User:Sh7039/Chinese calendar

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(1)The traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Nongli Calendar(Lunar calendar) (In traditional Chinese: 農曆; simplified Chinese: 农历; pinyin: nónglì), Laoli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 老曆; simplified Chinese: 老历; pinyin: lǎolì; ) is a lunisolar calendar which identifies years, months, and days according to astronomical phenomena. In China, it is defined by the Chinese national standard GB/T 33661–2017, "Calculation and Promulgation of the Chinese Calendar", issued by the Standardization Administration of China on May 12, 2017.

(2) The traditional Japanese calendar was also derived from the Chinese calendar (based on a Japanese meridian), but Japan abolished its official use in 1873 after Meiji Restoration reforms. Calendars in Mongolia and Tibet have absorbed elements of the traditional Chinese calendar but are not direct descendants of it.[citation needed]

my own view: Mongolia uses the Tibetan New Year as "Chagansa day". On Kublai Khan's imperial advisor, the fifth generation of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism, Phags-pa. It means "holy one" in Tibetan. He issued the Sagar almanac. It has become a chronological system combining Mongolian and Chinese calendars. The "Chagansa Day" in Mongolia is the Tibetan New Year based on the Sakya almanac. This is combined with the Chinese Lunar New Year. It happened in the thirteenth century. Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty in China. For the sake of ruling the Han people. The Mongolian New Year "Chagansa day" and the Chinese Lunar New Year together. One piece of evidence is that the Mongolian calendar has a 12-year cycle of animal signs that is similar to the Chinese zodiac. However, the order of the animals is different, and there are other differences in the way the calendar is calculated.

Similarly, the Tibetan calendar also has a 12-year cycle of animal signs that is based on the Chinese zodiac. However, the Tibetan calendar also incorporates elements from the Indian lunar calendar, such as the lunar month and the calculation of eclipses.

Citation about Mongolia calendar and Chinese calendar.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/228314.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A9f05380f4d84564224e34134b16af929&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&origin=&initiator=&acceptTC=1

(3) The plum-rains season (梅雨), the rainy season in late spring and early summer, begins on the first bǐng day after Mangzhong (芒種) and ends on the first wèi day after Xiaoshu (小暑). The Three Fu (三伏; sānfú) are three periods of hot weather, counted from the first gēng day after the summer solstice. The first fu (初伏; chūfú) is 10 days long. The mid-fu (中伏; zhōngfú) is 10 or 20 days long. The last fu (末伏; mòfú) is 10 days from the first gēng day after the beginning of autumn. The Shujiu cold days (數九; shǔjǐu; 'counting to nine') are the 81 days after the winter solstice (divided into nine sets of nine days), and are considered the coldest days of the year. Each nine-day unit is known by its order in the set, followed by "nine" (九).[citation needed]

This is the reference talks about the story and order of the "counting to nine". From Xinhua News. http://m.xinhuanet.com/js/2017-12/22/c_1122150122.htm

Addition: In traditional Chinese culture, "nine" represents the infinity, which is also the number of "Yang". People believe that the nine times accumulation of "Yang" gradually reduces the "Yin", and finally the whether becomes warm.

Reference from Xinhua News: http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2018-02/26/c_1122452100.htm

(4) This calendar introduced the 24 solar terms, dividing the year into 24 equal parts. Solar terms were paired, with the 12 combined periods known as climate terms. The first solar term of the period was known as a pre-climate (节气), and the second was a mid-climate (中气). Months were named for the mid-climate to which they were closest, and a month without a mid-climate was an intercalary month.[citation needed]

own idea: The definition of pre-climate and mid-climate should be clarify to make it more understandable. This calendar divides the year into 24 equal parts and one month matches one pair of solar terms, and the first coming solar term is called pre-climate and the second on is called mid-climate. Then this calendar has a unique method to calculate one year, so-called "interposition method." Because the lunisolar calendar takes the positions of Sun, Luna and Earth into account, it integrate the calculation methods of solar calendar and lunar calendar. As a result, the current interposition method is "nineteen years seven leap"(十九年七闰), that is, every two to three years, must add a lunar month with the same as the last month, the added month is called intercalary month. If the 24 solar terms from Start of Spring to Major Cold, then the singular term is called the solar term, and the even number is called the mid-climate. In the lunar calendar, the twelve mid-climates represent the twelve months of the year, and the average interval between them is nearly one day longer than that of a lunar month. In the long run, there will always be a phenomenon of mid-climate at the end of the month, so there will be no mid-climate in the following month and only the solar term (that is, the next mid-climate is at the beginning of the second lunar month). Therefore, this lunar month that is not neutral is called the intercalary month of the previous month.

