Wudi Benji — Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian, chapter 1
Sima Qian (c. 145–c. 86 BCE) completed the Shiji, the Records of the Grand Historian, under Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. It is the first comprehensive history of China, running from the legendary sage-kings of high antiquity down to Sima Qian's own lifetime, and it opens with twelve Basic Annals tracing the succession of rulers and dynasties.
This first Basic Annal follows the Five Emperors of Chinese legend: the Yellow Emperor, who subdues Chiyou and the Flame Emperor and becomes the first Son of Heaven; Emperor Zhuanxu; Emperor Ku; Emperor Yao, who searches for a worthy successor and tests Shun through repeated trials; and Emperor Shun, who rises from a commoner's hardship at the hands of his own family to the throne, appoints Yu, Gao Yao, and the other ministers to their offices, and oversees Yu's ordering of the Nine Provinces. The chapter closes with a genealogy of the surnames descended from these rulers and with Sima Qian's own account, as the Grand Historian, of the scattered and uneven sources he weighed — oral tradition gathered on his own travels, the Book of Documents, the Chunqiu, and the Guoyu — in order to set the earliest reigns in order.
The section headings inside the chapter are editorial conveniences added by the Chinese Wikisource transcription, not divisions original to Sima Qian, and the Sanjia commentary carried by that transcription is kept in the source text below but not translated. Names and titles are given in Hanyu pinyin without tone marks, with Chinese characters at first appearance for major figures.
Translated for the Good Works Library directly from the classical Chinese printed in full below. Prior English translations of the Shiji's Basic Annals exist — Burton Watson's Records of the Grand Historian and the Nienhauser team's The Grand Scribe's Records — and are named here as controls-in-existence, not consulted in preparing this translation; no claim of firstness is made, and no live search for other prior translations could be carried out when this file was prepared.
Contents
- Annals of the Five Emperors (五帝本紀)
- The Yellow Emperor (黃帝)
- Emperor Zhuanxu (帝顓頊)
- Emperor Ku (帝嚳)
- Emperor Yao (帝堯)
- Emperor Shun (帝舜)
- Conclusion (結語)
Translation
Annals of the Five Emperors (五帝本紀)
The Yellow Emperor (黃帝)
The Yellow Emperor (黃帝) was the son of Shaodian. His surname was Gongsun and his name was Xuanyuan. He was numinous from birth; as an infant he could speak; as a small child he was quick and even-tempered; as a youth he was earnest and sharp; and when he came to maturity he was perceptive and wise.
In Xuanyuan's time the house of Shennong had declined through the generations. The feudal lords attacked one another and treated the people with violence and cruelty, and the house of Shennong could not chastise them. Therefore Xuanyuan practiced the use of shield and dagger-axe, and campaigned against those who did not bring their offerings, and the lords all came and followed him as guests. But Chiyou (蚩尤) was the most violent of all, and no one could attack him. The Flame Emperor wished to encroach upon and overbear the lords, and the lords all turned to Xuanyuan. Xuanyuan then cultivated virtue and put his troops in order; he regulated the five vapors, planted the five kinds of grain, comforted the myriad people, took the measure of the four quarters, and trained bears and brown bears, pi and xiu, chu and tigers, and with them fought the Flame Emperor in the wilds of Banquan. After three battles he got his will. Then Chiyou made rebellion and would not obey the emperor's command. Thereupon the Yellow Emperor summoned troops from the lords and fought Chiyou in the wilds of Zhuolu, and he captured and killed Chiyou. The lords all honored Xuanyuan as Son of Heaven in place of the house of Shennong, and this was the Yellow Emperor. Whenever there was any in the world who did not submit, the Yellow Emperor went after him and campaigned against him; where he had brought peace, he departed. He opened up mountains and cleared roads, and never dwelt at ease.
In the east he reached the sea, and climbed Mount Wan and Daizong. In the west he reached Kongtong, and climbed Jitou. In the south he reached the Jiang, and climbed Mount Xiong and Mount Xiang. In the north he drove out the Xunyu. He matched tallies at Mount Fu and made his settlement on the slope of Zhuolu. He shifted his camp and came and went with no fixed place, and used his troops as his encampment and guard. His official titles were all named with "cloud," and his officers were cloud officers. He established a great inspector of the left and a great inspector of the right to oversee the myriad states. The myriad states were in concord, and the sacrifices to the spirits, to the mountains and rivers, and the feng and shan rites were more numerous in his time than in any other. He obtained the treasure cauldron; he welcomed the days and reckoned them with divining stalks. He raised up Fenghou, Limu, Changxian, and Dahong to govern the people. He followed the regularities of Heaven and Earth, the divinations of the dark and the bright, the doctrines of death and life, and the hard questions of survival and ruin. In their seasons he sowed the hundred grains, the plants and the trees, and he tamed and transformed the birds and beasts, the insects and the moths. He ranged over and set in order the sun and moon, the stars and constellations, the waters and waves, the soil and stones, the metal and jade. He toiled with heart and strength, with ear and eye, and used water, fire, timber, and goods with measure. He had the auspicious sign of the virtue of earth, and so was called the Yellow Emperor.
The Yellow Emperor had twenty-five sons, of whom fourteen received surnames.
The Yellow Emperor dwelt on the mound of Xuanyuan, and took to wife a woman of Xiling; this was Leizu. Leizu was the Yellow Emperor's principal consort. She bore two sons, and the descendants of both held the world. The first was called Xuanxiao, that is Qingyang, and Qingyang was sent down to dwell by the Jiang River. The second was called Changyi, who was sent down to dwell by the Ruo River. Changyi took to wife a woman of the Shushan clan called Changpu, who bore Gaoyang; and Gaoyang had sagely virtue. When the Yellow Emperor died he was buried at Mount Qiao. His grandson Gaoyang, the son of Changyi, was set up, and this was Emperor Zhuanxu.
