Qín Shū 秦書
Book of Qin by 車頻
About the work
Qín Shū 秦書 (also titled Chē Pín Qín Shū 車頻秦書) is a jíyìběn reconstruction of a history of the Qián Qín 前秦 state (351–394 CE) by Chē Pín 車頻, a court historian under the regime. The reconstruction preserves over 1000 lines of text, making it one of the more substantial of the Sixteen Kingdoms jíyìběn histories. Qián Qín was the most powerful of the Sixteen Kingdoms, briefly unifying all of North China under Fú Jiān 苻堅 (r. 357–385) before his catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Féi River 淝水之戰 in 383 CE.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This is a jíyìběn reconstruction.
Abstract
Qián Qín was founded by the Dí 氐 tribesman Fú Jiàn 苻健, who declared himself Heavenly King in 351 CE after the collapse of Hòu Zhào. The state reached its zenith under Fú Jiān, who employed the Chinese minister Wáng Měng 王猛 and pursued a policy of ethnic accommodation. After unifying the north, Fú Jiān launched a massive invasion of the Eastern Jin in 383 CE, only to be crushingly defeated at the Féi River — one of the decisive battles of Chinese history. Qián Qín disintegrated rapidly thereafter, and Fú Jiān was killed by a former subordinate in 385 CE.
Chē Pín’s Qín Shū was an insider record, compiled while the regime was still functioning. The Suí Shū 隋書 bibliography records it. The jíyìběn preserves substantial material on the Fú clan’s rule, the administration of Wáng Měng, military campaigns, and the diverse ethnic politics of the Qián Qín state. Citations are drawn from the standard Táng-Sòng reference works. The text was lost after the Táng.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.