Sui and Tang · Commentator and Scholar

Yan Shigu 顏師古

Attested AD 581 - AD 645

Passages: 1
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Yan Shigu was a Commentator and Scholar.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 581 to AD 645 師古曰
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 20, passage 20

Works and attributed material

explanatory notes on the table 特有發明
Relation Commentator
Directly stated · Book of Han 20, passage 20
Commentary · Author · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Han 20, passage 20

Assessments and attributes

Assessment zhang-yans-criticisms-themselves-erroneous · With Zhang Yan (張晏) · Mode named-source-report Source Person Id Yan Shigu (顏師古)
Directly stated · Book of Han 20, passage 20

References in the histories

Book of Han, Chapter 20Table of Ancient and Modern Persons · 1 passage

師古曰：「六家之論，輕重不同；百行所存，趣拾難壹。張氏輒申所見，掎摭班史，然其所論，又自差錯。且年代乆遠，墳典隟亡，學者舛駮，師論分異，是以表載古人名氏，或與諸書不同。今則特有發明，用暢厥旨。自女媧以下，帝鴻以前，諸子傳記，互有舛駮，敘說不同，無所取正，大要知其古帝之號而已。諸人士見於史傳，彰灼可知者，無待解釋，其間幽昧者，時復及焉。」 Yan Shigu said, "The six schools' doctrines differ in what they value; the conduct preserved across the hundred practices is hard to gather into one standard. Master Zhang then set forth his own views, picking at Ban Gu's history—yet his arguments are themselves mistaken. Moreover, the ages are distant, canonical texts have gaps and losses, scholars contradict one another, and teachers' explanations diverge; for this reason the names recorded in the table may differ from other books. Here I add explanations of my own to make the meaning clear. From Nüwa down to before Emperor Hong, the various masters' records conflict and their accounts differ, with no way to decide which is right; in general one need only know the designations of the ancient emperors. Persons who appear in historical records and are plainly identifiable need no commentary; where matters are obscure, I sometimes explain them."