Zīzhì Tōngjiàn (Chinese: 資治通鑑/资治通鉴, "Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance") is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084. Compiled by a team led by Sima Guang, Tongjian took 19 years to be completed, and records Chinese history from 403 BCnote to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning across almost 1,400 years.note It contains 294 volumes (卷/巻, juǎn) and about 3 million Chinese characters.
Tongjian was first ordered by Emperor Yingzong of Song as an compilation of a universal history of China. While Sima Guang's team compiled with the order, Sima Guang intended for the text to become an aid in guiding future emperors in governance. The book's title was given by Emperor Shenzong, Yingzong's son and successor.
As a "textbook" for emperors, historical events which are culturally significant or otherwise do not involve governance issues were generally ignored. For example, many of China's great poets, from Qu Yuan to Li Bai and Du Fu were not mentioned in the text. Much like The Art of War, the advice encapsulated in the work is largely common sense, but may not always be easy to follow.
Besides Tongjian, Sima Guang also authored Zizhi Tongjian Kaoyi (资质通鉴考异; "Fact checking for the Zizhi Tongjian"). In this work, Sima Guang explained his reasons for including (or not) in the Tongjian historical information which he had gathered from his sources.
Wang Fuzhi, a Chinese essayist, historian, and philosopher of the late Ming to early Qing dynasties, wrote a commentary on the work, titled "Comments after reading the Tongjian" (讀通鑑論/读通鉴论, Dú Tōngjiàn Lùn). Before that, students of famed Southern Song philosopher Zhu Xi compiled one of his works: "The String and Mesh of Zizhi Tongjian" (資治通鑑綱目/资治通鉴纲目, Zīzhì Tōngjiàn Gāngmù). One crucial idea promoted in the work was that Shu-Han was the legitimate successor to the Han dynasty, instead of Cao-Wei or the Western Jin.
The work has never been fully translated into English, although the years 157 to 220 CE have been translated into English and annotated by Rafe de Crespigny as part of his works on the Three Kingdoms.
Compare and contrast The Book of Lord Shang, which is more theoretical and written more than a millennium earlier. The work can also be seen as a continuation of the 1st-century BCE Records of the Grand Historian (also just called the Shiji 史記, literally "Scribal Records"), the oldest surviving Chinese history, recording events from the legendary Yellow Emperor down to the author's day. This comparison is one of which Sima Guang was particularly proud, as the "Grand Historian" in question was Sima Qian, whom Sima Guang believed was an ancestor or at least distant relative of his, and whom he greatly admired personally.
It provides examples of:
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: The author emphasizes the need for the emperor to keep the relatives of his mother, empress and concubines (waiqi or "consort-kin") under firm control, lest they garner too much influence or otherwise set bad examples for the empire. The work itself provides many examples of waiqi families who either brought ruin to themselves or the empire through their reckless actions and extravagance.
- Conspicuous Consumption: Frowned upon by the author, who criticized this as wholly destructive.
- Control Freak: Criticized by the author, who postulates that the emperor's role is not to micromanage, but to appoint competent officials to handle various matters, while the emperor sets the correct vision and direction for the empire.
- Crippling Overspecialization: As mentioned, Tongjian does not talk about cultural events and personalities, making it useless for anyone who is interested in China's cultural history.
- The Good King: Following the advice given in the work should make it easier for any Chinese emperor to have a stable and prosperous reign.
- War Is Glorious: Not according to the author, who frowns upon excessive military expeditions, as supplying such expeditions places a heavy burden upon the people.
- Written by the Winners: Averted. Sima Guang had little motive or interest in intentionally defaming dynasties which fell centuries before his time. As he clearly stated in the preface, the objective of Tongjian was to teach emperors on governance. Of particular interest is his dispassionate treatment of the Jin Dynasty of the 3rd-5th centuries CE, whose imperial house were Sima Guang's own kinsmen (he claimed descent from Sima Fu, a brother of Sima Yi, whose grandson was Emperor Wu of Jin, the founder of that dynasty).note
- Yes-Man: Frowned upon, as a) they give bad advice to the emperor and b) they set bad examples for others to follow, particularly if the emperor rewards them without them having earned any merit to justify the rewards.
