Culture of Shang Dynasty —— Overview of the characteristics and development of astronomical calendar in Shang Dynasty

Due to the need of agricultural production, the Shang Dynasty had a relatively complete calendar.

According to Oracle Bone Inscriptions's records, there were different months at that time, namely, the big month was 30 days, the abortion was 29 days, and the year was1February. Because the twelve big and small months add up to only 354 or 355 days, leap months are used to adjust the number of days in a year, so that the four seasons in a year change within a certain period of time.

This leap month, in the early Oracle, was placed after December, which is the last month of the year when leap should be placed, so it is called March.

This is called the year-end leap method in the calendar. In late Oracle Bone Inscriptions, leap month was placed in a certain month of the year, such as leap May, and there were two May in that year, which was called the mid-year leap method in the calendar. This calendar is neither a solar calendar based on the movement of the sun, nor a pure lunar calendar based on the full moon, but a four-year-old calendar with leap (month).

The word "spike" is like a half-moon cutting tool with a handle. The two points on the blade are the holes through which the blade passes. You can put on a rope to tie the blade tightly to the handle. The ancients used years to harvest the ears of grain and cut the carcasses, so the ears of grain and the words of year are the positive solutions of year. Because crops were harvested at the age of 20, there is a general term for a year in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, such as: this year's harvest year ("A" 3298) and next year's harvest year ("B" 6881), but it refers to the quality of a year's crop harvest, not punctuality.

The word "year" is not a year to remember time. Shuowen said: The year is ripe.

"Biography of Gu Liang" also goes for three years: all grains are ripe, and there are years. 2008 may be a record of several harvest seasons, such as the cloud: there are five in this decade, and it has been one year in Simomo (continued 1.44.5) (A 3430). The year recorded in Oracle Bone Inscriptions is neither called year nor year. The early Oracle bones only recorded the sun and the moon, and the year recorded in the late Oracle bones was called sacrifice. This is related to the fact that Shang Wang kept holding sacrifices all the year round. We know that during the year, Shang kings held various sacrifices at different times. After the sacrifice, a year passed, so the sacrifice was used to represent the year. This is consistent with the saying in Er Ya Shi Tian: Yue Xia Sui, Thinking of Last Month, Zhou Yuenian and Tang Yu Yue Zai.

The division of four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter, began after the Spring and Autumn Period, before which there were only two seasons. The spring in Oracle Bone Inscriptions resembles Chu; Autumn word, make ■ shape. Zhen, come to the spring, not from the year ("Jing" 88 1), Wu Wubu, I am Zhen, this autumn, I am in the business? ("Xia Hou" 42.3) Spring and autumn in other words mean a year, not spring and autumn in the four seasons. Due to the need of agricultural production, it is also possible that there were only two periods of spring planting and autumn harvest in Shang Dynasty, so the word spring and autumn was used to represent a year.

The method of recording the day in Shang Dynasty is expressed by the combination of ten days and twelve places, that is, from Jiazi (Jiazi) to Guihai (Guihai), the sum is exactly sixty. There are some tables in Oracle Bone Inscriptions, not Oracle Bone Inscriptions, but a spare almanac, which may be used by historians at that time to check the date during divination. The method used to record the Japanese calendar existed before Shang Dynasty, and it has been used in China until modern times.

In Shang dynasty, every time period in a day had its own proper name.

In Oracle Bone Inscriptions, day and night are relative. Day refers to the day, and night refers to the night after dark to before dawn.

The time after the bumper harvest, big food and pilgrimage is called China and Japan, which is equivalent to the present noon. China and Japan, whose rain ("Essence" 7 19) Oracle Bone Inscriptions wrote ■ Japan. After China and Japan, time is called "cloud", and Oracle Bone Inscriptions is like ■ People need to look at the shape of the sun sideways. Snacks are the time for businessmen to eat in the afternoon, while big meals and snacks are the time for two meals at that time. It's time for a big meal in the morning.