Ancient Chinese Calendar System in “Records of the Grand Historian”

Records of the Grand Historian, Eight Books, History Book

Records of the Grand Historian of the Western Han Dynasty by Sima Qian

In ancient times, the calendar regarded the Mengchun month as the first month of the year. At this time, the ice and snow began to melt, hibernating insects awoke, and new shoots sprouted from the grass. The cuckoo bird was the first to sing in the fields. All things grew a year older: they were born in the spring of the East, went through summer and autumn in succession, and finally ended with the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The rooster

When an emperor receives the Mandate of Heaven and changes the dynasty, he must be very cautious at the beginning. Therefore, he must change the calendar, alter the colors favored in clothing, and calculate the starting point of the calendar to align with the will of Heaven.

Sima Qian said: The era of Shennong was too distant in the past, so it need not be discussed. During the time of the Yellow Emperor, the stars were observed, the calendar was established, the Five Elements sequence was created, the laws of yin and yang, life and death, and growth and decline were determined, and the values of the extra days in the leap month were corrected. Thus, officials responsible for the deities of heaven and earth and other entities were appointed, known

After the decline of the Shaohao clan, the lords of Jiuli rebelled, disturbing both the people and the deities, causing them to lose their support. Disasters followed one after another, and the evil energy could not be dispelled. It wasn’t until Zhuanxu ascended the throne and appointed Nan Zheng Chong to oversee heavenly matters, responsible for divine affairs, and Huo Zheng Li to oversee earthly matters, responsible for the affairs of the people, that everything returned to its former state.

The Xia Dynasty used the first month as the official month of the calendar, the Yin Dynasty used the twelfth month, and the Zhou Dynasty used the eleventh month. The first month of the Xia, Yin, and Shang Dynasties followed a cyclical pattern, repeating over and over. When the world is well-governed, the calendar will not be out of order; when the world is in chaos, even the feudal lords will not follow the king’s calendar.

After King You of Zhou and King Li of Zhou, the Zhou Dynasty declined, and the nobles of various states took over the governance. The historians no longer recorded the days, and the rulers did not perform the monthly sacrificial rites, leading to the descendants of the calendar families leaving in droves. Some took positions in the feudal states of the Central Plains, while others migrated to the barbarian tribes, resulting in the abandonment and inability to unify the system of prayers and sacrifices. In the 26th

Later, during the Warring States period when various states vied for supremacy, the goals of each state were solely focused on strengthening their own power, defeating enemies, rescuing crises, and resolving disputes. Who had the energy to concern themselves with the compilation of calendars? At that time, only Zou Yan understood the theory of the cyclical transmission of the Five Elements and the limits of the rise and fall of Yin and Yang, thus gaining fame among the feudal lords. Additionally, due to the frequent

When the Han Dynasty had just risen, Emperor Gaozu said, “The matter of the Northern Altar worshiping the Black Emperor will be established by me,” and he also believed that he had received the auspiciousness of the virtue of water. Even some scholars of the calendar and Chancellor Zhang Cang thought so. At that time, the world had just been pacified, and efforts were being made to establish major principles and set records. After that, Empress Dowager Gao, a woman, took

By the time of Emperor Xiaowen, Gongsun Chen from Lu submitted a memorial based on the theory of the Five Elements Cycle, stating, “The Han Dynasty has received the virtue of Earth, and we should change the calendar era, revise the calendar, and make replacements. This way, heaven will bestow the color of the imperial robes. This way, heaven will send down auspicious signs, and a yellow dragon will appear.” Emperor Wen entrusted this matter to Prime Minister Zhang Cang. Zhang

Until the current emperor ascended the throne, he summoned the sorcerer Tang Du to measure the degrees of the stars in various parts of the celestial sphere. Then, using the calculations of Luo Xiaohang from Ba County, the degrees of the sun, moon, and stars were made to match those of the Xia calendar. Consequently, the calendar era was revised, official titles were changed, and a ritual was conducted at Mount Tai. An edict was issued to the censors, stating: “In

The History of the Jiazi Cycle

In the first year of Taichu, the year was named “Yanfeng Sheti Ge,” the month was named “Biju,” the first day of the eleventh month was named “De Jiazi,” and midnight marked the Winter Solstice Festival.

