Tianwen — Celestial Patterns天文訓

Heaven and earth had not yet taken shape. All was billowing and drifting, hollow and dim, and so it is called Taizhao (太昭). The Way began in the empty void. The empty void gave birth to the universe, and the universe gave birth to breath. Breath has its bounds and its edges. What was clear and light spread thin and became heaven; what was heavy and turbid congealed and clogged and became earth. The joining of what is clear and subtle is single and easy, and the congealing of what is heavy and turbid is hard, and so heaven was finished first and earth was settled after. The linked essence of heaven and earth became yin and yang. The concentrated essence of yin and yang became the four seasons. The scattered essence of the four seasons became the ten thousand things. The hot breath of gathered yang gave birth to fire, and the essence of the breath of fire became the sun. The cold breath of gathered yin became water, and the essence of the breath of water became the moon. What overflowed from the sun and the moon became essence, and that became the stars.

Heaven receives the sun, the moon and the stars. Earth receives the standing water and the dust. Long ago Gonggong fought with Zhuanxu to be emperor. In his rage he butted against Mount Buzhou. The pillar of heaven snapped and the cords of earth broke. Heaven tilted toward the northwest, and so the sun, the moon and the stars moved that way. Earth was not full in the southeast, and so the standing water and the dust run that way. The way of heaven is called round and the way of earth is called square. What is square governs the dark and what is round governs the bright. The bright is what spits breath out, and for this reason fire is called the outward light. The dark is what holds breath in, and for this reason water is called the inward light. What spits breath out bestows, and what holds breath in transforms. For this reason yang bestows and yin transforms. When the slanted breath of heaven is angry it becomes wind, and when the held breath of earth is at peace it becomes rain.

When yin and yang press on each other and are stirred, they become thunder. When they clash, they become the thunderbolt. When they are thrown into confusion, they become fog. When the yang breath wins, they scatter and become rain and dew. When the yin breath wins, they congeal and become frost and snow. Creatures with hair and feathers are the kind that fly, and so they belong to yang. Creatures with shells and scales are the kind that hide and lie low, and so they belong to yin.

The sun is the master of yang. For this reason in spring and summer the beasts shed their coats, and when the summer solstice comes the elk and the deer cast their antlers. The moon is the ancestor of yin. Thus when the moon wanes the brains of fish shrink, and when the moon dies the clams and the snails waste away. Fire climbs upward and water flows downward, and so the bird flies high and the fish moves low. Things of a kind move one another, and root and tip answer each other. So when the yangsui sees the sun it kindles and becomes fire, and when the fangzhu sees the moon it grows wet and becomes water. When the tiger roars the valley wind arrives, and when the dragon rises the lucky clouds follow after. When the qilin fight, the sun and the moon are eaten. When the whale dies, a comet comes out. When the silkworm spins its thread, the shang string snaps. When the star Benxing falls, the Bohai bursts its banks.

The feelings of the ruler of men reach upward to heaven. So when he cuts down the violent, there are many whirlwinds. When he bends the laws and the orders, there are many insects and grubs. When he kills the guiltless, his country becomes red earth. When his orders are not gathered in, there are many ruinous rains.

The four seasons are the clerks of heaven. The sun and the moon are the messengers of heaven. The stars are the appointed times of heaven. Rainbows and comets are the dislikes of heaven. Heaven has nine fields and nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine corners. It stands five hundred million li away from the earth. It has the five planets, the eight winds, the twenty-eight lodges, the five offices, the six storehouses, Zigong, Taiwei, Xuanyuan, Xianchi, the four guards and Tian'e.

What are the nine fields? The center is called Juntian, and its stars are Jiao, Kang and Di. The east is called Cangtian, and its stars are Fang, Xin and Wei. The northeast is called Biantian, and its stars are Ji, Dou and Qianniu. The north is called Xuantian, and its stars are Xunü, Xu, Wei and Yingshi. The northwest is called Youtian, and its stars are Dongbi, Kui and Lou. The west is called Haotian, and its stars are Wei, Mao and Bi. The southwest is called Zhutian, and its stars are Zixi, Shen and Dongjing. The south is called Yantian, and its stars are Yugui, Liu and Qixing. The southeast is called Yangtian, and its stars are Zhang, Yi and Zhen.

What are the five planets? The east is wood. Its emperor is Taihao and his helper is Goumang, who holds the compasses and governs spring. Its god is Suixing, its animal is the azure dragon, its note is jue, and its days are jia and yi. The south is fire. Its emperor is Yandi and his helper is Zhuming, who holds the balance beam and governs summer. Its god is Yinghuo, its animal is the vermilion bird, its note is zhi, and its days are bing and ding. The center is earth. Its emperor is Huangdi and his helper is Houtu, who holds the marking cord and controls the four quarters. Its god is Zhenxing, its animal is the yellow dragon, its note is gong, and its days are wu and ji. The west is metal. Its emperor is Shaohao and his helper is Rushou, who holds the square and governs autumn. Its god is Taibai, its animal is the white tiger, its note is shang, and its days are geng and xin. The north is water. Its emperor is Zhuanxu and his helper is Xuanming, who holds the weight and governs winter. Its god is Chenxing (辰星), its animal is the dark warrior, its note is yu, and its days are ren and gui.

