# Ssŭ - ma Chʽien — Tao Te Ching character guide

> Ssŭ - ma Chʽien in Tao Te Ching by Laozi.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Chʽien, Ssŭ - Ma Chʽien

**First appearance:** 0004-accounts-of-laozi-and-chuang-tz-given-by-ss-ma-ch-ien

## Who they are

The Han historian who opened his Biographies with Laozi, preserving the warden, the pass, and the five thousand characters before the legends swallowed them whole.

## Relationships

### [Laozi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se/characters/laozi)

_professional_

Ssŭ-ma Chʽien is the historian who records Laozi's biography, acting as a scholarly chronicler of his life and teachings.

### [Chuang Tzŭ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se/characters/chuang_tzu)

_social_

Ssŭ-ma Chʽien includes Chuang Tzŭ in his historical records, treating him as a key figure in the Daoist tradition alongside Laozi.

### [Confucius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se/characters/confucius)

_professional_

Ssŭ-ma Chʽien documents Confucius's life and teachings, serving as a primary historical source for Confucian biography.

### [Laozi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se/characters/laozi)

_professional_

Ssŭ-ma Chʽien is the historian who records Laozi's biography, acting as a scholarly chronicler of his life and teachings.

### [Chuang Tzŭ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se/characters/chuang_tzu)

_social_

Ssŭ-ma Chʽien includes Chuang Tzŭ in his historical records, treating him as a key figure in the Daoist tradition alongside Laozi.

### [Confucius](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se/characters/confucius)

_professional_

Ssŭ-ma Chʽien documents Confucius's life and teachings, serving as a primary historical source for Confucian biography.

## In the story

### [The Texts of the Tao Te Ching and Chuang-Tzŭ Shu, as Regards Their Authenticity and Genuineness, and the Arrangement of Them](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se/chapters/the-texts-of-the-tao-te-ching-and-chuang-tz-shu-as-regards-their-authenticity-and-genuineness-and-the-arrangement-of-them)

First great Chinese historian; his account of Laozi and quotations from the Tao Te Ching are cited as evidence of authenticity.

### [Accounts of Laozi and Chuang-Tzŭ Given by Ssŭ-Ma Chʽien](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se/chapters/accounts-of-laozi-and-chuang-tz-given-by-ss-ma-ch-ien)

Historian who wrote about Laozi and Chuang-tzŭ around the beginning of the first century BC; provides the only reliable historical testimony.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se/characters/ssu_ma_chien
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tao_te_ching_se/characters