Sima was prodigiously talented in two different ways. First, from a very early age he displayed total recall of anything he ever saw or heard. As a small boy, he loved to listen to storytellers and watch stage performances, and could accurately repeat their performances.
司馬中原天賦異稟，這要分兩方面來說，一是他從小具有「過耳╱目不忘」、宛如錄影機的記憶力，小時候大量聽過的說書、講古，看過的野台戲，他都能重複搬演。