When the Taiyin is in one of the four middle places, Suixing travels three lodges. When the Taiyin is in one of the four hooks, Suixing travels two lodges. Two eights are sixteen and three fours are twelve, and so in twelve years it travels the twenty-eight lodges. In a day it travels one twelfth of a degree, and in a year thirty degrees and seven sixteenths of a degree, and in twelve years it comes round. Yinghuo always enters Taiwei in the tenth month. It receives its charge and comes out to travel the lodges, and it takes charge of the country that has no way. It becomes disorder and becomes robbery, becomes sickness and becomes mourning, becomes famine and becomes war. Its comings and goings are not constant. It changes and alters its color, now seen and now hidden. Zhenxing (鎭星) in the first year, jiayin, first set up Dou, and each year it holds down one lodge as it goes. When it ought to stay and does not stay, that country loses land. When it ought not yet to stay and stays, that country gains land and the year ripens. In a day it travels one twenty-eighth of a degree, and in a year thirteen degrees and five hundred and twelfths of a degree, and in twenty-eight years it comes round. Taibai in the first year first set up yin in the first month, and together with Yinghuo it came out in the east at dawn, and after two hundred and forty days it goes in. A hundred and twenty days after it goes in, it comes out in the west in the evening, and after two hundred and forty days it goes in. Thirty-five days after it goes in, it comes out in the east again. It comes out at chen and xu and goes in at chou and wei. When it ought to come out and does not come out, and when it ought not yet to go in and goes in, all under heaven lays its weapons down. When it ought to go in and does not go in, and when it ought to come out and does not come out, all under heaven raises weapons. Chenxing (辰星) sets the four seasons right. It always shows in Kui and Lou at the spring equinox in the second month, in Dongjing and Yugui at the summer solstice in the fifth month, in Jiao and Kang at the autumn equinox in the eighth month, and in Dou and Qianniu at the winter solstice in the eleventh month. It comes out at chen and xu and goes in at chou and wei, and twenty days after it comes out it goes in. At dawn watch for it in the east, and in the evening watch for it in the west. If it does not come out in one season, that season is not at peace. If it does not come out in the four seasons, all under heaven suffers a great famine.

What are the eight winds? Forty-five days from the winter solstice the Tiao wind arrives. Forty-five days after the Tiao wind arrives, the Mingshu wind arrives. Forty-five days after the Mingshu wind arrives, the Qingming wind arrives. Forty-five days after the Qingming wind arrives, the Jing wind arrives. Forty-five days after the Jing wind arrives, the Liang wind arrives. Forty-five days after the Liang wind arrives, the Changhe wind arrives. Forty-five days after the Changhe wind arrives, the Buzhou wind arrives. Forty-five days after the Buzhou wind arrives, the Guangmo wind arrives. When the Tiao wind arrives, let out the prisoners held on light charges and send off those who have been kept waiting. When the Mingshu wind arrives, set the boundaries right and put the fields in order. When the Qingming wind arrives, bring out the silk gifts and send envoys to the feudal lords. When the Jing wind arrives, grant rank to those who hold posts and reward those who have merit. When the Liang wind arrives, repay the virtue of the earth and sacrifice at the four suburbs. When the Changhe wind arrives, take in what is hung up and leave the zithers unstrung. When the Buzhou wind arrives, repair the palace buildings and mend the border walls. When the Guangmo wind arrives, close the passes and the bridges and settle the punishments.

What are the five offices? The east is the master of fields, the south is the minister of war, the west is the judge, the north is the minister of works, and the center is the chief of the capital.

What are the six storehouses? They are zi and wu, chou and wei, yin and shen, mao and you, chen and xu, si and hai.

Taiwei is the courtyard of Taiyi. Zigong is the dwelling of Taiyi. Xuanyuan is the house of the emperor's consort. Xianchi is the park of the fishes of the water. Tian'e is the gate tower of the host of gods. The four palaces are the means by which reward and punishment are held in charge. Taiwei governs the vermilion sparrow. Zigong holds the Dipper and turns to the left, traveling one degree a day to go round heaven. At the winter solstice the sun is at Mount Junlang. The sun moves one degree a day, and after traveling one hundred and eighty-two degrees and five eighths of a degree in all, at the summer solstice it is at Mount Niushou. It goes back and forth through three hundred and sixty-five degrees and a quarter of a degree and makes one year. In the first year of Tianyi, in the first month, yin was set up, and the sun and the moon both entered the fifth degree of Yingshi. Seventy-six years after Tianyi first set it up, the sun and the moon entered the fifth degree of Yingshi again in the first month, with no fraction left over, and this is called one ji (紀). Twenty ji in all, one thousand five hundred and twenty years, make the great ending, and the sun, the moon and the stars begin the first year jiayin again. The sun travels one degree a day and the year has a quarter of a degree left over, and so in four years one thousand four hundred and sixty-one days are gathered and it meets its old lodging again, and in eighty years it comes back to the old day.

