崇玄历 Tang → Later Zhou · Bian Gang

Overview

Promulgated in 893 CE under Bian Gang; used through the Five Dynasties to the Later Zhou, over sixty years.

Key data

Item	Detail
Period of use	893 – 955 CE
Compiler	Bian Gang
Year head	Jian-yin

A calendar across dynasties

The Chongxuan calendar was made by Bian Gang, promulgated in 893 CE. It lasted to the Five Dynasties, unchanged from the late Tang to the Later Zhou (955), over sixty years.

Amid the wars of the Five Dynasties reform was often set aside, and the old calendar served on. Its long use reflects the times, not its precision.

Bian Gang’s contribution

Bian Gang devised approximate formulas for eclipse computation, reducing complex geometry to workable procedure. The line was carried on by Song calendrists — a step toward practical calendars.

Full text

No electronic full text of this work is available here. This calendar has no separate transmitted text; its methods survive scattered in the calendrical treatises of the standard histories. Among the histories held here, see New Tang History, Calendrical Treatise, juan 30b.
The title, date, summary and index structure compiled here are offered under CC BY 4.0 (attribution: Chujia Kuang · kuangchujia.com).

Compiled and arranged by Chujia Kuang.

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