Book of Jin should not be confused with History of Jin.
| Book of Jin | |
| Author: | Fang Xuanling et al |
| Title Orig: | 晉書 |
| Orig Lang Code: | zh-hant |
| Country: | China |
| Language: | Classical Chinese |
| Subject: | Ancient Chinese history (Jin dynasty) |
| Pub Date: | 648 |
The Book of Jin is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, with chancellor Fang Xuanling as the lead editor, drawing mostly from official documents left from earlier archives. A few essays in volumes 1, 3, 54 and 80 were composed by the Tang dynasty's Emperor Taizong himself. However, the contents of the Book of Jin included not only the history of the Jin dynasty, but also that of the Sixteen Kingdoms period, which was contemporaneous with the Eastern Jin dynasty.
Over 20 histories of the Jin had been written during the Northern and Southern dynasties, of which 18 were still extant at the beginning of the Tang dynasty. Yet Emperor Taizong deemed them all to be deficient and ordered the compilation of a new standard history for the period,[1] as part of a wider six-history project to fill in the gaps between the Records of the Three Kingdoms, the Book of Song, the Book of Qi, the Book of Wei and the Emperor's own time. As part of this ambition, its treatises cover not only the Jin but also the preceding Three Kingdoms, making up for the lack of such a section in the Records of the Three Kingdoms.[2]
The book was hastily compiled between 646 CE and 648, by a committee of 21 people led by editor-in-chief Fang Xuanling. As some chapters were written by Emperor Taizong of Tang, the work is sometimes given the honorific "imperially authored".
The Book of Jin had the longest gestation period of any official history, not seeing the light of day until 229 years after the end of the dynasty it describes.[3]
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| width=35% | Title ! | width=35% | Translation ! | width=20% | Notes |
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| 帝紀第1 宣帝 | Emperor Xuan | Sima Yi (Western Jin) | |||||
| 帝紀第2 景帝 文帝 | Emperor Jing; Emperor Wen | Sima Shi, Sima Zhao | |||||
| 帝紀第3 武帝 | Sima Yan | ||||||
| 帝紀第4 惠帝 | Sima Zhong | ||||||
| 帝紀第5 懷帝 愍帝 | Emperor Huai | Sima Chi, Sima Ye | |||||
| 帝紀第6 元帝 明帝 | Emperor Yuan | Sima Rui, Sima Shao (Eastern Jin) | |||||
| 帝紀第7 成帝 康帝 | Emperor Cheng | Sima Yan, Sima Yue | |||||
| 帝紀第8 穆帝 哀帝 海西公 | Emperor Mu | Sima Dan, Sima Pi, Sima Yi | |||||
| 帝紀第9 簡文帝 孝武帝 | Emperor Jianwen | Sima Yu, Sima Yao | |||||
