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{{short description|Collection of official Chinese histories}}
{{Italictitle}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| title= ''Twenty-Four Histories''
| c=二十四史
| p=Èrshísì shǐ
| j=Ji6sap6sei3 Si2
| poj={{zhwb|Jī-cha̍p-sì-sú|Jī-si̍p-sù-sú}}
}}
The '''''Twenty-Four Histories''''', also known as the '''''Orthodox Histories''''' ({{zhi|c=正史|p=Zhèngshǐ}}), are a collection of [[official histories]] detailing the [[dynasties of China]], from the legendary [[Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors]] in the 4th millennium&nbsp;BC to the [[Ming dynasty]] in the 17th century.

The [[Han dynasty]] historian [[Sima Qian]] established many conventions of the genre, though its form was not standardized until much later. Starting with the [[Tang dynasty]], each dynasty established an official office to write the history of its predecessor using official court records, partly in order to establish its own link to the earliest times. As fixed and edited in the [[Qing dynasty]], the whole set contains 3,213 volumes and about 40 million words. It is considered one of the most important sources on [[Chinese history]] and culture.<ref>Ch 49, "Standard Histories", in Endymion Wilkinson. ''[[Chinese History: A New Manual]].'' (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series, 2012). {{ISBN|9780674067158}}. Also see [https://books.google.com/books?id=ERnrQq0bsPYC&dq=Zhengshi+Chinese+history&pg=PA501 "Standard Histories"]</ref>

The title ''Twenty-Four Histories'' dates from 1775, which was the 40th year in the reign of the [[Qianlong Emperor]]. This was when the last volume, the ''[[History of Ming]]'' was reworked and a complete set of the histories was produced.

== History ==
The idea of compiling a collection of Chinese official histories have existed as the Three Kingdoms era, when the '''''Three Histories''''' consisted of ''Shiji'', ''Book of Han'', and ''[[Dongguan Hanji]]''. ''Book of the Later Han'' would later gradually replace the ''Dongguan Hanji''. After the ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' appeared, it was soon tacked on to produce the '''''Early Four Historiographies''''' {{lang|zh|前四史}}.{{R|李君惠}}

By the [[Tang dynasty]], the ten official histories starting from ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' and ending with ''Book of Sui'' were collectively called the '''''Ten Histories'''''. Combined with the earlier three, they make the '''''Thirteen Histories'''''. Two Tang scholars have written works based on the ''Thirteen Histories'': ''Criticism of the Thirteen Histories'' by {{ill|Wu Wuling|zh|吳武陵}} (20 volumes) and ''Index of the Thirteen Histories'' by Song Jian (10 volumes).{{R|李偉國}}

During the [[Song dynasty]], on top of on the ''Thirteen Histories'', ''History of the Southern Dynasties'', ''History of the Northern Dynasties'', ''New Book of Tang'', and ''New History of the Five Dynasties'' were added to form the '''''Seventeen Histories'''''. Northern Song's {{ill|Wang Ling (Song Dynasty)|zh|王令}} wrote ''Master Wang's Enlightenment on the Seventeen Histories'', and Southern Song's [[Lü Zuqian]] wrote ''Detailed Excerpts of the Seventeen Histories''.{{R|李偉國}}

The '''''Twenty-One Histories''''' was formed during the [[Ming dynasty]]. Qing dynasty's [[Gu Yanwu]] wrote in ''Daily Knowledge Records: Official Edition of Twenty-One Histories'' {{lang|zh|日知錄·監本二十一史}}: "In Song times there were only seventeen histories, now with the addition of the histories of Song, Liao, Jin, and Yuan, there are twenty-one histories."{{R|李偉國}}

