8 replies to this topic

[General_Zhaoyun]

The 24 histories (二十四史） was a compilation (during Qing period) of all the authoritative historical writings for the Chinese historiography from 3000 BC till Ming dynasty. Written by ancient Chinese historians, it remained to be an important authoritative source for Chinese history.

For a long period of time, language barrier was the main obstacle preventing people around the world to read and understand these classics. Due to its academic nature and the use of high level Classical Chinese language, it was believed that only professional historians, Sinologists, archaeologists, exegesis experts (ancient text interpretation experts) are able to read and understand the writing.

However, from 1994 onwards, a huge project was undertaken in China to translate these works into modern Chinese. It involved some 200 Scholars (Professors and PhD) in China spanning over several fields of knowledge and a translation project costing more than US$70 million. Taken over 10 years, the translation of 24 histories to modern Chinese was completed in 2004, a remarkable achievement of China based on its long tradition on history writing.

The hard copy of 24 histories (in both classical and modern Chinese translation) is currently available in major libraries of China and Taiwan. It's really expensive to buy from bookstore (costing more than US$1,800).

But if you really want to read it for free, you can download its e-book online by going to:

http://www.verycd.com/topics/2765864 (it's a Chinese site)

However you might need to register an account and login to the verycd site to download the file.

You should also use Easymule software to download the files. You can download and install Easymule software
from http://www.easymule.com/en-us/

There are currently no English translation of 24 histories available, as works of translation in the West had been very slow or probably not active. In China, due to non-proficiency in English language and a lack of demand in China for reading English translation, it will not be possible for China to translate them into English.

It's generally up to the job of western scholars to translate them into English or some other European languages so as to be accessible in the West.

[esse]

Can you download and reupload the files to a free host like rapidshare? Save people the hassle of having to register AND install emule.

BTW, is there a version of Zizhi Tongjian in modern Chinese?

Edited by esse, 02 October 2009 - 06:49 PM.

[yeshi]

It would be useful to have files downloaded onto site like yousendit. Possible? Especially interested in Yuan Shi files.
Thanx.

[harandaa]

I like the translation project idea - I'm currently fiddling with the Yuan Shih, slowly translating Abramowski's German version of chapters 2 and 3 into English, and it would be nice to find a home for the finished product. My table of people and places is already rather large, and remains very confused...

[Honam]

The hard copy of 24 histories (in both classical and modern Chinese translation) is currently available in major libraries of China and Taiwan. It's really expensive to buy from bookstore (costing more than US$1,800).

I was checking some Chinese books today, and found that the whole collection is available in Taiwan for 400 euros (243 vols.), and the whole pack for 200 euros (9180 TW Yuan) (in simplified characters). The only use of these collection (the non translated into Modern Chinese) is for scholarly purpouses, like quoting passages for any serious work , since you can find all of them online in different editions (but jounals usually want you to quote from this one).

The Harvard-Yenching Institute collection of pre-Han texts is another story. $3800 only 62 vols.

Edited by Honam, 01 February 2010 - 11:36 AM.

[harandaa]

Biography of 牙忽都 Yahudu from 元史/卷117 (pp.2907-2910)(text from wikisource.zh, corrected to match Zhonghua shuju edition) - I get to make my own English translation for my Postgrad Diploma course! Yay!

