1
隋書自開皇、仁壽時，王劭為書八十卷，以類相從，定為篇目。 至於編年紀傳，並闕其體。 唐武德五年，起居舍人令狐德棻奏請修五代史。 〈五代謂梁、陳、齊、周、隋也。〉 十二月，詔中書令封德彝、舍人顏師古修隋史，緜歷數載，不就而罷。 貞觀三年，續詔秘書監魏徵修隋史，左僕射房喬總監。 徵又奏於中書省置秘書內省，令前中書侍郎顏師古、給事中孔穎達、著作郎許敬宗撰隋史。 徵總知其務，多所損益，務存簡正。 序、論皆徵所作。 凡成帝紀五，列傳五十。 十年正月壬子，徵等詣闕上之。 十五年，又詔左僕射于志寧、太史令李淳風、著作郎韋安仁、符璽郎李延壽同修五代史志。 凡勒成十志三十卷。 顯慶元年五月己卯，太尉長孫無忌等詣朝堂上進，詔藏秘閣。 後又編第入隋書，其實別行，亦呼為五代史志。
During the Kaihuang and Renshou reigns, Wang Shao compiled an eighty-juan history of the Sui, grouping entries by category to establish its table of contents. It lacked both the annalistic chronicle and the standard biographical formats. In the fifth year of Wude, Attendant Diarist Linghu Defen submitted a memorial asking that the histories of the Five Dynasties be compiled. 〈The "Five Dynasties" refers to Liang, Chen, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, and Sui.〉 In the twelfth month an edict appointed Grand Counselor Feng Deyi and Attendant Yan Shigu to compile the Sui history; after several years without completion, the project was abandoned. In the third year of Zhenguan, a new edict put Director of the Imperial Library Wei Zheng in charge of compiling the Sui history, with Left Vice Director Fang Qiao as overall supervisor. Wei also proposed setting up an inner secretariat bureau within the Secretariat and assigning former Vice Director Yan Shigu, Supernumerary within the Gates Kong Yingda, and Academician Xu Jingzong to write the Sui history. Wei directed the work himself, revising extensively while keeping the text concise and accurate. All prefaces and evaluative essays were written by Wei. In all, five imperial annals and fifty biographies were completed. On the day renzi of the first month of the tenth year, Wei and his colleagues presented the work at court. In the fifteenth year, another edict commissioned Left Vice Director Yu Zhining, Grand Astrologer Li Chunfeng, Academician Wei Anren, and Seal Keeper Li Yanshou jointly to compile the treatises for the Five Dynasties history. Ten treatises in thirty juan were completed in all. On the day jimao of the fifth month of the first year of Xianqing, Grand Commandant Zhangsun Wuji and others presented it in the court hall; an edict ordered it deposited in the Imperial Archive. Later it was re-fascicled and bound into the Book of Sui, though it had in fact circulated as a separate work and was also known as the Treatises of the Five Dynasties History.
2
〈案魏徵本傳，貞觀七年為侍中，十年，五代史成，加光祿大夫，進封鄭國公。 俄請遜位，拜特進。 今諸本並云特進。 又經籍志四卷，獨云侍中、鄭國公魏徵撰。 无忌傳又云，永徽三年，始受詔監修，疑當時先已刊修，无忌因成書而進。 今紀傳題以徵，志以无忌，從眾本所載也。 紀傳亦有題太子少師許敬宗撰。 案敬宗傳，貞觀八年，除著作郎，修國史，遷中書舍人。 十年，左授洪州司馬。 龍朔三年，始拜太子少師。 與今錄年月官位不同，疑後人所益。 房喬、志寧初並受詔。 又《李延壽傳》云，被詔與著作佐郎敬播同修五代史志。 按延壽貞觀三年與顏師古同被勑修隋史，其年以內憂去職。 今諸本並不載喬等名位。 天文、律曆、五行三志，皆淳風獨作。 五行志序，諸本云褚遂良作。 案本傳未嘗受詔撰述，疑祗為一序，今故略其名氏。〉
〈According to Wei Zheng's standard biography, in the seventh year of Zhenguan he became Palace Attendant; when the Five Dynasties history was finished in the tenth year, he was promoted to Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and enfeoffed as Duke of Zheng. Soon afterward he asked to step down and was appointed Supernumerary. All extant editions now read "Supernumerary." The Bibliographic Treatise in four juan, by contrast, credits it solely to "Palace Attendant and Duke of Zheng Wei Zheng." Wuji's biography also says he first received the edict to supervise compilation in the third year of Yonghui—which suggests the text had already been edited earlier and that Wuji presented it only after the book was complete. The present edition titles the annals and biographies under Wei and the treatises under Wuji, following the various exemplars. Some copies of the annals and biographies also credit "Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent Xu Jingzong" as compiler. Xu Jingzong's biography records that in the eighth year of Zhenguan he was made Academician, worked on the dynastic history, and was then promoted to Secretariat Attendant. In the tenth year he was demoted to administrator of Hongzhou. Not until the third year of Longshuo was he appointed Junior Tutor to the Heir Apparent. These dates and titles differ from those in the present record, which suggests a later interpolation. Fang Qiao and Yu Zhining had both originally received imperial orders to compile. Also, 《Biography of Li Yanshou》 states that he was ordered, together with Assistant Academician Jing Bo, to compile the treatises of the Five Dynasties history. Li Yanshou was in fact ordered with Yan Shigu in the third year of Zhenguan to compile the Sui history but left office that same year to observe mourning for his mother. None of the extant editions now records the names and offices of Qiao and the others. The treatises on astronomy, calendrical systems, and the Five Phases were all written by Li Chunfeng alone. Various editions attribute the preface to the treatise on the Five Phases to Chu Suiliang. His standard biography, however, records no commission to compile; this was probably only a preface, and so his name is omitted here.〉
3
天聖二年五月十一日上。 御藥供奉藍元用奉傳聖旨，齎禁中《隋書》一部，付崇文院。 至六月五日，勑差官校勘， 〈時命臣綬、臣燁提點，右正言、直史館張觀等校勘。 觀尋為度支判官，續命黃鑑代之。〉 仍內出版式雕造。
Presented on the eleventh day of the fifth month of the second year of Tiansheng. Imperial Pharmacy Attendant Lan Yuanyong, acting on the imperial command, brought one palace copy of 《Book of Sui》 and delivered it to the Chongwen Court. On the fifth day of the sixth month an edict appointed officials to collate the text, 〈At that time Chen Shou and Chen Ye were appointed to supervise; Right Remonstrator and Direct Historian of the History Office Zhang Guan and others carried out the collation. Guan was soon transferred to the revenue assessor post, and Huang Jian was appointed to replace him.〉 The work was then carved and printed in the palace edition format.