During the [[Yongzheng Emperor|Yongzheng]] period of the [[Qing dynasty]], after the completion of the ''History of Ming'', they were collectively known as the '''''Twenty-Two Histories''''', and Zhao Yi's ''Notes on the Twenty-Two Histories'' was named accordingly. Later, with the addition of the ''Old Book of Tang'', it became the '''''Twenty-Three Histories'''''. When compiling the [[Complete Library in Four Sections]], the ''Old History of the Five Dynasties'', which was extracted from the [[Yongle Encyclopedia]], was also included, making it the '''''Twenty-Four Histories'''''.{{R|李偉國}}

== <span class="anchor" id="List"></span>Collection ==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" style="min-width:6em" | Title
! scope="col" style="width:3em" | Year
! scope="col" | Dynasty
! scope="col" | Main authors
! scope="col" | Series
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Shiji]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|史記}}
| 91 BC
| {{hlist
 | {{nwr|[[Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors]]}}
 | [[Xia dynasty|Xia]]
 | [[Shang]]
 | [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]]
 | [[Qin dynasty|Qin]]
 | {{nwr|Han until [[Emperor Wu of Han|Emperor Wu]]}}
}}
| [[Sima Qian]] ([[Han dynasty|Han]])
| rowspan='4" | ''Early Four Historiographies''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|前四史}}
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of Han]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|漢書}}
| 82 AD 
| {{hlist
 | [[Han dynasty#Western Han|Western Han]]
 | [[Xin dynasty]]
}}
| [[Ban Gu]] (Han)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Records of the Three&nbsp;Kingdoms]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|三國誌}}{{efn|Greatly expanded by the later ''[[Annotated Records of the Three Kingdoms]]''}}
| 289
| {{hlist
 | [[Cao Wei]]
 | [[Shu Han]]
 | [[Eastern Wu]]
}}
| {{nwr|[[Chen Shou]] ([[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Western Jin]])}}
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of the Later&nbsp;Han]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|後漢書}}
| 445
| [[Eastern Han]]
| [[Fan Ye (historian)|Fan Ye]] ([[Liu Song]])
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of Song]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|宋書}}
| 488
| [[Liu Song]]
| [[Shen Yue]] ([[Liang dynasty|Liang]])
| rowspan="3" {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of Qi|Book of Southern&nbsp;Qi]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|南齊書}}
| 537
| [[Southern Qi]]
| [[Xiao Zixian]] (Liang)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of Wei]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|魏書}}
| 554
| {{hlist
 | [[Northern Wei]]
 | [[Eastern Wei]]
}}
| [[Wei Shou]] ([[Northern Qi]])
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of Liang]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|梁書}}
| rowspan="5" | 636
| [[Liang dynasty|Liang]]
| [[Yao Silian]] ([[Tang dynasty|Tang]])
| rowspan="8" | ''Eight Tang Historiographies''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|唐初八史}}
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of Chen]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|陳書}}
| [[Chen dynasty|Chen]]
| [[Yao Silian]] (Tang)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of Northern&nbsp;Qi]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|北齊書}}
| [[Northern Qi]]
| [[Li Baiyao]] (Tang)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of Zhou]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|周書}}
| {{hlist
 | [[Western Wei]]
 | [[Northern Zhou]]
}}
| [[Linghu Defen]] (Tang)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of Sui]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|隋書}}
| [[Sui dynasty|Sui]]
| [[Wei Zheng]] (Tang)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Book of Jin]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|晉書}}
| 648
| {{hlist
 | [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Western Jin]]
 | Eastern Jin
}}
| [[Fang Xuanling]] (Tang)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[History of the Southern&nbsp;Dynasties]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|南史}}
| 659
| {{hlist
 | [[Liu Song]]
 | [[Southern Qi]]
 | [[Liang dynasty|Liang]]
 | [[Chen dynasty|Chen]]
}}
| Li Yanshou (Tang)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[History of the Northern&nbsp;Dynasties]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|北史}}
| 659
| {{hlist
 | [[Northern Wei]]
 | [[Eastern Wei]]
 | [[Western Wei]]
 | [[Northern Qi]]
 | [[Northern Zhou]]
 | [[Sui dynasty|Sui]]
}}
| Li Yanshou (Tang)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Old Book of Tang]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|舊唐書}}
| 945
| [[Tang dynasty|Tang]]
| [[Liu Xu]] ([[Later Jin (Five Dynasties)|Later Jin]])
| rowspan="4" {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Old History of&nbsp;the Five&nbsp;Dynasties]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|舊五代史}}
| 974
| {{hlist
 | [[Later Liang (Five Dynasties)|Later Liang]]
 | [[Later Tang]]
 | [[Later Jin (Five Dynasties)|Later Jin]]
 | [[Later Han (Five Dynasties)|Later Han]]
 | [[Later Zhou]]
}}
| [[Xue Juzheng]] ([[Song dynasty|Song]])
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Historical Records of&nbsp;the Five&nbsp;Dynasties]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|五代史記}}
| 1053
| {{hlist
 | [[Later Liang (Five Dynasties)|Later Liang]]
 | [[Later Tang]]
 | [[Later Jin (Five Dynasties)|Later Jin]]
 | [[Later Han (Five Dynasties)|Later Han]]
 | [[Later Zhou]]
}}
| [[Ouyang Xiu]] (Song)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[New Book of Tang]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|新唐書}}
| 1060
| [[Tang dynasty]]
| [[Ouyang Xiu]] (Song)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[History of Liao]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|遼史}}
| 1343
| {{hlist
 | [[Liao dynasty|Liao]]
 | [[Qara Khitai]]
}}
| [[Toqto'a (Yuan dynasty)|Toqto'a]] ([[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]])
| rowspan="3" |  {{nwr|''Three Yuan Historiographies''}}{{pb}}{{lang|zh|元末三史}}<ref name="Xu Elina-Qian, p.23">Xu Elina-Qian, p.&nbsp;23.</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[History of Jin]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|金史}}
| 1345
| [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin dynasty]]
| [[Toqto'a (Yuan dynasty)|Toqto'a]] (Yuan)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[History of Song (book)|History of Song]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|宋史}}
| 1345
| {{hlist
 | [[Northern Song]]
 | [[Southern Song]]
}}
| [[Toqto'a (Yuan dynasty)|Toqto'a]] (Yuan)
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[History of Yuan]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|元史}}
| 1370
| [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]]
| [[Song Lian]] ([[Ming]])
| rowspan="2" {{N/A}}
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[History of Ming]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|明史}}
| 1739
| [[Ming]]
| [[Zhang Tingyu]] ([[Qing]])
|}

