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The Zhushu jinian 竹書紀年 "Bamboo Annals" is a chronicle from ancient China compiled in the state of Wei 魏 during the Warring States period 戰國 (5th cent.-221 BCE). The name of the book is of later date. It was formerly known as Jizhongshu 汲冢書 "Book from the tomb of Jixian 汲縣" because in 281 CE (or around that date) grave robbers digging out an ancient tomb found bamboo slips which they used as fuel. Only after a great part of the slips had been destroyed the writings inscribed on the slips attracted the attention of an official. The annals of Wei were relatively intact so that emperor Jin Wudi 晉武帝 (r. 265-289) had them arranged in the proper order and transcribed into contemporary script. This work was done by Xun Xu 荀勗 and He Jiao 和嶠.
The Bamboo Annals describe the history of the Chinese dynasties from the Xia 夏 (17th-15th cent. BCE), Shang 商 (17th-11th cent. BCE) and Zhou 周 (11th. cent.-221 BCE) down to the Warring States period. From the year 770 on, the beginning of the Eastern Zhou 東周 (770-221 BCE), the Annals use the calendar of the state of Jin 晉, and after Jin was divided into three states in 376, the calendar of Wei. The annals end in the year 20 of the "present king" (jin wang 今王), which Xun Xu interpreted as king Xiangwang 魏襄王 (r. 334-319). According to this interpretation he undertook a correction of the dates rendered in the history Shiji 史記 and the Shiben 世本, a chronicle from the state of Zhao 趙. Two other contemporary scholars, Wei Heng 衛恒 and Shu Xi 束晳, undertook a text-critical study of the surviving bamboo texts, called Jizhong shuchao 汲冢書抄, which seemed to prove that the annals were compiled during the reign of king Anxi 魏安釐王 (r. 276-243). Their arrangement was different from the Xun-He version so that for centuries two versions of the Bamboo Annals were circulating. During the Tang period 唐 (618-907) there was a small book called Zhushu guo yi 竹書國異 pointing out the differences between the two versions. It is unfortunately lost. According to modern research the tomb in which the annals were excavated was not that of a king but only that of a higher official, probably a historiographer.
The existence of the Bamboo Annals is of great importance for the study of ancient Chinese chronology. A lot of data in the tradionally highly estimated Shiji have been proved as wrong when comparing the data in the Zhushu jinian with that of oracle bone or bronze inscriptions.
The old version (guben 古本) of the Zhushu jinian went lost during the turbulences of the later part of the Jin period 晉 (265-420), and what was surviving as manuscripts was lost during the Tang period. Parts of it can, nevertheless, be reconstructed from quotations in other books. In the 14th century a new version (jinben 今本) was printed in which the chronology is oriented towards the calendar of the Zhou kings. The Qing period 清 (1644-1911) historian Qian Daxin 錢大昕 called this version a forgery. It was, according to Yao Zhenzong’s 姚振宗 research, fabricated by Fan Qin 范欽, owner of the famous Tianyige Library 天一閣. But these statements can be countered by the fact that a Southern Song period 南宋 (1127-1279) book quotes from the jinben version, which proves that it existed long before the lifetime of Fan Qin, the early Ming period 明 (1368-1644). In the early 19th century Zhu Youceng 朱右曾 started collecting quotations from the Zhushu jinian in older books and was thus able to reconstruct part of the Guben Zhushu jinian which he published in his book Jizhong jinian cunzhen 汲冢紀年存真. Wang Guowei 王國維 (Guben Zhushu jinian jixiao 古本竹書紀年輯校) and Fan Xiangyong 范祥雍 (Guben Zhushu jinian jixiao dingbu 古本竹書紀年輯校訂補) continued this important work. New studies were made by Fang Shiming 方詩銘 and Wang Xiuling 王修齡. Together with Wang Guowei’s study on the new version (Jinben Zhushu jinian shuzheng 今本竹書紀年疏證) they published the Guben Zhushu jinian jizheng 古本竹書紀年輯證 in 1981 (latest edition 2005).
, vol. 3, p. 1614.
Source: Fang Shiming 方詩銘 (1992). "Zhushu jinian 竹書紀年", in: Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國大百科全書, Zhongguo lishi 中國歷史, vol. 3, p. 1614. Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe.
