This is a study and translation of the Zhou bi suan jing, a Chinese work on astronomy and mathematics that reached its final form around the first century AD. The author provides the first easily accessible introduction to the developing mathematical and observational practices of ancient Chinese astronomers and shows how the generation and validation of knowledge about the heavens in Han dynasty China related closely to developments in statecraft and politics. This book will be fascinating reading for scholars in the history of science, Chinese history, and astronomy.
Author(s): Christopher Cullen
Series: Needham Research Institute Studies
Edition: annotated edition
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 1996
Language: English
Pages: 255
About......Page 2
Astronomy and mathematics in ancient China: the Zhou bi suan jing......Page 6
Copyright - ISBN: 0521035376......Page 7
Contents......Page 8
Preface......Page 12
1. The background of the Zhou bi......Page 16
The foundation charter......Page 18
The role of astronomy......Page 19
The problem of the calendar......Page 22
The structure of an astronomical system......Page 35
Calendrical astronomy under the Han......Page 42
Astronomy, cosmography and instrumentation......Page 50
The text......Page 82
The mathematics of the Zhou bi......Page 89
The calendrical astronomy of the Zhou bi......Page 107
Instrumentation and observation in the Zhou bi......Page 116
The cosmography of the Zhou bi......Page 143
3. The origins of the work......Page 153
The sections of the Zhou hi......Page 155
Early external evidence......Page 160
The formation and closure of the collection......Page 163
The Zhou bi in the period of division......Page 172
The Sui shu catalogue......Page 178
The printed texts......Page 179
Later studies......Page 180
THE PREFACE OF ZHAO SHUANG......Page 186
A. THE BOOK OF SHANG GAO......Page 187
B. THE BOOK OF CHEN ZI......Page 190
C. THE SQUARE AND THE CIRCLE......Page 196
D. THE SEVEN HENG......Page 198
E. THE SHAPES OF HEAVEN AND EARTH; DAY AND NIGHT......Page 203
F. THE XUAN JI; POLAR AND TROPICAL CONDITIONS......Page 204
G. THE GRADUATED CIRCLE AND NORTH POLAR DISTANCES......Page 208
H. THE SHADOW TABLE......Page 211
I. LUNAR LAG......Page 212
J. RISING, SETTING AND SEASONS......Page 216
K. CALENDRICAL CYCLES......Page 218
Appendix One - Zhao Shuang and Pythagoras' theorem......Page 221
Appendix Two - Zhao Shuang and the height of the sun......Page 233
Appendix Three - Zhao Shuang and the diagram of the seven heng......Page 236
Appendix Four - The old shadow table......Page 239
References and bibliography......Page 242
Index......Page 252