Emperor Zhuanxu (帝顓頊)
Emperor Zhuanxu (帝顓頊) was a grandson of the Yellow Emperor and a son of Changyi. He was still and deep, and had counsel in him; he was penetrating and understood affairs. He nourished the resources of the land so as to make full use of it; he carried the seasons so as to take Heaven for his model; he relied upon the spirits to set the standards of righteousness; he regulated the vapors in order to teach and transform; he was pure and sincere in his sacrifices. In the north he reached Youling, in the south Jiaozhi, in the west the Flowing Sands, and in the east Panmu. Of things that move and things that are still, of spirits great and small, wherever the sun and moon shone, there were none that did not level themselves and attach to him.
Emperor Zhuanxu had a son called Qiongchan. When Zhuanxu died, Gaoxin, a grandson of Xuanxiao, was set up, and this was Emperor Ku.
Emperor Ku (帝嚳)
Emperor Ku (帝嚳) was a great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor. Gaoxin's father was called Jiaoji; Jiaoji's father was called Xuanxiao; Xuanxiao's father was the Yellow Emperor. Neither Xuanxiao nor Jiaoji had held the throne, and it was Gaoxin who came to the imperial seat. Gaoxin was a nephew of the clan to Zhuanxu.
Gaoxin was numinous from birth, and spoke his own name. He spread benefit widely over all things and did not take it for himself. His hearing was keen enough to know what was far off; his sight was clear enough to discern what was minute. He followed the righteousness of Heaven and knew what the people urgently needed. He was humane yet awe-inspiring, kind yet trustworthy. He cultivated his own person, and the world submitted. He took the wealth of the earth and used it sparingly; he comforted and taught the myriad people and instructed them to their benefit; he made a calendar of sun and moon and welcomed and sent them off; he understood the spirits and served them with reverence. His countenance was rich and full, his virtue was lofty. His movements were timely, and his dress was that of an officer. Emperor Ku held to the mean and spread it everywhere through the world; wherever sun and moon shone, wherever wind and rain reached, there were none who did not follow and submit.
Emperor Ku took to wife a woman of the Chenfeng clan, who bore Fangxun. He took to wife a woman of the Juzi clan, who bore Zhi. When Emperor Ku died, Zhi was set up in his place. Emperor Zhi reigned, but was not good, and died. His younger brother Fangxun was set up, and this was Emperor Yao.
Emperor Yao (帝堯)
Emperor Yao (帝堯) was Fangxun. His humaneness was like Heaven, his knowledge like a spirit. To draw near him was like drawing near the sun; to look toward him was like looking at the clouds. He was rich but not proud, honored but not slack. He wore a yellow cap and robes of plain silk, and rode in a vermilion chariot drawn by white horses. He was able to make bright his docile virtue, and so drew close the nine branches of his kin. When the nine branches were in accord, he distinguished and ordered the hundred clans. When the hundred clans were made illustrious, he brought the myriad states into concord.
He then charged Xi and He reverently to follow august Heaven, to count and take as their pattern the sun and moon, the stars and constellations, and reverently to give the people the seasons.
He separately charged Xi Zhong to dwell at Yuyi, at the place called Yanggu, reverently to guide the rising sun and to regulate the works of the east. When the day was of middle length and the star was the Bird, he fixed mid-spring by them. Then the people spread out to the fields, and the birds and beasts paired and bred.
He further charged Xi Shu to dwell at Nanjiao, to regulate the works of the south and reverently attend to them. When the day was longest and the star was Fire, he fixed midsummer by them. Then the people stayed on in the fields, and the hair of birds and beasts grew thin.
He further charged He Zhong to dwell in the western land, at the place called Meigu, reverently to escort the setting sun and to regulate the completion of the works of the west. When the night was of middle length and the star was the Void, he fixed mid-autumn by them. Then the people were at ease, and the coats of birds and beasts grew sleek and new.
He further charged He Shu to dwell in the north, at the place called Youdu, to regulate and attend to the things that lie stored away. When the day was shortest and the star was Mao, he fixed midwinter by them. Then the people kept themselves warm, and the birds and beasts had downy hair.
The year had three hundred and sixty-six days, and by intercalary months he corrected the four seasons. He faithfully put the hundred offices in order, and all works flourished.
Yao said, "Who can carry this business forward?" Fangqi said, "Your heir Danzhu is enlightened." Yao said, "Alas! He is stubborn and vicious. He will not do."
Yao said again, "Who then will do?" Huandou said, "Gonggong has gathered men on every side and spread abroad his works; he may be used." Yao said, "Gonggong speaks well, but his practice is crooked. He seems reverent, yet he slights Heaven itself. He will not do."
Yao said again, "Ah, Four Peaks! The flooding waters surge and rise to Heaven; vast and swelling, they wrap the hills and mount over the mounds. The people below are in distress. Is there one who can be set over them to bring them under control?" All said that Gun would do. Yao said, "Gun betrays commands and ruins his own kin. He will not do." The Peaks said, "Not so. Let him be tried, and if he cannot be used, then let it end there." Yao therefore listened to the Peaks and employed Gun. For nine years his labors brought no success.