The winter solstice occurs at the midnight hour, with the direction being true north.

Throughout the year, there are no major or minor excesses on the first day of each month; during the winter solstice, there are no major or minor excesses.

When the year of Shétiégu was encountered, it was the year of the beginning of the universe.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

The excess of the lunar month is fifty-four days, with a remainder of three hundred forty-eight minutes; the excess of the winter solstice is five days, with a remainder of eight minutes.

The beginning of the Mengdan era, which is the second year of the Taichu era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, the excess is forty-eight days, and the deficit is six hundred ninety-six minutes; on the winter solstice, the excess is ten days, and the deficit is sixteen minutes.

Yao Zhao took charge of Xu, which was the third year of the Taichu era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the excess is twelve days and six hundred and three minutes; on the winter solstice, the excess is fifteen days and twenty-four minutes.

The Great Desolation of Qiangwu, that is, the fourth year of Taichu.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are seven days of excess and eleven minutes of deficiency; on the winter solstice, there are twenty-one days of excess and no deficiency.

The year of Tu Wei Dun Zang, which is the first year of the Tian Han era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there is a surplus of one day and a deficit of three hundred fifty-nine minutes; on the winter solstice, there is a surplus of twenty-six days and a deficit of eight minutes.

Wishing for the success of the plow, that is, the second year of the Tianhan era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 25 large excess days and 266 small excess minutes; on the winter solstice, there are 31 large excess days and 16 small excess minutes.

Shang Heng crossed the Tun Tan, which was the third year of the Tianhan era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 19 days and 614 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 36 days and 24 minutes left.

Zhaoyang made the Er, which was the fourth year of the Tianhan era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 14 days more than the small excess; on the winter solstice, there are 42 days more than the small excess; the horizontal asterisks are abundant, marking the first year of the Taishi era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are thirty-seven large excess days and eight hundred sixty-nine small excess minutes; on the winter solstice, there are forty-seven large excess days and eight small excess minutes.

Shang Zhang Dayuanxian, that is, the second year of Taishi.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 32 days and 277 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 52 days and 16 minutes left.

When encountering difficulties, it was the third year of the Taishi era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the lunar month, there are 56 days left and 184 minutes remaining; on the winter solstice, there are 57 days left and 24 minutes remaining.

Duanmeng Chifenruo, that is, the fourth year of Taishi.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 50 days of excess and 532 minutes of deficit; on the winter solstice, there are 3 days of excess and no deficit.

Yao Zhao She Ti Ge, the first year of Zhenghe.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 44 large surplus days and 880 small surplus days; on the winter solstice, there are 8 large surplus days and 8 small surplus days.

Qiangwu Dan’an, the second year of Zhenghe.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are eight days and seven hundred eighty-seven parts left; on the winter solstice, there are thirteen days and sixteen parts left.

Tu Wei Zhi Xu, that is, the third year of Zhenghe.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, it is three days more and one hundred ninety-five minutes less; on the winter solstice, it is eighteen days more and twenty-four minutes less.

Wishing for the great harvest of the millet, it is the fourth year of the Zhenghe era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 57 large excess days and 543 small excess minutes; on the winter solstice, there are 24 large excess days and no small excess.

Shang Heng Dun Zang, that is, the first year of the Later Yuan era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the large remainder is 21 days, and the small remainder is 450 minutes; on the winter solstice, the large remainder is 29 days, and the small remainder is 8 minutes.

Zhaoyang Zhiqia, that is, the second year of the Later Yuan.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long. The new moon is more than fifteen days, less than seven hundred ninety-eight minutes; the winter solstice is more than thirty-four days, less than sixteen minutes.

Heng Ai Tan, the first year of the Shiyuan era.

The winter solstice occurs at the hour of the Rooster, with the direction being due west.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the lunar month, the sun is 39 degrees ahead, and the moon is 705 minutes behind; on the winter solstice, the sun is 39 degrees ahead, and the moon is 24 minutes behind.

