〈伯夷列傳〉是《史記》列傳體的第一篇，格局、筆意均稱奇創。學者或視之為司馬遷立人物傳記的凡例、或以此為其自照、乃至謂此太史公託以自傷其不遇。可謂眾說紛紜，莫衷一是。究其致此之由，蓋與先秦典籍記載之互相出入有關，故拙文就司馬遷以前記論伯夷的文獻，與《史記‧伯夷列傳》之內容，進行比較、分析，探究其文旨、精義及其在七十列傳中首列之故，進而略窺《史記》史料鎔裁特色之一斑。

The biography of Bo-Yi, the first chapter of the Shiji's biographies, is a striking creation both in structure and in writing. It is regarded as the submission of Shiji's biographies, or a reflection of Sima Qian himself, even to grieve over his non-understanding situation. It is so diverse and unable to judge which is right. The reason might be that the pre-Qin historical resources about Bo-Yi are inconsistent. This purpose of this article is try to find the reason that the biography of Bo-Yi became the first of the Shiji's biographies through the discussion of the historical resources about Bo-Yi before Sima Qian and the contents of the biography of Bo-Yi. Through this study, we would get more insight into the uniqueness of the alteration and innovation of Shiji.