Jìn Jì 晉紀 (Dèng Càn)
Annals of the Jin, by Deng Can by 鄧粲
About the work
Jìn Jì 晉紀 (also titled Dèng Càn Jìn Jì 鄧粲晉紀) is a jíyìběn reconstruction of the Jin annals compiled by Dèng Càn 鄧粲, an Eastern Jin historian of Chángshā 長沙. At over 2100 lines, it is one of the more substantial of the private Jin annals reconstructions. Dèng Càn’s Jìn Jì covered the Eastern Jin period, complementing the annals of the Western Jin by other hands.
Tiyao
No tiyao found in source. This is a jíyìběn reconstruction.
Abstract
Dèng Càn was a native of Chángshā who initially refused office under the Eastern Jin, cultivating a reputation as a recluse. He later accepted appointment and rose to become a court official, apparently prompted by a remark that true reclusion meant being unknown — and since he was already famous, he might as well serve. His Jìn Jì, recorded in the Suí Shū 隋書 bibliography in 11 juǎn, covered the Eastern Jin (post-317 CE) reigns. It was cited by Péi Sōngzhī 裴松之 in his Sānguó Zhì 三國志 commentary, confirming its early circulation and authority.
The surviving fragments, assembled from the Tàipíng Yùlǎn 太平御覽, the Shìshuō Xīnyǔ 世說新語 commentary, and other sources, cover the political and military history of the Eastern Jin court from the reign of Emperor Yuán 元帝 through at least the mid-fourth century. They supplement and occasionally diverge from the accounts in Wáng Yǐn’s and Hé Fǎshèng’s histories. The text was lost after the Táng.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.