Shang Zhang committed atrocities, which began in the second year of the Shiyuan era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the excess is thirty-four days, and the deficiency is one hundred thirteen minutes; on the winter solstice, the excess is forty-five days, and there is no deficiency.

Yan Feng and Yan Mao, that is, the third year of the Shiyuan era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, the large remainder is twenty-eight days, and the small remainder is four hundred sixty-one minutes; on the winter solstice, the large remainder is fifty days, and the small remainder is eight minutes.

The offering of the Great Abyss of Duanmeng, that is, the fourth year of the Shiyuan era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the lunar month, there is a surplus of fifty-two days and a small surplus of three hundred sixty-eight minutes; on the winter solstice, there is a surplus of fifty-five days and a small surplus of sixteen minutes.

You Zhao Kun Dun, that is, the fifth year of the Shiyuan era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the excess is forty-six days, and the deficit is seven hundred sixteen minutes; on the winter solstice, there is no excess, and the deficit is twenty-four minutes.

Qiangwu Chifenruo, that is, the sixth year of the Shiyuan era.

There are leap years, and the whole year consists of thirteen months.

On the first day of the month, there are 41 days of excess, and 124 minutes of deficiency; on the winter solstice, there are 6 days of excess, and no deficiency.

Tu Wei She Ti Ge, that is, the first year of the Yuanfeng era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are five extra days, and on the small day, there are thirty-one extra minutes; on the winter solstice, there are eleven extra days, and on the small day, there are eight extra minutes.

Wishing for a single plow, that is, the second year of the Yuanfeng era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the excess is fifty-nine days, and the deficiency is three hundred seventy-nine minutes; on the winter solstice, the excess is sixteen days, and the deficiency is sixteen minutes.

Shang Heng and Xu Zhi, that is, the third year of the Yuanfeng era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, the large excess is 53 days, and the small excess is 727 minutes; on the winter solstice, the large excess is 21 days, and the small excess is 24 minutes.

The Great Desolation of Zhaoyang fell, that is, the fourth year of Yuanfeng.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

The first day of the month is 17 days more than the large remainder and 634 minutes more than the small remainder; the winter solstice is 27 days more than the large remainder, and there is no small remainder.

The year of Heng’ai Dunzhang, that is, the fifth year of the Yuanfeng era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the lunar month, it is 12 days and 42 minutes past the full moon; on the winter solstice, it is 32 days and 8 minutes past the full moon.

Shang Zhang Zhi Qia, that is, the sixth year of the Yuanfeng era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the moon is 35 days ahead and 889 minutes behind; on the winter solstice, the moon is 37 days ahead and 16 minutes behind.

When I encountered the Tun Tan, it was the first year of the Yuanping era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there is a surplus of thirty days and a deficit of two hundred ninety-seven minutes; on the winter solstice, there is a surplus of forty-two days and a deficit of twenty-four minutes.

The beginning of the calamity, the first year of the Benxi era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, the large remainder is twenty-four days, and the small remainder is six hundred forty-five minutes; on the winter solstice, the large remainder is forty-eight days, and there is no small remainder.

Yao Zhao Yan Mao, that is, the second year of the Ben Shi era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the great excess is forty-eight days, and the small excess is five hundred fifty-two minutes; on the winter solstice, the great excess is fifty-three days, and the small excess is eight minutes.

Qiangwu Dayuanxian, that is, the third year of the Benxi era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are forty-two days and nine tenths of a day remaining; on the winter solstice, there are fifty-eight days and sixteen minutes remaining; the year of the Great Beginning is the fourth year.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, the great remainder is thirty-seven days, and the small remainder is three hundred and eight minutes; on the winter solstice, the great remainder is three days, and the small remainder is twenty-four minutes.

Wishing Li Chifenruo, the first year of the Earth Festival.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there is a surplus of one day and a small surplus of two hundred fifteen minutes; on the winter solstice, there is a surplus of nine days, with no small surplus.

Shang Heng seized the throne, which was the second year of the Earth Festival.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, the moon is 55 days ahead and 563 minutes behind; on the winter solstice, it is 14 days ahead and 8 minutes behind.

