Overview
Key data
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Completed | 488 CE |
| Author | Shen Yue |
| Chapters | Treatises 12–13 |
| Core content | Full texts of the Yuanjia and Daming calendars |
The work
The Song shu was written by Shen Yue of the Southern Qi. Its two chapters on the calendar treat of the Liu Song, but what they carry is not of one dynasty alone.
The two calendars preserved
The treatise contains the full texts of the Yuanjia and Daming calendars, above all Zu Chongzhi’s Daming.
Zu Chongzhi’s introduction of precession and his proposal of 144 intercalations in 391 years survive through this treatise; it is the only complete source for his calendar.
A record of the dispute
It also records the blocking of Zu Chongzhi’s calendar and the exchanges between He Chengtian and him — a first-hand account of the dispute.
A calendar rejected in its author’s lifetime and adopted after his death: the whole course is in this chapter.
Value
For Southern Dynasties calendrical work this treatise, the Nan Qi shu and the Sui shu are indispensable together.
Compiled and arranged by Chujia Kuang.