Yao said, "Ah, Four Peaks! I have been on the throne seventy years. Can you carry out the mandate and take my seat?" The Peaks answered, "Our mean virtue would disgrace the imperial seat." Yao said, "Bring forward all of them, whether noble kinsmen or distant and obscure men in hiding." All of them said to Yao, "There is a man among the common people who has no wife; he is called Shun of Yu." Yao said, "So it is; I have heard of him. What is he like?" The Peaks said, "He is the son of a blind man. His father is stubborn, his mother is a slanderer, his younger brother is arrogant, yet he has been able to bring them into harmony by his filial devotion. Steadily he has set them in order, so that they have not come to wickedness." Yao said, "Then let me test him." Thereupon Yao gave him his two daughters in marriage and observed his virtue through the two daughters. Shun set the two daughters in order and brought them down to the bend of the Gui, and they kept the rites of a wife. Yao thought well of this, and had Shun carefully bring the five constant duties into harmony, and the five duties were followed. Then he brought him into all the hundred offices, and the hundred offices were ordered in their seasons. He received guests at the four gates, and at the four gates all was solemn and reverent, and the feudal lords and the guests from distant regions were all respectful. Yao sent Shun into the mountain forests and the rivers and marshes, and through violent wind, thunder and rain Shun went without losing his way. Yao held him to be a sage, and summoned him and said, "In planning affairs you are thorough, and your words can be brought to accomplishment; it is now three years. Mount to the imperial seat." Shun yielded on the ground of virtue and was not glad to accept. On the first day of the first month Shun received the succession in the temple of the Accomplished Ancestor. The Accomplished Ancestor was Yao's great ancestor.
Thereupon Emperor Yao, being old, commanded Shun to act in his stead in the government of the Son of Heaven, so as to observe the mandate of Heaven. Shun then examined the jade turning-sphere and the jade transverse tube, and by them set in order the seven governors. He then made the lei offering to the High Thearch, the yin offering to the Six Honored Ones, the offering from afar to the mountains and rivers, and offerings in turn to the host of spirits. He gathered up the five tokens of jade, chose an auspicious month and day, gave audience to the Four Peaks and to all the pastors, and distributed the tokens back to them. In the second month of the year he made an eastern tour of inspection, went as far as Daizong, burned the offering there, and made the distant offering in due order to the mountains and rivers. Then he gave audience to the rulers and chiefs of the east, brought the seasons and months into agreement and corrected the days, made uniform the pitch pipes and the measures of length, capacity, and weight, and put in order the five rites, with the five jades, the three kinds of silk, the two living creatures, and the one dead creature as gifts of introduction; and as for the five jade vessels, when the ceremony was over they were given back. In the fifth month he made a southern tour of inspection; in the eighth month a western tour; in the eleventh month a northern tour: all as at the first. On returning he came to the temple of his ancestors and of his own father, and used the rite of a single ox. Once in five years he made a tour of inspection, and the many lords came four times to court. He instructed them fully in words, tested them clearly by their achievements, and rewarded them with chariots and robes according to their service. He first laid out the twelve provinces, and opened channels for the rivers. He displayed images of the regular punishments; banishment was made to mitigate the five punishments; the whip was made the punishment of the offices, the rod the punishment of the schools, and metal the punishment of redemption. Faults arising from mischance or calamity were pardoned; those who presumed upon their offense and persisted in doing harm were punished. "Be reverent, be reverent, and let there be stillness in the use of punishments!"
Huandou had put Gonggong forward, and Yao had said he would not do, but tried him as master of works, and Gonggong proved indeed licentious and depraved. The Four Peaks had put forward Gun to control the great flood, and Yao had thought him unfit, but the Peaks strongly begged that he be tried; he was tried and had no success, and so the people had no relief. The Sanmiao, in the region of the Jiang and the Huai and in Jingzhou, repeatedly made disorder. Thereupon Shun returned and spoke to the emperor, asking that Gonggong be banished to Youling, to transform the Northern Di; that Huandou be sent away to Mount Chong, to transform the Southern Man; that the Sanmiao be moved to Sanwei, to transform the Western Rong; and that Gun be put to death at Mount Yu, to transform the Eastern Yi. These four were punished, and all under Heaven submitted.
Yao had been on the throne seventy years when he found Shun; after twenty years more he was old, and ordered Shun to act in his stead in the government of the Son of Heaven, and recommended him to Heaven. Twenty-eight years in all after Yao withdrew from the throne, he died. The people mourned in grief as though they had lost a father or a mother. For three years, in the four quarters, no music was raised, out of longing for Yao. Yao knew that his son Danzhu was unworthy and not fit to be given the world, and so he weighed the matter and gave it to Shun. If he gave it to Shun, the world would gain the benefit and Danzhu would suffer; if he gave it to Danzhu, the world would suffer and Danzhu would gain the benefit. Yao said, "In the end I will not injure the world in order to profit one man," and so at last gave the world to Shun. When Yao died and the three years' mourning was completed, Shun yielded to Danzhu and withdrew to the south of the Southern River. But those feudal lords who came to court did not go to Danzhu; they went to Shun. Those who had lawsuits did not go to Danzhu; they went to Shun. Those who sang did not sing of Danzhu; they sang of Shun. Shun said, "It is Heaven!" and only then went to the central states and mounted the seat of the Son of Heaven. This was Emperor Shun.
Emperor Shun (帝舜)
Shun of Yu (虞舜) was named Chonghua. Chonghua's father was called Gusou; Gusou's father was called Qiaoniu; Qiaoniu's father was called Gouwang; Gouwang's father was called Jingkang; Jingkang's father was called Qiongchan; Qiongchan's father was Emperor Zhuanxu; and Zhuanxu's father was called Changyi. Thus down to Shun there were seven generations. From Qiongchan down to Emperor Shun, all were of low station and were commoners.
Shun's father Gusou was blind. Shun's mother died, and Gusou married again and had Xiang, and Xiang was arrogant. Gusou loved the son of his later wife and often wished to kill Shun, and Shun kept out of his way and fled; when he committed some small fault, he accepted the blame. He served his father, his stepmother, and his younger brother obediently, growing daily more earnest and careful, and never slackened.
Shun was a man of Jizhou. He ploughed at Mount Li, fished at Leize, made pottery on the bank of the Yellow River, made household vessels at Shouqiu, and traded in season at Fuxia.
