ChinaKnowledge.de -
An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History and Literature

Historical Events in Their Entirety (jishi benmo lei 紀事本末類)

Jul 8, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald

The historiographical style of "historical events in their entirety" (jishi benmo lei 紀事本末類) is a subcategory to the literary category of historiography (shibu 史部). In this type of history particular historical events are reported in an annalistic style, but in such a coherent way that integral themes can be understood from their beginnings to the very end. The genre is based on Yuan Shu's 袁樞 (1131-1205) book Tongjian jishi benmo 通鑑紀事本末 from the Song period 宋 (960-1279) which was in fact a rearrangement of Sima Guang's 司馬光 (1019–1086) chronicle Zizhi tongjian 資政通鑑. Yuan so created a very new historiographic style that enriched the two traditional ones, namely annals (biannanti 編年體) and the combination of biographies, imperial annals and treatises on statecraft (jizhuanti 紀傳體), as seen in the official dynastic histories (zhengshi 正史).

The compilers of the descriptive book catalogue Siku quanshu zongmu tiyao 四庫全書總目提要 praised this new style as merging the advantages of the annalistic style with that of the biographical histories to a very new, third style.

Later on other authors adopted this style successfully and wrote "entirety" histories for whole dynasties, as can be seen in Chen Bangzhan's 陳邦瞻 (d. 1626) Songshi jishi benmo 宋史紀事本末, Mingshi jishi benmo 明史紀事本末 by Gu Yingtai 谷應泰 (1620–1690), or Li Youtang's 李有棠 (1837–1905) Liaoshi jishi benmo 遼史紀事本末 and Jinshi jishi benmo 金史紀事本末.

The compilers of the imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書 added to this section all histories narrating the development of one historical theme, for instance, the historiographical type of the military annals (fanglüe 方略) that was invented by the conquest dynasty of the Qing 清 (1644-1911) - although this genre had some precursors in the Ming 明 (1368-1644). Already in older texts, the prevalence of military affairs over civilian matters is significant. This preponderance of war themes in the jishi benmo seemed to have been the critical argument for a classification of these texts. Some of them, like Shujian 蜀鑑, a history of Sichuan, or Yanjiao jiwen 炎徼紀聞, a history of the southwest, would have been classified as local or regional histories (zaiji 載記), were they not focusing on belligerent matters.

Before the creation of the subcategory of jishi benmo type history books they were found in the subcategory of chronicles (biannian) or the "miscellaneous" histories (zashi 雜史).

In total, there are 22 jishi benmo-type histories included in the Siku quanshu, and a further 4 in the appended descriptive cunmu 存目 catalogue.

For the sake of making orientation in the large corpus of jishi benmo texts easier, the ChinaKnowledge.de encyclopaedia separated them into the three sections of dynastic histories, books on regional history, and such on military history. This arrangement does not correspond to that in the Siku quanshu, which is strictly chronological.

