Èr Shí Zhuàn 二石傳
Biography of the Two Shis by 王度
About the work
Èr Shí Zhuàn 二石傳 (also titled Wáng Dù Èr Shí Zhuàn 王度二石傳) is a jíyìběn reconstruction of a biographical work on the “Two Shís” — Shí Lè 石勒 (r. 319–333) and Shí Hǔ 石虎 (r. 334–349), the founding rulers of the Hòu Zhào 後趙 state. Wáng Dù 王度 was a historian-official who served under the Qián Qín 前秦 regime which conquered Hòu Zhào, giving him access to records of the fallen state. The reconstruction preserves about 500 lines.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This is a jíyìběn reconstruction.
Abstract
The “Two Shís” dominated the political landscape of North China during the first half of the fourth century. Shí Lè’s rise from Jié tribesman and slave to emperor was one of the most dramatic careers of the Sixteen Kingdoms era; Shí Hǔ’s reign, by contrast, became a byword for cruelty and excess in Chinese historical memory. Wáng Dù’s biography of the pair, recorded in the Suí Shū 隋書 bibliography, was apparently organized as a zhuàn 傳 (biography/account) rather than as an annalistic chronicle, suggesting a more narrative, character-focused approach. The surviving fragments draw heavily on Táng-Sòng reference works, particularly the Tàipíng Yùlǎn 太平御覽. The text was lost after the Táng.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.