Calendar represents good luck or bad luck, and time represents good luck or bad luck?

What do you mean by good or bad luck on the calendar? In ancient times, as a handbook of daily life, the calendar was a printed matter controlled by the imperial court. Because it is not only a prediction of marriage and agriculture, but also a guide of geomantic omen, the prophetic nature it covers is very important to China's life and even threatens the safety of the court. ...

There are thousands of tiny Chinese characters, tables and pictures on two pieces of yellow paper that are more than 90 centimeters long and less than 30 centimeters high. These contents are divided into three columns, and each column is divided into different areas (see the figure below). This is printed matter. China invented printing in the 8th century. By 877, the time of this paper, this technology was more mature. This is a calendar, that is, a guide to daily life. It includes not only calendar, marriage, shampoo, farming and other important good or bad days, but also the guidance of geomantic omen, as well as some farming events, astronomical data, divination and so on.

We know some main reasons for this calendar day. When block printing was invented, the two groups quickly realized the potential of this technology. It is said that copying images or classics is a great event. Acts uses printing to print classic works, and of course, bestsellers also make them profit. Private printers are mainly interested in economic benefits, not. In China at that time, the more popular book was the calendar (it still is). Calendar days are not limited to literate people, but also have a great market. Handwriting calendars is time-consuming and expensive, while engraving printing can produce calendars more cheaply, so the number of private printers has soared and they have seized this business opportunity.

Although calendar days are popular, they are risky. To understand this object, we first need to understand its relationship with time.

History of Silk Road Civilization among the Top Ten Antiquities, translated by Wei Hong, Houlang and Construction Press, March 2022.

This calendar day is an example between literature and power. The writing of calendar days is authoritative, but this authority is different from the writer or the power of the writer. It represents another kind of authority, that is, the natural order, which is more powerful than the secular one. On the other hand, astrology can connect heaven and earth, which is very important for China's life. Since ancient times, astrologers and astronomers in China who can read astrology and predict eclipses, eclipses and comets have been under the special control of the imperial court. This is very important, because these may be used by opponents to prove that the emperor at that time was "out of place" with the natural world and was no longer appropriate. This concern is not groundless. China was repeatedly threatened by rebels who claimed to carry out his "destiny" in various dynasties. Some of them have succeeded. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Yellow Scarf Army claimed the right to resist, saying that the famine and flood in the empire were the manifestations of the emperor's fate. What they did eventually led to the decline of the Han empire. Shortly thereafter, in 267, a ban was imposed on those texts deemed heretical, including divination.

In the early days, the emperor's astronomers had calculated the calendar, or "timed" it by combining the solar calendar with the lunar calendar, to decide when the emperor's calendar would start, to determine some periodic days, or to predict astronomical events. The fixed-season solar calendar is most useful to farmers because it gives the dates of spring planting, harvest and other seasons. However, China mixed the solar calendar with the lunar calendar, and mainly used it as an adjustment tool, not for agricultural life. Calendar is a symbol of imperial power, and an accurate calendar shows people's perfect morality and shows that people are in harmony with events in the macro world or the whole universe. Therefore, making a new calendar without approval is a sexual act.

Traditionally, the royal calendar was published in 2265 BC, but the earliest existing calendar can be traced back to the 3rd century BC. Four calendars, 2 13 BC, 2 10/year, 210 BC and 209 BC, were unearthed from A Qin's tomb in Zhoujiatai, Jingzhou, Hubei. Before the invention of paper, wooden slips were the traditional materials used for books in China. These calendars are also "Japanese books", that is, divination documents that provide good or bad reference for specific activities, as well as some astrology and related content. At that time, there were such calendars in tombs from junior officials to aristocratic elites. They were used by the tomb owner before his death, and their burial showed their importance to the dead. In my opinion, they are the beginning of the integration of almanac with astrology and other divination texts, which together constitute the calendar day.