=== Inheritance works ===
These works were begun by one historian and completed by an heir, usually of the next generation.
* The ''[[Shiji]]'', inherited from [[Sima Tan]]  by [[Sima Qian]]
* ''[[Book of Han]]'', inherited from [[Ban Biao]], [[Ban Gu]] by [[Ban Zhao]]
* ''[[Book of Liang]]'' and ''[[Book of Chen]]'', inherited from Yao Cha ({{lang|zh|姚察}})  by [[Yao Silian]]
* ''[[Book of Northern Qi]]'', inherited from [[Li Delin]]  by [[Li Baiyao]]
* ''[[History of the Southern Dynasties]]'' and ''[[History of the Northern Dynasties]]'', inherited from [[Li Dashi]]  by Li Yanshou ({{lang|zh|李延壽}})

=== Related works ===
There were attempts at producing new traditional histories after the fall of the Qing dynasty, but they either never gained widespread acceptance as part of the official historical canon or they remain unfinished.
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Dynasty
! scope="col" | Main authors
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[New History of Yuan]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|新元史}}
| 1927
| [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan]]
| [[Ke Shaomin]] ([[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]])
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space:normal" | ''[[Draft History of Qing]]''{{pb}}{{lang|zh|清史稿}}
| 1920
| [[Qing]]
| [[Zhao Erxun]] ([[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]])
|}