Zi and wu, mao and you make the two marking cords. Chou and yin, chen and si, wei and shen, xu and hai make the four hooks. The northeast is the cord of repaying virtue, the southwest is the cord of turning the back on yang, the southeast is the cord of Changyang, and the northwest is the cord of Titong. At the winter solstice the Dipper points north and meets the cord. The yin breath is at its height and the yang breath sprouts, and so it is said that the winter solstice is virtue. At the summer solstice the Dipper points south and meets the cord. The yang breath is at its height and the yin breath sprouts, and so it is said that the summer solstice is punishment. When the yin breath is at its height, it reaches the north pole in the north and reaches the Yellow Springs below, and so one may not break the ground or sink a well. The ten thousand things are shut away and hidden and the burrowing insects put their heads to their holes, and so it is said that virtue is in the chamber. When the yang breath is at its height, it reaches the south pole in the south and reaches Zhutian above, and so one may not level a mound or climb onto a roof. The ten thousand things breed and multiply and the five grains show their shoots and grow, and so it is said that virtue is in the field. At the winter solstice water follows it, and at the summer solstice fire follows it. So in the fifth month fire is correct and water leaks, and in the eleventh month water is correct and yin wins. The yang breath is fire and the yin breath is water. Water wins, and so the summer solstice is damp. Fire wins, and so the winter solstice is dry. Because it is dry, charcoal is light. Because it is damp, charcoal is heavy. At the winter solstice the water in the well is full and the water in the basin brims over, the sheep sheds its wool, the elk casts its antlers and the magpie begins its nest. With a post eight feet tall, the shadow at midday is one zhang and three feet. At the summer solstice sulphur flows and the essence of stone comes out, the cicada begins to cry and the banxia plant comes up, mosquitoes and gadflies do not bite the colt and the calf, and the birds of prey do not strike the yellow-billed young. The shadow of a post eight feet tall is one foot five inches long. When the shadow is long the yin breath wins, and when the shadow is short the yang breath wins. When the yin breath wins there are floods, and when the yang breath wins there is drought. The punishment and virtue of yin and yang have seven houses. What are the seven houses? The chamber, the hall, the courtyard, the gate, the lane, the road and the field. In the twelfth month virtue stays in the chamber thirty days, moving fifteen days before the solstice and fifteen days after the solstice, and it stays thirty days in each place. When virtue is in the chamber, punishment is in the field. When virtue is in the hall, punishment is in the road. When virtue is in the courtyard, punishment is in the lane. When yin and yang are virtue to each other, punishment and virtue meet at the gate. In the eighth month and the second month the breaths of yin and yang are even and day and night are divided equal, and so it is said that punishment and virtue meet at the gate. When virtue goes south there is life, and when punishment goes south there is killing. So it is said that in the second month they meet and the ten thousand things are born, and in the eighth month they meet and the grasses and the trees die.

Between the two cords there are ninety-one degrees and five sixteenths of a degree. The sun climbs one degree a day, and fifteen days make one term, which gives birth to the changes of the twenty-four periods. When the Dipper points to zi it is the winter solstice, and the note matches Huangzhong. Add fifteen days and it points to gui, and it is Minor Cold, and the note matches Yingzhong. Add fifteen days and it points to chou, and it is Major Cold, and the note matches Wuyi. Add fifteen days and it points to the cord of repaying virtue, and yin passes over into the ground, and so it is said that forty-six days from the winter solstice comes the start of spring, when the yang breath thaws the ice, and the note matches Nanlü. Add fifteen days and it points to yin, and it is Rain Water, and the note matches Yize. Add fifteen days and it points to jia, and it is thunder and the Waking of Insects, and the note matches Linzhong. Add fifteen days and it points to mao and meets the cord, and so it is said that at the spring equinox the thunder travels, and the note matches Ruibin. Add fifteen days and it points to yi, and the Qingming wind arrives, and the note matches Zhonglü. Add fifteen days and it points to chen, and it is Grain Rain, and the note matches Guxian. Add fifteen days and it points to the cord of Changyang, and the spring division is done, and so it is said that after forty-six days comes the start of summer, when the great winds cease, and the note matches Jiazhong. Add fifteen days and it points to si, and it is Grain Fills, and the note matches Taicu. Add fifteen days and it points to bing, and it is Grain in Ear, and the note matches Dalü. Add fifteen days and it points to wu, and the yang breath is at its height, and so it is said that after forty-six days comes the summer solstice, and the note matches Huangzhong. Add fifteen days and it points to ding, and it is Minor Heat, and the note matches Dalü. Add fifteen days and it points to wei, and it is Major Heat, and the note matches Taicu. Add fifteen days and it points to the cord of turning the back on yang, and the summer division is done, and so it is said that after forty-six days comes the start of autumn, when the Liang wind arrives, and the note matches Jiazhong. Add fifteen days and it points to shen, and it is the End of Heat, and the note matches Guxian. Add fifteen days and it points to geng, and the White Dew comes down, and the note matches Zhonglü. Add fifteen days and it points to you and meets the cord, and so it is said that at the autumn equinox the thunder is stilled and the burrowing insects face north, and the note matches Ruibin. Add fifteen days and it points to xin, and it is Cold Dew, and the note matches Linzhong. Add fifteen days and it points to xu, and it is Frost Falls, and the note matches Yize. Add fifteen days and it points to the cord of Titong, and the autumn division is done, and so it is said that after forty-six days comes the start of winter, when the grasses and the trees all die, and the note matches Nanlü. Add fifteen days and it points to hai, and it is Minor Snow, and the note matches Wuyi. Add fifteen days and it points to ren, and it is Major Snow, and the note matches Yingzhong. Add fifteen days and it points to zi. Therefore it is said that yang is born at zi and yin is born at wu. Yang is born at zi, and so at the winter solstice in the eleventh month the magpie begins to add to its nest and the breath of man gathers in the head. Yin is born at wu, and so the fifth month is the lesser punishment, when the shepherd's purse, the barley and the tingli wither, and the grasses and the trees that grew in winter must die.

The handle of the Dipper is the Lesser Year. In the first month it sets up yin, and month by month it travels leftward through the twelve branches. Xianchi is the Great Year. In the second month it sets up mao, and month by month it travels rightward through the four middle places, and when it ends it begins again. He who faces the Great Year is disgraced, he who turns his back on it is strong, he who keeps it on his left declines, and he who keeps it on his right thrives. The Lesser Year gives life in the southeast and kills in the northwest. That one may not face it but may turn the back on it, and may not keep it on the left but may keep it on the right, is what this means. The great time is Xianchi, and the lesser time is the setting up of the months.

When the cord of heaven sets up its first year, it always begins at yin and shifts to the right, moving once each year. In twelve years it makes the great round of heaven, and when it ends it begins again.

