From the Warring States Period to the Han Dynasty, there have been two separate systems of the Spring and Autumn biographies: one system was formed from the Chunqiu, especially the personal stories in Zuozhuan; the other from the latercomplied works of the preQin thinkers. The latter was the main source of the Historical Records biographies of the Spring and Autumn figures. The adapted biographies of the works of the preQin thinkers have the highest percentage in the Historical Records ’s preQin biographies. Taking into consideration that many texts under the names of the preQin thinkers were listed in the bibliographic treatise of the Hanshu(汉书·艺文志), it is reasonable to infer that the Historical Records biographies of the preQin thinkers were intended to record their works instead of themselves. The reason was that there were biographies of the preQin thinkers in the Historical Records exactly because their names were attached to valuable texts. The biographies of the preQin thinkers rarely contain their remarks or life experience recorded in their works. Moreover, these biographies can be read as supplements to the works of the preQin thinkers. Meanwhile, we can also deduce the transmission of the works of the preQin thinkers in the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han in the Historical Records as well as the origin of the academic study in the Qi State during the West Han Dynasty.

the Historical Records; biographies in the Historical Records; the preQin thinkers; biographies written for the texts; Sima Qian