Jìn Shū 晉書 (Shěn Yuē)
History of the Jin, by Shen Yue by 沈約
About the work
Jìn Shū 晉書 by 沈約 (441–513 CE) is a jíyìběn reconstruction of a Jin history compiled by the great Liáng-dynasty historian and poet. Shěn Yuē is best known as the primary compiler of the Sòng Shū 宋書 (official history of the Liú-Sòng) and for his role in developing the “four tones” theory of Chinese prosody. His Jin history was recorded in 111 juǎn in the Suí Shū 隋書 bibliography, one of the largest of the early Jin histories.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This is a jíyìběn reconstruction.
Abstract
Shěn Yuē served under the Qí 齊 and Liáng 梁 dynasties and was one of the most prolific historians of the early medieval period. He compiled the Sòng Shū in 100 juǎn and also compiled histories of the Jin, the Qí, and the Liáng. His Jìn Shū was recorded in the Suí Shū bibliography as 111 juǎn (complete), making it one of the fullest treatments of the Jin before the official Táng compilation. However, like all unofficial Jin histories, it was lost after the Táng, when Fáng Xuánlíng’s 房玄齡 official Jìn Shū made the earlier works redundant.
The surviving fragments are extremely limited — the jíyìběn preserves only a handful of short passages cited in Táng and Sòng sources. Given Shěn Yuē’s stature as a historian and his access to court archives, the loss of his Jìn Shū is a significant one for the study of early medieval Chinese historiography. The fragments do not permit reconstruction of the work’s original scope or organization.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.