An Explanation of the Phenomena Called âXiang Weiââ è±¡ç·¯ and âDe Niâ å¾·å¿ in the Chu Silk Manuscript

An Explanation of the Phenomena Called âXiang Weiââ è±¡ç·¯ and âDe Niâ å¾·å¿ in the Chu Silk Manuscript

In: Space, Time, Myth, and Morals: A Selection of Jao Tsung-iâs Studies on Cosmological Thought in Early China and Beyond

Editor / Translator:

Joern Peter Grundmann

Joern Peter Grundmann
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 134â155

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004522572_009

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I have always surmised that the Zidanku Chu Silk Manuscript (åå½åº«æ¥ å¸æ¸) constitutes the remnant of a lost âTreatise on Celestial Officesâ (å¤©å®æ¸) of the Kingdom of Chu æ¥, whereas other venerable scholars regard the text to consist of âmonth prohibitionsâ (æç¦).¹ Recently, I re-read the text of the Silk Manuscript against that of the âTianguan shuâ å¤©å®æ¸ in the Shiji, probing into the matter once more in order to prove and to show that my theory is not based on groundless presumptions. I will also spare no effort in explaining my points in detail below.

1 Chen Wei æ¨ç¦ Reads Chen Wei è¾°ç·¯ (Weft of Constellations)

In Du Fuâs æç« (712â770 AD) You Longmen Fengxian si éé¾éå¥åå¯º (Visiting Fengxian Temple at Longmen) we find the line:

å¤©éè±¡ç·¯é¼ Peering into the heavens, the constellationsâ weft (xiang wei) draws near.²

The ancients peered into the heavens through hollow tubes. What they caught sight of was a sky full of stars, which they referred to as xiang wei è±¡ç·¯ (weft of constellations). The Silk Manuscript uses the name chen wei (æ¨) ç¦ for referring the same phenomenon.³ In the past, I have read the graph wei ç¦ as wei é (to go against/to offend), taking it to tally with the meaning of âluan zuoâ äºä½ (to become disordered) in the same passage cited below. Yet it actually should be rendered âweiâ ç·¯ (weft or woof). ç¦ is used interchangeably with ç·¯ [to write the same word, {ç·¯}]. According to the âTianguan shuâ in the Shiji, the Purple Palace (ç´«å®®), Chamber and Heart (æ¿å¿), [Weight and Balance Beam (æ¬è¡¡), Mineral Spring (å¸æ± ), Ruins and Roof, are the Sectional Asterisms within the array of lodges].⁴ These are regarded as the Five Ofï¬ces of Heaven. Their seats constitute the immobile warp (ç¶). Water, Fire, Metal, Wood, and Saturn, these ï¬ve stars are Heavenâs Five Assistants. They are the weft, appearing and disappearing in their seasons, and where they pass by and where they gain and regress in their movements all have their regular measures.⁵ The Taiping Yulan cites a passage from the âTianwen zhiâ of the Hanshu, which has:

äºæï¼å¤©ä¹äºä½ï¼çºç¶ç·¯ï¼è¦ä¼ææã

The five stars are Heavenâs Five Assistants. Constituting warp and weft, (their) appearing and disappearing have (their) seasons.⁶

The graph is a graphical variant of chen æ¨, which is used interchangeably with the graph chen è¾° [to write the word {è¾°}(stellar branch/lodge)]. The âZhouyuâ å¨èª (Discourses of Zhou) chapter in the Guoyu has âThe [layout of the (?)] cultivated fields [follows (?)] the standard of the stellar branchesâ (è¾²ç°è¾°æ£).⁷ The Silk Manuscript adds the radical ri æ¥ (sun) in writing the graph as . Thus, the term chen wei comprises the warp and weft of the constellations. The warp refers to the Five Offices of Heaven, the weft to the five stars. The latter, in turn, are also known as Heavenâs Five Assistants.

At the very end of part A of the Silk Manuscript we read:

ç¾ç¥é¢¨é¨ï¼(æ¨) ç¦äºä½ï¼ä¹(é) æ¥æä»¥ (å³) ç¸ æãåå®µåæï¼åæåå¤ã

When the multitudinous spirits [sent down] wind and rain, when the weft of constellations became disordered, [Gong Gong å±æ»] made the sun and the moon take turns working and resting. Thus, we have the divisions of late night and morning, afternoon, and evening.⁸

This line concludes the preceding argument in part A and at the same time introduces that of part B. Part B of the Manuscript, in turn, records the appearances and disappearances of the five wefts [i.e., the five planets] as well as the circumstances of their gains and regresses (è´ç¸®) in the course of their movements.⁹ Especially with the introduction of the phrase âluan zuoâ äºä½ (to become disordered) this passage serves as an anticipation for phrases such as âbecoming confused and diverting from the [proper] movementsâ (äºå¤± å¶è¡); âdisordered cycleâ (äºç´); and âonce the sun and the moon have fallen into disorderâ (æ¥ææ¢äº) in part B. What also becomes apparent here, once more, is that the sequence of the text in parts A and B of the Silk Manuscript follows a certain arrangement.

2 Becoming Confused and Diverting from the [Proper] Movements

The graph appears in multiple places throughout the Silk Manuscript. In the past, I have rendered it as da é (to penetrate/to attain). Today, taking into account the newly available evidence from the Guodian bamboo manuscripts (éåºç°¡),¹⁰ it becomes clear that the graph should in fact be rendered shi å¤± (to lose). The term refers here to the notion of âdeviating from the right sequence/missing a station.â The Silk Manuscript says:

æ¥ææã«³(è¾°)ï¼(äº)(å¤±) å¶è¡ï¼å¬´çµå¤±äºï¼åæ¨äº¡å°(å¸¸) ã

When the sun, the moon, the stars, and the stellar lodges become confused and deviate from their [proper] movements, the [process of] gaining and retreating becomes disorderly, causing grasses and trees to lose constancy.

å(å») = ï¼æ¯ââ(å¤±) æï¼éä¹å¿è¡ãä¸æãäºæãä¸æï¼æ¯è(å¤±) å¬(çµ) ã

Alas! This is [â¦] deviating moon. Intercalate it and keep still. If it is the first, second, or third month, it is called missing the (proper) end.

The Shijiâs âTianguan shuâ has:

å¤«èªæ¼¢ä¹çºå¤©æ¸èï¼æååé½ï¼æ°£åçæï¼å æ²åéé®®ãæçãç³æäºææ³ï¼å¯ç¨çææåéè¡ï¼éè¡æå®ï¼åä»æéè¡ï¼æ¥æèèï¼çä»¥çºå ã

Now, since the Han dynasty has continued the reckonings of Heaven, for celestial bodies there is Tang Du,¹¹ for vital breath (qi) there is Wang Shuo,¹² for predicting the harvest there is Wei Xian.¹³ Thus, when Gan [De] and Shi [Shen] studied the patterns of the five planets, only Mars appeared to reverse course and retrograde; nowadays what Mars guards as it retrogrades, together with the retrogradations of the other planets and the dimming and eclipsing of the sun and moon, all are grounds for prognostication.

