiuming's book connected with "Spring and Autumn", and why is it called "Biography"? "Spring and Autumn" is a classic written by Confucius, and the book explaining the classic is called "Zhuan".People think that Zuo Qiuming's book expounds the meaning of "Spring and Autumn", so it is called "Zuo Shi Chunqiu Biography".

"Zuo Zhuan" is good at describing war and has always been praised by people. "Zuo Zhuan" attaches great importance to highlighting the reasons for the victory or defeat of the war, and all descriptions closely follow this point.In the author's view, war is a comprehensive contest of political, economic, and military strength between the two sides. The description of war in "Zuo Zhuan" highlights people's subjective initiative, highlights the contrast between the mental states of the two warring parties, and pays special attention to the ability of the commanders of both sides to control the war. "Zuo Zhuan" is good at writing about the mutual transformation of advantages and disadvantages, initiative and passivity in war, and likes to write about the victory of the weak against the strong, and about people's foresight in war. "Zuo Zhuan" describes the methods and characteristics of war, and its narrative skills have a great influence on the historical novels of later generations, especially the historical novels describing wars.The description of the war in China has benefited from historical works such as "Zuo Zhuan" and "Historical Records".

"Warring States Policy" is a compilation of historical materials compiled by ancient countries.This book was not written by one person. It was probably compiled by people in the Warring States Period or Qin and Han Dynasties who collected historical materials from various countries.In the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiang sorted it out and compiled it into 33 chapters in the order of countries, named "Warring States Policy". "Warring States Policy" mainly records the debates of counselors and strategists in the Warring States Period, and there are many vivid narrative texts.For example, the section "Touching the Dragon and Talking about the Queen Mother Zhao" in "Warring States Policy·Zhao Policy" is quite like a novel.The author uses a relaxed and delicate style of writing to portray the image of a loyal veteran, who cares about the overall situation, expresses human feelings, and is persuasive.Another example is the section "Jing Ke Assassinates the King of Qin" in "Warring States Policy · Yan Policy", which writes Yishui's farewell, and the rendering of the atmosphere is extremely successful. "The wind is rustling, the water is cold, and the strong man will never return!" has become a touching song through the ages.Jing Ke's brave and resolute heroic image, who regards death as home, is established in the thick and tragic atmosphere.

The enlightenment and influence of "Historical Records" on later novels is far beyond that of "Zuo Zhuan" and "Warring States Policy". "Historical Records" holds two posts: Historians regard it as the crown of "Twenty-Four Histories", and writers regard it as the source of biographical literature.Sima Qian was determined to write a historical masterpiece that "studies the relationship between heaven and man, and understands the changes of the past and the present".However, he did not expect that he inadvertently engraved his own name on the literary monument.Lu Xun praised "Historical Records" as "the swan song of historians, the Lisao without rhyme". He saw and highly praised the historical and literary value of "Historical Records" at the same time.The biographical style created by Sima Qian centers on famous historical figures, takes the broad picture of historical struggles as the background, takes the characters' life and whereabouts and fate as clues, and selects those details that are full of stories and dramas to render and describe them. Personalized character language.These characteristics coincide with the characteristics of the characters described in the novel.Sima Qian often melted his likes and dislikes, praises and criticisms into calm, objective and calm descriptions, allowing the image itself to show meaning and tendency.This historian's style of writing has greatly inspired the creation of later novelists.Ancient Chinese novels pay attention to the fate of the characters, fully explain the whole life of the characters, attach great importance to the plot, and use the third-person narrative method. They like to catch a protagonist and follow him with the pen in order to obtain a concentrated and complete image. , and seldom use the writing method from the cross-section of life, all of which are deeply related to the potential influence of biographical historical works. "Historical Records" has nurtured generations of scholars and scholars and inspired countless novelists and dramatists with its progressive ideas, vigorous spirit, delicate descriptions, and vivid words.

Liu Xiang's "Shuo Yuan" and "Xin Xu" in the Western Han Dynasty, Zhao Ye's "Wu Yue Chun Qiu" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Yuan Kang's "Yue Jue Shu" are written similar to biographies in official history, and the narratives are also based on historical facts. It has a lot to do with fiction, and it has a novel flavor. It provides an example for later novels, especially those based on history.