Shun's father Gusou was stubborn, his mother was a slanderer, his younger brother Xiang was arrogant, and all of them wished to kill Shun. Shun complied with them and never failed in the way of a son; toward his parents he was filial and toward his brother kind. When they wished to kill him they could not get hold of him; when they wanted him for something, he was always at their side.
At twenty Shun was known for his filial devotion. At thirty, when Emperor Yao asked who could be employed, the Four Peaks all recommended Shun of Yu and said that he would do. Thereupon Yao gave him his two daughters in marriage to observe his conduct within, and sent his nine sons to live with him to observe his conduct without. Shun dwelt at the bend of the Gui, and his conduct within grew ever more careful. Yao's two daughters did not dare, on account of their noble birth, to be proud in serving Shun's kin, and were fully mindful of a wife's way. Yao's nine sons all grew more earnest. When Shun ploughed at Mount Li, the people of Mount Li all yielded the boundaries of their fields; when he fished at Leize, the people by Leize all yielded their dwelling places; when he made pottery on the bank of the Yellow River, the vessels made on that bank were all without flaw or coarseness. After one year the place where he dwelt became a hamlet; after two years a town; after three years a city. Yao then gave Shun fine linen garments and a zither, built granaries for him, and gave him oxen and sheep. Yet Gusou still wished to kill him. He sent Shun up to plaster the granary, and then from below set fire to it and burned the granary. Shun shielded himself with two rain hats and came down, and got away, and so did not die. Afterward Gusou also sent Shun to dig a well, and in digging it Shun made a hidden passage out at the side. When Shun had gone in deep, Gusou and Xiang together threw down earth to fill up the well; but Shun came out through the hidden passage and got away. Gusou and Xiang rejoiced, taking Shun to be dead. Xiang said, "The plan was mine from the first." Xiang divided the spoils with his father and mother, saying, "Shun's wives, Yao's two daughters, and the zither — Xiang will take them; the oxen and sheep and the granaries go to my father and mother." Xiang then settled himself in Shun's house and played on his zither. Shun went and appeared before him. Xiang was startled and displeased, and said, "I have been thinking of Shun with a heavy heart!" Shun said, "So it is; you come near to it!" Shun again served Gusou and loved his younger brother, ever more careful of his duty. Thereupon Yao tested Shun in the five constant duties and in the hundred offices, and all was well ordered.
Long ago the house of Gaoyang had eight talented sons, and the age gained benefit from them; they were called the Eight Kai. The house of Gaoxin had eight talented sons, whom the age called the Eight Yuan. These sixteen lineages carried on their excellence from generation to generation and did not let their names fall. Down to the time of Yao, Yao had not been able to raise them up. Shun raised up the Eight Kai and set them over the earth, to take the measure of the hundred affairs, and there was nothing that was not ordered in its season. He raised up the Eight Yuan and had them spread the five teachings through the four quarters: the father righteous, the mother kind, the elder brother friendly, the younger brother respectful, the son filial. Within there was peace, and without there was accomplishment.
Long ago the house of Dihong had an untalented son who covered over righteousness and hid harm within himself, and delighted in doing what was vicious and evil; the world called him Hundun. The house of Shaohao had an untalented son who destroyed good faith and hated loyalty, and exalted and adorned evil speech; the world called him Qiongqi. The house of Zhuanxu had an untalented son who could not be taught or admonished and who knew nothing of good words; the world called him Taowu. These three lineages were a grief to the age. Down to the time of Yao, Yao had not been able to remove them. The house of Jinyun had an untalented son who was greedy for food and drink and grasping after goods and bribes; the world called him Taotie. The world hated him and ranked him with the three vicious ones. When Shun received guests at the four gates, he banished these four vicious lineages and moved them to the four outer regions, that they might ward off the goblins and sprites. Thereupon the four gates stood open, which is to say that there were no vicious men.
Shun went into the great forest, and in fierce wind, thunder and rain he did not lose his way, and Yao then knew that Shun was fit to be given the world. Yao was old and had Shun act in his stead in the government of the Son of Heaven and make the tours of inspection. Shun, having been raised up, was in charge of affairs for twenty years, and then Yao had him act as regent. He had been regent eight years when Yao died. When the three years' mourning was complete he yielded to Danzhu, but the world turned to Shun. Now Yu, Gaoyao, Xie, Houji, Boyi, Kui, Long, Chui, Yi, and Pengzu had all been raised and employed since Yao's time, but their several offices had not yet been assigned. Thereupon Shun went to the temple of the Accomplished Ancestor, took counsel with the Four Peaks, opened the four gates, and made clear and open the ears and eyes of the four quarters. He commanded the twelve pastors to discourse upon the virtue of the emperor: if generous virtue were practiced and flattering men kept far off, then the Man and the Yi would submit in a body. Shun said to the Four Peaks, "Is there one who can exert himself in service and make glorious the work of Yao, whom I may set in office to assist in affairs?" All said, "Let Elder Yu be minister of works; he can make glorious the emperor's achievement." Shun said, "Ah, so be it! Yu, you shall bring the waters and the land to order; put forth your strength in this." Yu bowed with his head to the ground and yielded to Ji, to Xie, and to Gaoyao. Shun said, "So be it; go to your work." Shun said, "Qi, the black-haired people are beginning to hunger. You shall be Houji and sow the hundred grains in their seasons." Shun said, "Xie, the hundred clans are not close to one another, and the five relations are not observed. You shall be minister of education, and shall reverently spread the five teachings; and let there be leniency in it." Shun said, "Gaoyao, the Man and the Yi are troubling the Xia, and there are robbers and murderers, the treacherous and the lawless. You shall be officer of justice. The five punishments have their applications, and the five applications their three places of execution; the five banishments have their measures, and the five measures their three places of confinement. Only through clear discernment can there be good faith." Shun said, "Who can order my artisans for me?" All said that Chui would do, and thereupon he made Chui master of works. Shun said, "Who can order for me the plants and trees, the birds and beasts of the highlands and the lowlands?" All said that Yi would do, and thereupon he made Yi his forester. Yi bowed with his head to the ground and yielded to his fellow ministers Zhuhu and Xiongpi. Shun said, "Go to your work; you shall bring them into accord." He then made Zhuhu and Xiongpi his assistants. Shun said, "Ah, Four Peaks! Is there one who can take charge of my three kinds of rites?" All said that Boyi would do. Shun said, "Ah, Boyi! I make you master of ritual rank. Morning and night be reverent; be upright, and be still and pure." Boyi yielded to Kui and to Long. Shun said, "So be it. I make Kui director of music, to teach the young sons: upright yet mild, generous yet firm, strong yet not cruel, plain yet not arrogant. Poetry speaks what is in the mind; song draws out the words; the notes follow the drawn-out singing, and the pitch pipes bring the notes into harmony. When the eight kinds of sound can accord and none robs another of its order, then spirits and men are brought into harmony." Kui said, "Ah! When I strike the sounding stone and tap the sounding stone, the hundred beasts lead one another in the dance." Shun said, "Long, I dread slanderous talk and destructive falsehood, which shake and alarm my people. I appoint you receiver of words: morning and night send out and bring in my commands, and let there be only good faith." Shun said, "Ah, you twenty-two men, be reverent, and in due season assist in the work of Heaven." Once in three years the achievements were examined, and after three examinations men were demoted or advanced. Far and near, all works flourished. The Sanmiao were divided and dispersed.
