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| On Three Topics of “Biography of Wu Zixu” in Records of the Grand Historian |
| Wang Xianpei |
| (School of Chinese Language and Literature， Central China Normal University， Wuhan 430079) |
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Abstract “Biography of Wu Zixu” is one of the chapters in Records of the Grand Historian to which Sima Qian devotes the most of his life experience and pursuit. It is a specimen of the style of Records of the Grand Historian. It also generates some topics for further discussions. First， Records of the Grand Historian is different from Zuo Zhuan for its additional plot of Wu Zixu whipping the corpse of King Ping of Chu， which enables the author to engage his emotions in the narration and description， at the cost of weakening the credibility of details. This is due to the poetic narrative style of Records of the Grand Historian， which is representation of Sima Qian’s philosophy of history. Second， Wu Zixu said that his revenge against King Ping of Chu was “reverse action”， indicating that he refused to compromise and restraint in the process of resisting the tyrant. Sima Qian expressed his repugnance and criticism of the imperial theology of the Han Dynasty in a roundabout and brave way. Third， Sima Qian praised Wu Zixu as a “upright man”， indicating that Wu waited patiently for his chance， not ashamed of being humiliated， and firmly pursued to realize his value in life， which were Sima Qian’s own life creeds. To clarify these issues is helpful to deepen the understanding of the poetic characteristics of Sima Qian’s historiography.
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Received: 25 July 2022
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2022, Vol. 61 
