Fan Ye's Book of Later Han (Houhanshu): Military History and Ethnicity. Volume 1: The Twenty-Eight Yuntai Generals of the Eastern Han

Translator: 

Shu-Hui Wu &David Curtis Wright

Publisher:
Brill

Publication Year: 

2023

Abstract:

The Book of Later Han (Houhanshu) by Fan Ye (398-445) is enormously important as China’s most complete work on Eastern Han history in biographical form. For the first time in any Western language, the author introduces Fan Ye’s magnificent writings in lively translation with rich annotation and informative and insightful commentary.

This first volume covers its early military history and highlights the lives and achievements of the twenty-eight generals who helped Emperor Guangwu unify China and establish the Eastern Han dynasty.
Also included are images of these twenty-eight founding fathers, maps, and information related to early Eastern Han systems.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Brief Individual Introductions to Each of the Twenty-Eight Yuntai Generals, Including Illustrations, Fan Ye’s Conclusion, and List of Their Ranking Orders in HHS 22
Chapter 1 HHS 16: Biographies of Deng and Kou 鄧寇列傳 6
Chapter 2 HHS 17: Biographies of Feng, Cen, and Jia 馮岑賈列傳 7
Chapter 3 HHS 18: Biographies of Wu, Ge, Chen, and Zang 吳蓋陳臧列傳 8
Chapter 4 HHS 19: Biography of Geng Yan 耿弇列傳 9
Chapter 5 HHS 20: Biographies of Yao Qi, Wang Ba, and Zhai Zun 銚期王霸祭遵列傳 10
Chapter 6 HHS 21: Biographies of Ren, Li, Wan, Pi, Liu, and Geng 任李萬邳劉耿列傳 11
Chapter 7 HHS 22: Biographies of Zhu, Jing, Wang, Du, Ma, Liu, Fu, Jian, and Ma 朱景王杜馬劉傅堅馬列傳 12
Chapter 8 HHS 15: Biographies of Li, Wang, Deng, and Lai 李王鄧來列傳 5
Chapter 9 Commentaries 論曰 and Rhymed Summaries 贊曰 by Fan Ye in Chapters 1–8

Appendix 1 The Twenty-Eight Yuntai Generals and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Lodgings, with Notes and a Table of the Twenty-Eight Yuntai Generals and Their Corresponding Lunar Lodgings

Appendix 2 Ban Gu’s Description of an Emperor’s Funeral and Images of the Burial Chamber Built with Yellow Cypress Wood 黃腸題凑

Appendix 3 Analysis and Translation of Texts on Seals and Seal-Ribbons (yin shou 印綬) in HHS zhi 志 30 B Chariots and Clothing 輿服下

Appendix 4 Metadata and Models for Eastern Han Warships, as Reconstructed and Exhibited at the People’s Military Museum in Beijing 中國人民軍事博物館

Appendix 5 An Iron Charter 鐵券, with Introduction, and an Ancient Chinese hu 斛 Measuring Device

Glossary 1: Titles for Military Leaders and Civil Servants (1) English–Chinese
Glossary 2: Titles for Military Leaders and Civil Servants (2) Chinese–English
Glossary 3: Chinese Military Idioms, Proverbs, and Special Terms in the Book of Later Han