The Book of Southern Qi (南齊書), a fifty-nine-volume official history of the Southern Qi dynasty compiled by Xiao Zixian during the Liang dynasty, is one of the Twenty-Four Histories. Xiao's biographical details are appended to 'Shi Tong' and the 'Nan Shi's' biography of Xiao Zikuo. The work's original structure is debated: while Liu Zhiji's 'Shitong' and Zeng Gong's 'Xulu' describe it as containing eight "Ji" (chronological volumes), eleven "Zhi" (institutional records), and forty "Liezhuan" (biographies) totaling fifty-nine volumes, other sources such as Zhang Junqing's 'Shantang Kaosuo' note that earlier editions claimed sixty volumes, with one volume lost. This discrepancy may stem from the omission of Xiao's original "Xu Zhuan" (preface) and "Ji Biao" (table of contents), which were likely appended in a manner similar to Li Yanshou's 'Beishi'. By the Tang dynasty, these supplementary sections had been lost, though their remnants survived until the Song era.

The 'Book of Southern Qi' reflects the historiographical tendencies of its time. Xiao Zixian incorporated numerology (e.g., in 'Gao Di Ji'), apocryphal texts ('Xiangrui Zhi', Omen Records), and Buddhist themes, influenced by the Southern Qi's reliance on divination and Liang Wu Di's promotion of Buddhism. However, his narrative is criticized for including trivial anecdotes, such as 'Gao Di Ji''s accounts of Weng Yu and Yuan Can, which deviate from the formal structure expected in dynastic histories. The "Liezhuan" sections are also noted for their redundancy, though they preserve critical records like the founding events of the Southern Qi and direct quotations from figures such as Shen Youzhi (in 'Zhang Jinger Zhuan') and Yan Lingbao (in 'Wang Jingze Zhuan'), which uphold historical objectivity.

Transmission issues have further complicated the text. The "Xu" (introduction) to the 'Wenxue Zhuan' (Biographies of Literati) is missing, likely lost in later Song-era copies, and sections like the 'Zhou Jun Zhi' (Administrative Regions) and 'Guiyang Wang Zhuan' contain uncorrectable lacunae. Textual discrepancies between the 'Nan Qi Shu' and Liu Shou's 'Nanshi'—such as "Yuezhou" versus "Yuexi" in the 'Xie Zhuang Zhuan', or "liangjie" (two virtues) versus "chizi liang sui" (father and son both achieved) in the 'Cui Huaishen Zhuan'—highlight the challenges of preserving an accurate text. Modern editions attempt to reconcile these variations, but unresolved errors persist due to centuries of textual degradation.

Despite its flaws, the 'Book of Southern Qi' remains a vital source for understanding the Southern Qi dynasty, offering insights into political strategies, cultural trends, and the historiographical practices of the Liang era. Its decline in popularity during the Tang, following Li Yanshou',s 'Beishi', further underscores the need for critical study of its extant volumes.

References

• 《四庫全書總目提要·卷45 史部·正史類》

《南齊書》，梁朝蕭子顯撰的紀傳體史書，記載自齊高帝建元元年（479年）至齊和帝中興2年（502年）的南齊歷史，成書於510年至526年之間。

Read more...: 編撰過程   內容   本紀   志   列傳   參考資料