| 帝紀第10 安帝 恭帝 | Emperor An | Sima Dezong, Sima Dewen | |||||
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| width=35% | Title ! | width=35% | Translation ! | width=20% | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 志第1 天文上 | Astronomy Part One | ||||||
| 志第2 天文中 | Astronomy Part Two | ||||||
| 志第3 天文下 | Astronomy Part Three | ||||||
| 志第4 地理上 | Geography Part One | ||||||
| 志第5 地理下 | Geography Part Two | ||||||
| 志第6 律歷上 | Rhythm and the Calendar Part One | ||||||
| 志第7 律歷中 | Rhythm and the Calendar Part Two | ||||||
| 志第8 律歷下 | Rhythm and the Calendar Part Three | ||||||
| 志第9 禮上 | Rites Part One | ||||||
| 志第10 禮中 | Rites Part Two | ||||||
| 志第11 禮下 | Rites Part Three | ||||||
| 志第12 樂上 | Music Part One | ||||||
| 志第13 樂下 | Music Part Two | ||||||
| 志第14 職官 | Government Service | ||||||
| 志第15 輿服 | Travel and Dress | ||||||
| 志第16 食貨 | Food and Commodities | ||||||
| 志第17 5行上 | Five Elements Part One | ||||||
| 志第18 5行中 | Five Elements Part Two | ||||||
| 志第19 5行下 | Five Elements Part Three | ||||||
| 志第20 刑法 | Punishment and Law | ||||||
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| width=35% | Title ! | width=50% | Translation ! | width=5% | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 列傳第1 后妃上 | Empresses and Consorts Part One | ||||||
| 列傳第2 后妃下 | Empresses and Consorts Part Two | ||||||
| 列傳第3 王祥 鄭沖 何曾 石苞 | Wang Xiang
| ||||||
| 列傳第4 羊祜 杜預 | Yang Hu | ||||||
| 列傳第5 陳騫 裴秀 | Chen Qian | ||||||
| 列傳第6 衛瓘 張華 | Wei Guan | ||||||
| 列傳第7 宗室 | Imperial Clan | Sima Fu, Sima Quan, Sima Tai, Sima Sui, Sima Sui, Sima Xun, Sima Mu, Sima Ling, and their sons | |||||
| 列傳第8 宣5王 文6王 | Five Princes of Xuan; Six Princes of Wen | Sima Gan, Sima Zhou, Sima Jing, Sima Jun, Sima Rong (sons of Sima Yi); Sima You, Sima Zhao, Sima Dingguo, Sima Guangde, Sima Jian, Sima Yanzuo (sons of Sima Zhao) | |||||
| 列傳第9 王沈 荀顗 荀勖 馮紞 | Wang Chen | ||||||
| 列傳第10 賈充 郭彰 楊駿 | Jia Chong | ||||||
| 列傳第11 魏舒 李憙 劉寔 高光 | Wei Shu
| ||||||
| 列傳第12 王渾 王濬 唐彬 | Wang Hun
| ||||||
| 列傳第13 山濤 王戎 郭舒 樂廣 | Shan Tao | ||||||
| 列傳第14 鄭袤 李胤 盧欽 華表 石鑒 溫羨 | Zheng Mao
| ||||||
| 列傳第15 劉毅 程衛 和嶠 武陔 任愷 崔洪 郭奕 侯史光 何攀 | Liu Yi
| ||||||
| 列傳第16 劉頌 李重 | Liu Song
| ||||||
| 列傳第17 傅玄 | |||||||
| 列傳第18 向雄 段灼 閻纘 | Xiang Xiong
| ||||||
| 列傳第19 阮籍 嵇康 向秀 劉伶 謝鯤 胡毋輔之 畢卓 王尼 羊曼 光逸 | Ruan Ji | ||||||
| 列傳第20 曹志 庾峻 郭象 庾純 秦秀 | Cao Zhi
| ||||||
| 列傳第21 皇甫謐 摯虞 束皙 王接 | Huangfu Mi
| ||||||
| 列傳第22 郤詵 阮種 華譚 袁甫 | Xi Shen
| ||||||
| 列傳第23 愍懷太子 | |||||||
| 列傳第24 陸機 | |||||||