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Exemplarious translation:
帝辛
名受，即紂也，曰受辛。元年己亥，王即位，居殷。命九侯、周侯、邘侯。
三年，有雀生鸇。
四年，大蒐于黎。作炮烙之刑。
五年夏，築南單之臺。雨土于亳。
六年，西伯初禴于畢。
九年，王師伐有蘇，獲妲己以歸。作瓊室，立玉門。
十年夏六月，王畋于西郊。
十七年，西伯伐翟。冬，王游于淇。
二十一年春正月，諸侯朝周。伯夷、叔齊自孤竹歸于周。
二十二年冬，大蒐于渭。
二十三年，囚西伯于羑里。
二十九年，釋西伯，諸侯逆西伯，歸于程。
三十年春三月，西伯率諸侯入貢。
三十一年，西伯治兵于畢，得呂尚以為師。
三十二年，五星聚于房。有赤烏集于周社。密人侵阮，西伯帥師伐密。
三十三年，密人降于周師，遂遷于程。王錫命西伯，得專征伐。約案：文王受命九年，大統未集，蓋得專征伐，受命自此年始。
三十四年，周師取耆及邘，遂伐崇，崇人降。冬十二月，昆夷侵周。
三十五年，周大饑。西伯自程遷于豐。
三十六年春正月，諸侯朝于周，遂伐昆夷。西伯使世子發營鎬。
三十七年，周作辟雍。
三十九年，大夫辛甲出奔周。
四十年，周作靈臺。王使膠鬲求玉于周。
四十一年春三月，西伯昌薨。
四十二年，西伯發受丹書于呂尚。有女子化為丈夫。
四十三年春，大閱。嶢山崩。
四十四年，西伯發伐黎。
四十七年，內史向摯出奔周。
四十八年，夷羊見。二日並見。
五十一年冬十一月戊子，周師渡孟津而還。王囚箕子，殺王子比干，微子出奔。
五十二年庚寅，周始伐殷。秋，周師次于鮮原。冬十有二月，周師有事于上帝。庸、蜀、羌、髳、微、盧、彭、濮從周師伐殷。
湯滅夏以至于受，二十九王，用歲四百九十六年。
Di Xin, (the last ruler of Shang)
His first name was Shou; this was Zhow; he is also called Shouxin. In his first year, which was a jihai year (1101 BC), when he came to the throne, he dwelt in Yin. He gave appointments to the Marquis of Jiu (or Chou 仇), Zhou (the Marquis of Zhou was the Chief of the West 西伯, Ji Chang 姬昌), and Yu.
3rd year, a sparrow produced a hawk.
4th year, he had a great hunting in Li. He invented the punishment of roasting.
5th year, summer, he built the tower of Nandan. There was a shower of earth in Bo.
6th year, the Chief of the West offered sacrifice for the first time for his ancestors in Bi.
9th year, the royal forces attacked the state of Su, and brought away Princess Daji (not: Danji!) as a captive. The king made an apartment for her, with walls of carnation stone, and the doors all-adorned with gems.
10th year, summer, 6th month, he hunted in the western borders.
17th year, the Chief of the West smote the Di tribes. In the winter, the king made a pleasure excursion to Ji.
21st year, spring, 1st month, the feudal lords went to Zhou to do homage. Boyi and Shuqi betook themselves to Zhou from Guzhu.
22nd year, winter, he had a great hunting along the Wei River.
23rd year, he imprisoned the Chief of the West in Youli.
29th year, he liberated the Chief of the West, who was met met by many of the feudal lords, and escorted back to Cheng.
30th year, spring, 3rd month, the Chief of the West lead the feudal lords to the court with their tributes.
31st year, the Chief of the West began to form a regular army in Bi, with Lü Shang as its commander.
32nd year, there was a conjunction of the five planets in Fang. A red crow lighted on the altar to the spirits of the land of Zhou. The people of Mi invaded Ruan, when the Chief of the West led a force against Mi.
33rd year, the people of Mi surrendered to the army of Zhou, and were removed to Cheng. The King granted power to the Chief of the West to punish and attack offending states on his own discretion.
34th year, the forces of Zhou took Qi and Yu; and then attacked Chong, which surrendered. Winter, 12th month, the Kunyi people overran Zhou.
35th year, great famine in Zhou. The Chief of the West removed from Cheng to Feng.
36th year, spring, 1st month, the feudal lords went to the court at Zhou; and then they smote the hordes of the Kunyi. The Chief of the West made his heir-son Fa build the capital Hao.
37th year, Zhou built a royal college.
39th year, the great officer Xinjia fled to Zhou.
40th year, Zhou erected the Soul Terrace (Lingtai). The King sent Jiao Li to seek for gems in the territory of Zhou.
