Confucian historiography and the thought of Ssu-ma Kuang.

Abstract

To balance the common tendency to look at Ssu-ma Kuang (1019-1086) solely in terms of the political controversies in the Northern Sung, this study attempts to unravel some features of his intellectual life and vision of history as expressed in his famous historical work, the Tzu-chih t'ung-chien (Aid to Government and Mirror of History). Focus has been placed on the historical commentaries and the narratives to which they pertain, as well as on Ssu-ma Kuang's essays on history and philosophy in order to understand the multi-level intricacies of his historical meaning. The event which begins the history, the division of the state of Chin in 403 B.C., signifies for Ssu-ma Kuang the loss of the tao, the ideal system of ritual and hierarchy as practiced in the Chou. Throughout the long history Ssu-ma Kuang carefully records and analyzes the occasional reappearance of the tao as embodied in various historical characters who are meant to serve as models for future readers. For Ssu-ma Kuang the tao is both a continuous, single standard as well as a flexible entity with potential for change through various concrete performances. This flexibility in his concept of the tao reflects Ssu-ma Kuang's optimistic encouragement for readers at all levels of the hierarchy to perfect their moral inner self and express it in concrete historical actions.