| 列傳第25 夏侯湛 潘岳 張載 | Xiahou Zhan
| ||||||
| 列傳第26 江統 孫楚 | Jiang Tong
| ||||||
| 列傳第27 羅憲 滕修 馬隆 胡奮 陶璜 吾彥 張光 趙誘 | Luo Xian | ||||||
| 列傳第28 周處 周訪 | Zhou Chu | ||||||
| 列傳第29 汝南文成王亮 楚隱王瑋 趙王倫 齊王冏 長沙王乂 成都王穎 河間王顒 東海孝獻王越 | Liang, Prince Wencheng of Ru'nan | ||||||
| 列傳第30 解系 孫旂 孟觀 牽秀 繆播 皇甫重 張輔 李含 張方 閻鼎 索靖 賈疋 | Xie Xi
| ||||||
| 列傳第31 周浚 成公簡 苟晞 華軼 劉喬 | Zhou Jun | ||||||
| 列傳第32 劉琨 祖逖 | Liu Kun | ||||||
| 列傳第33 邵續 李矩 段匹磾 魏浚 郭默 | Shao Xu | ||||||
| 列傳第34 武13王 元4王 簡文3子 | Thirteen Princes of Wu; Four Princes of Yuan; Three Sons of Jianwen | ||||||
| 列傳第35 王導 | |||||||
| 列傳第36 劉弘 陶侃 | Liu Hong | ||||||
| 列傳第37 溫嶠 郗鑒 | Wen Jiao | ||||||
| 列傳第38 顧榮 紀瞻 賀循 楊方 薛兼 | Gu Rong
| ||||||
| 列傳第39 劉隗 刁協 戴若思 周顗 | Liu Wei
| ||||||
| 列傳第40 應詹 甘卓 鄧騫 卞壼 | Ying Zhan
| ||||||
| 列傳第41 孫惠 熊遠 王鑒 陳頵 高崧 | Sun Hui
| ||||||
| 列傳第42 郭璞 葛洪 | Guo Pu | ||||||
| 列傳第43 庾亮 | |||||||
| 列傳第44 桓彝 | Huan Yi | ||||||
| 列傳第45 王湛 荀崧 范汪 劉惔 | Wang Zhan
| ||||||
| 列傳第46 王舒 王廙 虞潭 顧眾 張闓 | Wang Shu
| ||||||
| 列傳第47 陸曄 何充 褚翜 蔡謨 諸葛恢 殷浩 | Lu Ye | ||||||
| 列傳第48 孔愉 丁潭 張茂 陶回 | Kong Yu
| ||||||
| 列傳第49 謝尚 謝安 | Xie Shang | ||||||
| 列傳第50 王羲之 | |||||||
| 列傳第51 王遜 蔡豹 羊鑒 劉胤 桓宣 硃伺 毛寶 劉遐 鄧岳 朱序 | Wang Xun | ||||||
| 列傳第52 陳壽 王長文 虞溥 司馬彪 王隱 虞預 孫盛 干寶 鄧粲 謝沉 習鑿齒 徐廣 | Chen Shou | ||||||
| 列傳第53 顧和 袁瑰 江逌 車胤 殷顗 王雅 | Gu He
| ||||||
| 列傳第54 王恭 庾楷 劉牢之 殷仲堪 楊佺期 | Wang Gong
| ||||||
| 列傳第55 劉毅 諸葛長民 何無忌 檀憑之 魏詠之 | Liu Yi
| ||||||
| 列傳第56 張軌 | |||||||
| 列傳第57 涼武昭王李玄盛 | |||||||
| 列傳第58 孝友 | Filial Piety | ||||||
| 列傳第59 忠義 | Loyalty and Righteousness | ||||||
| 列傳第60 良吏 | Good Officials | ||||||
| 列傳第61 儒林 | Confucian Scholars | ||||||
| 列傳第62 文苑 | Writers | ||||||
| 列傳第63 外戚 | Imperial Affines | ||||||
| 列傳第64 隱逸 | Hermits and Recluses | ||||||
| 列傳第65 藝術 | Arts | ||||||
| 列傳第66 列女 | Exemplary Women | ||||||
| 列傳第67 4夷 | Four Barbarian Tribes | ||||||
| 列傳第68 王敦 桓溫 | Wang Dun | ||||||
| 列傳第69 桓玄 卞范之 殷仲文 | Huan Xuan
| ||||||
| 列傳第70 王彌 張昌 陳敏 王如 杜曾 杜弢 王機 祖約 蘇峻 孫恩 盧循 譙縱 | Wang Mi | ||||||
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| width=35% | Title ! | width=50% | Translation ! | width=5% | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 載記第1 劉元海 劉宣 | Liu Yuanhai | ||||||
| 載記第2 劉聰 劉粲 陳元達 | Liu Cong | ||||||
| 載記第3 劉曜 | |||||||
| 載記第4 石勒上 | Shi Le Part One | ||||||
| 載記第5 石勒下 石弘 張賓 | Shi Le Part Two; Shi Hong; Zhang Bin | ||||||
| 載記第6 石季龍上 | Shi Jilong Part One | ||||||
| 載記第7 石季龍下 石世 石遵 石鑒 冉閔 | Shi Jilong Part Two; Shi Shi; Shi Zun; Shi Jian; Ran Min | ||||||
| 載記第8 慕容廆 裴嶷 高瞻 | Murong Hui
| ||||||
| 載記第9 慕容皝 慕容翰 陽裕 | Murong Huang
| ||||||
