The Resource The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy, Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, Hans Van Ess
The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy, Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, Hans Van Ess
Resource Information
The item The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy, Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, Hans Van Ess represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Missouri Libraries.This item is available to borrow from 1 library branch.
Resource Information
The item The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy, Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, Hans Van Ess represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Missouri Libraries.
This item is available to borrow from 1 library branch.
- Summary
- "'Surely, a man has but one death. That death may be as heavy as Mount Tai or as light as a goose feather. It is how he uses that death that makes all the difference!' So wrote Sima Qian (first century BCE), author of Record of the Historian (Shiji), the first comprehensive history of China's past, in his 'Letter to Ren An.' In this, the most famous letter in Chinese history, he explains his decision to finish his life's work, the first comprehensive history of the Chinese past, which was begun by his late father, rather than to honorably commit suicide following his castration for 'deceiving the emperor.' The authenticity of the letter, which is included in Sima Qian's biography in Ban Gu's (CE 32-92) History of the Han Dynasty, has been debated for millennia. Is it a genuine piece of writing by Sima Qian addressed to a fellow sufferer who was himself languishing in prison and would die in 91 BCE? Or is it a very early work of literary impersonation whereby Ban Gu or a still earlier author sought to elucidate Sima Qian's reasoning through an epistle? Conceived as a text for Chinese history courses, this compact volume provides a full translation of the letter (along with the original Chinese text) and uses different interpretations of this key document to explore issues in textual history, epistolary culture, Han politics, and Han thought. It shows how ideas about friendship, loyalty, factionalism, and authorship encoded in the letter have far-reaching implications for the study of China"--Provided by publisher
- Language
- eng
- Extent
- xi, 178 pages
- Contents
-
- Han dynasty emperors
- The letter to Ren An : english translation
- Seeking answers, finding more questions / Stephen Durrant
- Dissent against Emperor Wu of the Han / Hans van Ess
- Friendship and other tropes in The letter to Ren An / Michael Nylan
- The letter to Ren An and authorship in the Chinese tradition / Wai-yee Li
- Appendix: The letter to Ren An : Chinese text
- Glossary of Chinese characters
- Isbn
- 9780295995441
- Label
- The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy
- Title
- The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy
- Statement of responsibility
- Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, Hans Van Ess
- Title variation
- Letter to Ren An and Sima Qian's legacy
- Subject
-
- Chinese letters
- Chinese letters -- History and criticism
- Criticism, interpretation, etc
- Friendship
- Friendship -- China -- History -- To 1500 -- Sources
- Han Dynasty (China)
- Historians
- Historians -- China -- Correspondence
- History
- Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.)
- Intellectual life
- Politics and government
- Records and correspondence
- Sima, Qian, approximately 145 B.C.-approximately 86 B.C
- Authorship
- Sima, Qian, approximately 145 B.C.-approximately 86 B.C. -- Correspondence
- Sima, Qian, approximately 145 B.C.-approximately 86 B.C. -- Criticism and interpretation
- Sima, Qian, approximately 145 B.C.-approximately 86 B.C. -- Influence
- Sources
- To 1500
- Sima, Qian, approximately 145 B.C.-approximately 86 B.C. -- Authorship
- China
- China -- History -- Han dynasty, 202 B.C.-220 A.D
- China -- Intellectual life -- 221 B.C.-960 A.D. -- Sources
- China -- Politics and government -- 221 B.C.-220 A.D. -- Sources
- Language
- eng
- Summary
- "'Surely, a man has but one death. That death may be as heavy as Mount Tai or as light as a goose feather. It is how he uses that death that makes all the difference!' So wrote Sima Qian (first century BCE), author of Record of the Historian (Shiji), the first comprehensive history of China's past, in his 'Letter to Ren An.' In this, the most famous letter in Chinese history, he explains his decision to finish his life's work, the first comprehensive history of the Chinese past, which was begun by his late father, rather than to honorably commit suicide following his castration for 'deceiving the emperor.' The authenticity of the letter, which is included in Sima Qian's biography in Ban Gu's (CE 32-92) History of the Han Dynasty, has been debated for millennia. Is it a genuine piece of writing by Sima Qian addressed to a fellow sufferer who was himself languishing in prison and would die in 91 BCE? Or is it a very early work of literary impersonation whereby Ban Gu or a still earlier author sought to elucidate Sima Qian's reasoning through an epistle? Conceived as a text for Chinese history courses, this compact volume provides a full translation of the letter (along with the original Chinese text) and uses different interpretations of this key document to explore issues in textual history, epistolary culture, Han politics, and Han thought. It shows how ideas about friendship, loyalty, factionalism, and authorship encoded in the letter have far-reaching implications for the study of China"--Provided by publisher
- Biography type
- contains biographical information
- Cataloging source
- DLC
- http://library.link/vocab/creatorDate
- 1944-
- http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
- Durrant, Stephen W.
- Dewey number
- 931/.04
- Government publication
- government publication of a state province territory dependency etc
- Illustrations
- illustrations
- Index
- index present
- LC call number
- DS734.9.S8
- LC item number
- D875 2016
- Literary form
- non fiction
- Nature of contents
- bibliography
- http://library.link/vocab/relatedWorkOrContributorName
-
- Li, Wai-yee
- Nylan, Michael
- Ess, Hans van
- http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
-
- Sima, Qian
- Sima, Qian
- Sima, Qian
- Sima, Qian
- Historians
- Chinese letters
- Friendship
- China
- China
- China
- Sima, Qian
- Authorship
- Chinese letters
- Friendship
- Han Dynasty (China)
- Historians
- Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.)