Reference from Ke Pu Zhong Guo: https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BD%AE%E9%97%B0%E6%B3%95/134314?fromModule=lemma_inlink

https://baike.baidu.com/reference/380225/eb36gqWAK6kmLxsfvETrbVui--HWU-s2l-IOqwmXwGeABWkxD7_vIpb0lgmGXrPMHz5T6xFZsKo5--7IFgSSXa2x7MV48wI3GESz3RvFszkyK9TtjIAHEg

(5) Publications began using the estimated birth date of the Yellow Emperor as the first year of the Han calendar in 1903, with newspapers and magazines proposing different dates. Jiangsu province counted 1905 as the year 4396 (using a year 1 of 2491 BCE, and implying that 2023 CE is 4514), and the newspaper Ming Pao (明報) reckoned 1905 as 4603 (using a year 1 of 2698 BCE, and implying that 2023 CE is 4721).[citation needed] Liu Shipei (劉師培, 1884–1919) created the Yellow Emperor Calendar, with year 1 as the birth of the Yellow Emperor (which he determined as 2711 BCE, implying that 2023 CE is 4734).(insert the reference here) https://web.archive.org/web/20200801082232/https://www2.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/file/1097kaBVwNb.pdf

There is no evidence that this calendar was used before the 20th century. Liu calculated that the 1900 international expedition sent by the Eight-Nation Alliance to suppress the Boxer Rebellion entered Beijing in the 4611th year of the Yellow Emperor.

I suggest that this section could be replaced by other reference if no one can find this news on Ming Pao : Ming Pao (明報) reckoned 1905 as 4603 (using a year 1 of 2698 BCE, and implying that 2023 CE is 4721).

(6) Grouping days into sets of ten is still used today in referring to specific natural events. "Three Fu" (三伏), a 29–30-day period which is the hottest of the year, reflects its three-xún length. After the winter solstice, nine sets of nine days were counted to calculate the end of winter.[citation needed]

Reference from Tian Qi Wannianli: https://wannianli.tianqi.com/news/281436.html

(7)

The traditional Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar which identifies years, months, and days according to astronomical phenomena. In China, it is defined by the Chinese national standard GB/T 33661–2017, "Calculation and Promulgation of the Chinese Calendar", issued by the Standardization Administration of China on May 12, 2017. Traditional Chinese calendar also known as these five titles: Nongli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 農曆; simplified Chinese: 农历; pinyin: nónglì; lit. 'agricultural calendar'), Jiuli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 舊曆; simplified Chinese: 旧历; pinyin: jiùlì; Jyutping: Gau6 Lik6; lit. 'former calendar'), Laoli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 老曆; simplified Chinese: 老历; pinyin: lǎolì; lit. 'old calendar'), Zhongli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 中曆; simplified Chinese: 中历; pinyin: zhōnglì; Jyutping: zung1 lik6; lit. 'Chinese calendar'), Huali Calendar (traditional Chinese: 華曆; simplified Chinese: 华历; pinyin: huálì; Jyutping: waa4 lik6; lit. 'Chinese calendar')

"GB/T 33661-2017 Calculation and promulgation of the Chinese calendar". 国家标准全文公开系统. Archivedfrom the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January2023.

Article body

James Zhou -1

Original:

The traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Nongli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 農曆; simplified Chinese: 农历; pinyin: nónglì; lit. 'agricultural calendar'), Jiuli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 舊曆; simplified Chinese: 旧历; pinyin: jiùlì; Jyutping: Gau6 Lik6; lit. 'former calendar'), Laoli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 老曆; simplified Chinese: 老历; pinyin: lǎolì; lit. 'old calendar') ) is a lunisolar calendar which identifies years, months, and days according to astronomical phenomena. In China, it is defined by the Chinese national standard GB/T 33661–2017, "Calculation and Promulgation of the Chinese Calendar", issued by the Standardization Administration of China on May 12, 2017.