The zodiac on a calendar day. British library Or.82 10/P.6 (partial)

One of the most complete calendars is written on a more expensive writing material-silk. It was found in Mawangdui No.3 Tomb in the south of China, and its burial date was 168 BC, belonging to the Western Han Dynasty. After the demise of the Qin Dynasty, after several years of disputes, the Western Han Dynasty was finally won. During this period, Qin Shihuang did something that made him notorious, that is, in 2 13 BC, he ordered the burning of books outside the Qin Dynasty orthodoxy, including Confucian classics. In the Han dynasty, these classics were restored through oral communication, and the so-called "modern classics" appeared. "Bronze inscriptions" refers to their writing style, that is, the unified characters of Qin Dynasty, which people use to copy the documents circulated orally. But at this time, other documents were gradually discovered, such as the ancient China classics found between the walls of Confucius' former residence. These are pre-Qin scripts, so they are called "ancient classics". As a result, the school of classical Chinese classics began a long debate. The latter believes that the real system of classical Chinese classics aims to provide traditional arguments for a proposition at that time.

Another document that was also very popular at that time was the Book of Divination. The Book of Divination is an esoteric interpretation of the classics, which explains some secret predictions in the classics, including the meaning of numbers, signs of good luck and bad luck, the relationship between heaven and earth, and the explanation of nebula shape, history and dynasty decline. Today's debate on ancient prose also discusses whether classics are prophetic texts.

In 9 AD, the Western Han Dynasty fell from power, at which time Regent Wang Mang announced the establishment of his own new dynasty. His is shorter. In 25 AD, the Han royal family regained power, but due to rebellion, they were forced to move from Chang 'an to Luoyang, which became the second capital of the Han Dynasty along the Yellow River. After the Anshi Rebellion, the territory of the Han Dynasty was reduced, and orthodox ideas were more strictly promoted. Many popular texts, such as Japanese books, are considered to be outside the orthodoxy. Therefore, the text is divided into "inside" and "outside". The texts of foreign studies were gradually combined in the popular abstract form at that time, and since then, the contents have become more and more abundant, including Japanese books, zodiac books, divination books using different divination and geomantic maps showing the good geomantic layout in the home.

Calendar feng shui map. British library Or.82 10/P.6 (partial)

After the Yellow Scarf Army, the Han Dynasty declined, and the territory of the Han Dynasty was divided into relatively short periods. During this period, one of them banned these popular divination books in 267: anyone found to have such books will be sentenced to two years in prison; Anyone who studies such books will be punished. However, in the next few centuries, this situation often happens, which shows that the ban is not effective and also reflects the continued popularity of such books. In 375, the ban not only restricted divination and prophecy, but also introduced the documents "Zhuangzi" and ". The ban was imposed by a non-Han Chinese who tried to legalize Confucianism as his orthodox thought. The Law of the Tang Dynasty promulgated in 65 1 year also has relevant provisions: "Any mysterious things, astronomy, books, divination books, military books, seven-year-old calendars, Taiyi and Lei formulas shall not be passed on privately, and offenders will only be sentenced to two years."

The imperial power tried to control the production and dissemination of private calendars, but in fact these texts existed in large numbers. In 835, a man in the southwest (now Sichuan Province) wrote to the emperor: "Jiannanchuan and Huainan were printed in the city, and every year there was no new calendar on Sitiantai, and their calendars were printed all over the world, so there was a way to respect each other."

At that time, the Tang Dynasty promulgated it immediately, and local authorities privately printed and held calendars. From then until 1900, no privately printed calendar days were found. Although these calendars are often read, they can only be popular for a short time. They are only valid for one year. With the coming of the new year, the old calendars will be out of date and may be discarded or reused, such as insoles, repairs or "toilet paper". But the discovery of 1900 meridian tunnel changed this. Located in the northwest of China is a town on the Silk Road, thousands of miles away from the capital of the Tang Dynasty. Most of the tens of thousands of documents found in caves are classic documents, including local books, dead private and abandoned general documents. There are also remnants of secular life, including some manuscripts and printed calendars discussed here. Many manuscripts are local. From them and other documents, we can learn more about the local astrological life. This may explain why this calendar sunrise is here and has been preserved to this day.

