Liu Chih-chi

Liu Chih-chi lyo͞o jûr-jē [key], 661–721, Chinese T'ang dynasty historian. Drawing on experience gained while working on histories of the preceding dynasties, he wrote the first important Chinese work on historiography, the Understanding of History (Shih-t'ung). In a series of essays Liu discusses the origin, development, and relative merits of various forms of historical writing.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2025, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Chinese, Taiwanese, and Mongolian History: Biographies