ä½è§å²è¨ï¼èè¡äºï¼ç¾å¹´ä¹ä¸ï¼äºæç¡åºèä¸åéè¡ï¼åéè¡ï¼åçå¤§èè®è²ï¼æ¥æèèï¼è¡ååææ: æ¤å¶å¤§åº¦ä¹ã

In my own perusal of the scribal accounts, I have examined their events and movements, and in the past one hundred years there has not been one instance when the five planets have appeared and not reversed course and retrograded. On reversing and retrograding the planets regularly become large and full and change color. The dimming and eclipsing of the sun and moon and their movements to the south and north have their seasons. This is the general rule.¹⁴

When it comes to the issue of direct and retrograde motion (é é) [of the celestial bodies], the movements of the sun and the moon have been studied in order to discern Jupiterâs direct and retrograde motion. Thus, the phenomenon of gains and regresses was observed in Jupiter as well. The âTianguan shuâ further relates:

æ²æè´ç¸®ï¼ä»¥å¶æ¨å½åãæå¨åä¸å¯ä¼ï¼å¯ä»¥ç½°äººãå¶è¶¨èèåæ°è´ï¼éèæ°ç¸®ãè´ï¼å¶åæåµä¸å¾©ï¼ç¸®ï¼å¶åææï¼å°äº¡ï¼åå¾æã

When Jupiter gains or regresses, the stateâs fate is determined by the lodge the planet occupies. The state wherein Jupiter is located may not be attacked but may attack others. If Jupiter advances prematurely into a lodge and gets ahead of itself, it is called âgaining.â Premature withdrawal from a lodge it is called âregressing.â If Jupiter gains, that stateâs troops will not return. If Jupiter regresses, the state from which it withdrew will be beleaguered, its general lost, and the state overthrown and defeated.¹⁵

This is one further account of Jupiter deviating from its proper sequence/missing its proper station when it should have appeared in a certain stellar lodge. This notion seems to have originated from statements found in Shi Shenâs ç³ç³ Shishi Xingjing ç³æ°æç¶ (Shiâs classic of stars), such as âJupiter should be in Dipper and Led Ox, but it missed its proper station and appears in Ladleâ (æå¨æç½çï¼å¤±æ¬¡è¦æ).¹⁶ We may cite another example:

èµ¤å¥®è¥æ²: æ²é°å¨ä¸ï¼æå±å¯ï¼ä»¥åäºæèå°¾ãç®æ¨åºï¼æ°å¤©çãé»«ç¶é»è²çæãå¶å¤±æ¬¡ï¼ææè¦åã

In a Chifenruo year, Counter-Jupiter is located in chronogram chou; Jupiter occupies chronogram yin. In the twelfth month it appears at dawn with lodges Tail and Winnowing Basket and is called Celestial Vastness. Jupiterâs darkling somber color is very luminous. Should Jupiter miss its proper station a response will appear in Triaster.¹⁷

å¤§æ·µç»æ²: æ²é°å¨äº¥ï¼æå±è¾°ãä»¥åæèè§ãäº¢æ¨åºï¼æ°å¤§ç« ãè¼è¼ç¶ï¼æè¥èºèé°åºæ¦ï¼æ¯è¬ãæ£å¹³ããèµ·å¸«æï¼å¶çå¿æ¦ï¼å¶åæå¾·ï¼å°æåæµ·ãå¶å¤±æ¬¡ï¼ææè¦å©ã

In a Dayuanxian year, Counter-Jupiter is located in chronogram hai; Jupiter occupies chronogram chen. In the tenth month it appears at dawn with lodges Horns and Neck and is called Heavenly Augustness. Jupiter is greenish-white. If it speeds ahead and emerges faintly at dawn, this is called âCorrect Peace.â If armies and companies are raised, their commanders must be aggressive. Their polities will be virtuous, and they will possess all within the Four Seas. Should Jupiter miss its proper station a response will appear in Pasture.¹⁸

The Silk Manuscript mentions that âin years with lunar irregularities [â¦] it is during that month, that Jupiter [appears in lodge] Lou (pasture)â (å¾·å¿ ä¹æ² â¦â¦æ¯æä»¥å©). We may infer from the passage quoted above that this particular year with lunar irregularities should have coincided with a Dayuanxian year when Jupiter appeared in chronogram hai. Earlier in the Silk Manuscript it says: âIn all years in which lunar irregularities occur, if it is said that hai is the position of the polity [when Jupiter resides there] [â¦]â (å¡æ² ð¢³å¿ï¼å¦æ°äº¥æé¦æ). This position should be expected to be the lodge Pasture.

The retrograde motion of stellar branches marks major events that had been used as grounds for prognostications by astrologers. From the account in the Silk Manuscript we may catch a glimpse of the Chu peopleâs history of ideas from around the time of Tang Mei åæ§ (d. 301 BC). From records of the phenomenon of [the celestial bodiesâ] gaining and regressing (å¬´ç¸®) we learn about the notion of â[Jupiter] missing a stationâ and also of examples of the practice of intercalating (ç½®é).

3 âGaining and Regressingâ and the Planet Saturn

The five planets as well as other celestial bodies exhibit the phenomenon of gaining and regressing. There are further the phenomena of [the planetsâ] âanomalous motionâ (å¤±è¡), as well as of them missing their lodges (å¤±è). The Silk Manuscript has:

æ¥æåð¦(å¬´) çµ(ç¸®)ï¼ä¸ä·(å¾) å¶(ç¶) ã

[â¦] the sun and the moon will gain and regress, and will not obtain their proper position.

æ¥ææã«³(è¾°)ï¼(äº)(å¤±) ä¸(å¶) è¡ã

The sun, moon, stars, and planets will erratically overstep their paths.¹⁹

As to what is called ânot obtaining the proper position,â the âTianguan shuâ has the following record on the Garrison Star (Saturn):

ç¶åºä¸åºï¼æªç¶å¥èå¥ï¼å¤©ä¸ååµï¼åµå¨å¤ï¼å¥ã

If it should appear but does not, or should not yet disappear but does, hostilities cease in All-under-Heaven and troops abroad return.

æªç¶åºèåºï¼ç¶å¥èä¸å¥ï¼ãå¤©ãä¸èµ·åµï¼æç ´åã

If it should not yet appear but does, or if it should disappear but does not, weapons will be taken up in All-under-Heaven and states will be destroyed.