These twenty-two men all completed their work. Gaoyao was chief justice, and judged evenly, so that the people each submitted and were given what was true. Boyi had charge of the rites, and high and low all yielded to one another. Chui had charge of the master artisans, and the hundred crafts brought their work to completion. Yi had charge of the forests and marshes, and the mountains and marshes were opened. Qi had charge of the millet, and the hundred grains flourished in their seasons. Xie was minister of education, and the hundred clans were close and harmonious. Long had charge of guests, and men from afar came. The twelve pastors went about their charge, and in the nine provinces none dared evade or disobey. But the achievement of Yu was the greatest: he cut through the nine mountains, opened up the nine marshes, cleared the channels of the nine rivers, and settled the nine provinces; and each region came bringing tribute according to its office, and none failed in what was fitting. The land was five thousand li square, reaching to the wild domain. In the south he brought under his care Jiaozhi and Beifa; in the west the Rong, Xizhi, Qusou, Di, and Qiang; in the north the Shanrong, Fa, and Xishen; in the east the Zhang and the Niaoyi. Within the four seas all upheld the achievement of Emperor Shun. Thereupon Yu raised up the music of the Nine Shao; rare creatures were brought forth, and the phoenix came soaring. All the bright virtue of the world took its beginning from the Emperor of Yu.
At twenty Shun was known for his filial devotion; at thirty Yao raised him up; at fifty he acted in the affairs of the Son of Heaven; at fifty-eight Yao died; at sixty-one he took Yao's place and mounted the imperial seat. In the thirty-ninth year after he mounted the imperial seat he made a southern tour of inspection and died in the wilds of Cangwu. He was buried at Jiuyi south of the Jiang, and this is Lingling. When Shun mounted the imperial seat he carried the banner of the Son of Heaven and went to pay his respects to his father Gusou, trembling with awe and wholly careful, as the way of a son requires. He enfeoffed his younger brother Xiang as a feudal lord. Shun's son Shangjun was likewise unworthy, and so Shun recommended Yu to Heaven beforehand. Seventeen years later he died. When the three years' mourning was complete, Yu likewise yielded to Shun's son, as Shun had yielded to Yao's son. The feudal lords turned to him, and only then did Yu mount the seat of the Son of Heaven. Yao's son Danzhu and Shun's son Shangjun both had lands of their own, that they might maintain the sacrifices to their forebears. They wore their own robes, and their rites and music were their own. They appeared before the Son of Heaven as guests, and the Son of Heaven did not treat them as subjects, to show that he did not presume to hold the throne as his alone.
Conclusion (結語)
From the Yellow Emperor down to Shun and Yu, all shared the same surname but differed in the names of their states, so as to make manifest their bright virtue. Thus the Yellow Emperor was of Youxiong; Emperor Zhuanxu of Gaoyang; Emperor Ku of Gaoxin; Emperor Yao of Taotang; Emperor Shun of Youyu. Emperor Yu was of Xiahou and took a separate clan name, the Si clan. Xie was of Shang, of the Zi clan. Qi was of Zhou, of the Ji clan.
The Grand Historian says: Scholars often speak of the Five Emperors, and they are of the highest antiquity. Yet the Book of Documents records only from Yao onward, while the hundred schools speak of the Yellow Emperor in writings that are not refined and reliable, so that gentlemen of girdle and sash find them hard to speak of. As for "Zai Yu's Question on the Virtue of the Five Emperors" and the "Genealogy and Surnames of the Emperors," which were transmitted by Confucius, there are Confucian scholars who do not hand them down. I once travelled west as far as Kongtong, north past Zhuolu, east to the edge of the sea, and south by boat upon the Jiang; and everywhere I came, the elders would each in their own way point out the places of the Yellow Emperor, of Yao, and of Shun. The customs and teachings there certainly differed, but taken as a whole, those accounts that did not depart from the ancient writings came nearest the truth. I have looked into the Chunqiu and the Guoyu, and they set forth plainly what is in "The Virtue of the Five Emperors" and the "Genealogy and Surnames of the Emperors"; it is only that men have not examined them deeply. What those texts display is in no way empty. The records are defective and have gaps in them, yet what has dropped out of them may be seen from time to time in other accounts. For one who does not love learning and think deeply, so as to know in his own mind what these things mean, it is certainly hard to speak of them to the shallow of sight and the scant of hearing. I have therefore arranged and set them in order, choosing those words that are most refined, and have written this as the first of the Basic Annals.
