Dōnghàn Mìshǐ 東漢秘史
Secret History of the Eastern Han by 謝詔
About the work
A sixty-three-chapter Ming vernacular historical novel (lìshǐ yǎnyì 歷史演義) by 謝詔 Xiè Zhào (fl. mid-16th century; probable CBDB id 133188, 1512–1567), covering the fall of the Xīn 新 dynasty of Wáng Mǎng 王莽, the founding of the Eastern Hàn by Guāng Wǔdì 光武帝 Liú Xiù 劉秀, and events of the early Eastern Han period. The title’s mìshǐ 秘史 (“secret history”) signals a narrative that goes behind the official Hòu Hànshū record to dramatize events novelistically.
The source file begins with a table of contents running from Chapter 1 (Jiānjì tú wáng qīn bǎowèi 奸計圖王侵寶位: A villainous plot to usurp the throne) through the Eastern Han dynastic establishment. The narrative opens with the machinations of Wáng Mǎng 王莽, the Han–Xin interregnum, and then follows Liú Xiù’s rise to power.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source.
Abstract
謝詔 Xiè Zhào (probable CBDB id 133188, 1512–1567; alternate id 206056, fl. 1543) is a Ming author of whom little biographical detail survives. CBDB records multiple persons with this name; the most plausible identification for the Dōnghàn Mìshǐ author is CBDB 133188 (1512–1567), whose dates accord with the mid-Míng context of historical novel production. The attribution cannot be confirmed with certainty.
The Dōnghàn Mìshǐ belongs to the broad genre of Ming lìshǐ yǎnyì 歷史演義 (historical romance-novels), a genre that emerged strongly in the Jiājìng–Wànlì era and encompasses works such as Sānguó Yǎnyì 三國演義, Liè Guó Yǎnyì 列國演義, and many dynasty-specific novels. It covers a relatively narrow period: the Wang Mang usurpation (9–23 CE) and the Guang Wudi restoration (25 CE), dramatizing events with invented dialogue and episodes based loosely on the Hòu Hànshū 後漢書 and other sources. At 63 chapters it is a medium-length work in this genre.
Translations and research
- No substantial secondary literature located.
Links
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