牙忽都
牙忽都， 祖父撥綽， 睿宗庶子也。 撥綽之母曰馬一實， 乃馬眞氏。 撥綽驍勇善騎射， 憲 [2908] 宗命大將軍， [二]北征欽察有功， 賜號拔都。 歲丁巳， 分土諸侯王， 賜蠡州三千三百四十七戶， 為其食邑。 撥綽娶察渾滅兒乞氏， 生薛必烈傑兒。 薛必烈傑兒娶弘吉剌氏， 生牙忽都。
牙忽都年十三， 世祖命襲其祖父統軍。 至元十二年， 從北安王北征。 十三年， 失列吉叛， 遣人誘脅之， 牙忽都不從， 事王益忠謹。 八魯渾拔都兒、 粘闓與海都通， 相率引去， 王遣牙忽都將兵追之， 擒八魯渾等以獻。 未幾， 失列吉、 約木忽兒、 脫帖木兒等反， 以兵攻王。 脫帖木兒生致牙忽都， 使失列吉拘繫之。 牙忽都與王親臣那台等謀逃歸， 事覺，那台等被殺， 復繫牙忽都， 困辱備至。 十四年， 兀魯兀台、 伯顏帥師討叛， 失（吉列）[列吉]、 [三] 約木忽兒迎戰， 牙忽都潛結赤斤帖木兒、禿禿哈亂其陣。 失列吉軍亂， 因得脫走。 見帝， 鬚髪盡白。 帝閔之， 賞賚甚厚。 至元十八年， 加封耒陽州五千三百四十七戶。
二十一年， 命與禿禿哈同討海都， 牙忽都先進， 邏得諜人， 知其虛實， 直前衝敵陣， 破其精兵， 海都敗走， 得所俘掠軍民而還。朶兒朶哈上其功， 詔賜鈔幣、 鎧甲、 弓矢。 其後, 北安王駐帖木兒河。 乃顏、 也不堅有異圖， 也不堅引兵趨怯綠憐河大帳。 王遣闊闊出、禿禿哈率衆追之。 那懷之民擾攘不知所從。 牙忽都將三百騎， 進至 阿赤怯地。 會王帳下遜篤思部兵逃去， 牙忽都諭之使還。 時怯必禿忽兒霍台誘蒙古軍二萬從乃顏， 牙忽都知之， 夜襲其河上軍， 突入帳中， 遇忽都滅兒堅， 幾獲之， 間道逸去。
[2909] 二十七年， 海都入寇。 時朶兒朶哈方居守大帳， 詔遣牙忽都同力備禦。 軍未戰而潰， 牙忽都妻帑輜重駐不思哈剌嶺上， 悉為藥木忽兒、 明理帖木兒所掠。 牙忽都與其子脫列帖木兒相失， 獨與十三騎奔還。 世祖撫慰嘉歎， 賜爵鎭遠王， 塗金銀印， 以弘吉剌氏女賜之， 資裝特厚。 復命納里忽、 徹徹不花往錫命其部屬同時被剽掠者， 以故相桑哥家財分賜之， 仍各賜白金五十兩、 珠子一酒巵， 鈔幣稱是。 又命牙忽都居北安王第二帳。 王薨， 帝命掌大帳， 固辭。
成宗立， 命牙忽都常侍左右。 武宗撫兵漠北， 請以子脫列帖木兒從。 大德五年， 海都、 篤哇合軍入寇， 脫列帖木兒將兵千人擁護， 先後力戰， 功多， 在軍十年。
成宗崩， 安西王 阿難答與明理帖木兒窺望神器。 牙忽都曰： 「世祖皇帝之嫡孫在， 神器所當屬。 安西 藩王也， 入繼非制。」 武宗卽位， 以其父子勞效忠勤， 益厚遇之， 進封楚王， 賜金印， 置王傅， 以駙馬都尉都剌哈之女弟弘吉烈氏為楚王妃， 又以叛王察八兒親屬賜之。脫列帖木兒襲封鎭遠王。
至大三年， 察八兒來歸， 宗親皆會。 牙忽都進曰： 「太祖皇帝削平四方， 惟南土未定， 列聖嗣位， 未遑統一。 世祖皇帝混一四海， 顧惟宗室諸王， 弗克同堂而燕。 今陛下洪福齊天， 拔都罕之裔， 首已附順， 叛王察八兒舉族來歸， 人民境土， 悉為一家。 地大物衆， 有可恃者 [2910] 焉， 有不可恃者焉。 昔我太祖有訓， 世祖誦之， 臣與有聞， 治亂國者， 宜以法齊之， 所以辨上下， 定民志。 今請有以整飭之， 則人將有所勸懲， 惟陛下鑒之。」 帝嘉納其言。
牙忽都薨， 仁宗命脫列帖木兒嗣楚王。 延祐中， 明宗西出， 脫列帖木兒坐累， 徙西番， 沒入其家貲之半。 明宗卽位， 制曰： 「脫列帖木兒何罪， 其轉徙籍沒， 豈不以我故耶。 其復故號， 人民貲帑悉歸之。」 脫列帖木兒薨， 子八都兒立。 八都兒薨， 有子三人： 曰燕帖木兒， 曰速哥帖木兒， 曰朶羅不花。 燕帖木兒嗣， 時年十有二， 妃弘吉剌氏， 哈只兒駙馬之女孫， 速哥失里皇后之從妹也。
(p.2913)
[二]憲宗命大將軍 道光本作「憲宗命將大軍」，於文義較長。
[三] 失（吉列） [列吉] 據上文改正。新編已校。