In the winter of the first year of Huainan, Taiyi was at bingzi, the winter solstice was at jiawu, and the start of spring was at bingzi. Two yin and one yang make two breaths, and two yang and one yin make three breaths. Breaths joined make the notes, yin joined makes yang, and yang joined makes the pitches, and so one speaks of the five notes and the six pitches. The notes double themselves and become the days, and the pitches double themselves and become the branches, and so the days are ten and the branches are twelve. The moon travels thirteen degrees and twenty-six seventy-sixths of a degree in a day. Twenty-nine days and four hundred and ninety-nine nine hundred and fortieths of a day make one month, and twelve months are taken as a year. The year has ten days and eight hundred and twenty-seven nine hundred and fortieths of a day left over, and so in nineteen years there are seven added months. The sun is at zi and wu at the winter solstice and at mao and you at the summer solstice, and if three days are added to the winter solstice it is the day of the summer solstice. Each year it shifts six days, and when it ends it begins again.

At the winter solstice of renwu, jiazi receives the charge and wood takes up the work, and the smoke of the fire is green. After seventy-two days bingzi receives the charge and fire takes up the work, and the smoke of the fire is red. After seventy-two days wuzi receives the charge and earth takes up the work, and the smoke of the fire is yellow. After seventy-two days gengzi receives the charge and metal takes up the work, and the smoke of the fire is white. After seventy-two days renzi receives the charge and water takes up the work, and the smoke of the fire is black. After seventy-two days the year ends and gengzi receives the charge. Each year it shifts six days, and reckoning by number, in seventy years it comes to jiazi again. When jiazi receives the charge, practice gentle kindness, loosen the many prohibitions, open the leaves of the doors, let what is blocked pass through, and do not fell trees. When bingzi receives the charge, raise up the worthy and the good, reward those who have merit, set up the feudal lords, and bring out goods and wealth. When wuzi receives the charge, nourish the old, the widower and the widow, give out gruel, and spread kindness abroad. When gengzi receives the charge, mend the walls, repair the ramparts, look into the many prohibitions, put the weapons and the armor in order, warn the hundred officers, and cut down the lawless. When renzi receives the charge, close the gates and the wards, search the travelers closely, settle the punishments, put to death those whose guilt deserves it, rest the passes and the bridges, and forbid moving abroad.

The breath of jiazi is dry and turbid. The breath of bingzi is dry and yang. The breath of wuzi is damp and turbid. The breath of gengzi is dry and cold. The breath of renzi is clear and cold. When bingzi offends jiazi, the burrowing insects come out early, and so the thunder travels early. When wuzi offends jiazi, the unborn die early and the eggs do not hatch, and birds and insects are much harmed. When gengzi offends jiazi, there is war. When renzi offends jiazi, there is frost in spring. When wuzi offends bingzi, there are thunderbolts. When gengzi offends bingzi, there is wounding. When renzi offends bingzi, there is hail. When jiazi offends bingzi, the ground moves. When gengzi offends wuzi, calamity falls on the five grains. When renzi offends wuzi, the summer is cold and frost falls. When jiazi offends wuzi, the shelled insects do not grow. When bingzi offends wuzi, there is a great drought and the many fiefs are burned up. When renzi offends gengzi, there is great hardness and the fish do not grow. When jiazi offends gengzi, the grasses and the trees die twice and are born twice. When bingzi offends gengzi, the grasses and the trees flower again. When wuzi offends gengzi, the year is now there and now gone. When jiazi offends renzi, the winter does not store away. When bingzi offends renzi, the stars fall. When wuzi offends renzi, the burrowing insects come out in their districts in winter. When gengzi offends renzi, the thunder sounds in their districts in winter.

In the third month, at the close of spring, Fenglong comes out and leads the rains. When the third month of autumn comes, the breath of the earth does not store away and gathers in its killing. All the insects hide and lie low, dwelling quietly with their doors shut, and Qingnü comes out and sends down frost and snow. She travels through the breaths of the twelve periods, and when she reaches the evening of the second month, in mid spring, she gathers in her storing and shuts up her cold. Then Nüyi beats the drum and sings, and takes charge of the peace of heaven, and rears the hundred grains, the birds, the grasses and the trees. In the month of early summer she ripens the grain, and the cock dove cries long and watches the year for the emperor.

For this reason, if heaven does not send out its yin, the ten thousand things are not born, and if earth does not send out its yang, the ten thousand things are not finished. Heaven is round and earth is square, and the Way is in the center. The sun is virtue and the moon is punishment. When the moon goes back, the ten thousand things die. When the sun comes, the ten thousand things are born. Keep far from the mountains and the breath of the mountains hides away. Keep far from the water and the water insects burrow. Keep far from the trees and the leaves of the trees wither. If the sun is not seen for five days, it has lost its place, and the sage takes no part in it.

The sun comes out at Yanggu, bathes in Xianchi, and brushes past Fusang. This is called Chenming. It climbs Fusang, and there it first sets out. This is called Feiming. It reaches Qu'e. This is called Danming. It reaches Zengquan. This is called Zaoshi. It reaches Sangye. This is called Yanshi. It reaches Hengyang. This is called Yuzhong. It reaches Kunwu. This is called Zhengzhong. It reaches Niaoci. This is called Xiaohuan. It reaches Beigu. This is called Bushi. It reaches Nüji. This is called Dahuan. It reaches Yuanyu. This is called Gaochong. It reaches Lianshi. This is called Xiachong. It reaches Beiquan, and there it halts its daughter and there it rests its horses. This is called Xuanche. It reaches Yuyuan. This is called Huanghun. It reaches Menggu. This is called Dinghun. The sun goes in at the waters of Yuyuan and dawns at the shore of Menggu. It travels the nine provinces and the seven stages, five hundred million and seven thousand three hundred and nine li, and Yu took these for morning, day, dusk and night.

