Editing Sima Qian (section)

==Literary figure==
Sima's ''Shiji'' is respected as a model of biographical literature with high literary value and still stands as a textbook for the study of classical Chinese. Sima's works were influential to Chinese writing, serving as ideal models for various types of prose within the neo-classical ("renaissance" {{lang|zh|复古}}) movement of the [[Tang dynasty|Tang]]–[[Song dynasty|Song]] period. The great use of characterisation and plotting also influenced fiction writing, including the classical short stories of the middle and late medieval period (Tang-[[Ming dynasty|Ming]]) as well as the vernacular novel of the late imperial period. Sima had immense influence on historiography not only in China, but also in Japan and Korea.{{Sfnp|Hughes-Warrington|2000|p=296}} For centuries afterwards, the ''Shiji'' was regarded as the greatest history book written in Asia.{{sfnp|Hughes-Warrington|2000|p=296}} Sima is little known in the English-speaking world as a full translation of the ''Shiji'' in English has not yet been completed.

His influence was derived primarily from the following elements of his writing: his skillful depiction of historical characters using details of their speech, conversations, and actions; his innovative use of informal, humorous, and varied language; and the simplicity and conciseness of his style. Even the 20th-century literary critic [[Lu Xun]] regarded ''Shiji'' as "the historians' most perfect song, a '[[Li Sao]]' without the rhyme" ({{lang|zh|史家之絶唱，無韻之離騷}}) in his ''Outline of Chinese Literary History'' ({{lang|zh|漢文學史綱要}}).

===Other literary works===
Sima's famous letter to his friend Ren An about his sufferings during the Li Ling Affair and his perseverance in writing ''Shiji'' is today regarded as a highly admired example of literary prose style, studied widely in China even today.<ref>{{cite book | title=The Letter to Ren An and Sima Qian's Legacy| first1= Stephen|last1= Durrant|first2=Wai-yee|last2= Li|first3= Michael|last3= Nylan |first4= Hans van|last4 =Ess
|author3-link=Michael Nylan 
 |date=2018 |isbn= 9780295743646 | publisher =University of Washington Press}}</ref> The ''Letter to Ren An'' contains the quote, "Men have always had but one death. For some it is as weighty as [[Mount Tai]]; for others it is as insignificant as a goose down. The difference is what they use it for." ({{lang|zh|人固有一死，或重于泰山，或輕于鴻毛，用之所趨異也。}}) This quote has become one of the most well known in all of Chinese literature. In modern times, Chairman [[Mao Zedong|Mao]] paraphrased this quote in a [[Serve the People|speech]] in which he paid tribute to a fallen [[People's Liberation Army|PLA]] soldier.

Sima Qian wrote eight rhapsodies (''[[Fu (poetry)|fu]]''), which are listed in the bibliographic treatise of the ''Book of Han''. All but one, the "Rhapsody in Lament for Gentlemen who do not Meet their Time" ({{lang|zh|士不遇賦}}) have been lost, and even the surviving example is probably not complete.