41st year, spring, 3rd month, Chang, the Chief of the West (later called King Zhou Wenwang), died (; he was buried in Bi).
42nd year, Fa, the Chief of the West (later King Zhou Wuwang), obtained the Vermillion Book from Lü Shang. A girl changed into a man.
43rd year, spring, the King of Shang had a grand review. Part of Mount Yao fell down.
44th year, Fa, the Chief of the West, smote Li.
47th year, the recorder of the interior, Xiang Zhi, fled to Zhou.
48th year, the ominous Yi goat was seen. Two suns appeared together.
51st year, winter, 11th month, day wuzi, the army of Zhou crossed the Mengjin Ford; but returned. The King of Shang imprisoned the Viscount of Ji, and put Prince Bigan to death; the Viscount of Wei fled away (to Zhou).
52nd year, (gengyin), Zhou made its first attack on Yin (Shang). In the autumn, the army of Zhou camped in the plain of Xian. In the winter, 12th month, the army of Zhou made offerings to the Highest Deity. The men of Yong, Shu, Qiong, Wu, Wei, Lu, Peng, and Pu joined the Zhou army to attack Yin (Shang).
From the time when Tang the Great destroyed the Xia Dynasty down to the time of King Shou, there ruled 29 kings of the Shang Dynasty, for 496 years.
（周）威烈王
．．．六年，晉大夫秦嬴賊幽公于高寢之上，魏文侯立幽公子止。
七年。趙獻子城泫氏。韓武子都平陽。
八年，趙城平邑。
九年，楚人伐我南鄙，至于上洛。
十一年，田公子居思伐邯鄲，圍平邑。於越滅滕。
十二年，於越子朱句伐郯，以郯子鴣歸。
十四年，於越子朱句卒，子翳立。
十六年，齊田[聁-分+兮]及邯鄲韓舉戰于平邑，邯鄲之師敗逋，遂獲韓舉，取平邑、新城。
十七年，魏文侯伐秦至鄭，還築汾陰、郃陽。
田悼子卒，田布殺其大夫公孫孫，公孫會以廩丘叛于趙。田布圍廩丘，翟角、趙孔屑、韓師救廩丘，及田布戰于龍澤，田師敗逋。
十八年，王命韓景子、趙烈子及我師伐齊，入長垣。
二十三年，王命晉卿魏氏、趙氏、韓氏為諸侯。
二十四年，王陟。
King Weiliewang of Zhou (ruled 425-402 BC)
[...] 6th year, Qin Ying, a great officer of Jin, murdered Duke You of Jin in the Lofty Chamber (Gaoqin), when Marquis Wen of Wei raised Zhi, the son of duke You, to the dukedom.
7th year, Viscount Xian of Zhao walled Xuanshi; Viscount Wu of Hann made his capital in Pingyang.
8th year, the state of Zhao walled the city of Ping.
9th year, the people of Chu attacked our south border as far as Shangluo.
11th year, Jusi, a son of the ducal head of the house of Tian, attacked Handan, and besieged the city of Ping. The fiefdom of Yuyue extinguished the state of Teng.
12th year, Zhugou, the Viscount of Yuyue, attacked Tan, and carried off captive its viscount Gu.
14th year, Zhugou, the Viscount of Yuyue, died, and was succeeded by his son Yi.
16th year, Tian Pan of Qi fought near Ping with Han Ju of Handan, when the forces of Handan were defeated and put to flight, and Tian Pan took Han Ju prisoner, and captured the city of Ping, and Xincheng.
17th year, Marquis Wen of Wei invaded Qin as far as Zheng, and on his return built Fenyin and Heyang. Viscount Tian Daozi died; and Tian Bu put to death his great officer Gongsun Sun. Gongsun Hui took possession of Linqiu, and rebelled against Zhao. Tian Bu laid siege to Linqiu, to the rescue of which came Di Jiao, Kong Xie of Zhao, and the army of Hann, who fought with Tian Bu near the marsh of Long, defeated him, and put him to flight.
18th year, the King ordered the Viscounts Jing of Hann and Lie of Zhao, and our forces, to attack the state of Qi; when we penetrated within the Long Wall of Qi.
23rd year; the King of Zhou conferred on the nobles of Jin, each of the heads of the houses of Wei, Zhao, and Hann, the title of a feudal lord.
24th year; King Zhou Weiliewang deceased.
Translated by James Legge; slightly changed and modernized..
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Chinese literature according to the four-category system
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