Colophon
This translation was prepared for the Chinese shelf of the Good Works Library and translated independently from the classical Chinese text printed below. The chapter's genealogical narration, the direct speech exchanged between Yao, Shun, and the Four Peaks, and the closing judgment of the Grand Historian were each kept in their own register: genealogy plain, speech direct, judgment reflective.
The translation-status check named Burton Watson, Records of the Grand Historian (1961; 1993), and William H. Nienhauser Jr. et al., The Grand Scribe's Records, vol. 1 (1994), as existing English coverage of the Shiji's Basic Annals. Both are named here as controls-in-existence and were not consulted; this translation makes no claim of firstness, and the check itself could not include a live search when this file was prepared.
A note on names: several figures in this chapter carry both a personal name and a reign title — Yao is also Fangxun, Shun is also Chonghua — and both forms appear in the source and are kept as the text gives them, glossed at first appearance.
Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation and editorial work.
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Source Text: 史記 卷1 五帝本紀
Classical Chinese text in the Chinese Wikisource transcription, with the Sanjia commentary set in 〔 〕 as the transcription carries it. Presented complete for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above; the commentary is not translated.
黃帝
黃帝者，少典之子，姓公孫，名曰軒轅。生而神靈，弱而能言，幼而徇齊，長而敦敏，成而聰明。
軒轅之時，神農氏世衰。諸侯相侵伐，暴虐百姓，而神農氏弗能征。於是軒轅乃習用干戈，以征不享，諸侯咸來賓從。而蚩尤最爲暴，莫能伐。炎帝欲侵陵諸侯，諸侯咸歸軒轅。軒轅乃修德振兵，治五氣，蓺五種，撫萬民，度四方，教熊羆貔貅貙虎，以與炎帝戰於阪泉之野。三戰，然後得其志。蚩尤作亂，不用帝命。於是黃帝乃徵師諸侯，與蚩尤戰於涿鹿之野，遂禽殺蚩尤。而諸侯咸尊軒轅爲天子，代神農氏，是爲黃帝。天下有不順者，黃帝從而征之，平者去之，披山通道，未嘗寧居。
東至于海，登丸山，及岱宗。西至于空桐，登雞頭。南至于江，登熊、湘。北逐葷粥，合符釜山，而邑于涿鹿之阿。遷徙往來無常處，以師兵爲營衞。官名皆以雲命，爲雲師。置左右大監，監于萬國。萬國和，而鬼神山川封禪與爲多焉。獲寶鼎，迎日推筴。舉風后、力牧、常先、大鴻以治民。順天地之紀、幽明之占、死生之說、存亡之難。時播百穀草木，淳化鳥獸蟲蛾，旁羅日月星辰水波土石金玉，勞勤心力耳目，節用水火材物。有土德之瑞，故號黃帝。
黃帝二十五子，其得姓者十四人。
黃帝居軒轅之丘，而娶於西陵之女，是爲嫘祖。嫘祖爲黃帝正妃，生二子，其後皆有天下：其一曰玄囂，是爲青陽，青陽降居江水；其二曰昌意，降居若水。昌意娶蜀山氏女，曰昌僕，生高陽，高陽有聖惪焉。黃帝崩，葬橋山。其孫昌意之子高陽立，是爲帝顓頊也。
帝顓頊
帝顓頊者，黃帝之孫而昌意之子也。靜淵以有謀，疏通而知事；養材以任地，載時以象天，依鬼神以制義，治氣以教化，絜誠以祭祀。北至于幽陵，南至于交阯，西至于流沙，東至于蟠木。動靜之物，大小之神，日月所照，莫不砥屬。
帝顓頊生子曰窮蟬。顓頊崩，而玄囂之孫高辛立，是爲帝嚳。
帝嚳