Unfortunately the underlining of names hasn't come out here - Once my table of names and places is ready I'll post that too.

Edited by harandaa, 23 March 2011 - 05:18 AM.

[hongdaozi]

The 24 histories (二十四史） was a compilation (during Qing period) of all the authoritative historical writings for the Chinese historiography from 3000 BC till Ming dynasty. Written by ancient Chinese historians, it remained to be an important authoritative source for Chinese history.

For a long period of time, language barrier was the main obstacle preventing people around the world to read and understand these classics. Due to its academic nature and the use of high level Classical Chinese language, it was believed that only professional historians, Sinologists, archaeologists, exegesis experts (ancient text interpretation experts) are able to read and understand the writing.

However, from 1994 onwards, a huge project was undertaken in China to translate these works into modern Chinese. It involved some 200 Scholars (Professors and PhD) in China spanning over several fields of knowledge and a translation project costing more than US$70 million. Taken over 10 years, the translation of 24 histories to modern Chinese was completed in 2004, a remarkable achievement of China based on its long tradition on history writing.

The hard copy of 24 histories (in both classical and modern Chinese translation) is currently available in major libraries of China and Taiwan. It's really expensive to buy from bookstore (costing more than US$1,800).

But if you really want to read it for free, you can download its e-book online by going to:

http://www.verycd.com/topics/2765864 (it's a Chinese site)

However you might need to register an account and login to the verycd site to download the file.

You should also use Easymule software to download the files. You can download and install Easymule software
from http://www.easymule.com/en-us/

There are currently no English translation of 24 histories available, as works of translation in the West had been very slow or probably not active. In China, due to non-proficiency in English language and a lack of demand in China for reading English translation, it will not be possible for China to translate them into English.

It's generally up to the job of western scholars to translate them into English or some other European languages so as to be accessible in the West.

Well, I was lucky enough to inherit the 25 dynastic histories 二十五史 from my Taiwanese teacher for classical Chinese. His kids are into computers and would sell those books by their weight, and as my teacher lost his eyesight, he let me have a whole car full of old chinese books on history and philosophy. There are 50 big volumes, printed in Taiwan by 藝文印書館, without any date. A great resource for every serious sinologist. Good that so many resources are free online now, the other day I downloaded a free copy of Gao Heng's Zhouyi dazhuan jinzhu, 640 pages for free. And the Siku quanshu, we have in form of 180 CD-Roms at my university, so it is much simpler to research than it used to be for my PhD, when I needed to travel half the world.
Thanks for your link, please keep them comming.

[hljhljhlj]

Thank you,It is a good thing

[ThereGraye]

It would be useful to have files downloaded onto site like yousendit. Possible?

 

_______________________
Turning your eyes to the dvdsaledirect.com and enjoy the charming series you love!

Edited by ThereGraye, 30 January 2013 - 01:18 AM.