The first universal history of China was the Shiji 史記 "Records of the Grand Scribe", written by Sima Tan 司馬談 (d. ca. 110 BC) and his son Sima Qian 司馬遷 (145-86 BC), who both were court astrologers (taishi) 太史 during the Former Han Dynasty. The pattern of Sima Qian's historiographic work was unique and should serve as model for the official standard histories (zhengshi 正史) of the imperial dynasties for the next two thousand years. The official histories of China are compilated to the corpus of Twenty-five Histories (Ershiwu Shi 二十五史). Other compilations add the Qingshi Gao and/or leave out the Xin Yuanshi, leading to the title Ershiliu Shi 二十六史 and Ershisi Shi 二十四史. Sima Qian used a biographical type (jizhuanti 紀傳體) of historiography instead of an annalistic year-by-year type (biannianti 編年體) although the imperial biographies of the later Histories are rather composed in an annalistic style. Sima Qian distinguishes the following types of chapters: 1. 本紀 Benji Imperial Biographies of the rulers/emperors 2. 表 Biao Tables 3. 書 Shu Treatises 4. 世家 Shijia Biographies of the houses of the feudal lords and of eminent people like Confucius 5. 列傳 Liezhuan Biographies of ordinary persons and collective biographies like that of empresses, officers, and reports of foreign countries Although the later dynastic histories follow this pattern, not every book employs the full range of these five types: - Benji 本紀 are later called diji 帝紀 or simply ji 紀. - Shijia (later called zaiji 載記) are only found in the Shiji, the Jinshu, and the Xin Wudaishi. - Biao are not found in the histories from Houhanshu to Jiutangshu and the Jiuwudaishi. - Shu (later called zhi 志 or kao 考) are not found in the Sanguozhi (although the Qing scholar Liu Gongren 劉公任 tried to compose a Sanguo xinzhi 三國新志), Liangshu, Chenshu, Beiqishu, Beizhoushu, Nanshi, and Beishi. The themes of the treatises multiply in the course of the centuries; this chapters are the basis for the upcome of encyclopedias (leishu 類書) and the overviews of the political-economical system of the dynasties (huiyao 會要). The themes of the treatises are: 禮 Li Rites (not in Xinwudaishi) 樂 Yue Music (not in Xinwudaishi) 律 Lü Harmony and Measurments (often united with the next topic) 曆 Li Calendar (not in Nanqishu and Xinwudaishi) 天文 Tianwen or 天官 Tianguan Astronomy (not in Liaoshi) 郊祀 Jiaoshi or 封禪 Fengshan Sacrifices (Shiji, Hanshu, Houhanshu, Yuanshi) 溝洫 Gouxu or 河渠 Hequ Rivers and Canals (Shiji, Hanshu; from Songshi; not in Liaoshi) 食貨 Shihuo or 平準 Pingzhun Food and Commodities (not in Houhanshu, Songshu, Nanqishu, Xinwudaishi) 刑法 Xingfa Law and Punishments (from Hanshu; not in Houhanshu, Songshu, Nanqishu, Xinwudaishi) 五行 Wuxing Five Elements (from Hanshu; not in Weishu, Xinwudaishi, Liaoshi, Qingshigao) 地理 Dili or 郡縣 Junxian Geography (from Hanshu) 藝文 Yiwen or 經籍 Jingji Literature (Hanshu, Suishu, Tanshu, Xintangshu, Songshi, Mingshi, Qingshigao) 百官 Baiguan or 職官 Zhiguan Offices (from Houhanshu; not in Xinwudaishi) 輿服 Yufu Chariots and Garments (from Houhanshu; not in Songshu, Weishu, Suishu, Wudaishi, Xinwudaishi, Liaoshi) 符瑞 Furui Auspicious Influences (only in Songshu, Nanqishu, Weishi, Qingshigao) 釋老 Shi Lao Buddhism and Daoism (only in Weishu) 儀衛 Yiwei Imperial Guards (from Xintangshu and Songshi; not in Yuanshi, Xin Yuanshi, Qingshigao) 