Revision

The traditional Chinese calendar (also known as the Nongli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 農曆; simplified Chinese: 农历; pinyin: nónglì; lit. 'agricultural calendar'), Jiuli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 舊曆; simplified Chinese: 旧历; pinyin: jiùlì; Jyutping: Gau6 Lik6; lit. 'former calendar'), Laoli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 老曆; simplified Chinese: 老历; pinyin: lǎolì; lit. 'old calendar'), Zhongli Calendar (traditional Chinese: 中曆; simplified Chinese: 中历; pinyin: zhōnglì; Jyutping: zung1 lik6; lit. 'Chinese calendar'), Huali Calendar (traditional Chinese: 華曆; simplified Chinese: 华历; pinyin: huálì; Jyutping: waa4 lik6; lit. 'Chinese calendar') ) is a lunisolar calendar which identifies years, months, and days according to astronomical phenomena. It was widely used for agricultural production scheduling and named after this purpose. In China, it is defined by the Chinese national standard GB/T 33661–2017, "Calculation and Promulgation of the Chinese Calendar", issued by the Standardization Administration of China on May 12, 2017.

Reason: According to 魏源《海国图志》 "中历资西，西历异中，民时所授，我握其宗" and 《二十年目睹之怪现状》"他的西历并不曾错，不过就是错了华历", I also added 华历 Huali and 中历 Zhongli in addition to the other names mentioned in the original text, which are very important for readers to have a more comprehensive understanding of the traditional Chinese calendar. In addition, I have also added some introductions to the background of the it. The source is "朱文哲：西历·国历·公历——近代中国的历法“正名”"

《海国图志》: https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&res=7&remap=gb

《二十年目睹之怪现状》: https://www.99csw.com/book/5129/index.htm

《朱文哲：西历·国历·公历——近代中国的历法“正名”》: http://www.qvip.net/article-9896

James Zhou -2

Shíxiàn calendar
Main article: Chongzhen calendar

During the late Ming dynasty, the Chinese Emperor appointed Xu Guangqi in 1629 to be the leader of the ShiXian calendar reform. Assisted by Jesuits, he translated Western astronomical works and introduced new concepts, such as those of Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei, and Tycho Brahe; however, the new calendar was not released before the end of the dynasty. In the early Qing dynasty, Johann Adam Schall von Bell submitted the calendar which was edited by the lead of Xu Guangqi to the Shunzhi Emperor. The Qing government issued it as the Shíxiàn (seasonal) calendar. In this calendar, the solar terms are 15° each along the ecliptic and it can be used as a solar calendar. However, the length of the climate term near the perihelion is less than 30 days and there may be two mid-climate terms. The Shíxiàn calendar changed the mid-climate-term rule to "decide the month in sequence, except the intercalary month."[This quote needs a citation] The present traditional calendar follows the Shíxiàn calendar, except:


 * 1) The baseline is Chinese Standard Time, rather than Beijing local time.
 * 2) (Modern) astronomical data, rather than mathematical calculations, is used.

Citation found: For the "decide the month in sequence, except the intercalary month" mentioned at the end of this paragraph, I found a related article that roughly explained how it works: "本世纪仅有4次！闰二月为何少见？"

《本世纪仅有4次！闰二月为何少见？》: http://www.news.cn/tech/2023-03/21/c_1129450471.htm

James Zhou -3
Calendars of ethnic groups in mountains and plateaus of southwestern China and grasslands of northern China are based on their phenology and algorithms of traditional calendars of different periods, particularly the Tang and pre-Qin dynasties.[citation needed]

Citation found: Regarding the different calendars in Chinese history, I found a book 《历法通志》. This book introduces in detail the origin, meaning and explanation of different calendars of various ethnic groups in China.

《历法通志》:https://taiwanebook.ncl.edu.tw/zh-tw/book/NTUT-9910016635/reader

James Zhou -4 During the 17th century, the Jesuits tried to determine the epochal year of the Han calendar. In his Sinicae historiae decas prima (published in Munich in 1658), Martino Martini (1614–1661) dated the Yellow Emperor's ascension at 2697 BCE and began the Chinese calendar with the reign of Fuxi (which, according to Martini, began in 2952 BCE). Philippe Couplet's 1686 Chronological table of Chinese monarchs (Tabula chronologica monarchiae sinicae) gave the same date for the Yellow Emperor. The Jesuits' dates provoked interest in Europe, where they were used for comparison with Biblical chronology.[citation needed] Modern Chinese chronology has generally accepted Martini's dates, except that it usually places the reign of the Yellow Emperor at 2698 BCE and omits his predecessors Fuxi and Shennong as "too legendary to include".[This quote needs a citation]

Citation found: Regarding Jesuits, Yellow Emperor and epochal year of the Han calendar, I found a book that provides relevant information. Unfortunately, NYU's library does not have an electronic or paper version of this book. Below is a link to another university's library who owns this book.

《康熙皇帝·耶稣会士·科学传播》: https://umlibrary.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplaycontext=L&vid=853UOM_INST:umlibrary&tab=LibraryCatalog&docid=alma991008503269706306