At the summer solstice yin rides on yang, and thus the ten thousand things go forward and die. At the winter solstice yang rides on yin, and thus the ten thousand things look up and are born. Day is the portion of yang and night is the portion of yin. Thus when the yang breath wins, the day is long and the night is short, and when the yin breath wins, the day is short and the night is long.

The emperor spread out the four cords and turns them with the Dipper. Each month it shifts one branch and comes back again to its place. In the first month it points to yin and in the twelfth month it points to chou, going round once in a year, and when it ends it begins again. When it points to yin, the ten thousand things wriggle like worms, and the pitch it receives is Taicu. Taicu means gathered together and not yet come out. When it points to mao, mao is thick with growth, and the pitch it receives is Jiazhong. Jiazhong means the seed first forms its pod. When it points to chen, chen is shaking, and the pitch it receives is Guxian. Guxian means the old goes and the new comes. When it points to si, si is that birth is already settled, and the pitch it receives is Zhonglü. Zhonglü means the middle is full and great. When it points to wu, wu is going against, and the pitch it receives is Ruibin. Ruibin means at ease and yielding. When it points to wei, wei is dimness, and the pitch it receives is Linzhong. Linzhong means drawn out and brought to a stop. When it points to shen, shen is groaning, and the pitch it receives is Yize. Yize means its rule is changed, and virtue is going away. When it points to you, you is fullness, and the pitch it receives is Nanlü. Nanlü means bearing and wrapping and growing great. When it points to xu, xu is destruction, and the pitch it receives is Wuyi. Wuyi means going in without weariness. When it points to hai, hai is barring, and the pitch it receives is Yingzhong. Yingzhong means answering to its bell. When it points to zi, zi is increase, and the pitch it receives is Huangzhong. Huangzhong means the bell is already yellow. When it points to chou, chou is tying, and the pitch it receives is Dalü. Dalü means going away in a company. When it is added to mao and you, yin and yang are divided and day and night are equal. So it is said that the compasses give life and the square kills, the balance beam lengthens and the weight stores away, and the marking cord dwells in the center and is the root of the four seasons.

The Way is called the compasses. It begins from one, and one alone does not give birth, and so it divides and becomes yin and yang. Yin and yang join in peace and the ten thousand things are born, and so it is said, "One gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to the ten thousand things." Heaven and earth take three months as one season, and so in sacrifice three mouthfuls of food are taken as the rite, in mourning three leaps are taken as the measure, and in war three repeated reports are taken as the rule. Take part with things by threes. Three threes are nine, and so the pitch pipe of Huangzhong is nine inches long and the gong note is in tune. Multiply by nine, and nine nines are eighty-one, and so the number of Huangzhong is set up. Huang is the color of the virtue of earth, and zhong is where the breath is planted. At the winter solstice the breath of virtue is earth, and the color of earth is yellow, and so it is called Huangzhong. The number of the pitches is six, and it divides into female and male, and so they are called the twelve bells, to match the twelve months. Each of the twelve is made by threes, and so one is set aside and eleven are multiplied by three, and the gathered fractions are one hundred and seventy-seven thousand one hundred and forty-seven, and the great number of Huangzhong is set up. Of the twelve pitches, Huangzhong is gong, Taicu is shang, Guxian is jue, Linzhong is zhi, and Nanlü is yu. Things are made by threes and the notes are set up by fives, and three and five are eight, and so the creatures born from eggs have eight openings. When the pitches were first born they copied the voice of the phoenix, and so the notes are born by eights. Huangzhong is gong, and gong is the ruler of the notes, and so Huangzhong is placed at zi, its number is eighty-one, it governs the eleventh month, and downward it gives birth to Linzhong. The number of Linzhong is fifty-four, it governs the sixth month, and upward it gives birth to Taicu. The number of Taicu is seventy-two, it governs the first month, and downward it gives birth to Nanlü. The number of Nanlü is forty-eight, it governs the eighth month, and upward it gives birth to Guxian. The number of Guxian is sixty-four, it governs the third month, and downward it gives birth to Yingzhong. The number of Yingzhong is forty-two, it governs the tenth month, and upward it gives birth to Ruibin. The number of Ruibin is fifty-seven, it governs the fifth month, and upward it gives birth to Dalü. The number of Dalü is seventy-six, it governs the twelfth month, and downward it gives birth to Yize. The number of Yize is fifty-one, it governs the seventh month, and upward it gives birth to Jiazhong. The number of Jiazhong is sixty-eight, it governs the second month, and downward it gives birth to Wuyi. The number of Wuyi is forty-five, it governs the ninth month, and upward it gives birth to Zhonglü. The number of Zhonglü is sixty, it governs the fourth month, and being at the limit it gives birth to nothing. Zhi gives birth to gong, gong gives birth to shang, shang gives birth to yu, yu gives birth to jue, jue gives birth to Guxian, and Guxian gives birth to Yingzhong. These are matched against the correct notes, and so they are at peace. Yingzhong gives birth to Ruibin, which is not matched against the correct notes, and so it goes awry. At the winter solstice the note matches Linzhong and grows steadily muddier. At the summer solstice the note matches Huangzhong and grows steadily clearer. The twelve pitches answer the changes of the twenty-four periods. Jiazi is the zhi of Zhonglü, bingzi is the yu of Jiazhong, wuzi is the gong of Huangzhong, gengzi is the shang of Wuyi, and renzi is the jue of Yize.

