To narrate everything that is under Heaven

the idea of tiān 天 (Heaven) in the formation of pre-Modern Chinese historiography

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the defining role of the concept of “Heaven”, or tiān 天, in structuring an epistemology of Chinese historiography, especially during the period understood here as pre-Modern – that is, prior to the political, social and cultural changes that marked the Late Qīng 清 and the early Republican period. This analysis is based on the methodological assessments of Nicola di Cosmo, Chenshan Tian and Huaiqi Wu, who point to the intimate relationship between political theories created in the Zhōu 周 period and the writing of History, so that one can argue for the relatively pragmatic character of the record and interpretation of the past. This perspective will be understood in a variety of historiographical products, such as the Shǐjì 史記 of Sīmǎ Qiān 司馬迁 and the Shˇ ıtōng 史通 of Liú Zhījī 刘知几 It is concluded that the idea of tiān acts as the main element of cohesion between past and present, thus guaranteeing the political and intellectual function of historiography.