- Intellectual life
- Politics and government
- China
- Label
- The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy, Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, Hans Van Ess
- Bibliography note
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 161-168) and index
- Carrier category
- volume
- Carrier category code
-
- nc
- Carrier MARC source
- rdacarrier
- Content category
- text
- Content type code
-
- txt
- Content type MARC source
- rdacontent
- Contents
- Han dynasty emperors -- The letter to Ren An : english translation -- Seeking answers, finding more questions / Stephen Durrant -- Dissent against Emperor Wu of the Han / Hans van Ess -- Friendship and other tropes in The letter to Ren An / Michael Nylan -- The letter to Ren An and authorship in the Chinese tradition / Wai-yee Li -- Appendix: The letter to Ren An : Chinese text -- Glossary of Chinese characters
- Control code
- 931798206
- Dimensions
- 24 cm
- Extent
- xi, 178 pages
- Isbn
- 9780295995441
- Lccn
- 2015037381
- Media category
- unmediated
- Media MARC source
- rdamedia
- Media type code
-
- n
- Other physical details
- illustrations
- System control number
- (OCoLC)931798206
- Label
- The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy, Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, Hans Van Ess
- Bibliography note
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 161-168) and index
- Carrier category
- volume
- Carrier category code
-
- nc
- Carrier MARC source
- rdacarrier
- Content category
- text
- Content type code
-
- txt
- Content type MARC source
- rdacontent
- Contents
- Han dynasty emperors -- The letter to Ren An : english translation -- Seeking answers, finding more questions / Stephen Durrant -- Dissent against Emperor Wu of the Han / Hans van Ess -- Friendship and other tropes in The letter to Ren An / Michael Nylan -- The letter to Ren An and authorship in the Chinese tradition / Wai-yee Li -- Appendix: The letter to Ren An : Chinese text -- Glossary of Chinese characters
- Control code
- 931798206
- Dimensions
- 24 cm
- Extent
- xi, 178 pages
- Isbn
- 9780295995441
- Lccn
- 2015037381
- Media category
- unmediated
- Media MARC source
- rdamedia
- Media type code
-
- n
- Other physical details
- illustrations
- System control number
- (OCoLC)931798206
Subject
- Chinese letters
- Chinese letters -- History and criticism
- Criticism, interpretation, etc
- Friendship
- Friendship -- China -- History -- To 1500 -- Sources
- Han Dynasty (China)
- Historians
- Historians -- China -- Correspondence
- History
- Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.)
- Intellectual life
- Politics and government
- Records and correspondence
- Sima, Qian, approximately 145 B.C.-approximately 86 B.C
- Authorship
- Sima, Qian, approximately 145 B.C.-approximately 86 B.C. -- Correspondence
- Sima, Qian, approximately 145 B.C.-approximately 86 B.C. -- Criticism and interpretation
- Sima, Qian, approximately 145 B.C.-approximately 86 B.C. -- Influence
- Sources
- To 1500
- Sima, Qian, approximately 145 B.C.-approximately 86 B.C. -- Authorship
- China
- China -- History -- Han dynasty, 202 B.C.-220 A.D
- China -- Intellectual life -- 221 B.C.-960 A.D. -- Sources
- China -- Politics and government -- 221 B.C.-220 A.D. -- Sources
Genre
Library Links
Embed
Settings
Select options that apply then copy and paste the RDF/HTML data fragment to include in your application
Embed this data in a secure (HTTPS) page:
Layout options:
Include data citation:
<div class="citation" vocab="http://schema.org/"><i class="fa fa-external-link-square fa-fw"></i> Data from <span resource="http://link.library.missouri.edu/portal/The-letter-to-Ren-An--Sima-Qians-legacy/wE_wYPw8hN0/" typeof="Book http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/Item"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a href="http://link.library.missouri.edu/portal/The-letter-to-Ren-An--Sima-Qians-legacy/wE_wYPw8hN0/">The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy, Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, Hans Van Ess</a></span> - <span property="potentialAction" typeOf="OrganizeAction"><span property="agent" typeof="LibrarySystem http://library.link/vocab/LibrarySystem" resource="http://link.library.missouri.edu/"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a property="url" href="http://link.library.missouri.edu/">University of Missouri Libraries</a></span></span></span></span></div>
Note: Adjust the width and height settings defined in the RDF/HTML code fragment to best match your requirements
Preview
Cite Data - Experimental
Data Citation of the Item The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy, Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, Hans Van Ess
Copy and paste the following RDF/HTML data fragment to cite this resource
<div class="citation" vocab="http://schema.org/"><i class="fa fa-external-link-square fa-fw"></i> Data from <span resource="http://link.library.missouri.edu/portal/The-letter-to-Ren-An--Sima-Qians-legacy/wE_wYPw8hN0/" typeof="Book http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/Item"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a href="http://link.library.missouri.edu/portal/The-letter-to-Ren-An--Sima-Qians-legacy/wE_wYPw8hN0/">The letter to Ren An & Sima Qian's legacy, Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li, Michael Nylan, Hans Van Ess</a></span> - <span property="potentialAction" typeOf="OrganizeAction"><span property="agent" typeof="LibrarySystem http://library.link/vocab/LibrarySystem" resource="http://link.library.missouri.edu/"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a property="url" href="http://link.library.missouri.edu/">University of Missouri Libraries</a></span></span></span></span></div>