å¶ç¶æåºä¹ï¼å¶åæã

If Venus appears on schedule its state will ï¬ourish.²⁰

It also records an anomalous motion of the Great White (Venus):

å¶åºè¡åå«èäºç¾ååæ¥èå¥ãå¥æ±æ¹ï¼ä¼è¡åä¸èç¾ä¸åæ¥ï¼å¶å¥è¥¿æ¹ï¼ä¼è¡ä¸èååæ¥èåºãç¶åºä¸åºï¼ç¶å¥ä¸å¥ï¼æ¯è¬å¤±èï¼ä¸æç ´è»ï¼å¿æååä¹ç¯¡ã

After Venus appears, it traverses eighteen lodges in two hundred forty days and then disappears. After disappearing in the east, it invisibly traverses eleven lodges in one hundred thirty days; after disappearing in the west it invisibly traverses three lodges in sixteen days and reappears. If it ought to appear but does not appear, or if it ought to disappear but does not disappear, this is called missing its lodge â if the army is not shattered the rulership of the state must be usurped.²¹

It further says:

ç¶å±ä¸å±ï¼å±ä¹åå·¦å³æï¼æªç¶å»å»ä¹ï¼èä»ææï¼å¶åå¶ã

If [Jupiter] ought to occupy a place but does not, or occupies it but wavers to left and right; or if it ought not yet depart but leaves and meets up with another planet, it is maleï¬c for that state.²²

âNot obtaining the proper positionâ (ä¸å¾å¶ç¶) means ânot [appearing at] the proper timeâ (ä¸ç¶æ) or ânot [appearing in] the proper placeâ (ä¸ç¶å±), indicating inauspiciousness. As to the phenomenon of the stellar branches moving in and out, this is what the Silk Manuscript refers to as âmoving in and outâ (åºå§[ å¥]), as per the following passage:

é¹(æ) åãð¢³ãå¿ï¼åºèªé»(ð£¶)ï¼åèº«äº¡(ç°)ï¼åºå§(å¥)â¡ãä¸ãåãä¹ä¸(å¶) ä¸å¶ã

When a fuzzy star [appears during a time] when the motion of the moon slows down and, rising from the yellow spring, Saturn appears, then there will be no calamities. When its moving in and out is not consistent, then this will create misfortune for those below.

The celestial bodies above and earth below are connected through and belong to the same vital essence or materia vitalis (ç²¾æ°£). The word tu å (earth) in the phrase âtu shen wu yiâ åèº«ç¡ (lit. no variation to earthâs [i.e., Saturnâs] appearance) refers to âTianxingâ å¡«æ (Garrison Star [i.e., Saturn]). Saturnâs color is yellow, it has nine rays, thus we read: âIt rises from the yellow spring.â The Tang dynasty work Kaiyuan zhanjing quotes the Jingzhou [xing]zhan èå·[ æ] å ([Stellar] prognostications of Jingzhou) as saying:

å¡«æï¼å¸¸æ¨åºæ±æ¹ï¼å¤ä¼è¥¿æ¹ï¼å¶è¡ï¼æ²å¡«ä¸å®¿ï¼æåå¡«æã

The Garrison Star; it habitually appears in branches in the east; in the evening it hides in the west. In its motion, it completes one lodge in one year, thus it is called the Garrison Star.²³

âWu yiâ ç¡ means âwu bianyiâ ç¡è®ç° (no variation). The graph yi merely features the signifier niao é³¥ (bird) as an additional graphical element, similar to the graph shang å (Shang [dynasty]) sometimes also being written ðª². âYiâ ç° refers to âyi wuâ ç°ç© (rarity/alien or strange matter) or âyi xiangâ ç°ç¥¥ (strange auspices). The âWuxing zhiâ äºè¡å¿ (Treatise on the five agents) in the Hanshu has: âWhen strange things appear, this is called fault/calamityâ (ç°ç©çï¼è¬ä¹ç).²⁴ Thus âno variationâ (ç¡) also means âno calamitiesâ (ç¡ç). The phrase âchu nei (ru) [â¦] tongâ (åºå§(å¥)â¡å) is missing one graph. However, if we compare this passage to similar formulations [in the Chu Silk Manuscript] such as âThe celestial bodies are not consistent/are different from each otherâ (æã«³ä¸å), we may conclude that the lost graph should be âbuâ ä¸ (not) and read the phrase accordingly as â[when] its moving in and out is not consistentâ (åºå¥ä¸å). The message of the whole passage is therefore that when a fuzzy star appears during a time when the motion of the moon slows down and Saturn is visible, then there will be no calamities. If Saturn, however, is not consistent in its moving in and out, then this will create misfortune for the polity below. In this case, the graph zuo ä¹ should be read ze å (if/then). âWhere it stopsâ (å¶æå±), says the âTianguan shu,â

äºæçå¾èèäºä¸èï¼å¶ä¸ä¹åï¼å¯ãä»¥ãéè´å¤©ä¸ã

If all five planets follow Saturn and gather in the one lodge, that state below will be able to heavily attract All-under-Heaven.²⁵

The compound qi xia å¶ä¸ in the Chu Silk Manuscript evidently refers to âthe polity belowâ (å¶ä¸ä¹å). Saturn is also sometimes referred to as âZhenxingâ é®æ (Quelling Star). The âShi tianâ éå¤© (Explaining the heavens) passage in the Guangya å»£é (Expanded [Er]âya) has: âThe Quelling Star is called Lord of the Earthâ (é®æè¬ä¹å°ä¾¯).²⁶ The âTianguan shuâ also relates:

æ·æä¹æä»¥å®å¡«æä¹ä½ãæ°ä¸å¤®åï¼ä¸»å£å¤ï¼æ¥æãå·±ï¼é»å¸ï¼ä¸»å¾·ï¼å¥³ä¸»è±¡ä¹ãæ²å¡«ä¸å®¿ï¼å¶æå±ååãâ¦â¦å¶ä¸åæ°å°ä¾¯ï¼ä¸»æ²ã

Track its meetings with the [Southern] Dipper to determine the location of the Garrison Star. The latter is [associated with] the Center, Earth, and governs the last month of summer; its [stem] days are wu and ji. The Yellow Thearch governs virtue and is the image of the female ruler. [The Garrison Star] weighs on one lodge annually and is auspicious for the state it occupies. [â¦] One name for it is Lord of the Earth, governor of the harvest.²⁷

Judging from the parallels in this passage, it becomes evident that the graph tu å in the phrase âtu shen wu yiâ (åèº«ç¡ç°) from the Silk Manuscript refers to the Garrison Star (å¡«æ). The phrase âchu neiâ åºå§ in turn should be read as âchu ruâ åºå¥ (moving in and out) just as in the âTianguan shuâ where it says: âIt should appear but it does not; it should disappear and it doesâ (ç¶åºä¸åºï¼ç¶å¥èå¥). âMoving in and outâ or âappearing and disappearingâ belongs to the generic terminology of the celestial offices.

âGaining and regressingâ are phenomena that occur in [the movements of] the celestial bodies. Let us once again cite the âTianguan shuâ in this context:

è´ï¼çºçä¸å¯§ï¼å¶ç¸®ï¼æè»ä¸å¾©ãå¡«æï¼å¶è²é»ï¼ä¹èï¼é³æ°é»é¾å®®ãå¶å¤±æ¬¡ä¸äºä¸å®¿æ°è´ï¼æä¸»å½ä¸æï¼ä¸ä¹å¤§æ°´ãå¤±æ¬¡ä¸äºä¸å®¿æ°ç¸®ï¼æåæï¼å¶æ²ä¸å¾©ï¼ä¸ä¹å¤©è£è¥å°åã

[If the Garrison Star] gains, the king will not rest easy; if it regresses an army will not return. The Garrison Star is yellow colored, with nine rays; its sound is said to be that of the Yellow Bell, and its note gong. If it skips two or three lodges ahead of its proper station it is said to âgainâ and the rulerâs commands are unfulï¬lled; if not, there are great ï¬oods. If it falls behind its proper station by two or three lodges, it is said to regress, the Consort will suffer distress and the year will not be seasonable; if not, then the sky will split open, and the ground will shake.²⁸

Part C of the Chu Silk Manuscript records the appropriate and the inappropriate or prohibited activities (å®å¿) for each of the twelve months of the year. This also corresponds to [the idea of prognostication based on] astronomical phenomena. For instance, we read that during the month Gao (sic),²⁹

ä¸å¯ä»¥åºå¸«ï¼æ°´ï¼å¸«ä¸ã

It is not permitted to send out an army on a naval expedition. The army will not return.

