The Commentaries of the Three Scholars () or Three Commentaries on the Shiji () are the three most important traditional exegeses on the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian or The Grand Scribe's Records, etc.), the monumental history written by Sima Qian (ca. 145âÂÂ86 BCE) in the Han dynasty. The three commentary works, composed between the fifth and eighth centuries CE, form the basis of most received editions of the Shiji and are usually incorporated directly into its text in modern annotated versions.
The term sanjia zhu () refers to the following works:
Although these works were originally written independently, they came to be transmitted together and are commonly integrated into the corresponding chapters of the Shiji in traditional editions. The Sanjia zhu collectively form the foundation of the standard annotated text.
The Three Commentaries have had a profound influence on the study and transmission of the Shiji. Virtually all later scholars of early Chinese historiography rely on the composite Sanjia zhu version as the authoritative text. Modern critical editions and translations continue to cite these commentaries extensively.
The work Shiji zhiyi å²记å¿Âç (Records of Doubtful Passages in the Grand ScribeâÂÂs Records) of Liang Yusheng (1745-1819) f.e. was one of the works which continued and further developed the exegetical tradition during the Qing dynasty.