| 載記第10 慕容儁 韓恆 李產 | Murong Jun
| ||||||
| 載記第11 慕容暐 慕容恪 陽騖 皇甫真 | Murong Wei | ||||||
| 載記第12 苻洪 苻健 苻生 苻雄 王墮 | Fu Hong | ||||||
| 載記第13 苻堅上 | Fu Jian Part One | ||||||
| 載記第14 苻堅下 王猛 苻融 苻朗 | Fu Jian Part Two; Wang Meng; Fu Rong; Fu Lang | ||||||
| 載記第15 苻丕 苻登 索泮 徐嵩 | Fu Pi
| ||||||
| 載記第16 姚弋仲 姚襄 姚萇 | Yao Yizhong | ||||||
| 載記第17 姚興上 | Yao Xing Part One | ||||||
| 載記第18 姚興下 尹緯 | Yao Xing Part Two; Yin Wei | ||||||
| 載記第19 姚泓 | |||||||
| 載記第20 李特 李流 李庠 | Li Te
| ||||||
| 載記第21 李雄 李班 李期 李壽 李勢 | Li Xiong | ||||||
| 載記第22 呂光 呂纂 呂隆 | Lü Guang | ||||||
| 載記第23 慕容垂 | |||||||
| 載記第24 慕容寶 慕容盛 慕容熙 慕容雲 | Murong Bao | ||||||
| 載記第25 乞伏國仁 乞伏乾歸 乞伏熾磐 馮跋 | Qifu Guoren | ||||||
| 載記第26 禿髮烏孤 禿髮利鹿孤 禿髮傉檀 | Tufa Wugu | ||||||
| 載記第27 慕容德 | |||||||
| 載記第28 慕容超 慕容鍾 封孚 | Murong Chao
| ||||||
| 載記第29 沮渠蒙遜 | |||||||
| 載記第30 赫連勃勃 | |||||||
The book has been criticized for being more reflective of the court politics in the Tang dynasty that compiled it, rather than the realities of the Jin dynasty itself.[4]
Despite Fang's team having at their disposal not only the pre-existing Jin histories, but also a large body of actual Jin primary sources, it appears that the book was primarily based on Zang Rongxu's (臧荣绪) identically-titled Jinshu from the Southern Qi, and further incorporates material from fictionalized novels. The Tang historian Liu Zhiji (661–721) accused the editors of generally selecting the sources that had the most vivid and compelling language, rather than the ones that were the most historically reliable.[5]
The collaborative nature of the project coupled with the rushed production time unsurprisingly leaves the book with a number of internal contradictions and editorial errors; such as misspelled personal and place names, draft-like and unpolished language, and "cross-references" to non-existent chapters that were presumably planned but never finished in time for publication.[6]
In spite of these shortcomings, the Book of Jin is recognized as the most important primary source for the Jin dynasty and Sixteen Kingdoms, because the pre-existing histories and other sources it was compiled from have all been lost – save for a few stray quotations in other works.
No complete translations are known at this time. The astronomical chapters (11, 12 & 13) were translated by Ho Peng Yoke.[7] Choo translates the biography of Huan Wen in volume 98 and the biography of Sun Chuo in volume 56.[8] Knapp translates biographies of Liu Yin in volume 88 and Huangfu Mi in volume 51.[9]