For the month Zang the text has:

ä¸å¯/ãä»¥åºãå¸(å¸«) ã ä¸()ï¼å¶é¦åå¤§ (äº) ã

It is not permitted [to send out] an army. It will fall sick and not return, causing the polity to fall into chaos.

The line âshi bu fuâ å¸«ä¸ is synonymous with the phrase, âthe army will not returnâ (æè»ä¸å¾©) in the âTianguan shu.â This prediction in the Silk Manuscript therefore must have been influenced in some way by the phenomenon of a celestial body missing its proper lodge due to a âregressionâ (ç¸®) in its movement. Further, for the month Ru å¦ the text of the Manuscript records:

ä¸ (ç«)ï¼ä·(å¾) ä¸æã

Without fire, one cannot have accomplishments.

âBu chengâ ä¸æ is to be understood in a similar way as in the phrase âthe rulerâs commands are unfulï¬lledâ (æä¸»å½ä¸æ) in the âTianguan shu.â This state of affairs, in turn, must have been brought about by a celestial body missing its proper lodge due to a âgainingâ (è´) in its movement.³⁰

4 Years with Fuzzy Stars

Part B of the Chu Silk Manuscript has:

å¤©(å°) ä¹ç¾(ç¥¥)ï¼å¤©(æ£)ð¨»(å°) ä¹(ä½)(æ¹¯)ï¼éæ¼å¶æ¹ãå±±éµä¸ (å¶) (ç¼)ï¼åæ·µâ¡ (æ³) ãæ¯è(è¬) å=ã(å) æ²â¡æå§(å¥) æä¸æ¥å«â¡ï¼å(æ) é» é¨åï¼ä¸ä·(å¾) å¶(å)ï¼ãåãè·å¤©é¨ã

When Heaven and earth create ominous anomalies, the Heavenâs Cudgel star creates [sweeping] destruction, sending down [calamities] throughout the regions [of All-under-Heaven], with mountains collapsing and springs gushing forth geysers. This anomaly is called [i.e., is associated with the appearance of] a fuzzy star. In those years in which a fuzzy star appears, upon entering the seventh or eighth day of [â¦] month there will be thunderstorms and torrential rain. Orion hides and is not to be seen. It should be in charge of Heaven sending down rain.³¹

é¹(æ) åãð¢³ãå¿ï¼åºèªé»(ð£¶)ï¼åèº«äº¡(ç°) ã

When a fuzzy star [appears during a time] when the motion of the moon slows down and, rising from the yellow spring, Saturn appears, then there will be no calamities.

The graph bei å is sometimes explained as li æ (i.e., Li xing ææ [Li star]). However, in the above context this rendering makes no sense, as the graph is followed by a reduplication marker. Taiping Yulan quotes the explanation of the phenomenon of a fuzzy star from the Tianwen lu å¤©æé (Records of astronomical matters) as follows:

èæ°£ååºæ°åï¼åè¬ååç¶ä¹ã

When a blurred vapor goes out in all four directions, then this is called bei. Bei means bei bei åå (in a volatile/exploding manner).³²

Within a reduplicative compound bei can only refer to a fuzzy star. The binome beisui åæ² in turn refers to a year in which a comet appears. In this context, we find the term also written as fu è. For instance, the âTianguan shuâ has:

æé®®ä¹æï¼æèäºæ²³æï¼åµå¾å¤§å®ï¼æèææã

when the Chaoxian Kingdom was taken, a star became fuzzy in Heshu (River Garrisons); when the armies campaigned against Ferghana, a star became fuzzy in Zhaoyao (Twinkling Indicator).³³

According to the Suoyin ç´¢é± commentary, the phonetic value of the graph è is identical to that of ä½©, which is pei, meaning fuzzy star (bei xing åæ).³⁴ For the seventeenth year of Patriarch Zhao æ, the Zuozhuan has: âThere was a star that exploded in Dachen and swept west as far as the Celestial Han River [i.e., the Milky Way]â (ææåäºå¤§è¾°ï¼è¥¿åæ¼¢).³⁵ In his annotations to the Zuozhuan Du Yu remarks that âin the eighth month of the Xia-standard, Mercury appears west of the Celestial Han Riverâ (å¤ä¹å«æï¼è¾°æè¦å¨å¤© æ¼¢è¥¿).³⁶ For the same year the Gongyang zhuan å¬ç¾å³ (Gongyang tradition) records:

ææåäºå¤§è¾°ãåèä½ï¼å½æä¹ãå¶è¨äºå¤§è¾°ä½ï¼å¨å¤§è¾°ä¹ãå¤§è¾°èä½ï¼å¤§ç«ä¹ãå¤§ç«çºå¤§è¾°ï¼ä¼çºå¤§è¾°ï¼åè¾°äº¦çºå¤§è¾°ã

There was a star that exploded in Dachen. What is meant by exploded? It describes [the movement of] a comet. Why does it say in Dachen? Because it was [visible] in Dachen (i.e., the Great Asterism). What does Dachen mean? It refers to [the Jupiter station] Great Fire (Antares). Great Fire is called Great Asterism; Fa (the halberd of Orion [shen å]) is further called Great Asterism and the Northern Asterism is also referred to as the Great Asterism.³⁷

He Xiuâs annotations to this passage read:

å¤§ç«è¬å¿ï¼ä¼è¬åä¼ä¹ãå¤§ç«èä¼ï¼å¤©æä»¥ç¤ºæ°ææ©æå¤©ä¸æåæ£ï¼æè¬ä¹å¤§è¾°ãè¾°ï¼æä¹ãåè¾°ï¼åæ¥µï¼å¤©ä¹ä¸ä¹ãå¸¸å±å¶æã

Great Fire refers to the asterism Heart (É Sco); fa denotes the halberd of Orion (shen å). Heaven uses Great fire and the halberd of Orion in order to show to the people the beginning and the end of the seasons, so that All-under-Heaven may take their standard from it. Thus, they (i.e., Great fire and the halberd of Orion) are called the Great Asterism. Chen means time/season [indicator]; the Northern Asterism is synonymous with the Northern Culmen which marks the center of the heavens that is fixed in its permanent position.³⁸

The âShi tianâ passage in the Guangya also states: âThe halberd of Orion is called Great Asterismâ (åä¼è¬ä¹å¤§è¾°).³⁹ In the âShao nanâ å¬å (South of Shao) section from the Shi è©© (Songs) we read: âAnd there are Orion and the Pleiadesâ (ç¶åèæ´).⁴⁰ The Maozhuan æ¯å³ (Mao commentary) explains that âOrion refers here to the halberd [of Orion]â (åï¼ä¼ä¹).⁴¹ Zheng Xuan in turn elaborates that:

ä¼å±¬ç½èå®¿ï¼èåé£é«èè¨åæã

The halberd [of Orion] belongs to the constellation White Tiger. When fa appears in conjunction with shen, it refers to Triaster.⁴²

Thus, we may know that Great Fire in the asterism Heart is the Dragon Star (constellation? [tr. note]) and the halberd of Orion refers to the constellation White Tiger.

