In Ssu-ma Ch'ien's "Letter to Jen An", he told his friend Jen An that he was about to be executed by the emperor because he spoke up for General Li Ling.

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: The prompt asks whether the claim about Ssu-ma Ch'ien's "Letter to Jen An" is true or false, specifically that he told his friend Jen An that he was about to be executed by the emperor because he spoke up for General Li Ling.
Option 1: True. The assertion would be claiming that Ssu-ma Ch'ien told Jen An he was about to be executed for defending Li Ling. In historical accounts, it is not recorded that he stated he was about to be executed for defending Li Ling. Instead, the well-known outcome was that he faced punishment and chose a course that let him continue his work, rather than being publicly executed for defending Li Ling. Therefore, describing his message as a looming execution sentence tied to defending Li Ling is inaccurate.
Option 2: False. This option maintains that the statement as presented is not accurate. Indeed, the narrative surrounding Ssu-ma Ch'ien’s Letter to Jen An describes his moral plea on Li Ling’s behalf and his own subsequent punishment, but it does not indicate he told Jen An that an execution was imminent as a consequence of defending Li Ling. Instead, after pleading for Li Ling, he accepted a different form of punishment (historically: caning and castration) and was spared from immediate execution. Thus, portraying him as telling Jen An that he faced imminent execution inaccurately reflects the historical sequence and outcome.
Why Option 1 is incorrect: The specific claim that Ssu-ma Ch'ien announced an imminent execution as a direct result of defending Li Ling is not supported by the canonical account; the letter centers on advocacy and the consequences he personally faced, not a stated imminent death sentence.
Why Option 2 is correct: It aligns with the established historical narrative: his communication to Jen An and the surrounding events did not present an imminent execution; rather, he faced punishment and ultimately continued his scholarly work after a compromise or reprieve.
Note: Historical nuances emphasize Ssu-ma Ch'ien’s defense of Li Ling, the emperor’s response, and Sima Qian’s acceptance of punishment; the exact phrasing about an imminent execution is not part of the standard recounting of the Letter to Jen An.

Spr25_CHIN012_36029 6.2: Quiz on Reading 6.1.1

In Ssu-ma Ch'ien's "Letter to Jen An", he told his friend Jen An that he was about to be executed by the emperor because he spoke up for General Li Ling.

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