司馬遷이 그린 匈奴의 ‘眞相’과 후대의 이해 ― 『史記』 「匈奴列傳」 冒頭의 先祖와 遊牧 관련 기록의 재검토 ―

Abstract

In the course of organizing and reviewing the previous understanding the fore record of Biography of Xiongnu(匈奴), Shiji (史記), it led to the question that some of the contents of the ancestor of Xiongnu and their nomadic lifestyle were intertwined. It has been pointed out and understood according to three previous explanations(三家註). According to existing understanding, Chun Wei(淳維), the ancestor of the Xiongnu, fled to the place of three tribes that had lived in the Northern area since the before the period of Yao-Shun(堯舜), and became the Xiongnu of the late period of the War(戰國時代). However, unlike the previous understanding that Chun Wei entered the North place and the tribes living in the Northern place were nomadic, the explanation of nomadic life style was linked to the explaining their ancestors. In this case, the first part will be the track record of ancestor Chun Wei, and the second part will be the accurate expression of Sima Qian on nomadic life style. As an extension of this understanding, the background of Sima Qian(司馬遷)'s accurate depiction of the nomadic expression was traced to later generations. Ban Gu(班固) wrote down Sima Qian’s expression as it was, but Fan Ye(范曄) quoted a book from the biography of Northern People(北狄傳), which emphasized the movement, contrary to Sima Qian's understanding. Since then, Fan Ye's expression has been stuck in cliché, as it continues to be quoted in biography of Northern People. During the Tang(唐) Dynasty, nomads were even described as being disparaging or wandering. This was unfortunately the result of the misunderstanding of Sima Qian's precise understanding of nomads in later generations. Moreover, this was further reinforced later by repeated references to nomads in other works. To explain the settlement process of prejudice against nomads projected in this later biography of Northern People and corrected the misunderstanding, I newly tried to read the records of the ancestor and the nomadic lifestyle in first part of the biography of Xiongnu. By organizing the contents as a whole, I restored the “Real Xiongnu” of Sima Qian had drawn, and was able to understand the nomadic lifestyle and the other side exactly. In the process, I identified the excellence of Sima Qian’s records, who accurately grasped the characteristics of the recording object and described it as if he had seen it with his own eyes. I also know that this material confirms again that it is crucial to restore history anew. A more in-depth review of other parts of the biography of Xiongnu will allow us to try a new approach to the Xiongnu history.