The Xia xiaozheng å¤å°æ£ (The small calendar of the Xia) takes the celestial phenomenon âin the first month [â¦] during the beginning of dusk, Orion stands in the middle [of the firmament in the south]â (æ£æâ¦â¦åæåä¸)⁴³ to mark the start of the year. As far as concerns all the remaining months of the year it just notes that Orion either hides (ä¼) or appears (è¦).

In some cases, chen also specifically refers to Great Fire. In the Zuozhuan, Zichan åç¢ explains to Shuxiang åå:

æé«è¾æ°æäºåï¼ä¼¯æ°é¼ä¼¯ï¼å£æ°å¯¦æ²ï¼å±äºæ æï¼ä¸ç¸è½ä¹ï¼æ¥å°å¹²æï¼ä»¥ç¸å¾è¨ãåå¸ä¸è§ï¼é·é¼ä¼¯äºåä¸ï¼ä¸»è¾°ãåäººæ¯å ï¼æè¾°çºåæã

Gaoxin had two sons. The elder was named Ebo, the younger Shishen, and they dwelt in the Great Forest. Since they did not get along, every day they resorted to shields and dagger axes, attacking and chastising each other. Emperor Yao did not approve and moved Ebo to Shangqiu, to be in charge of the Chen asterism. The Shang people followed him in this, and Chen therefore became the Shang asterism.

å¯¦æ²äºå¤§å¤ï¼ä¸»åï¼åäººæ¯å ï¼ä»¥æäºå¤ãåã

The Emperor moved Shishen to Daxia to be in charge of the asterism Shen (Orion) The Tang people followed him in this, as they served the Xia and the Shang.⁴⁴

The differentiation between the Eastern Dragon and the Western Tiger [which are representing the constellations of the eastern and western palaces of the heavens (tr. note)],⁴⁵ coincides with the location of the asterisms that Shang and Xia are in charge of respectively. Therefore, Orion is also called the Great Asterism. The âJin yuâ æèª (Discourses of Jin) furthermore states: âChen and Orion constitute the great thread of the heavensâ (è¾°ãåï¼å¤©ä¹å¤§ç´).⁴⁶ The Xia calendar takes the appearance of Orion during the beginning of dusk to mark the start of the year. Above we have cited the Silk Manuscript as saying: âIn those years in which a fuzzy star appears upon entering the seventh or eighth day of the eighth month, Orion hides and is not to be seen. It should be in charge of heaven sending down rain.â Orion is the Great Asterism that provides the standard for [Heavenâs] bestowing the seasons to All-under-Heaven. This is the reason why [the Xia xiaozheng] explicitly notes when Orion is visible or not.⁴⁷

5 Ni å¿ (Concealment) and De Ni å¾·å¿ (the Concealment of Virtue)

The compound de ni å¾·å¿ appears in several places within the Silk Manuscript. However, we also find instances of ni being mentioned without de, such as the account of the month Gao in part C of the Manuscript:

æ°:(ð©¿)(å¸¥)â¡ä·(å¾) ãä»¥å¿ï¼ä¸è¦æãå¨â¡â¡ä¸å¯ä»¥äº«ç¥ï¼å¶ã

[The fifth month] is called Gao. [During this month] the leader of the thieves will [â¦] obtain. Due to a [lunar] irregularity, one cannot see the moon. During [â¦] it is not permitted to sacrifice, as this would bring bad luck.

In the account of the seventeenth year of Patriarch Zhao æ (524 BC) in the Zuozhuan we read:

å¯æ£ææï¼ææªä½ï¼æ¥æé£ä¹ï¼æ¼æ¯ä¹æä¼é¼ãç¨å¹£ï¼ç¦®ä¹ã

It is only when there is an eclipse of the sun on the first day of the first month, before the adverse forces have begun their rise, that beating drums and offering sacrificial goods is in accordance with ritual propriety.⁴⁸

The Shangshu dazhuan has:

æèæè¦æ±æ¹è¬ä¹å´å¿ã

When the moon is visible in the east on the first day of the month it is called ce ni (slowing down).⁴⁹

If a lunar irregularity falls on the first day of the month the moon should be visible. If it is not visible, then this constitutes a bad omen, marking the respective days as inappropriate for conducting sacrifices.

Most scholars read the compound de ni å¾·å¿ as a phonetic loan for ce ni å´å¿ (slowing down). Yet in Part B of the Silk Manuscript we read:

å»ºð ¨(æ)(è¥¡) æ°ï¼äºæ£ä¹æï¼ä¸(å¶) ç¥æ¯äº¯(äº«) ãæ¯è¬ð¢³å¿ï¼ç¾¤ç¥ ä¹ð¢³ã

When constancy/the standard is established among the people, the Five Governors will be bright, and the spirits will enjoy their offerings. This is to say [that when the latter receive their appropriate offerings, then even though] virtue is concealed, the multitudinous spirits [will still] promulgate virtue (de) [towards the living].⁵⁰

This passage proves rather difficult to interpret. Many scholars read de ni ð¢³å¿ here in terms of âpunishments and rewardsâ (åå¾·), with de referring to Heavenâs rewards and ni to Heavenâs punishments. Yet nowhere in the Silk Manuscript do xing and de appear as an opposite pair. In fact, the Silk Manuscriptâs entire argumentation has nothing in common with the ideas found in the Xingde åå¾· (Punishments and rewards).

I hold that ni å¿ can in some cases refer particularly to the phenomenon of ce ni å´å¿ or ze ni ä»å¿ (slowing down). If it is paired with or modified by de å¾· its meaning should be different from the notion of ce ni. The âTianguan shuâ concludes with an account of the Thearchs of the five colors all having promulgated their virtue. It further states:

å¤©è¡å¾·ï¼å¤©åæ´ç«å¹´ï¼ä¸å¾·ï¼é¢¨é¨ç ´ç³ã

When Heaven promulgates virtue, the accession year of the Son of Heaven changes; when [Heaven] does not promulgate virtue, wind and rain shatter stones.⁵¹

The Suoyin commentary explains that âwhen the Northern Asterism is radiant, it indicates the promulgation of virtueâ (åè¾°æåèï¼æ¯è¡å¾·ä¹).⁵² The passage âwhen a fuzzy star appears, virtue is concealedâ (æåå¾·å¿) in the Silk Manuscript implies that in years in which a comet appears, Heaven cannot promulgate virtue, which is then called the concealment (å¿) or obliqueness (å´) of virtue. Since there will be no [promulgation of] virtue, calamities such as âwind and rain shattering stonesâ will inevitably occur. The term âwind and rainâ appears in various places throughout the text of the Silk Manuscript, for instance in âwind and rain will announce themselvesâ (é¢¨é¨æ¯æ¼),⁵³ or âwhen the multitudinous spirits send wind and rain, when the woof of constellations became disorderedâ (ç¾ç¥é¢¨é¨ï¼(æ¨) ç¦äºä½) in part A of the Manuscript. From this we gather that the Five Governors (i.e., Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn â the five stars acting as the five assistants of Heaven â) will be bright and, because the multitudinous spirits receive their appropriate offerings, they may replace Heaven in promulgating virtue even in times when virtue is concealed. This is how the passage from the Silk Manuscript quoted above should be read in order to make sense.

