---
name: historical-source-verification
description: "Use when cross-referencing conflicting historical accounts or assessing source reliability. Applies Sima Qian's doubt-transmission principle (疑则传疑) to compare 谍记, 历谱谍, and other documentary evidence."
---

## Overview
A methodology for handling conflicting or uncertain historical records, based on the principle of transmitting doubts rather than forcing conclusions.

## Steps
1. **Gather all available sources** - Collect 谍记 (genealogical records), 历谱谍 (chronological tables), and other documentary evidence
2. **Cross-reference accounts** - Compare different versions of the same events across multiple texts
3. **Identify discrepancies** - Note where sources contradict each other (乖异 - points of divergence)
4. **Assess completeness** - Determine if records have 年月 (dates) or are 略 (incomplete/summary only)
5. **Apply the doubt principle** - When evidence is insufficient or conflicting: 疑则传疑 (transmit the doubt as doubt)
6. **Document uncertainty** - Record conflicting accounts side by side rather than choosing one arbitrarily

## Decision Points
- If sources agree and are complete: proceed with confidence
- If sources conflict but one is clearly more reliable: note the discrepancy but follow the stronger source
- If sources conflict with no clear resolution: preserve both accounts with notation of uncertainty

## Expected Outcomes
- Transparent documentation of historical uncertainties
- Readers can see where evidence is contested
- Scholarly integrity maintained through honest acknowledgment of gaps

## Validation
1. Confirm that all available sources (谍记, 历谱谍, other texts) have been gathered and cross-referenced systematically
2. Verify that conflicting accounts are preserved side by side with explicit notation of uncertainty rather than arbitrarily choosing one
3. Check that the doubt-transmission principle (疑则传疑) is applied consistently — no forced conclusions where evidence is insufficient