A Comment on "Huang-Lao Thought is More Important Than that of Liu Jing"

Ban Gu's comment on Sima Qian's Huang-Lao thought is more important than that of Liu Jing is impugned for confusing Sima Qian and his father.Modern scholars believe that Ban Gu's comment come from the Taoism reflected in Shi Ji.This article argues that the author's preface of Shi Ji can be regarded as a biography of Sima Qian and Sima Tan.The Main Ideas of Six Schools,as an indispensable part of the Preface of Shi Ji,was written by Sima Qian and Sima Tan.This part,as the theoretic start,shows the main thoughts of the beginning of Han dynasty and sources of Sima Qian's ideas.Therefore,Ban Gu's comment on Sima Qian can be deemed an exact and proper conclusion.