The âLishuâ ææ¸ (Monograph on the calendar) in the Shiji cites the Grand Scribe as saying:

é»å¸èå®ææï¼å»ºç«äºè¡ï¼èµ·æ¶æ¯ï¼æ£éé¤ï¼æ¼æ¯æå¤©ãå°ãç¥ãç¥ãç©é¡ä¹å®ï¼æ¯è¬äºå®ãåå¸å¶åºï¼ä¸ç¸äºä¹ãæ°æ¯ä»¥è½æä¿¡ï¼ç¥æ¯ä»¥è½ææå¾·ã

The Yellow Thearch examined and fixed the revolutions of the planets, established the five agents, gave rise to the evaporations, and made the proper intercalations. Thus came into being the offices for the heavens, the earth, the spirits above and below, and for the various categories of things. These are called the five offices, each presiding over their own order, without getting mixed up with one another. The people are therefore able to show loyalty and trust and the spirits can confer bright de.

å°æ¤æ°ä¹è¡°ä¹ï¼ä¹é»äºå¾·ï¼æ°ç¥éæ¾ï¼ä¸å¯æ¾ç©ï¼ç¦èè¦è³ï¼è«ç¡å¶æ°£ãé¡é åä¹ï¼ä¹å½åæ£éå¸å¤©ä»¥å±¬ç¥ï¼å½ç«æ£é»å¸å°ä»¥å±¬æ°ï¼ä½¿å¾©èå¸¸ï¼ç¡ç¸ä¾µçã

After Shao Haoâs age of decline, the Nine Li confounded the de-order, deities and humans intermingled and became indistinguishable. Calamities overspread the human realm, and nobody could live out their days. Zhuan Xu then inherited the realm and ordered Chong, the Principal of the South, to administer the realm of heaven so as to assemble the spirits [in their proper place], and he commissioned Li, the Fire Principal, to oversee the realm of the earth, gathering men [where they belong]. Thus, he restored the old order and there were no more mutual encroachments.⁵⁴

It is well known that this passage has been adapted from the âChu yuâ æ¥èª (Discourses of Chu). Li, the Fire Principal, is none other than Zhurong ç¥è, who in turn is the mythical ancestor of the Chu people. The Silk Manuscript states:

çå¸ä¹å½ç¥èï¼ä»¥åç¥éï¼å¥ ä¸å¤©ï¼ æ(æ·) å¥ åæ¥µã

The Flame Thearch (Yan Di) thereupon ordered Zhurong to send down the four spirits to set up the three heavens and with [â¦] distribute the four poles.⁵⁵

ç¾¤ç¥äºæ£ï¼å (å ¯=é¥) ç¾(ç¥¥)ï¼å»ºð ¨(æ)(è¥¡) æ°ï¼äºæ£ä¹æï¼ä¸ (å¶) ç¥æ¯äº¯(äº«) ã

The multitudinous spirits and the Five Governors provide exuberant auspiciousness to all four directions. When constancy / the standard is established to conjoin the people, the Five Governors will be bright, and the spirits will enjoy their offerings.

Shu min è¥¡æ° should be rendered as âzhu minâ å±¬æ° (conjoining the people). âZhengâ æ£ (Principal) denotes the position of the Fire Principal Zhurong. Part B of the Silk Manuscript repeatedly stresses the sincere relationship between the bright spirits and the people. Zhurong (Li) separates the spirits from the people and differentiates between their respective tasks. That the Silk Manuscript follows the example of former virtue may be seen as sufficient evidence that it bases its argument on this reality of veneration (sic). As to the passage âthis is to say [that when the spirits receive their appropriate offerings, then even though] virtue is concealed, the multitudinous spirits [will still] promulgate virtue (de) [towards the living],â we may get a firm grasp on its meaning by reading it against the text of the âLishu.â âThe Five Governors will be brightâ means âthe spirits will confer bright de,â and a year with lunar irregularities can be paraphrased as seasons of âconfounded virtueâ (äºå¾·).

Although the notion of conjoining the people is unproblematic, the concept of heng æ (constancy) in the phrase jian heng å»ºæ (establishing constancy) requires some explanation. The Silk Manuscript says that âthe seasonal rains will come and go without regularity or constancyâ (å¯º[ æ] é¨é²éï¼äº¡å[ æ] å¸¸æ). The âHong fanâ æ´ªç¯ (Great plan) has: âconstant wind; constant rainâ (æé¢¨ãæé¨).⁵⁶ The Silk Manuscript further states: âDo not agitate the multitudinous people, in order [â¦] three constanciesâ (æ¯ç«¥[ å] ç¾¤æ°ï¼ä»¥ ä¸æ).

The âDaofaâ éæ³ (Method of the Way) silk manuscript from the Mawangdui corpus says:

å¤©å°ææå¸¸ï¼è¬æ°ææäºï¼è²´è³¤ææä½ï¼çè£ææéï¼ä½¿æ°ææåº¦ãå¤©å°ä¹æå¸¸ï¼åæãæ¦æãçæ®ºãæå

Heaven and earth have persistent constancies, the multitudinous people have their constant affairs, the noble and the lowly have their constant positions; in fostering oneâs subjects one follows constant ways; in employing the people one uses constant measures. The persistent constancies of heaven and earth are the four seasons, darkness and light, life and death, softness and hardness.⁵⁷

Here we read about âpersistent constanciesâ (æå¸¸), which is written in the reverse order as chang heng å¸¸æ in the Silk Manuscript. From the viewpoint of the theories on the ways of heaven, the notion of constancy is of utmost importance. The Xici zhuan passage from the Yi æ (Changes) has: âThe Changes has great extremes. This gives life to the two propertiesâ (ææå¤ªæ¥µï¼æ¯ç å©å).⁵⁸ The instantiation of the Changes in the Mawangdui silk manuscripts has instead âthe Changes has great constancyâ (ææå¤§æ).⁵⁹ Among the wooden Chu slips from the Shanghai Museum, we find a manuscript with the title Heng xian æå (Constancy preceding) consisting of 497 graphs written over thirteen slips. From this plethora of sources we may glimpse the importance of the concept of heng. âTai hengâ å¤§æ (great constancy) is synonymous with âtai jiâ å¤§æ¥µ (lit. great extreme), thus âestablishing constancyâ (å»ºæ) may be explained in terms of âestablishing oneâs highest point of excellenceâ (å»ºå¶ææ¥µ).⁶⁰ The âDu wanâ åº¦è¬ (Measuring the myriad things) chapter from the Heguanzi é¶¡å å (Master Pheasant Cap) has:

