Overview
Key data
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | Xing Yunlu (Wanli reign, Ming) |
| Completed | Late Ming |
| Volumes | Seventy-two |
| Form | A discussion of each age’s calendar and pitch theory, from antiquity to the Ming |
Structure and scale
The work is large: from the six calendars of high antiquity to the Ming Datong calendar,
it discusses the merits and faults of each age’s methods, with pitch theory and weights and measures besides.
Its scope is not confined to the calendar but covers whatever bears on pitch and calendar.
Its calendrical arguments
Xing Yunlu held that the calendar should follow measurement, and pointed out the failures of the old methods.
He also took part in the late Ming debate on reform.
The work represents the line that sought reform on the basis of the ancient methods.
Value
For the sources of Ming calendrical debate this work is a principal source.
Its discussions of each age also make it convenient for surveying the history of the Chinese calendar as a whole.
Compiled and arranged by Chujia Kuang.