SOURCE: Durrant, Stephen W. “(Wo)men with(out) Names.” In The Cloudy Mirror: Tension and Conflict in the Writings of Sima Qian, pp. 99-122. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1995.

In the following excerpt from his full-length study of Qian's work, Durrant analyzes how Qian shaped the historical sources he used as the basis of his Shih chi.

The Master said, “The True Gentleman hates that he might perish from the earth and his name not be praised.”

—Analects 15:4b (15.19)

The Master said, “I do not worry about whether others know and appreciate me, I worry about whether I know and appreciate others.”

—Analects 1:5a (1.16)

Spring and Autumn Annals, which Sima Qian describes as “the greatest manifestation of the Kingly Way,” ends with the death of Confucius in 479 b.c.e., while Zuo Commentary, the authoritative interpretation of Confucius' classic, continues on to 468. Far from...