Zhaoyang Dan’e, the third year of the Earth Festival.

The winter solstice occurs at noon, with the direction being due south; the year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, it is 19 days and 7 hours; on the winter solstice, it is 19 days and 16 minutes.

Heng Ai Zhi Xu, the fourth year of the Earth Festival.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the lunar month, there are thirteen days and eight hundred eighteen minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are twenty-four days and twenty-four minutes left.

The great calamity of the Shang Dynasty occurred in the first year of the Yuankang era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are eight days of excess, and two hundred twenty-six minutes of deficiency; on the winter solstice, there are thirty days of excess, and no deficiency.

It was during the reign of Emperor Yuan Kang, in the second year of his reign.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the excess is thirty-two days, and the deficiency is one hundred thirty-three minutes; on the winter solstice, the excess is thirty-five days, and the deficiency is eight minutes.

The end of the Mongol alliance, which was the third year of the Yuan-Kang era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the large remainder is 26 days, and the small remainder is 481 minutes; on the winter solstice, the large remainder is 40 days, and the small remainder is 16 minutes.

Visited Zhao Tan in the fourth year of the Yuankang era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, the excess is twenty days, and the small excess is eight hundred twenty-nine minutes; on the winter solstice, the excess is forty-five days, and the small excess is twenty-four minutes.

Qiangwu’s tyranny began in the first year of the Divine Sparrow era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 44 days of excess and 736 minutes of deficit; on the winter solstice, there are 51 days of excess, with no deficit.

Tu Wei Yanmao, the second year of the Divine Sparrow.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 39 days left, and 144 minutes remain; on the winter solstice, there are 56 days left, and 8 minutes remain.

Wishing for the great abyss to be offered, that is, the divine sparrow for three years.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 33 days and 492 minutes; on the winter solstice, there is 1 day and 16 minutes.

The commerce was disrupted, and the people were in distress, which was the fourth year of the Divine Sparrow era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are fifty-seven large units and three hundred ninety-nine small units; on the winter solstice, there are six large units and twenty-four small units.

Zhaoyang Chifenruo, the first year of Wufeng.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 51 days of excess and 747 minutes of deficit; on the winter solstice, there are 12 days of excess and no deficit.

Heng Ai took the throne, which is the second year of the Wufeng era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the sun is 15 days ahead and the moon is 654 minutes behind; on the winter solstice, the sun is 17 days ahead and the moon is 8 minutes behind.

Shang Zhang Dan Yan, that is, the third year of Wu Feng.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, it is 10 days and 62 minutes more; on the winter solstice, it is 22 days and 16 minutes more.

It was the year Wu Feng 4 when Yan Feng Zhi Xu met.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, the great excess is four days, and the small excess is four hundred and one minutes; on the winter solstice, the great excess is twenty-seven days, and the small excess is twenty-four minutes.

The end of the Great Desolation of the Yuan Dynasty, the first year of the Ganlu era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 28 days left, and 317 minutes remain; on the winter solstice, there are 33 days left, and no minutes remain.

Traveling to Zhao Dunzang, it was the second year of the Ganlu era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 22 days and 665 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 38 days and 8 minutes left.

The strong wisteria and the harmonious agreement, that is, the third year of sweet dew.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the lunar month, it is 17 days and 73 minutes more; on the winter solstice, it is 43 days and 16 minutes more.

The year of the Tu Wei Zun Tan, which is the fourth year of the Ganlu era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the excess is forty days, and the small excess is nine hundred twenty minutes; on the winter solstice, the excess is forty-eight days, and the small excess is twenty-four minutes.

Wishing for a bad harvest, that is, the first year of the Yellow Dragon.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 35 days remaining and 328 minutes for the small remainder; on the winter solstice, there are 54 days remaining, with no small remainder.

Shang Hengyanmao, the first year of Chuyuan.

The winter solstice occurs at the time of the rabbit, facing due east; the entire year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 59 days and 235 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 59 days and 8 minutes left.

The Great Abyss of Zhaoyang was offered, which is the second year of the Chuyuan era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 53 days and 583 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 4 days and 16 minutes left.