In old times the making of measures and weights was born from the way of heaven. The pitch pipe of Huangzhong is nine inches long. Things are born by threes, and three nines are twenty-seven, and so the breadth of the cloth is two feet seven inches. The notes give birth to one another by eights, and so a man is eight feet tall. The xun doubles itself, and so eight feet make one xun. Where there is shape there is sound. The number of the notes is five, and five times eight is forty, and so four zhang make one bolt. The bolt is the measure of a middling man, and one bolt makes one zhi (制). At the autumn equinox the ears of grain are set, and when the ears are set the grain ripens. The number of the pitches is twelve, and so twelve ears answer to one grain of millet and twelve grains of millet answer to one inch. The pitches answer to the branches and the notes answer to the days. The number of the days is ten, and so ten inches make one foot and ten feet make one zhang. Taken as weight, twelve grains of millet answer to one fen, twelve fen answer to one zhu, and twelve zhu answer to half a tael. The balance has a left and a right, and doubling by this, twenty-four zhu make one tael. Heaven has four seasons and makes one year with them, and multiplying by four, four fours are sixteen, and so sixteen taels make one catty. Three months make one season and thirty days make one month, and so thirty catties make one jun. Four seasons make one year, and so four jun make one dan. Taken as notes, one pitch gives birth to five notes and twelve pitches make sixty notes, and multiplying by six, six sixes are thirty-six, and so three hundred and sixty notes answer to the days of one year. Therefore the numbers of the pitches and the calendar are the way of heaven and earth. What gives birth downward is doubled and divided by three, and what gives birth upward is taken four times and divided by three.

The Taiyin in its first year was set up at jiayin. One round done, it is set up at jiaxu. Two rounds done, it is set up at jiawu. Three rounds done, it gets back the first year, jiayin. Each year it shifts one branch. After the start of spring it gets its branch and moves to what it follows, and with three before and five behind, the hundred affairs may be undertaken.

Where the Taiyin sets up, the burrowing insects dwell with their heads to their holes and the magpie faces its nest and makes its door. When the Taiyin is at yin, the vermilion bird is at mao, Gouchen is at zi, the dark warrior is at xu, the white tiger is at you, and the azure dragon is at chen.

Yin is Jian, mao is Chu, chen is Man, and si is Ping. These govern birth.

Wu is Ding and wei is Zhi. These govern falling in.

Shen is Po. It governs the balance beam.

You is Wei. It governs the handle.

Xu is Cheng. It governs the lesser virtue.

Hai is Shou. It governs the greater virtue.

Zi is Kai. It governs the Great Year.

Chou is Bi. It governs the Taiyin.

When the Taiyin is at yin, the year is named Shetige. Its male is Suixing, which lodges in Dou and Qianniu and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the eleventh month, with Dongjing and Yugui standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at mao, the year is named Chan'e, and Suixing lodges in Xunü, Xu and Wei and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the twelfth month, with Liu, Qixing and Zhang standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at chen, the year is named Zhixu, and Suixing lodges in Yingshi and Dongbi and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the first month, with Yi and Zhen standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at si, the year is named Dahuangluo, and Suixing lodges in Kui and Lou and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the second month, with Jiao and Kang standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at wu, the year is named Dunzang, and Suixing lodges in Wei, Mao and Bi and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the third month, with Di, Fang and Xin standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at wei, the year is named Xiexia, and Suixing lodges in Zixi and Shen and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the fourth month, with Wei and Ji standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at shen, the year is named Juntan, and Suixing lodges in Dongjing and Yugui and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the fifth month, with Dou and Qianniu standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at you, the year is named Zuo'e, and Suixing lodges in Liu, Qixing and Zhang and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the sixth month, with Xunü, Xu and Wei standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at xu, the year is named Yanmao, and Suixing lodges in Yi and Zhen and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the seventh month, with Yingshi and Dongbi standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at hai, the year is named Dayuanxian, and Suixing lodges in Jiao and Kang and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the eighth month, with Kui and Lou standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at zi, the year is named Kundun, and Suixing lodges in Di, Fang and Xin and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the ninth month, with Wei, Mao and Bi standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at chou, the year is named Chifenruo, and Suixing lodges in Wei and Ji and comes out with it in the east at dawn in the tenth month, with Zixi and Shen standing opposite.

When the Taiyin is at jiazi, punishment and virtue meet in the palace of the east. It always shifts to what it does not overcome. They meet for four years and part, and after sixteen years apart they meet again. They part because punishment cannot enter the central palace and so shifts to wood. The day on which the Taiyin stays is virtue, and the branch is punishment. Virtue doubles itself and follows on the hard days, and on the soft days it shifts to what it does not overcome. As for punishment, the branch of water goes to wood and the branch of wood goes to water, while metal and fire stand in their places. In the shifting of the several gods, the vermilion bird is one place before the Taiyin, Gouchen is three behind, the dark warrior is five before, and the white tiger is six behind. When the star Xu rides on Gouchen, heaven and earth are folded together.

In every case among the days, jia is hard and yi is soft, bing is hard and ding is soft, and so on down to gui.

Wood is born at hai, comes to its strength at mao, and dies at wei. All three branches are wood.

Fire is born at yin, comes to its strength at wu, and dies at xu. All three branches are fire.

Earth is born at wu, comes to its strength at xu, and dies at yin. All three branches are earth.

Metal is born at si, comes to its strength at you, and dies at chou. All three branches are metal.

Water is born at shen, comes to its strength at zi, and dies at chen. All three branches are water.