Table 1. Historical Events in Their Entirety (jishi benmo 紀事本末)
Part of Siku quanshu 四庫全書
Part of Xuxiu siku quanshu 續修四庫全書
1. Dynastic history
通鑑紀事本末 四十二卷 Tongjian jishi benmo (Song) 袁樞 Yuan Shu
春秋左氏傳事類始末 五卷 Chunqiu-Zuoshizhuan shilei shimo (Song) 章沖 Zhang Chong
三朝北盟會編 二百五十卷 Sanchao beimeng huibian (Song) 徐夢莘 Xu Mengxin
皇宋通鍳長編紀事本末 百五十卷 (續修) Huang-Song tongjian changbian jishi benmo (Song) 楊仲良 Yang Zhongliang
左氏始末 * Zuoshi shimo (Ming) 唐順之 Tang Shunzhi
宋史紀事本末 二十八卷 Songshi jishi benmo (Ming) 馮琦 Feng Qi (comp.); 陳邦瞻 Chen Bangzhan (suppl.)
元史紀事本末 四卷 (二十七卷, 續修) Yuanshi jishi benmo (Ming) 陳邦瞻 Chen Bangzhan; 臧懋循補 Zang Maoxun (suppl.); 張溥論 Zhang Bolun 正 (rev.)
明史紀事本末 八十卷 Mingshi jishi benmo (Qing) 谷應泰 Gu Yingtai
明史紀事本末補遺 六卷 (續修) Mingshi jishi benmo buyi (Qing) 谷應泰 Gu Yingtai
明朝紀事本末補編 * Mingchao jishi benmo bubian (Qing) 彭孫貽 Peng Sunyi
續明紀事本末 * Xu Ming jishi benmo (Qing) 倪在田 Ni Zaitian
繹史 一百六十卷 Yishi (Qing) 馬驌 Ma Su
左傳紀事本末 五十八卷 Zuozhuan jishi benmo (Qing) 高士奇 Gao Shiqi
西夏紀事本末 三十六卷 (續修) Xixia jishi benmo (Qing) 張鑒 Zhang Jian
遼史紀事本末 四十卷 (續修) Liaoshi jishi benmo (Qing) 李有棠 Li Youtang
金史紀事本末 五十二卷 (續修) Jinshi jishi benmo (Qing) 李有棠 Li Youtang
淸史紀事本末 八十卷 (續修) Qingshi jishi benmo (Rep) 黃鴻壽 Huang Hongshou
2. Regional history
蜀鑒 (蜀鑑) 十卷 Shujian (Song) 郭允蹈 Guo Yundao
鴻猷錄 十六卷 (存目, 續修) Hongqiulu (Ming) 高岱 Gao Dai
炎徼紀聞 四卷 Yanjiao jiwen (Ming) 田汝成 Tian Rucheng
滇考 二卷 Diankao (Qing) 馮甦 Feng Su
靖海紀事 二卷 (續修) Jinghai jishi (Qing) 施琅 Shi Lang
3. Military history
昭代武功編 十卷 (續修) Zhaodai wugong bian (Ming) 范景文 Fan Jingwen
平定察哈爾方略 * Pingding Chaha'er fanglüe (Qing) 勒德洪 Ledehung (et al.; imp. ord.)
粵滇紀略 * Yue-Dian jilüe (Qing) 九峰居士 Jiufeng jushi (區仕衡 Qu Shiheng?)
平定三逆方略 六十卷 Pingding sanni fanglüe (Qing) 勒德洪 Ledehung (et al.; imp. ord.)
三藩紀事本末 四卷 (存目) Sanfan jishi benmo (Qing) 楊陸榮 Yang Lurong
征西紀略 * Zhengxi jilüe (Qing) 陸楣 Lu Mei
平定海寇方略 * Pingding haikou fanglüe (Qing) coll. (imp. ord.)
親征平定朔漠方略 四十八卷
(附)親征朔漠紀略 一卷
Qinzheng Pingding shuomo fanglüe
(app.) Qinzheng Shuomo jilüe
(Qing) 溫達 Unda (et al.; imp. ord.)
平定羅刹方略 四卷 (續修) Pingding Luosha fanglüe (Qing) coll. (imp. ord.)
臺灣紀事本末 * Taiwan jishi benmo (Qing) 江日升 Jiang Risheng
臺灣鄭氏始末記 六卷 (續修) Taiwan Zhengshi shimo ji (Qing) 沈雲 Shen Yun
平臺紀略 一卷 Ping Tai jilüe (Qing) 藍鼎元 Lan Dingyuan
東征集 六卷 Dongzhengji (Qing) 藍鼎元 Lan Dingyuan
平苗紀略 * Ping Miao jilüe (Qing) 方顯 Fang Xian
(欽定)平定金川方略 三十二卷 (Qinding) Pingding Jinchuan fanglüe (Qing) 來保 Laiboo (et al.; imp. ord.)
平定準噶爾方略 一百七十三卷 Pingding Zhunga'er fanglüe (Qing) 傅恆 Fuheng (et al.; imp. ord.)
平定兩金川方略 一百三十六卷 Pingding Liang Jinchuan fanglüe (Qing) 阿桂 Agūi (et al.; imp. ord.)
征緬紀略 * Zheng Mian jilüe (Qing) 王昶 Wang Chang
綏緬紀事 * Sui Mian jishi (Qing) anon.
皇清開國方略 Huang-Qing kaiguo fanglüeAnnals and chronicles (Qing) 阿桂 Agūi
皇朝武功紀盛 四卷 * Huangchao wugong jisheng (Qing) 趙翼 Zhao Yi