=== Modern attempts at creating the official Qing history ===
{{Main|Draft History of Qing|History of Qing (People's Republic)}}
In 1961, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the declaration of the [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]] (ROC), the ROC government in [[Taiwan]] published the ''History of Qing'', adding 21 supplementary chapters to the ''Draft History of Qing'' and revising many existing chapters to remove derogatory passages towards the [[1911 Revolution]] and denounce the [[People's Republic of China]] (PRC) as illegitimate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://big5.huaxia.com/zhwh/sslh/2007698.html |url-access=registration |language=zh |script-title=zh:台灣版《清史》一年速成 筆墨官司幾上幾下 |website=Huaxia |access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> This edition has not been widely accepted as the official Qing history because it is recognized that it was a rushed job motivated by political objectives. It does not correct most of the errors known to exist in the ''Draft History of Qing''.<ref name="making" />

An additional project, attempting to write a ''New History of Qing'' incorporating new materials and improvements in historiography, lasted from 1988 to 2000. Only 33 chapters out of the projected 500 were published.<ref name="making">{{cite journal |first=Hsi-yuan |last=Chen |title=Last chapter unfinished: The making of the official Qing History and the crisis of Traditional Chinese Historiography |journal=Historiography East and West |volume=2 |issue=2 |year=2004 |pages=173–204 |issn=1570-1867 |s2cid=153377177 |s2cid-access=free |doi=10.1163/157018606779068306 |url=https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:291787}}</ref> This project was later abandoned following the rise of the Taiwanese nationalist [[Pan-Green Coalition]], which argues that it is not the duty of Taiwan to compile the history of mainland China.

In 1961, the PRC also attempted to complete the Qing history, but historians were prevented from doing so against the backdrop of the [[Cultural Revolution]].<ref name="endymion">{{cite book |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Endymion |title=Chinese history: a new manual |year=2012 |publisher=Harvard University Asia Center |location=Cambridge, MA |isbn=978-0-674-06715-8 |pages=834–835}}</ref>

In 2002, the PRC once again announced that it would complete the ''History of Qing''.<ref>{{cite news |language=zh |last=Yue |first=Huairang |date=3 April 2019 |script-title=zh:新修《清史》已进入稿件通读阶段，预计今年出版问世 |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_3248453 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412093526/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_3248453 |archive-date=12 April 2019 |script-work=zh:澎湃新闻 |work=Pengpai Xinwen}}</ref> [[History of Qing (People's Republic)|The project]] was approved in 2002,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mao |first1=Liping |last2=Ma |first2=Zhao |year=2012 |title="Writing History in the Digital Age": The New Qing History Project and the Digitization of Qing Archives |journal=History Compass |volume=10 |issue=5 |pages=367–374 |doi=10.1111/j.1478-0542.2012.00841.x}}</ref> and put under the leadership of historian [[Dai Yi]].<ref>{{cite news |language=zh |last=Chéng |first=Chóngdé |date=3 January 2021 |script-title=zh:戴逸先生与清史纂修前的准备工作 |script-work=zh:光明 |work=Guangming |url=https://epaper.gmw.cn/zhdsb/html/2021-02/03/nw.D110000zhdsb_20210203_1-10.htm}}</ref> Initially planned to be completed in 10 years,<ref>{{cite news |language=zh |date=26 August 2003 |script-title=zh:两岸学者聚京共商清史纂修大计 预计10年完成 |script-work=zh:新浪军事 |url=http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/2003-08-26/145627.html}}</ref> the project suffered multiple delays, pushing completion of the first draft to 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ren |first1=Mǐn |editor-last=Song |editor-first=Yucheng |language=zh |script-title=zh:国家清史编纂工程已完成初稿 |trans-title=The first draft of the National Qing History Compilation Project has been completed |date=18 December 2013 |script-work=zh:北京新闻 |work=Běijīng Xīnwén |url=http://www.chinanews.com/cul/2013/12-18/5632007.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219101428/http://www.chinanews.com/cul/2013/12-18/5632007.shtml |archive-date=19 December 2013}}</ref> ''Chinese Social Sciences Today'' reported in April 2020 that the project's results were being reviewed.<ref>{{Cite news |work=Chinese Social Sciences Today |date=21 April 2020 |last1=Guo |first1=Fei |editor1-last=Ma |editor1-first=Yuhong |url=http://www.csstoday.com/Item/7764.aspx |title=Dai Yi speaks on Qing history national compilation project |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914021623/http://www.csstoday.com/Item/7764.aspx |archive-date=14 September 2021}}</ref> However, in 2023, the manuscript was reportedly rejected,<ref name="1123singtao">{{Cite web |last=Ji |first=Xiaohua |author-mask=Ji Xiaohua (紀曉華) |date=2023-11-07 |script-title=zh:中國觀察：未通過政審 《清史》觸礁 |trans-title=China Watch: "History of Qing" failed to pass political review and has hit a snag |url=https://www.singtaousa.com/4660464 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118234149/https://www.singtaousa.com/2023-11-07/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E8%A7%80%E5%AF%9F%EF%BC%9A%E6%9C%AA%E9%80%9A%E9%81%8E%E6%94%BF%E5%AF%A9-%E3%80%8A%E6%B8%85%E5%8F%B2%E3%80%8B%E8%A7%B8%E7%A4%81/4660464 |archive-date=2023-11-18 |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=Singtao USA |language=zh}}</ref> and there are also rumors that the project has been indefinitely halted.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-09 |script-title=zh:清史編纂紛擾持續 傳未通過中國政審 |trans-title=Controversy over compilation of Qing history continues, rumored to have failed to pass China’s political review |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4485256 |access-date=2023-11-24 |publisher=Freedom Times |language=zh |archive-date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124043453/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4485256 |url-status=live |work=自由時報電子報 |author1=自由時報電子報 }}</ref>