å¤©å°é°é½ï¼åç¨½æ¼èº«ï¼æå¸äºæ£ä»¥å¸äºæã

Heaven and earth, yin and yang, take their model from [the order of the] body. Therefore, display the five governances and use them to direct the five luminaries.⁶¹

In the âWu zhengâ äºæ¿ (Five governances) passage from the Mawangdui silk manuscript we read about the Yellow Thearch inquiring with Yan Ran é¹å:

äºæ£æ¢å¸ï¼å·²å¸äºæï¼å·¦å³å·è¦ï¼ä»¥å¯º(å¾) éåµã

When the five governances have been displayed, use them to direct the five luminaries; appoint officials left and right to manage their implementation in order to be prepared against rebellious armies.⁶²

We hereby know that the five governances belong to the discussion of luminaries, which in turn features prominently in the sayings of the Militarists. Furthermore, Master Heguan was a man of Chu as well. This means that the two passages can serve as proof for each other. The Zidanku Silk Manuscript further says:

æ°ç¥ä¸ðªº(è)ï¼å¸ð¨»(å°) ä() ä»¥äºä¹è¡ã

If the offerings of the people are not generously arranged, Di causes [the celestial bodies] to become confused and to [deviate] from their proper movements.

Although there is a lacuna after the graph luan äº, if we read this line against the passages âwhen the sun, the moon, the stars and the stellar lodges become confused and deviate from their proper movementsâ (æ¥ææè¾°ï¼äºå¤±å¶è¡), it becomes quite obvious that we should substitute the missing graph with shi å¤± (to deviate). If the people do not generously arrange their offerings, then they are not able to show their reverence and instead appear as disrespectful. If this is the case, Heaven will send down calamities that announce themselves through celestial portents and materialize in the form of all kinds of natural disasters. It is in this aspect where we find the value of the Silk Manuscript as a historiographical source closely related to the ancient history of the region of Chu.⁶³

Some of the material in this article appeared originally in an earlier study of Jaoâs, called âChuboshu tianxiang zai yiâ æ¥å¸æ¸å¤©è±¡åè° (Revisiting the issue of celestial phenomena in the Chu Silk Manuscript), published in Zhongguo Wenhua ä¸åæå 3 (Beijing: Shenghuo, dushu, xinzhi sanlian shudian, 1990): 66â73. A first version of the article we are looking at has been published under the title âChuboshu xiang wei jieâ æ¥å¸æ¸è±¡ç·¯è§£ (Explaining the weft of constellations in the Chu Silk Manuscript) in the monograph Chu di chutu wenxian san zhong yanjiu æ¥å°åºåæç»ä¸ç¨®ç ç©¶ (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1993), co-edited and co-authored by Jao Tsung-iand Zeng Xiantong æ¾æ²é. The present translation is based on a revised and expanded version of the latter, re-published as âChuboshu xiang wei ji de ni jieâ æ¥å¸æ¸è±¡ç·¯åå¾·å¿è§£ (An explanation of the phenomena called âxiang weiâ and âde niâ in the Chu Silk Manuscript) in 2003 in WJ 3: 333â46.

Du Fu æç«, Dushi xiangzhu æè©©è©³è¨», annot. Qiu Zhaoâao ä»åé°² (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1979), 1.1.

Jao remarks here that the phrase âthe refined vapor permeates the woof of constellationsâ (ç²¾æ°£è²«è¾°ç·¯) in the Songshu å®æ¸ (Book of Song) still uses the same term. See Shen Yue æ²ç´, Songshu å®æ¸ (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 2013), 95.2332.

David W. Pankenier explains that âthese are highlighted as representing the Five (cardinal) Palaces of the heavens. The Purple Palace is the Center; Chamber and Heart are the East, Weight and Balance Beam are the South, Heavenly Mineral Spring is the West, and Ruins and Roof are the Northâ (David W. Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 509, n. 322).

In this passage, Jao closely paraphrases the original text of the Shijiâs âTianguan shu.â The English translation has been adapted from Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 509.

Taiping Yulan, 5.9b, in Wenyuange siku quanshu, 893: 208.

The meaning of this phrase in isolation is not sufficiently clear. Moreover, neither does the phrase appear in the transmitted Guoyu, nor, to my knowledge, in any other pre-imperial text.

All citations from the Chu Silk Manuscript in this article have been updated and at times expanded according to the latest version of Jaoâs âChu boshu xin zheng,â in idem, Xuantang jilin: Shilin xin bian, 3: 860â911. The translation follows, where possible, Jaoâs own annotations. In cases where Jaoâs notes are not sufficiently clear or where he does not provide explanations, the the most up-to-date transcription and annotations on the text of the manuscript in Li Ling, Zidanku boshu, 2: 43â77, have been consulted together with Liâs and Cookâs English translation of the Chu Silk Manuscript in Li Ling, Chu boshu yanjiu (shiyi zhong), 244â51.

According to Pankenier, âgainingâ and âregressingâ refer to a planetâs unexpectedly rapid advance or retrogradation followed by resumption of direct motion. See Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 473, n. 164.

See Scott Cook, The Bamboo Texts of Guodian: A Study and Complete Translation (Ithaca, New York: East Asia Program, Cornell University, 2012), for this corpus.

See Michael Loewe, A Biographical Dictionary of the Qin, Former Han and Xin Periods (221 BCâ24 AD) (Leiden: Brill, 2000), 502, for biographical information on Tang Du.

See ibid, 553.

See ibid, 578.

Shiji, 27.1349â50. The English translation follows, with one minor adaption, that in Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 509.

Shiji, 27.1312. The English translation follows that in Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 473.

Quoted in Yuhai çæµ·, comp. Wang Yinglin çæéº, 2.27b, (Nanjing: Jiangsu guji chubanshe, Shanghai: Shanghai shudian, 1987), 33.

Shiji, 27.1316. The English translation follows, with one minor adaption, that in Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 476.

Shiji, 27.1315. The English translation has been adapted from Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 476.

Translation follows Li Ling, Chu boshu yanjiu (shiyi zhong), 246.

Shiji, 27.1324. The English translation has been adapted from Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 483.

Shiji, 27.1322. The English translation follows Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 482.

Shiji, 27.1316. The English translation follows Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 476.

Kaiyuan zhanjing, in Wenyuange siku quanshu, 807: 476.

Hanshu, 27.1353.

Shiji, 27.1320. The English translation has been adapted from Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 479.

Guangya shuzheng å»£éçè, comp. Wang Niansun çå¿µå«, punc. and coll. Zhang Qiyun å¼µå¶æ (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 2019), 9A.678.

Shiji, 27.1319â20. The English translation has been adapted from Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 478â9.

Shiji, 27.1320. The English translation has been adapted from Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 479.

