The ''Great Tang Treatise on Astrology of the Kaiyuan Era'', also called the ''Kaiyuan Star Observations''
[Deng, Yinke. 005(2005). Chinese Ancient Inventions. ] (''Kaiyuan Zhanjing''),
[Needham, Volume 3, 109.] is a
Chinese astrology
Chinese astrology is based on the traditional astronomy and calendars. Chinese astrology came to flourish during the Han Dynasty (2nd century BC to 2nd century AD).
Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy (theory of the ...
encyclopedia compiled by
Gautama Siddha
Gautama Siddha, (fl. 8th century) astronomer, astrologer and compiler of Indian descent, known for leading the compilation of the '' Treatise on Astrology of the Kaiyuan Era'' during the Tang Dynasty. He was born in Chang'an, and his family was ori ...
and a team of scholars between 714 and 724 AD during the
Kaiyuan era
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762), personal name Li Longji, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756 CE. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. In the early ...
of the
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
.
The book is divided into 120 volumes and consists of about 600,000 words. The ''Kaiyuan Zhanjing'' incorporates many fragments of other works, including the star catalogues of
Shi Shen
Shi Shen (, Floruit, fl. 4th century BC) was a Chinese astronomer and astrologer. He was a contemporary of Gan De born in the State of Wei, also known as the Shi Shenfu.
Observations
Shi is credited with positioning the 121 stars found in the pres ...
and
Gan De
Gan De (; fl. 4th century BC), also known as the Lord Gan (Gan Gong), was an ancient Chinese astronomer and astrologer born in the State of Qi. Along with Shi Shen, he is believed to be the first in history known by name to compile a star catal ...
and a translated version of Indian ''
Navagraha
Navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu astrology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( sa, नव "nine") and ''graha'' ( sa, ग्रह "planet, seizing, laying hold of, ...
'' calendar at chapter 104. It may have made use of the ''Yisizhan'', compiled by
Li Chunfeng around 645.
Aryabhata's sine table by the eponymous
Indian astronomer, was also translated into the ''Kaiyuan Zhanjing''.
The ''Kaiyuan Zhanjing'' ceased to be copied in the 10th century, but was received attention from the scholar
Cheng Mingshan
Cheng may refer to:
Chinese states
* Chengjia or Cheng (25–36 AD)
* Cheng Han or Cheng (304–338)
* Zheng (state), or Cheng in Wade–Giles
Places
* Chengdu, abbreviated as Cheng
* Cheng County, in Gansu, China
* Cheng Township, in Malacca, Ma ...
in 1616 and was later included in the
Siku Quanshu collections of the 18th century.
Notes
References
*
* {{cite book , author=Liu Shaojun , title=Studies of the Chinese Mystical Culture Series : Comment and Review on the Ancient Astrology , publisher=Beijing Normal University Press , pages=107–111 , location=Beijing , date=1992 , isbn=7-303-01790-9
External links
Ancient Chinese Books and Records of Science and Technology(PDF)
8th-century works
Chinese astrology
Chinese prose texts
Astrological texts
Chinese encyclopedias
724
8th century in China
Treatises