Song shi — calendrical and astronomical treatises

《宋史·律历志》《天文志》 1345 CE · Toqto’a and others

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Overview

Its seventeen chapters on the calendar make it the fullest calendrical record of any standard history.

Key data

ItemDetail
Completed1345 CE
CompilersToqto’a and others
ChaptersCalendar 68–84 (seventeen chapters)
Core contentSong calendar and astronomy

The work

The Song shi was compiled under Toqto’a of the Yuan. It is vast, and its treatises especially full: the calendrical treatise runs to seventeen chapters, more than in any other history.

The calendrical treatise

The Song changed its calendar very often — more than a dozen times, north and south together. The treatise records each reform, its reasons, methods and disputes, and is the most complete source for Song calendrics.

Its bulk answers to the frequency of reform. For the Yingtian, Qianyuan, Yitian, Chongtian, Mingtian, Fengyuan, Guantian, Zhantian, Jiyuan, Tongyuan, Qiandao, Chunxi, Tongtian, Kaixi, Chunyou, Huitian and Chengtian calendars it is the general source.

The astronomical treatise

It records Song phenomena, instruments and star-officials, completing with the calendrical treatise a full account of Song astronomy and calendar.

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Compiled and arranged by Chujia Kuang.