Printed calendar fragments from the capital Chang 'an. British library or. 82 10/p。 12

However, it is almost certain that the calendar date printed on this plate is not used as a brush. At present, there are three other fragments in the calendar, one of which is tentatively dated in the late 9th century, and on the left side is written a column of big characters "Home Seal of Shangdu Dongshi Avenue". Since 762, "Shangdu" has been used to refer to Chang 'an City. The East City is adjacent to the government office buildings and rich residential areas in Chang 'an City, while businessmen from the Silk Road are concentrated in the West City, where there are many venues, hotels, restaurants and restaurants. This kind of calendar is printed and sold under the eyes of the producers of this text, or it may be sold to these people, their families and slaves. Then, the name of the publisher is printed to show that they will not be punished. The reason is not difficult to find, and that is interest. In 936, Qin Shihuang ordered Qin Tianjian to edit the printed calendar and make it public. This is undoubtedly an attempt to control the content of the calendar and a means to increase fiscal revenue.

Private printers and buyers should bear certain risks, but the repeated regulations (953, 958, 107 1, 1080, 1202) and the fact that fragments exist show that the risks have little impact, and printers obviously continue to produce prohibited texts. In addition to this known capital Chang 'an map, as the main data of this period, its limited evidence supports the view that there is a printing industry in southwest China. Another fragment of the calendar can be traced back to 882, with the words "Fanshang Family Calendar of Chengdu Prefecture in Jianchuan, Jiannan". From the beginning, in addition to the east-west trade route, people often took the north-south route and finally arrived in Sichuan, which is today. The third fragment is still unclear, but its content and structure are similar to the calendar discussed in this chapter, dating back to 834.

Sichuan printing calendar day. British library or. 82 10/p。 10

Many people may not know that these characters are forbidden, especially in the border areas of the Tang Dynasty. Since the 8th century, the control of the Tang Dynasty on this area has been intermittent and weak. At this time, there was an Anshi rebellion in the Tang Dynasty and it was necessary to retreat to the border, so Tubo occupied the area in 786. Tubo stayed until 848. Although the families who expelled Tubo claimed loyalty to the Tang Dynasty, they still had occasional contacts with the capital and the imperial court. Before 1 1 became a part of Xixia kingdom in the middle of the century, it was influenced more and more. Of course, this does not mean that most people who buy and use calendars and calendar systems regard calendars as a new tool or use them with relevant intentions. For most people in most periods, calendars are only used to assist their daily lives. They can provide people with answers that they can't get from official authorities.

Although most calendar days are written, we can't think that they are only used by a small number of completely literate elites. China is used to using text, which is a part of daily life, even for illiterate and semi-illiterate. Valerie Hansen explained how contracts are widely used, that is, both parties will sign with or other numbers. These people are part of a huge "functional literacy" group. They may not be able to write, but they also use texts in their daily lives, thus "creating a network by writing". In a contract, written words are not only used to express authority. In the words of John Molander, texts are used to "embody and resist authority, and can also be used to create meaning and build habits in daily life". The written word also has power and meaning independent of its literal meaning. Quasi-character harmony is an expression with potential and private use. The use of contracts and other texts connects users with the world above, while the use of such texts connects them with the world below, that is, the world of spirit and God. "Writing itself" has become a ritual activity.

It is also misleading to think that there are differences between science and science. This calendar day is the difference between astronomy and astrology. But this does not mean that they are almost the same in China. The scholar-bureaucrat class openly opposed it, but as Edward Hetzel Schafer said: "For most early China people, even for most authoritative organizations that observe astronomical phenomena, astronomy has never been separated from astrology ... Of course, some people are skeptical about this, but most people, even well-educated people, still believe that Jupiter's appearance heralds disaster." Another volume of literature found in the cave reveals the accuracy of astronomical observation in China and the wider scope of astrology. This volume of literature is now in the British Library, including two documents, and finally there is a strange sketch of the electric god. One kind of literature is divination according to the shape of cloud gas, that is, cloud gas divination. Based on China people, it believes that nothing is supernatural, everything is a part of the natural order, and we can predict major events through the natural order expressed in other forms (the same theory also exists in astrology). The content of the forecast may be related to the family, for example:

All the people and gardens, as angry as leaping and crouching wolves and tigers, will leave the general's son and seal the duke in three years.

or

Lv Buwei Cloud, near the primitive mound, is full of gas, and it goes straight into the sky. Those yellow people are also full of gas; Those who are green, red, white and black all have disasters. Feng Chun, the minister, said that every county and city in the world is green and seriously ill. White, with soldiers; Black, there are thieves in the city.