== Modern editions ==
In China, the [[Zhonghua Book Company]] have edited a number of these histories. They have been collated, edited, and punctuated by Chinese specialists.<ref name="Xu Elina-Qian, p.19">Xu Elina-Qian, p.&nbsp;19.</ref> From 1991 to 2003, it was translated from [[Literary Chinese]] into modern [[written vernacular Chinese]], by [[Xu Jialu]] and other scholars.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://m.douban.com/book/subject/1633090/ |via=Douban |script-title=zh:二十四史全译 |language=zh |isbn=978-7-5432-0872-8 |date=2004 |series=二十四史全译 Isbn: 9787543208728 }}</ref>

== Translations ==
One of the ''Twenty-Four Histories'' is in the process of being fully translated into English: ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'' by William Nienhauser, in nine volumes.<ref>''The Grand Scribe's Records'' (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994- )</ref>

In Korean and Vietnamese, only the ''Records'' has been translated. Most of the histories have been translated into Japanese.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|China|History|Books}}
*[[Chinese classic texts]]
*''[[Draft History of Qing]]'', a continuation of the histories through 1911
*[[History of China]]
*[[Official communications in imperial China]]
*''[[Zizhi Tongjian]]''

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=李偉國>{{cite journal|author=李偉國|author2=尹小林|title=重審《文淵閣四庫全書》中"二十四史"之價值|journal= 學術月刊|date=2013|volume=45|issue=1|page=142-148}}</ref>
<ref name=李君惠>{{cite journal|author=李君惠|title=論"二十四史"中的書、史、記、志|journal= 文史雜志|date=2012|volume=|issue=5|page=18-21}}</ref>
}}

=== Sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Xu Elina-Qian|19 and 23}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisourcelang|zh|二十四史|Twenty-Four Canonical Histories}}
*[http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Historiography/ershiwushi.html Chinese Literature The Ershiwushi 二十五史 "The Twenty-five Official Dynastic Histories" (zhengshi 正史)] Ulrich Theobold, [http://www.chinaknowledge.de/index.html China Knowledge]

{{Twenty-Four Histories}}

[[Category:Twenty-Four Histories| ]]
[[Category:Chinese history texts| ]]
[[Category:Series of history books]]