从刍荛鄙说到竹帛正言——略论司马迁对口传史料的考订取舍

From the Inurbane Speech of the Boors to the Elegant Expressions in Canonical Books——A Discussion on Si Maqian's Validation and Selection of Oral Historical Materials

由于文字材料的缺失和不完备,早期历史著述在较大程度上要依赖口传材料。但口传材料有其自身的特点,所以采录之前必须下一番考辨取舍和编纂加工的功夫,否则就难以显示出其应有的价值。太史公撰著《史记》,对口传史料精审考辨,摒弃荒谬者,采用可信者,或折合诸说为一说,其考订取舍口传史料的方法,堪称中国古典史学著作在此方面的优秀典范。

Due to inadequacy and lack of written materials, earlier historical works rely in great extent on the oral historical materials. However, the oral historical materials have their own characteristics. Before adopting these oral materials, they were validated and edited so that their value can be fully displayed. When writing Shiji, Si Maqian validated and audited the oral historical materials carefully, discarding the ridiculous versions, adopting the reliable ones, convert all the versions into one. His unique method in dealing with oral historical materials can be regarded as one of the excellent paradigms in Chinese classical historical works in this aspect.