Overview
Key data
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Completed | 1742 (seventh year of Qianlong, Qing) |
| Compilation | By imperial order |
| Volumes | Ten |
| System | Adopts Kepler’s elliptical orbits |
Its relation to the first instalment
The Lixiang Kaocheng was completed at the end of Kangxi’s reign and still used Tycho’s system.
The sequel adopts the ellipse, resting on Kepler’s laws of planetary motion.
The officially compiled calendrical works of the Qing begin with the Lixiang Kaocheng and continue with its later instalment; the two follow one another but differ in method: the first still uses Tycho’s system, the second the ellipse. ⚠ The two are separate works and must not be run together under one name.
Between the two works lies the shift of Western astronomy from Tycho’s system to Kepler’s.
Contents
The sequel revises the computation of the sun, moon and five planets,
and corrects several figures of the first instalment.
Its method still rests on Western learning, but is more precise than the first.
Value
For the Qing reform of the calendar the difference between the two instalments is a juncture that must be distinguished.
The two are separate works and must not be run together under the single name “Lixiang Kaocheng.”
Compiled and arranged by Chujia Kuang.