The record cited below is actually for the month Qie (tr. note).

Jao mentions once more at this point that the graph zuoä¹ in the above quoted passage âwhen its moving in and out is not consistent, then this will create misfortune for those belowâ (åºå¥ãä¸ãåãä¹å¶ä¸å¶), should be read as ze å (if / then) by citing evidence for the two graphâs interchangeability from the LÃ¼shi Chunqiu åæ°æ¥ç§ (Master LÃ¼âs Spring and Autumn Annals) and from the âYue lingâ æä»¤ (Monthly ordinances) chapter in the Liji ç¦®è¨ (Book of Rites).

Translation adapted from Li Ling, Chu boshu yanjiu (shiyi zhong), 246.

Taiping Yulan, 7.12bâ13a, in Wenyuange siku quanshu, 893: 223.

Shiji, 27.1349. The English translation follows Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 508.

Shiji, 27.1349. Jao further mentions here that there are passages on bei å and yu tu é¨å in scroll 875 and 877 in the Taiping Yulan respectively.

Zuo, Zhao 17.5, 1390. The English translation has been adapted from Durrant, Li, and Schaberg, trans., Zuo Tradition, 1547.

Chunqiu zuozhuan zhengyi, 48.1574.

Chunqiu Gongyang zhuan zhushu, 23.581â2. Cf. Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3, 249â50, for my interpretative rendering of this passage.

Chunqiu Gongyang zhuan zhushu, 23.582. Compare also Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 59, for He Xiuâs commentary.

Guangya shuzheng, 9A.679.

Ibid.

The original reads: âThe halberd [of Orion] belongs to the constellation White Tiger, it appears in conjunction with shen. The six stars are called the six tassels to symbolize the halberd.â (ä¼å±¬ç½èå®¿ï¼èåé£é«ï¼èåæè¨åæï¼ä»¥è±¡ä¼) See Maoshi zhengyi, 1.113.

Da Dai Liji jiegu, 47.29.

Zuo, Zhao 1.12, 1217â18. The English translation has been adapted from Durrant, Li, and Schaberg, trans., Zuo Tradition, 1325, and from David W. Pankenier, âApplied Field- Allocation Astrology in Zhou China: Duke Wen of Jin and the Battle of Chengpu (632 BC), Journal of the American Oriental Society 119.2 (1999): 266.

Cf. Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 57â8.

This line does not appear in the transmitted version of the âJin yu.â Instead, it has been recorded in the Guangya. See Guangya shuzheng, 9A.680.

Jao remarks here that some scholars read shen and zhi è· (to be responsible for/duties) in conjunction while explaining the phrase in terms of harmonizing yin and yang. However, not only does this idea belong to the Three Excellencies (ä¸å¬) tradition and thus should not be randomly associated with the kingdom of Chu, he says, such a reading also would not fit the logic of the text. What Jao refers to here as the âThree Excellenciesâ is likely short for âThe deliberation of the Three Excellenciesâ (ä¸å¬è°), a 2nd century AD debate on the beginning of the calendar that was held among astronomers in front of Three Excellencies, the highest officials in the state. Cf. Christopher Cullen, âActors, Networks, and âDisturbing Spectaclesâ in Institutional Science: 2nd Century Chinese Debates on Astronomy,â Antiquorum philosophia 1 (2007): 237â67.

Zuo, Zhao 17.2, 1384. The English translation follows Durrant, Li, and Schaberg, trans., Zuo Tradition, 1543.

Shangshu dazhuan shuzheng, 4.3b.

The translation of this passage deviates somewhat from the notes in Jao, âChu boshu xinzheng,â 892, in order to match Jaoâs interpretation below.

Shiji, 27.1351. The English translation follows Pankenier, Astrology and Cosmology in Early China, 511.

Shiji, 27.1351.

See Jao, âChu boshu xinzheng,â 865â6 for the interpretation of this phrase.

Shiji, 26.1257.

Translation adapted from Li Ling, Chu boshu yanjiu (shiyi zhong), 248.

Qiu Xigui et al., eds., Changsha Mawangdui Hanmu jianbo jicheng, 4: 127.

See Edward L. Shaughnessy, I Ching: The Classic of Changes (New York: Ballantine Books, 1996), 198â9.

This phrase appears in the text of the âHongfanâ chapter from the Book of Documents. See Shangshu zhengyi, 12.364.

Heguanzi jiaozhu é¶¡å åæ ¡æ³¨, comp. Huang Huaixin é»æ·ä¿¡ (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 2014), 8, B.147.

Qiu Xigui et al., eds., Changsha Mawangdui Hanmu jianbo jicheng, 5: 155.

Not included in this translation are the two appendices to this article given in the latest version in WJ 3: 333â46. The first of these appendices reproduces Jaoâs response to a criticism on an earlier version of the present article voiced by Liu Xinfang åä¿¡è³ in his âDe ni yiji xiangguan wenzi de shiduâ å¾·å¿ä»¥åç¸éæåçéè® (An interpretation of âde niâ and other related terms), Huaxue è¯å¸ 5 (2001): 130â39. The second appendix gives an overview of episodes from the mythology of Chu, which are in some way or another related to the text of the Chu Silk Manuscript. As these episodes have been dealt with in the studies translated in chapter 1 of the present volume, I have omitted them here.

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Space, Time, Myth, and Morals: A Selection of Jao Tsung-iâs Studies on Cosmological Thought in Early China and Beyond

Series:Â Collected Works of Jao Tsung-i, Volume: 3

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004522572

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 26 Aug 2022

Subjects
- Asian Studies
  - China
  - History
  - Religion
  - Philosophy
- Literature and Cultural Studies
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Front Matter

Chapter 1 Cosmogony and Myths of Origin in Ancient China and Beyond

Chapter 2 Hemerology, Astrology and Correlative Thought in Early China

Chapter 3 Resolving Doubts: From Divine Providence to Moral Standards and Human Agency

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An Explanation of the Phenomena Called âXiang Weiââ è±¡ç·¯ and âDe Niâ å¾·å¿ in the Chu Silk Manuscript

1 Chen Wei æ¨ç¦ Reads Chen Wei è¾°ç·¯ (Weft of Constellations)

2 Becoming Confused and Diverting from the [Proper] Movements

3 âGaining and Regressingâ and the Planet Saturn

4 Years with Fuzzy Stars

5 Ni å¿ (Concealment) and De Ni å¾·å¿ (the Concealment of Virtue)

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Space, Time, Myth, and Morals: A Selection of Jao Tsung-iâs Studies on Cosmological Thought in Early China and Beyond

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An Explanation of the Phenomena Called âXiang Weiââ è±¡ç·¯ and âDe Niâ å¾·å¿ in the Chu Silk Manuscript

1 Chen Wei æ¨ç¦ Reads Chen Wei è¾°ç·¯ (Weft of Constellations)

3 âGaining and Regressingâ and the Planet Saturn

5 Ni å¿ (Concealment) and De Ni å¾·å¿ (the Concealment of Virtue)

Space, Time, Myth, and Morals: A Selection of Jao Tsung-iâs Studies on Cosmological Thought in Early China and Beyond