選舉 Xuanju Civil Service (from Xintangshu and Songshi; not in Liaoshi) 兵衛 Bingwei or simply 兵Bing Military (from Xintangshu and Songshi) 營衛 Yingwei Militia and Colonization (only Liaoshi) 交通 Jiaotong Communications (only Qingshigao) 邦交 Bangjia Foreign Relations (only Qingshigao) - Liezhuan are later simply called zhuan 傳 The first four official Chinese dynastic histories are called together the "Four Historiographies" (Sishi 四史): The Shiji (reporting events from the Yellow Emperor to Emperor Han Wudi), the Hanshu 漢書 (History of Former Han), the Houhanshu 後漢書 (History of Later Han), and the Sanguozhi 三國志 (History of the Three Kingdoms) .	The 25 (26) Official Dynastic Histories Shiji, Records of the Grand Scribe, a universal history compiled by Sima Tan 司馬談 and his son Sima Qian 司馬遷, ends in 93 BC Hanshu, Book of (Former) Han, compiled by Ban Gu 班固 in 83 AD Houhanshu, Book of Later Han, compiled by Fan Ye 范曄 in 445 Sanguozhi, Records of the Three Kingdoms, compiled by Chen Shou 陳壽 in 289 AD Jinshu 晉書, Book of Jin, compiled under Fang Xuanling 房玄齡 in 648 Songshu 宋書, Book of Liu-Song, compiled by Shen Yue 沈約 in 488 Nanqishu 南齊書, Book of Qi (in the South), compiled by Xiao Zixian 蕭子顯 in 514 Liangshu 梁書, Book of Liang, compiled under Yao Silian 姚思廉 in 635 Chenshu 陳書, Book of Chen, compiled under Yao Silian in 636 Nanshi 南史, History of the South, compiled by Li Yanshou 李延壽 in 659 (comprising the history of Liu-Song, Qi, Liang and Chen dynasties) Beishi 北史, History of the North, compiled by Li Yanshou in 659 (comprising the history of Northern-Wei, Eastern and Western Wei, Northern Qi and Northern Zhou; for the sixteen states of north China, there is a kind of semi-official history called Spring and Autumn of the Sixteen Kingdoms Shiliu Guo Chunqiu 十六國春秋; the biographies of these northern rulers can also be found in the Jinshu 101-130, Songshu 98-99, Nan-Qishu 59, Weishu 87, Beishi 93) Weishu 魏書, Book of Northern Wei (Tuoba), compiled by Wei Shou 魏收 in 554 Beiqishu 北齊書, Book of Northern Qi, compiled by Li Baiyao 李百藥 in 636 Beizhoushu 北周書, Book of Northern Zhou, compiled under Linghu Defen 令狐德棻 in 636 Suishu 隋書, Book of Sui, compiled under Wei Zheng 魏征 in 636 Jiutangshu 舊唐書, Old Book of Tang, compiled by Liu Xu 劉昫 in 945 Jiuwudaishi 舊五代史, Old History of Five Dynasties, compiled by Xue Juzheng 薛居正 in 974 Xintangshu 新唐書, New Book of Tang, compiled under Ouyang Xiu 歐陽修 in 1061 Xinwudaishi 新五代史, New History of Five Dynasties, compiled under Ouyang Xiu 歐陽修 in 1072 (for the ten states of south China, there is a kind of semi-official history called Spring and Autumn of the Ten Kingdoms Shi Guo Chunqiu 十國春秋, published by Wu Renchen 吳任臣 in 1793) Songshi 宋史, History of Song, compiled under Tuo Tuo 脫脫 (Toktoghan) in 1345 Liaoshi 遼史, History of Khitan-Liao, compiled under Tuo Tuo 脫脫 (Toktoghan) in 1344 Jinshi 金史, History of Jurchen-Jin, compiled under Tuo Tuo 脫脫 (Toktoghan) in 1344 Yuanshi 元史, History of Yuan, compiled under Song Lian 宋濂 in 1370 Xinyuanshi 新元史, New History of Yuan, compiled by Ke Shaomin 柯邵忞 in 1920 Mingshi 明史, History of Ming, compiled under Zhang Tingyu 張廷玉 in 1739 Qingshigao 清史稿, Draft to a History of Qing, compiled under Zhao Erxun 趙爾巽 in 1927 (another semi-official history of the Qing dynasty is Qingdai Tongshi 清代通史: compiled under Xiao Yishan 蕭一山)