Abstract:

  Sima Qian’s “A Letter to Shaoqing Ren” is a fundamental document in the reception history of Historical Records, in which he elaborately expounded on the reasons for history compiling.Yet one puzzle remains to be solved, i.e. why did Sima Qian proclaimed himself as Taishi Gong while his real identity was Zhongshu Ling, a favored eunuch by the Emperor.As Zhongshu Ling, Sima Qian was loyal to the Emperor Wu, which accounts for his eulogy to Han Dynasty in Historical Records, but Zhongshu Ling was not respected by his contemporaries, so he would prefer the title of “Taishi Gong” which was much more respected in the tradition of historian culture. In “Biography of Sima Qian” in The Book of Former Han,Sima Qian was simply presented as Zhongshu Ling, and the beginning words by “Taishi Gong” was simply omitted. In the period of Liang Dynasty (502557), the cultural identity of Taishi Gong was respected, so Taishi Gong’s words were restored in “A Letter to Shaoqing Ren” in Selected Works, thus making it consistent with the content. However, neither the omission of The Book of Former Han nor the restoration in Selected Works observed Sima Qian’ inner struggles and “Taishi Gong complex”.
Key words：

Key words: Sima Qian｜ &ldquo, ｜ Taishi Gong｜ Zhongshu Ling,  , A Letter to Shaoqing Ren&rdquo