“必新制度而驰才力”——皇甫湜对《史记》精彩评论的启示意义

On “Innovation and Initiatives” Based on Huangfu Shi’s Scintillating Reviews on Historical Records

唐代著名史评家皇甫湜著《编年纪传论》,在前代史家认识的基础上,精辟地提出司马迁著《史记》的杰出成就是“革故典,开新程”,“必新制度而驰才力”,这是评论《史记》见识卓异的经典性论断。他对我们深刻的启示是:司马迁创立的纪传体,并不是简单地做到体裁形式的更换,而是实现了著史体系的重大突破,用多角度、多线条观察和记载客观历史。而司马迁之“驰其才力”,则根源在于具有拥抱全民族文化的胸怀,因而能尽情展现其卓越的历史叙事技巧。

Huangfu Shi,the famous historian of the Tang dynasty,based on the comments of the previous historians,suggested in his book,On Chronological biography,that the outstanding achievement of Historical Records by Sima Qian is“breaking the old system and exploring the new one”and“innovation and initiatives”,which is regarded as the typical comments on Historical Records.Its significance is Sima founded the chronological biography but not the simple changes of the previous historical styles.It’s actually the great breakthrough of the historical systems in multiple angles and levels to observe and record the history objectively.“Innovation and initiatives”by Sima is originated from the care of the national culture,so as to exert his excellent historical narrative skills.