The text

The principal text of the Zizhi Tongjian of 294 scrolls is a year-by-year chronological narrative of the history of China, sweeping through many Chinese historical periods (Warring States, Qin, Han, Three Kingdoms, Jin and the Sixteen Kingdoms, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties), supplemented with two sections of 30 scrolls each — tables mulu (目錄) and critical analysis kaoyi (考異).

Sima Guang departed from the format used in traditional Chinese dynastic histories which consisted primarily of annals (紀) of rulers, and biographies (傳) of officials. This represented a shift from a biographical style (紀傳體) to a chronological style (編年體). Guang himself wrote in a memorial to the Emperor: "Since I was a child I have ranged through histories. It has appeared to me that in the annal-biography form the words are so diffuse and numerous that even an erudite scholar who reads them again and again cannot comprehend and sort them out. ... I have constantly wished to write a chronological history roughly in accordance with the form of the Tso-chuan (左傳), starting with the Warring States and going down to the Five Dynasties, drawing on other books besides the Official Histories and taking in all that a ruler ought to know — matters which are related to the rise and fall of dynasties and connected with the joys and sorrows of the people, and of which the good can become a model and the evil a warning."

Initially, Sima Guang hired Liu Shu (劉恕) and Zhao Junxi as his main assistants, but Zhao was soon replaced by Liu Ban (劉攽), a Han history expert. In 1070 Emperor Shenzong approved Guang's request to add Fan Zuyu (范祖禹), a Tang history expert. Because Zizhi tongjian is a distillation from a large number (322) of disparate historical sources , the selection, drafting, and editing processes used in creating the work as well as potential political biases of Sima Guang, in particular, have been the subject of academic debate.

Derivative and commented works

In the 12th century, Zhu Xi produced a reworked, condensed version of Zizhi Tongjian, known as Tongjian Gangmu, or Zizhi Tongjian Gangmu (通鑒綱目). This version was itself later translated into Manchu as (Translteration: Tung giyan g'ang mu), upon the request of Qing Dynasty Kangxi Emperor. This Manchu version was itself translated into French by Jesuit missionary Joseph-Anna-Marie de Moyriac de Mailla. His twelve-volume translation, "Histoire générale de la Chine, ou Annales de cet Empire; traduit du Tong-kien-kang-mou par de Mailla" was published posthumously in Paris in 1777–1783. The condensed Zizhi Tongjian Gangmu was also the main source for "Textes Historiques", a political history of China from antiquity to 906CE published in 1929 by another French Jesuit missionary Léon Wieger.

The Zhonghua Shuju edition contains textual criticism made by Yuan Dynasty historian Hu Sanxing. The philosopher Wang Fuzhi also wrote a commentary on Tongjian, titled "Comments after reading the Tongjian" (讀通鑑論, "Du Tongjian Lun").

Historian Rafe de Crespigny has published annotated translations of chapters 54–59 and 59–69 under the titles "Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling" and "To Establish Peace" (Australian National University), respectively, covering 157–220 CE, building upon the publication of Achilles Fang's annotated translation of the next ten chapters (70–79) covering up to 265 CE. There are also self-published translations into English of Chapters 1–8, covering the years 403–207 BCE and some additional sections pertaining to the Xiongnu people.

Contents

The book consisted of 294 chapters, of which the following number describe each respective dynastic era:

• 5 chapters - Zhou (1046–256 BC)

• 3 chapters - Qin (221–207 BC)

• 60 chapters - Han (206 BC – 220 AD)

• 10 chapters - Wei (220–265)

• 40 chapters - Jin (266–420)

• 16 chapters - Liu Song (420–479)

• 10 chapters - Qi (479–502)

• 22 chapters - Liang (502–557)

• 10 chapters - Chen (557–589)

• 8 chapters - Sui (589–618)

• 81 chapters - Tang (618–907)

• 6 chapters - Later Liang (907–923)

• 8 chapters - Later Tang (923–936)

• 6 chapters - Later Jin (936–947)

• 4 chapters - Later Han (947–951)

• 5 chapters - Later Zhou (951–960)