Ssu-ma Chien's work is extremely difficult and complex. This is because it was a personal effort, without official materials at hand, so that collection of data was difficult. Also because paper had not yet been invented, it was an arduous task to transcribe it onto bamboo sticks and silk paper.
由於司馬遷的書，屬於私人著作，無官方資料可用，材料蒐集不易；又因其時尚未發明紙張，寫作時簡帛並行，極其繁重艱難。