Therefore each of the five conquests is born at one, comes to its strength at five, and ends at nine. Five nines are forty-five, and so the god shifts once in forty-five days. With three it answers to five, and so after eight shifts the year ends.

In every use of the Taiyin, punishment is to the left and in front and virtue is to the right and behind. Strike the branch that stands against Gouchen, and in battle you will surely win and in attack you will surely overcome.

If you would know the way of heaven, take the sun for the master. In the sixth month it comes to the lodge Xin, and it goes round to the left. Divide this and it makes the twelve months, which match the sun. When heaven and earth are folded over each other, there will surely be no calamity afterward.

The stars set up Yingshi in the first month, Kui and Lou in the second month, Wei in the third month, Bi in the fourth month, Dongjing in the fifth month, Zhang in the sixth month, Yi in the seventh month, Kang in the eighth month, Fang in the ninth month, Wei in the tenth month, Qianniu in the eleventh month, and Xu in the twelfth month.

The degrees allotted to the lodges.

Jiao twelve, Kang nine, Di fifteen, Fang five, Xin five, Wei eighteen, Ji eleven and a quarter, Dou twenty-six, Qianniu eight, Xunü twelve, Xu ten, Wei seventeen, Yingshi sixteen, Dongbi nine, Kui sixteen, Lou twelve, Wei fourteen, Mao eleven, Bi sixteen, Zixi two, Shen nine, Dongjing thirty, Yugui four, Liu fifteen, Xing seven, Zhang and Yi eighteen each, Zhen seventeen. These are the twenty-eight lodges in all.

The names of the lands allotted to the stars.

Jiao and Kang are Zheng. Di, Fang and Xin are Song. Wei and Ji are Yan. Dou and Qianniu are Yue. Xunü is Wu. Xu and Wei are Qi. Yingshi and Dongbi are Wei (衛). Kui and Lou are Lu. Wei, Mao and Bi are Wei (魏). Zixi and Shen are Zhao. Dongjing and Yugui are Qin. Liu, Qixing and Zhang are Zhou. Yi and Zhen are Chu.

Where Suixing stays, the five grains are rich and thriving. What stands opposite it is the clash, and in that year there is calamity. When it ought to stay and does not stay, but passes over and goes elsewhere, the ruler dies and the country falls.

When the Taiyin governs spring, it would practice gentle kindness and warmth and coolness. When the Taiyin governs summer, it would bestow and spread and make bright. When the Taiyin governs autumn, it would put its stores in order and mend its weapons. When the Taiyin governs winter, it would be fierce and firm and strong. In three years the terms are changed, and in six years what is constant is altered. So in three years there is one famine, in six years one decline, and in twelve years one time of ease.

Jia is Qi, yi is the Eastern Yi, bing is Chu, ding is the Southern Yi, wu is Wei (魏), ji is Han, geng is Qin, xin is the Western Yi, ren is Wei (衛), gui is Yue, zi is Zhou, chou is Di, yin is Chu, mao is Zheng, chen is Jin (晉), si is Wei (衛), wu is Qin (秦), wei is Song, shen is Qi, you is Lu, xu is Zhao, and hai is Yan.

Jia and yi, yin and mao are wood. Bing and ding, si and wu are fire. Wu and ji and the four seasons are earth. Geng and xin, shen and you are metal. Ren and gui, hai and zi are water.

Water gives birth to wood, wood gives birth to fire, fire gives birth to earth, earth gives birth to metal, and metal gives birth to water.

When the child gives birth to the mother it is called rightness. When the mother gives birth to the child it is called protection. When child and mother gain each other it is called wholeness. When the mother overcomes the child it is called control. When the child overcomes the mother it is called distress.

Strike and kill by overcoming, and you win and there is no repayment. Follow your affairs by wholeness, and you hold to one thing and have merit. Carry out the pattern by rightness, and your name is set up and does not fall. Rear and nourish by protection, and the ten thousand things thrive. Undertake affairs by distress, and there is breaking and ruin, death and loss.

The god of the Northern Dipper has a female and a male. In the eleventh month it first sets up at zi, and each month it follows one branch. The male travels leftward and the female travels rightward. In the fifth month they meet at wu and plan punishment, and in the eleventh month they meet at zi and plan virtue.

The branch where the Taiyin stays becomes a yanri (猒日), and on a yanri none of the hundred affairs may be undertaken. Kanyu travels slowly, and the male knows the female by her voice, and so it makes the odd branch. The count begins from jiazi, and child and mother seek each other, and where they join is the joining. The ten days and the twelve branches go round in sixty days, and there are eight joinings in all. To join before the year is death and ruin, and to join after the year is freedom from calamity.

Jiaxu is Yan. Yiyou is Qi. Bingwu is Yue. Dingsi is Chu. Gengshen is Qin. Xinmao is Rong. Renzi is Dai. Guihai is Hu. Wuxu and jihai are Han. Jiyou and jimao are Wei. Wuwu and wuzi are the eight joinings of all under heaven.

When the five gods, the Taiyin, the Lesser Year, the star, the sun and the branch, all join, there are cloud breaths and wind and rain on that day, and the ruler of the country meets it.

Among the gods of heaven none is more honored than the azure dragon, which some call Tianyi and some call the Taiyin. Where the Taiyin stays, one may not turn the back on it but may face it. What the Northern Dipper strikes may not be met in battle.

Heaven and earth being set out, they divided and became yin and yang. Yang is born from yin and yin is born from yang. Yin and yang cross each other and the four cords pass through, and some die and some live, and the ten thousand things are finished. Among the things that walk on legs and breathe through beaks, none is more honored than man. His openings and his limbs all pass through to heaven.