帝嚳者，黃帝之曾孫也。高辛父曰蟜極，蟜極父曰玄囂，玄囂父曰黃帝。自玄囂與蟜極皆不得在位，至高辛即帝位。高辛於顓頊爲族子。
高辛生而神靈，自言其名。普施利物，不於其身。聰以知遠，明以察微。順天之義，知民之急。仁而威，惠而信，脩身而天下服。取地之財而節用之，撫教萬民而利誨之，曆日月而迎送之，明鬼神而敬事之。其色郁郁，其德嶷嶷。其動也時，其服也士。帝嚳溉執中而徧天下，日月所照，風雨所至，莫不從服。
帝嚳娶陳鋒氏女，生放勳。娶娵訾氏女，生摯。帝嚳崩，而摯代立。帝摯立，不善，崩。而弟放勳立，是爲帝堯。
帝堯
帝堯者，放勳。其仁如天，其知如神。就之如日，望之如雲。富而不驕，貴而不舒。黃收純衣，彤車乘白馬。能明馴德，以親九族。九族既睦，便章百姓。百姓昭明，合和萬國。
乃命羲、和，敬順昊天，數法日月星辰，敬授民時。分命羲仲，居郁夷，曰暘谷。敬道日出，便程東作。日中，星鳥，以殷中春。其民析，鳥獸字微。申命羲叔，居南交。便程南爲，敬致。日永，星火，以正中夏。其民因，鳥獸希革。申命和仲，居西土，曰昧谷。敬道日入，便程西成。夜中，星虛，以正中秋。其民夷易，鳥獸毛毨。申命和叔，居北方，曰幽都。便在伏物。日短，星昴，以正中冬。其民燠，鳥獸氄毛。歲三百六十六日，以閏月正四時。信飭百官，衆功皆興。
堯曰：「誰可順此事？」放齊曰：「嗣子丹朱開明。」堯曰：「吁！頑凶，不用。」堯又曰：「誰可者？」讙兜曰：「共工旁聚布功，可用。」堯曰：「共工善言，其用僻，似恭漫天，不可。」堯又曰：「嗟！四嶽：湯湯洪水滔天，浩浩懷山襄陵，下民其憂，有能使治者？」皆曰鯀可。堯曰：「鯀負命毀族，不可。」嶽曰：「异哉，試不可用而已。」堯於是聽嶽用鯀。九載，功用不成。
堯曰：「嗟！四嶽：朕在位七十載，汝能庸命，踐朕位？」嶽應曰：「鄙惪忝帝位。」堯曰：「悉舉貴戚及疏遠隱匿者。」衆皆言於堯曰：「有矜在民閒，曰虞舜。」堯曰：「然，朕聞之。其何如？」嶽曰：「盲者子。父頑，母嚚，弟傲，能和以孝，烝烝治，不至姦。」堯曰：「吾其試哉。」於是堯妻之二女，觀其德於二女。舜飭下二女於嬀汭，如婦禮。堯善之，乃使舜慎和五典，五典能從。乃徧入百官，百官時序。賓於四門，四門穆穆，諸侯遠方賓客皆敬。堯使舜入山林川澤，暴風雷雨，舜行不迷。堯以爲聖，召舜曰：「女謀事至而言可績，三年矣。女登帝位。」舜讓於德，不懌。正月上日，舜受終於文祖。文祖者，堯大祖也。
於是帝堯老，命舜攝行天子之政，以觀天命。舜乃在璿璣玉衡，以齊七政。遂類于上帝，禋于六宗，望于山川，辯于羣神。揖五瑞，擇吉月日，見四嶽諸牧，班瑞。歲二月，東巡狩，至於岱宗，祡，望秩於山川。遂見東方君長，合時月正日，同律度量衡，脩五禮五玉三帛二生一死爲摯，如五器，卒乃復。五月，南巡狩；八月，西巡狩；十一月，北巡狩：皆如初。歸，至于祖禰廟，用特牛禮。五歲一巡狩，羣后四朝。徧告以言，明試以功，車服以庸。肇十有二州，決川。象以典刑，流宥五刑，鞭作官刑，扑作教刑，金作贖刑。眚烖過，赦；怙終賊，刑。欽哉，欽哉，惟刑之靜哉！
讙兜進言共工，堯曰不可，而試之工師，共工果淫辟。四嶽舉鯀治鴻水，堯以爲不可，嶽彊請試之，試之而無功，故百姓不便。三苗在江淮、荆州數爲亂。於是舜歸而言於帝，請流共工於幽陵，以變北狄；放驩兜於崇山，以變南蠻；遷三苗於三危，以變西戎；殛鯀於羽山，以變東夷：四辠而天下咸服。
堯立七十年得舜，二十年而老，令舜攝行天子之政，薦之於天。堯辟位凡二十八年而崩。百姓悲哀，如喪父母。三年，四方莫舉樂，以思堯。堯知子丹朱之不肖，不足授天下，於是乃權授舜。授舜，則天下得其利而丹朱病；授丹朱，則天下病而丹朱得其利。堯曰「終不以天下之病而利一人」，而卒授舜以天下。堯崩，三年之喪畢，舜讓辟丹朱於南河之南。諸侯朝覲者不之丹朱而之舜，獄訟者不之丹朱而之舜，謳歌者不謳歌丹朱而謳歌舜。舜曰：「天也夫！」而後之中國踐天子位焉，是爲帝舜。
帝舜
虞舜者，名曰重華。重華父曰瞽叟，瞽叟父曰橋牛，橋牛父曰句望，句望父曰敬康，敬康父曰窮蟬，窮蟬父曰帝顓頊，顓頊父曰昌意：以至舜七世矣。自從窮蟬以至帝舜，皆微爲庶人。
舜父瞽叟盲，而舜母死，瞽叟更娶妻而生象，象傲。瞽叟愛後妻子，常欲殺舜，舜避逃；及有小過，則受罪。順事父及後母與弟，日以篤謹，匪有懈。
舜，冀州之人也。舜耕歷山，漁雷澤，陶河濱，作什器於壽丘，就時於負夏。舜父瞽叟頑，母嚚，弟象傲，皆欲殺舜。舜順適不失子道，兄弟孝慈。欲殺，不可得；即求，嘗在側。
舜年二十以孝聞。三十而帝堯問可用者，四嶽咸薦虞舜，曰可。於是堯乃以二女妻舜以觀其內，使九男與處以觀其外。舜居嬀汭，內行彌謹。堯二女不敢以貴驕事舜親戚，甚有婦道。堯九男皆益篤。舜耕歷山，歷山之人皆讓畔；漁雷澤，雷澤上人皆讓居；陶河濱，河濱器皆不苦窳。一年而所居成聚，二年成邑，三年成都。堯乃賜舜絺衣與琴，爲筑倉廩，予牛羊。瞽叟尚復欲殺之，使舜上塗廩，瞽叟從下縱火焚廩。舜乃以兩笠自扞而下，去，得不死。後瞽叟又使舜穿井，舜穿井爲匿空旁出。舜既入深，瞽叟與象共下土實井，舜從匿空出，去。瞽叟、象喜，以舜爲已死。象曰：「本謀者象。」象與其父母分，於是曰：「舜妻堯二女與琴，象取之；牛羊倉廩，予父母。」象乃止舜宮居，鼓其琴。舜往見之。象鄂不懌，曰：「我思舜正鬱陶！」舜曰：「然，爾其庶矣！」舜復事瞽叟，愛弟彌謹。於是堯乃試舜五典百官，皆治。
