Is “Zhang Liang's status in the genre of official histories” true?
In Records of the Grand Historian, 'The Hereditary House of the Marquis of Liu' places Zhang Liang in the 'Hereditary House' category, honoring him as a model of imperial mentors who assisted the rise of Han: 'Scholars often say there are no ghosts or spirits, but they speak of things. As for the old man who gave a book to the Marquis of Liu, it is indeed strange. Gaozu was in distress many times, but the Marquis of Liu often rendered meritorious service—how can one say it was not Heaven?' In History of Han, 'The Biographies of Zhang, Chen, Wang, and Zhou' abolishes the hereditary house system for non-royal surnames and demotes Zhang Liang to a biography, combined with Chen Ping, Wang Ling, and Zhou Bo in one volume: 'Hearing of Zhang Liang's wisdom and bravery, one would think his appearance was majestic and extraordinary, but instead he was like a woman or a delicate maiden.' The chapter level changes from a sole hereditary house to a joint biography.
Records of the Grand Historian separately establishes a Hereditary House for Zhang Liang, while History of Han abolishes hereditary houses for non-royal surnames and demotes him to a joint biography of four persons.
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