Li (602-670) in the above literature thinks that these predictions are based on and confirmed by observation. Without his own observation and verification, he won't talk about the shape of cloud gas. In addition, Li also referred to the observations of others, but he insisted that for all the records, "I have tested them, so I recorded them." . I haven't passed the exam, and I dare not prepare this paper. "

Time angle diagram. British library Or.82 10/S.3326 (partial)

The second document in this volume is also based on observation, and both documents are probably written by the same person. It completely presents the sky observed from China, including 1339 stars and 257 stars, and depicts a series of star maps in the whole sky. Among them, the 12 time angle map adopts pseudo-cylindrical projection, and the 1 circumpolar star map adopts azimuth projection. Pseudo-cylindrical projection method is close to "Mercator projection method" invented by Dutch cartographer Gerardus Mercator (15 12- 1594) nine centuries later, and this projection method has been used to draw global maps. These star maps are very important, not only the earliest hand-drawn star maps in all civilizations, but also with high accuracy. Like the shape of clouds, this part also refers to the works of three classical astronomers in China, who were early sky watchers and created reference books describing stars. The stars judged by three astronomers were marked with different colors (red, black and white/) and their names were written next to them.

Polar coordinate diagram. British library Or.82 10/S.3326 (partial)

Although today we think that the second document is scientific and the text of cloud and gas divination belongs to the scope, the second document was also a tool for divination at that time, and others will think that the two documents belong to the same type. Except for the equatorial belt, the rest of the sky is divided into a large number of star officials, whose names are mostly related to the actual objects and people in China. These names have been used in astrology since the days of classical astronomers. The astrological achievements of these three early astronomers spread throughout the Han Dynasty, and were later integrated by Chen Zhuo, an astronomer of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. For the sake of astrology, the tradition of dividing each constellation (or astrologer) into different schools has been preserved. The characters on the left side of the chart of each time angle describe 12 months of China year, and give relevant astrological predictions. For example, "From the female octave to the dangerous fifteen degrees, joy chen is in the child, which is the mystery." Xuanzhe, black, the color of the north; People who are worried will consume. In November, the yang rises and falls, everything withers, there is no life, and heaven and earth are empty, so it is called Xuan Biao. The teacher of qi is also. "This does not prevent this document from having scientific value. Jean-Marc Bonnet-Bidaud, Francoise Praderie and I believe that "these documents are mainly used in astrology, but the number of scientific degrees shows that they are based on astronomical observations and strive for accuracy as much as possible".

Just as many stories in ancient Greece were related to constellations, the star officials in ancient China had many stories to tell. Many stories are widely known, and some have become the core of the festival. Therefore, although ordinary people have no scientific training, many people can still identify some stars in the sky.

Like our printed calendars, star maps have potential. They are all controlled by the government, and the control of astronomical knowledge is likely to be more successful than that of the calendar, but the promulgation in 840 shows that there are loopholes in this control. Comets have appeared several times before, including Halley's comet. Personnel engaged in astronomical work and their subordinate officials must keep secrets and shall not disclose them to anyone, including other personnel. Although the calendar is an unauthorized document, we can reasonably assume that it is provided for anyone who is willing to buy it. There are still many puzzles about the star map.

Susan whitefield, a former project director of the British Library and now a professor at the University of East Anglia, has been devoted to the study of the history, art, materials and culture of the Silk Road for the past 30 years, and has written works such as Life on the Silk Road and ohrel Stein on the Silk Road. This article is excerpted from the History of Silk Road Civilization among the top ten antiquities, published by Houlang Publishing Company.

The above is related to the meaning of the calendar, and it is about the sharing of history. After reading the meaning of good or ill luck, I hope this will help everyone!