He first served as a minor official such as Fengli Lang and Dali Judge. Later, on the recommendation of Pang Ji, the deputy envoy to the privy council, he went to Beijing to collate the pavilions and pavilions, and was Tongzhiliyuan. In the first year of Hehe (1054), he followed Pang Ji to Bingzhou (today's Shanxi). After becoming an official, he was changed to merge with the state general judge.
In the second year of Congjia (1057), Pang Ji was convicted of something, and Sima Guang took the blame and left Bingzhou. In the last years of Song Renzong's reign, he was appointed as the official of Tianzhang Pavilion and served as the lecturer of Tongzhi Jianyuan. In the sixth year of Jiayou's reign (1061), he moved to Tongzhi Jianyuan.
Sima Guang determined to compile "Tongjian" as a reference for rulers. In the third year of Zhiping (1066), the eight volumes of "Tongjian" from the Warring States Period to the Qin Dynasty were compiled and sent to Yingzong of the Song Dynasty. Yingzong ordered a bureau to be established for continued revision, and provided expenses and additional personnel.
Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty used his book to take into account the past events and to help with governance. He gave the book the title "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" and wrote the preface himself. Wang Anshi implemented the New Deal with the support of Song Shenzong. He strongly opposed it and argued with Anshi in front of the emperor, emphasizing that the laws of his ancestors were immutable.
Shenzong appointed him as deputy envoy to the privy council, but he refused to accept the offer. In the third year of Xining (1070), he left Beijing at his own request and became acquainted with Yongxingjun (now Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province) as a bachelor of Duanming Palace. The following year, he retired to Luoyang and served as the censor in Xijing. He followed him in the bookstore and continued to compile. "Tongjian" was written in the seventh year of Yuanfeng (1084). After the book was completed, Sima Guangguan was promoted to bachelor of Zizheng Palace.
In the eighth year of Yuanfeng (1085), Zhezong of the Song Dynasty came to the throne. Empress Dowager Gao took charge of the government and summoned him to the capital to take charge of state affairs. The following year, he was appointed as Shangshu Zuopushe and concurrently as a minister. Within a few months, he dismissed the new party and abolished all new laws. He was known as Yuan Yougeng in history. change.
In September of the first year of Yuanyou, Sima Guang was in power for a year and a half, and he passed away at the age of 68. The capital's masters went on strike to pay homage to him, and they hung their clothes to pay homage to him, and wept in the streets as they passed the car. When the coffin was sent to Xia County, tens of millions of people were buried in it, the people wept with great sorrow, as if they were weeping for their private relatives. Tens of thousands of people come from all over to attend the funeral, and every house hangs an elephant, and every meal must be celebrated. Zhezong of Song Dynasty buried him in Gaoling.
After his death, he was given the posthumous title of Grand Master and Duke Wen, the posthumous title of Zheng, and the stele was given to him for his loyalty, purity and virtue.
His remaining works include "Qianxu", "Junyun Zhizhang", "Leibian", "Jiajiaji", "Hanlin Poems", "Annotations on Ancient Learning Classics", "Yishuo", and "Annotations on Taixuan Jing" , "Notes on the Yangtze", "Shuyi", "Mountain Travel Notes", "Continued Shi Zhi", "Medical Questions", "Sushui Chronicles", "Tongjian Catalog", "Tongjian Research on Differentiations", "Tongjian" There are 37 types including "Jian Ju Yao Li", "Ji Gu Lu" ("Calendar Pictures", "Deeds of Kings and Ministers in Past Dynasties" and "Hundred Officials and Officials List"), "Qiyun Zhizhang Picture", "Sima Zhenggong Collection" and so on.
Sima Guang was a standard conservative in politics. He wrote several times to oppose Wang Anshi's reforms. He believes that countries with newly established criminal laws use light codes, while countries with chaotic criminal laws use heavy codes. This is to put the world before the world, not to change the law.
"It is said that governing the world is like a house. I will repair it if it is damaged. I will not repair it unless it is too bad." Sima Guang and Wang Anshi were dedicated to serving the country. The two are in agreement, but they have different preferences in terms of specific measures.
Wang Anshi mainly focused on the financial and military problems at that time and adopted drastic economic and military reform measures to solve the urgent needs.
Sima Guang believed that during the conservative period, emphasis should be placed on rectifying ethical principles to bind people's thoughts within the original system, even if it was reformed. It must also be safe, and it must be changed because of big bad things. It requires good craftsmen and beautiful materials, and now there is neither. I am afraid that the wind and rain will not protect me.
Most of Wang Anshi¡¯s new laws hit the real issues, and those who oppose the new laws usually don¡¯t have any outstanding opinions when faced with practical political issues. The reasons for their opposition include that the new law disturbs the people and that the ancestral law cannot be abolished, but they cannot propose any better reform method.
