The Foundations of Celestial Reckoning: Three Ancient Chinese Astronomical Systems

ISBN-13: 9780367874490 / Angielski / Miękka / 2019 / 434 str.

Christopher Cullen

Opis

The Foundations of Celestial Reckoning gives the reader direct access to the foundational documents of the tradition of calculation created by astronomers of the early Chinese empire between the late second century BCE and the third century CE. The paradigm they established was to shape East Asian thought and practice in the field of ma

Spis treści

Chapter 1. General Introduction

A. The world of early imperial China

B. What was a li 曆, and what did it do?

C. How did a li work?

D. Dates

E. How was a li calculated?

F. How were the data of a li determined?

G. A note on translating computational procedures

H. Arrangement of the text

I. Works consulted

　

Chapter 2. The Triple Concordance astronomical system: San tong li 三統曆

I. Introduction

A. An astronomical system and its creator

B. Structure of the system

C. Organisation of the text

D. Text used

II. Text, translation and comments

A. Concordance constants

B. Sequence Constants

C. The Five Pacers

D. Concordance Workings

E. Sequence Workings

F. Year Workings

G. [The Twelve Stations]

H. The 28 Lodges

I. [The Nine Roads]

J. [Concordances and Rule Heads]

K. APPENDIX 1: Intercalations in theory and practice

　

Chapter 3. The Han Quarter Remainder system: Han si fen li 漢四分曆

I. Introduction

A. The system and its background

B. Authorship of the text

C. Structure of the system

D. Organisation of the text

E. Methods of calculation

F. Text used

II. Text, translation and comments

A. Methods for [astronomical] systems

B. Basic solar and lunar constants

C. [Lunar eclipse constants]

D. Procedures for sun and moon

E. Planetary constants

F. Planetary Procedures

G. Planetary Motions

H. [Months, qi and lodges]

I. [The solar table]

J. The system origin

K. Discussion

　

Chapter 4. The Uranic Manifestation astronomical system: Qian xiang li乾象曆

I. Introduction

A. Liu Hong and his work

O autorze

Christopher Cullen is Emeritus Director of the Needham Research Institute, Emeritus Fellow of Darwin College, and Emeritus Honorary Professor of the University of Cambridge. He is editor of the Needham Research Institute Series (Routledge).