昔高陽氏有才子八人，世得其利，謂之「八愷」。高辛氏有才子八人，世謂之「八元」。此十六族者，世濟其美，不隕其名。至於堯，堯未能舉。舜舉八愷，使主后土，以揆百事，莫不時序。舉八元，使布五教于四方，父義，母慈，兄友，弟恭，子孝，內平外成。
昔帝鴻氏有不才子，掩義隱賊，好行凶慝，天下謂之渾沌。少暤氏有不才子，毀信惡忠，崇飾惡言，天下謂之窮奇。顓頊氏有不才子，不可教訓，不知話言，天下謂之檮杌。此三族世憂之。至于堯，堯未能去。縉雲氏有不才子，貪于飲食，冒于貨賄，天下謂之饕餮。天下惡之，比之三凶。舜賓於四門，乃流四凶族，遷于四裔，以御螭魅，於是四門辟，言毋凶人也。
舜入于大麓，烈風雷雨不迷，堯乃知舜之足授天下。堯老，使舜攝行天子政，巡狩。舜得舉，用事二十年，而堯使攝政。攝政八年而堯崩。三年喪畢，讓丹朱，天下歸舜。而禹、皋陶、契、后稷、伯夷、夔、龍、倕、益、彭祖自堯時而皆舉用，未有分職。於是舜乃至於文祖，謀于四嶽，辟四門，明通四方耳目，命十二牧論帝德，行厚德，遠佞人，則蠻夷率服。舜謂四嶽曰：「有能奮庸美堯之事者，使居官相事？」皆曰：「伯禹爲司空，可美帝功。」舜曰：「嗟，然！禹，汝平水土，維是勉哉。」禹拜稽首，讓於稷、契與皋陶。舜曰：「然，往矣。」舜曰：「弃，黎民始飢，汝后稷，播時百穀。」舜曰：「契，百姓不親，五品不馴，汝爲司徒，而敬敷五教，在寬。」舜曰：「皋陶，蠻夷猾夏，寇賊姦軌，汝作士，五刑有服，五服三就；五流有度，五度三居：維明能信。」舜曰：「誰能馴予工？」皆曰垂可。於是以垂爲共工。舜曰：「誰能馴予上下草木鳥獸？」皆曰益可。於是以益爲朕虞。益拜稽首，讓于諸臣朱虎、熊羆。舜曰：「往矣，汝諧。」遂以朱虎、熊羆爲佐。舜曰：「嗟！四嶽，有能典朕三禮？」皆曰伯夷可。舜曰：「嗟！伯夷，以汝爲秩宗，夙夜維敬，直哉維靜絜。」伯夷讓夔、龍。舜曰：「然。以夔爲典樂，教稺子，直而溫，寬而栗，剛而毋虐，簡而毋傲；詩言意，歌長言，聲依永，律和聲，八音能諧，毋相奪倫，神人以和。」夔曰：「於！予擊石拊石，百獸率舞。」舜曰：「龍，朕畏忌讒說殄僞，振驚朕衆，命汝爲納言，夙夜出入朕命，惟信。」舜曰：「嗟！女二十有二人，敬哉，惟時相天事。」三歲一考功，三考絀陟，遠近衆功咸興。分北三苗。
此二十二人咸成厥功：皋陶爲大理，平，民各伏得其實；伯夷主禮，上下咸讓；垂主工師，百工致功；益主虞，山澤辟；弃主稷，百穀時茂；契主司徒，百姓親和；龍主賓客，遠人至；十二牧行而九州莫敢辟違；唯禹之功爲大，披九山，通九澤，決九河，定九州，各以其職來貢，不失厥宜。方五千里，至于荒服。南撫交阯、北發，西戎、析枝、渠廋、氐、羌，北山戎、發、息慎，東長、鳥夷，四海之內咸戴帝舜之功。於是禹乃興九招之樂，致異物，鳳皇來翔。天下明德皆自虞帝始。
舜年二十以孝聞，年三十堯舉之，年五十攝行天子事，年五十八堯崩，年六十一代堯踐帝位。踐帝位三十九年，南巡狩，崩於蒼梧之野。葬於江南九疑，是爲零陵。舜之踐帝位，載天子旗，往朝父瞽叟，夔夔唯謹，如子道。封弟象爲諸侯。舜子商均亦不肖，舜乃豫薦禹於天。十七年而崩。三年喪畢，禹亦乃讓舜子，如舜讓堯子。諸侯歸之，然後禹踐天子位。堯子丹朱，舜子商均，皆有疆土，以奉先祀。服其服，禮樂如之。以客見天子，天子弗臣，示不敢專也。
結語
自黃帝至舜、禹，皆同姓而異其國號，以章明德。故黃帝爲有熊，帝顓頊爲高陽，帝嚳爲高辛，帝堯爲陶唐，帝舜爲有虞。帝禹爲夏后而別氏，姓姒氏。契爲商，姓子氏。弃爲周，姓姬氏。
太史公曰：學者多稱五帝，尚矣。然尚書獨載堯以來；而百家言黃帝，其文不雅馴，薦紳先生難言之。孔子所傳宰予問五帝德及帝繫姓，儒者或不傳。余嘗西至空桐，北過涿鹿，東漸於海，南浮江矣，至長老皆各往往稱黃帝、堯、舜之處，風教固殊焉，總之不離古文者近是。予觀春秋、國語，其發明五帝德、帝繫姓章矣，顧弟弗深考，其所表見皆不虛。書缺有間矣，其軼乃時時見於他說。非好學深思，心知其意，固難爲淺見寡聞道也。余并論次，擇其言尤雅者，故著爲本紀書首。
Source Colophon
The Chinese text follows the Chinese Wikisource transcription of Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian (article 史記/卷001, revision of 23 June 2026), inspected from a witness copy captured on 22 August 2026. Chinese Wikisource transcriptions are published under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL; the text itself is ancient and in the public domain. The wiki header, navigation links, license templates, and modern contributors' footnotes have been removed; the text is otherwise complete and unaltered.
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