For example, one of the reasons why Sima Guang criticized Wang Anshi's reform was that southerners could not be in power. He reported to Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty and said: The people of Fujian are narrow and dangerous, while the people of Chu are easygoing. Now the two prime ministers are all from Fujian, and the two political officials are all from Chu. They will definitely recruit people from the provincial party to fill the court. How can the customs be more honest?
During the Xining reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, Sima Guang strongly opposed Wang Anshi's reform and asked Shangshu to be appointed as a foreign minister. In the fourth year of Xining (1071), he was sentenced to Yushitai in Xijing. From then on, he lived in Luoyang for fifteen years without any involvement in political affairs. During this leisurely period, Sima Guang presided over the compilation of the 294-volume 3 million-word chronological history book "Zizhi Tongjian".
"Zizhi Tongjian" begins in the 23rd year of King Weilie of Zhou Dynasty (403 BC) and ends in the 6th year of Zhou Shizong's Xiande (959) after the Five Dynasties. It records a total of 1362 years of history in 16 dynasties. It took 19 years to edit and complete. .
He said in "Jin Zi Zhi Tong Jian Biao": My muscles and bones are now frail, my eyesight is dim, my teeth are few, and my consciousness is weakened. As the saying goes, I forget everything. I have devoted all my energy to this book. Sima Guang devoted his whole life to this book, and he died from overwork within 2 years of its completion.
"Zi Zhi Tong Jian" was written by Sima Guang himself from the inception of the rules to the deletion and finalization, and it was not imitated by the hands of others. Wang Mingsheng, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, said: This is a book that is indispensable in the world and a book that scholars must read.
Sima Guang¡¯s integrity throughout his life should have been influenced by his father¡¯s honest education. When he was about five or six years old, one time, he wanted to peel walnuts, but he couldn¡¯t do it.His sister tried to help him but couldn't remove it, so he left first. Later, a maid used hot soup to help him successfully peel off the pits. When his sister came back, she asked: "Who did it for you?" He deceived his sister and did it himself.
His father scolded him: How dare you lie? From then on, Sima Guang did not dare to lie. When he was older, he wrote this incident on paper to encourage himself. He never told a lie until his death. Shao Yong's son Shao Bowen also read this piece of paper. Chen Hongmou, a native of the Qing Dynasty, said: Sima Guang focused on sincerity throughout his life and did not deceive others. Later generations' judgment on Sima Guang's coffin closing was also full of sincerity.
Once, Sima Guang and his friends were playing in the backyard. There was a large water tank in the yard. A child climbed up to play on the edge of the tank and accidentally fell into the water tank. The water in the tank was so big and deep that the child was almost submerged. When the other children saw that something had happened, they were so frightened that they cried and shouted and ran outside to ask adults for help.
Sima Guang, in a hurry, picked up a big stone from the ground and threw it at the water tank. Bang! The water tank broke and the water in the tank flowed out. The child who was submerged in the water was also saved.
The little Sima Guang is calm and calm in situations, and he has always looked like a little adult since he was a child. This accidental incident made little Sima Guang famous. Someone in Tokyo and Luoyang painted the incident into a picture, which was widely circulated.
Sima Guang wants to sell a horse. This horse has pure and beautiful coat, tall and powerful, and docile temperament. Unfortunately, it has lung disease in summer. Sima Guang said to the steward: This horse has lung disease in summer, and the buyer must be informed of this. The housekeeper smiled and said: How can there be anyone like you? How can we sell horses and expose the problems that others can't see!
Sima Guang did not agree with the steward's view, and said to him: How much a horse costs is a small matter, but if you don't tell the truth to others, it will ruin your reputation as a person. We must be honest as human beings. If we lose our integrity, the loss will be even greater. The housekeeper was extremely ashamed after hearing this.
Sima Guang has an indifferent temperament and does not like luxury. He once mentioned in "Exercise Thrift and Prosperity" that when he was a child, his elders would wear gorgeous clothes for him, but he would always blush and take them off.
When he passed the imperial examination in Baoyuan period, he was received by Emperor Renzong. At the banquet, everyone put flowers on their heads and played unscrupulously for fun. Only Sima Guang sat upright and didn't wear flowers. A colleague reminded me: Wearing flowers is an order from the emperor! Sima Guangcai reluctantly wore a small flower.
Sima Guang had an old servant who always called him Junshi Scholar. Once, Su Shi came to Sima Guang's mansion and couldn't help but laugh when he heard the title of the servant. He jokingly said: Your master is not a scholar, but already a prime minister. Everyone calls him Mr. Jun! The old servant was shocked. When they saw Sima Guang later, they all respectfully addressed him as Mr. Junshi, and said happily: Fortunately, Bachelor Da Su taught me. Sima Guang sighed at the loss: This old servant of mine has been ruined by Zi Zhan's teachings.