(欽定)剿捕臨清逆匪紀略 十六卷 (Qinding) Jiaobu Linqing nifei jilüe (Qing) 舒赫德 Šuhede, 于敏中 Yu Minzhong (et al.; imp. ord.)
(欽定)蘭州紀略 二十卷 (Qinding) Lanzhou jilüe (Qing) 阿桂 Agūi (imp. ord.)
(欽定)石峰堡紀略 二十卷 (Qinding) Shifengbao jilüe (Qing Qianlong 49) Anon. (imp. ord.)
(欽定)平定臺灣紀略 六十五卷 (Qinding) Pingding Taiwan jilüe (Qing Qianlong 53) Anon. (imp. ord.)
綏寇紀略 十二卷 Suikou jilüe (Qing) 吳偉業 Wu Weiye
續編綏寇紀略 五卷 (續修) Xubian suikou jilüe (Qing) 葉夢珠 Ye Mengzhu
虞淵沉 一卷 (續修) Yuyuanchen (Qing) 吳偉業 Wu Weiye
安南紀略 * Annan jilüe (Qing) coll. (imp. ord.)
巴勒布紀略 * Balebu jilüe (Qing) coll. (imp. ord.)
(欽定)廓爾喀紀略 * (Qinding) Kuo'erka jilüe (Qing) 保泰 Bootai (imp. ord.)
(欽定)平苗紀略 * (Qinding) Ping Miao jilüe (Qing) 鄂輝 Ohūi (imp. ord.)
平海紀略 * Pinghai jilüe (Qing) 溫承志 Wen Chengzhi
(欽定)平定教匪紀略 四十二卷 (續修) (Qinding) Pingding jiaofei jilüe (Qing) 拖津 Tojin (imp. ord.)
(欽定)剿平三省邪匪方略 三百五十二卷 (續修) (Qinding) Jiaoping sansheng xiefei fanglüe (Qing) 慶桂 Cinggūi (imp. ord.)
平定教匪紀事 * Pingding jiaofei jishi (Qing) 勒保 Leboo
勘靖教匪述編 * Kanjing jiaofei shubian (Qing) "石香村居士 Shixiangcun jushi"
平臺紀事本末 * Ping Tai jishi benmo (Qing) anon.
葉爾羌守城紀略 一卷 * Ye'erqiang shoucheng jilüe (Qing) 壁昌 Bičang
聖武記 十四卷 (續修) Shengwuji (Qing) 魏源 Wei Yuan
中西紀事 二十四卷 (續修) Zhong-Xi jishi (Qing) 夏燮 Xia Xie
籌辦夷務始末 二百六十卷 (續修) Chouban yiwu shimo (Qing) 文慶 Wencing etc.
清季外交史料 * Qingji waijiao shiliao (Rep.) 王彥威 Wang Yanwei, 王亮 Wang Liang (comp.)
平定回疆剿擒逆裔方略 * Pingding huijiang jiaoqin niyi fanglüe (Qing) 曹振鏞 Cao Zhenyong
(欽定)剿平粵匪方略 四百二十卷 (續修) (Qinding) Jiaoping Yuefei fanglüe (Qing) 奕訢 Ihin
粵東剿匪紀略 * Yuedong jiaofei jilüe (Qing) 陳坤 Chen Kun
平定粵匪紀略 十八卷 (續修) Pingding Yuefei jilüe (Qing) 杜文瀾 Du Wenlan
嘉應平寇紀略 * Jiaying pingkou jilüe (Qing) 謝國珍 Xie Guozhen
吳中平寇記 * Wuzhong pingkou ji (Qing) 錢勖 Qian Xu
平浙紀略 * Ping Zhe jilüe (Qing) 秦湘業 Qin Xiangye, 陳鐘英 Chen Zhongying
剿平捻匪方略 * Jiaoping Nianfei fanglüe (Qing) 奕訢 Ihin
平捻紀略 * Ping Nian jilüe (Qing) 李鶴年 Li Hongnian
淮軍平捻記 十二卷 (續修) Huaijun ping Nian ji (Qing) 周世澄 Zhou Shicheng
豫軍紀略 * Yujun jilüe (Qing) 尹耕云 Yin Gengyun
湘軍志 十六卷 (續修) Xiangjunzhi (Qing) 王闓運 Wang Kaiyun
湘軍記 二十卷 (續修) Xiangjunji (Qing) 王定安 Wang Dingan
淄川靖匪記 * Zichuan jingfei ji (Qing) 張錫綸 Zhang Xilun
平定陝甘新疆回匪方略 * Pingding Shaan-Gan-Xinjiang huifei fanglüe (Qing) 奕訢 Ihin
平定關隴紀略 * Pingding Guanlong jilüe (Qing) 易孔昭 Yi Kongzhao, 胡孚駿 Hu Fujun
勘定新疆記 * Kanding Xinjiang ji (Qing) 魏光燾 Wei Guangtao, 黃丙焜 Huang Bingkun, 楊調元 Yang Diaoyuan
平定雲南回匪方略 * Pingding Yunnan huifei fanglüe (Qing) 奕訢 Ihin
平定貴州苗匪紀略 * Pingding Guizhou Miaofei jilüe (Qing) 奕訢 Ihin
綏邊紀略 * Suibian jilüe (Qing) 史致康 Shi Zhikang
中日兵事本末 * Zhong-Ri bingshi benmo (Qing) 羅惇融 Luo Dunrong
新疆伊犁亂事本末 *
(附) 辛亥定變紀略 *
Xinjiang Yili luanshi benmo (app. Xinhai dingbian jilüe) (Qing) 張開枚 Zhang Kaimei
* not included in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, the catalogue Siku quanshu zongmu tiyao 四庫全書總目題要 (Cunmu 存目 section), nor the Xuxiu siku quanshu 續修四庫全書.