Sep 5, 2019 © Ulrich Theobald
Nian'ershi zhaji 廿二史箚記 (also written 廿二史札記) is a historical critique of the twenty-two official dynastic histories compiled by Zhao Yi 趙翼 (1727-1814). The title says, "twenty-two" histories because the alternative histories Jiutangshu 舊唐書 and Jiu wudaishi 舊五代史 were at that time not yet canonized, but stood back behind the Xintangshu 新唐書 and Xin wudaishi
The book has a length of 36 juan and an appendix with addenda (Buyi 補遺), mainly on the history of the Liao 遼 (907-1125), Jin 金 (1115-1234), and Yuan 元 (1279-1368) dynasties. Zhao Yi was one of the famous scholars of the time and is often mentioned side by side with Qian Daxin 錢大昕 (1728-1804), author of the critique Nian'ershi kaoyi 廿二史考異 and Wang Mingsheng 王鳴盛 (1722-1797), author of the critique Shiqishi shangque 十七史商榷.
The critique is written in essay-style. It was finished in 1795 and printed in 1800, and thereafter experienced wide circulation because of its excellent quality. Zhao Yi wrote on the authors of the history book, the compilation process and the time of compilation, the sources and their reliability, the relation between official and unofficial historiography, contradictions between history writing and 'reality', the advantages and shortcomings of the arrangements, characters or statements. Of particular value is Zhao's view on trends in history of the nearly 2000-years long period which the twenty-two histories cover, for instance, changes in society or in policy making. Rather weak is Zhao's evaluation of early Qing-period 清 (1644-1911) history.
The book was printed in many editions, for instance, in the series Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編, or the modern, annotated edition by Wang Shumin 王樹民 from 1984 (Zhonghua Book Company 中華書局).
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