Heng Ai Kun Dun, that is, the third year of the Chuyuan era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 47 days and 931 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 9 days and 24 minutes left.

Shang Zhang Chifenruo, that is, the fourth year of the Chuyuan era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the large excess is eleven days, and the small excess is eight hundred thirty-six minutes; on the winter solstice, the large excess is fifteen days, and there is no small excess.

It was the fifth year of the Chuyuan era when Yan Feng met Shiti Ge.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are six days and 246 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 20 days and 8 minutes left.

The first year of the Yongguang era, also known as the year of the Duanmeng Danan.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there is no major surplus, and a minor surplus of 594 parts; on the winter solstice, there is a major surplus of 25 days and a minor surplus of 16 parts.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long, while the year is twelve months long.

On the first day of the month, the great excess is twenty-four days, and the small excess is five hundred and one minutes; on the winter solstice, the great excess is thirty days, and the small excess is twenty-four minutes.

The Great Desolation of Qiangwu fell, that is, the third year of Yongguang.

On the first day of the month, the excess is twelve days and six hundred and three minutes; on the winter solstice, the excess is fifteen days and twenty-four minutes; on the sixteenth day, there is no excess.

The year of Tuwai Dunzang, that is, the fourth year of Yongguang.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 13 days and 257 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 41 days and 8 minutes left.

Wishing for the harmonious cooperation of the plow, that is, the fifth year of Yongguang.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 37 days and 164 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 46 days and 16 minutes left.

Shang Heng Tun Tan, that is, the first year of the Jian Zhao era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the lunar month, there are 31 days in the large remainder and 512 minutes in the small remainder; on the winter solstice, there are 51 days in the large remainder and 24 minutes in the small remainder.

Zhaoyang committed atrocities, specifically in the second year of the Jian Zhao era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, the large remainder is fifty-five days, and the small remainder is four hundred nineteen minutes; on the winter solstice, the large remainder is fifty-seven days, and there is no small remainder.

The year of Heng’ai Yanmao corresponds to the third year of the Jian Zhao era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are 49 days and 767 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 2 days and 8 minutes left.

Shang Zhang Dayuanxian, that is, the fourth year of the Jian Zhao era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 44 days and 175 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 7 days and 16 minutes left.

When encountering difficulties, it was the fifth year of the Jian Zhao era.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, it is 8 days and 82 minutes more; on the winter solstice, it is 12 days and 24 minutes more.

The whole year consists of twelve months, the first year.

The whole year consists of twelve months.

On the first day of the month, there are two extra days, and on the second day, there are four hundred thirty minutes; on the winter solstice, there are eighteen extra days and no extra minutes.

Yao Zhao took the throne, which was the first year of the Jianxi era.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

The new moon is 56 days and 778 minutes past; the winter solstice is 23 days and 8 minutes past.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long, while the year is twelve months long.

On the first day of the month, there are 20 days and 685 minutes left; on the winter solstice, there are 28 days and 16 minutes left.

Tu Wei and Zhi Xu, that is, the third year of Jian Shi.

There is a leap month, making the year thirteen months long.

On the first day of the month, the large excess is fifteen days, the small excess is ninety-three minutes; on the winter solstice, the large excess is thirty-three days, the small excess is twenty-four minutes.

Wishing for the great harvest of the plow, it is the fourth year of the Jianxi era.

In the above “Calendar Book”: “Day surplus” refers to the remaining days. “Fraction surplus” refers to the remaining fraction. “Duanmeng” and others are names of the year. The year name includes two parts: the Heavenly Stems and the Earthly Branches. For example, the Earthly Branch “Chou” is called “Chi Fen Ruo,” and “Yin” is called “She Ti Ge.” The Heavenly Stem “Bing” is called “You Zhao.”

The rise of the calendar can be traced back to its origins. Chongli is the deity of the calendar, while Rongcheng is its record. People observed and recorded astronomical phenomena to predict auspicious and inauspicious signs, conveying information between mother and child. The five stars continuously rotate, and the three seasons (spring, summer, and autumn) successively arise. The years in Mengsou are stable and continuous, with people acting according to rules and upholding upright virtues.