Sima Biao (; between 238 and 246 – 306),

style name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theoba ...

Shaotong (), was an historian and nobleman during the Jin dynasty of China.

Biography

Sima Biao was the eldest son of Sima Mu (司馬睦), Prince of Gaoyang. His grandfather was Sima Jin (), younger brother of

Sima Yi Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He formally began his political career in 208 un ...

. This made Sima Biao one of many second-cousins to the emperors who reigned during his lifetime. Although the eldest son, Sima Biao was disinherited by his father due to his self-effacing nature and love of sex, pushing him onto a scholarly career path. Appointed to minor sinecures, he began to work on literature and history, annotating the '' Zhuangzi'' and the ''

Huainanzi The ''Huainanzi'' is an ancient Chinese text that consists of a collection of essays that resulted from a series of scholarly debates held at the court of Liu An, Prince of Huainan, sometime before 139. The ''Huainanzi'' blends Daoist, Confu ...

'', and writing the ''Chronicles of the Nine States'' (). Lamenting the absence of a coherent history of the

Eastern Han The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a wa ...

, Sima Biao began collating various sources into what would become his greatest work, the ''Continuation of the

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' or ''History of the Former Han'' (Qián Hàn Shū,《前汉书》) is a history of China finished in 111AD, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. ...

'' (), covering the two hundred years from

Emperor Guangwu of Han Emperor Guangwu of Han (; 15 January 5 BC – 29 March AD 57), born Liu Xiu (), courtesy name Wenshu (), was a Chinese monarch. He served as an emperor of the Han dynasty by restoring the dynasty in AD 25, thus founding the Eastern Han (Later ...

to Emperor Xian of Han. He also edited Qiao Zhou's ''Examination of Ancient History'' (), altering over two hundred events so they would comply with the Bamboo Annals.

Works

Sima Biao's ''Continuation of the Book of Han'' was one of many attempts during the Jin dynasty to create a history of the Eastern Han. Like most traditional Chinese histories, his book was arranged into annals and biographies, along with eight treatises, and ran to a total length of 80 fascicles. Of these, all have been lost but the five volumes of treatises, on the topics of the calendar, ceremony, rituals, astronomy, the five phases, geography, bureaucracy, vehicles, and clothing. These have been incorporated into Fan Ye's ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Lat ...

'', and Sima Biao is sometimes credited as a coauthor on that work.

Titles and appointments held

* Commandant of Cavalry () * Assistant in the Palace Library () * Vice Director of the Palace Library () * Gentleman Cavalier Attendant ()This was an honorific title signifying the official as a favoured companion or adviser to the emperor.

Charles O. Hucker Charles O. Hucker (June 21, 1919 – November 18, 1994) was a professor of Chinese language and history at the University of Michigan. He was regarded as one of the foremost historians of Imperial China and a leading figure in the promotion ...

, ''Dictionary of Official Titles of Imperial China'', pp 395–96. It was

Emperor Hui of Jin Emperor Hui of Jin (; 260 - January 8, 307), personal name Sima Zhong (司馬衷), courtesy name Zhengdu (正度), was the second emperor of the Jin dynasty (266–420). Emperor Hui was a developmentally disabled ruler, and throughout his reign, ...

who conferred this title.

Family

::*Great-grandfather: Sima Fang :*Grandfather: Sima Jin () *Father: Sima Mu ()

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sima, Biao 3rd-century Chinese historians 306 deaths Jin dynasty (266–420) historians Year of birth uncertain