Heaven has nine layers, and man too has nine openings. Heaven has four seasons and controls the twelve months with them, and man too has four limbs and works twelve joints with them. Heaven has twelve months and controls three hundred and sixty days with them, and man too has twelve limbs and works three hundred and sixty joints with them. So one who undertakes affairs and does not follow heaven goes against his own life.

Count from the winter solstice to the first day of the first month of the coming year. If it is fifty days, the people have food enough. If it falls short of fifty days, take away one dou for each day. If there are days over, add one sheng for each day. Each year has its charge.

The year Shetige. The year has early floods and late drought, the rice sickens, the silkworms do not climb, the beans and the barley thrive, and the people's food is four sheng. It is yin. At jia it is called Efeng.

The year Chan'e. The year is at peace, the rice, the beans, the barley and the silkworms thrive, and the people's food is five sheng. It is mao. At yi it is called Zhanmeng.

The year Zhixu. The year has early drought and late floods, there is a small famine, the silkworms are shut in, the barley ripens, and the people's food is three sheng. It is chen. At bing it is called Rouzhao.

The year Dahuangluo. In that year there is a small war, the silkworms climb a little, the barley thrives, the beans sicken, and the people's food is two sheng. It is si. At ding it is called Qiangyu.

The year Dunzang. The year has a great drought, the silkworms climb, the rice sickens, the beans and the barley thrive, the millet does not grow, and the people's food is two sheng. It is the branch wu. At the stem wu it is called Zhuyong.

The year Xiexia. In that year there is a small war, the silkworms climb, the rice thrives, the beans and the barley do not grow, and the people's food is three sheng. It is wei. At ji it is called Tuwei.

The year Juntan. The year is at peace, light rains fall, the silkworms climb, the beans and the barley thrive, and the people's food is three sheng. It is shen. At geng it is called Shangzhang.

The year Zuo'e. In that year there is a great war, the people fall ill, the silkworms do not climb, the beans and the barley do not grow, worms get into the millet, and the people's food is five sheng. It is you. At xin it is called Chongguang.

The year Yanmao. The year has a small famine, there is war, the silkworms do not climb, the barley does not grow, the beans thrive, and the people's food is seven sheng. It is xu. At ren it is called Xuanyi.

The year Dayuanxian. In that year there is a great war and a great famine, the silkworms open, the beans and the barley do not grow, worms get into the millet, and the people's food is three sheng.

The year Kundun. In that year great fogs rise and great floods come out, the silkworms, the rice, the beans and the barley thrive, and the people's food is three dou. It is zi. At gui it is called Zhaoyang.

The year Chifenruo. In that year there is a small war and early floods, the silkworms do not come out, the rice sickens, the beans do not grow, the barley thrives, and the people's food is one sheng.

To set morning and evening right, first plant one post in the east. Take another post and step back ten paces from the first post, and sight along the two to watch the sun as it first comes out at the northern edge. When the sun is just going in, plant another post in the east, and using the post in the west sight along them to watch the sun, and when it is just going in at the northern edge the east is fixed. The middle of the two posts, with the post in the west, gives the true east and west. At the winter solstice the sun comes out at the southeastern cord and goes in at the southwestern cord. At the spring equinox and the autumn equinox the sun comes out at the middle of the east and goes in at the middle of the west. At the summer solstice it comes out at the northeastern cord and goes in at the northwestern cord, and when it is at its height it is due south.

If you would know the numbers for the breadth from east to west and the length from north to south, set up four posts to make a square one li on a side. More than ten days before the spring equinox or the autumn equinox, sight from the northern post of the square to watch the sun as it first comes out and to watch the dawn, and see whether they answer each other. If they answer each other, then this stands straight against the sun. Then sight along the southern post, and take the number that goes into the front post as the divisor. Divide the breadth that has been raised, and divide the length of the post that is set up, and by this you know the numbers from here to east and west. Suppose you watch the sun come out and it goes one inch into the front post. This one inch gets one li. One li gathers eighteen thousand inches, and so you get eighteen thousand li from here to the east. Watch the sun just going in, and if it goes half an inch into the front post, then half an inch gets one li. Divide the gathered inches of one li by half an inch and you get thirty-six thousand li, and this division gives the number of li from here to the west. Put the li of east and west together and you have the diameter to the ends. If it stands straight before the spring equinox and no longer stands straight after the autumn equinox, this place is to the south. If it stands straight before the autumn equinox and no longer stands straight after the spring equinox, this place is to the north. If it stands straight at the equinoxes and the solstices, this place is in the middle between north and south. If from the middle place you would know the middle of the south, and it does not stand straight before the autumn equinox, this place is in the middle between north and south. If from the middle place you would know how far or how near the poles of north and south are, sight the sun from the southwestern post, and when the sun at the summer solstice first comes out and matches the northern post, then the east is equal with the northeastern post. If it is eighteen thousand li due east, then it is eighteen thousand li north from the middle as well. Double this and you have the number of li from north to south. For a number that is not taken from the middle, add to it or take from it by the number that goes into or comes out of the front post. When the post goes in one inch, that inch takes one li off the nearness of the sun. When the post comes out one inch, that inch adds one li to its distance.

If you would know the height of heaven, set up a post one zhang tall, and set another due north or south a thousand li away, and measure their shadows on the same day. If the northern post gives one foot and the southern post one foot nine inches, then a thousand li to the south the shadow is one inch shorter, and twenty thousand li to the south there would be no shadow, for that is straight below the sun. That a shadow of two feet gives a height of one zhang means that for one to the south the height is five. So take the number of li from here south to the place below the sun and multiply it by five, and you get one hundred thousand li, and this is the height of heaven. If you make the shadow equal to the post, then the height is equal to the distance.