Língtái mìyuàn 靈臺祕苑
Secret Garden of the Spirit-Tower [Imperial Astronomy Bureau] originally by 庾季才 (Yǔ Jìcái, fl. 540–600, 北周, yuánzhuàn 原撰); Northern-Sòng imperial revision by 王安禮 (Wáng Ānlǐ, fl. 1080) and the Bureau of Astronomy staff
About the work
A 15-juan astronomical-and-divinatory compendium, transmitted from the Northern Zhōu period (originally c. 110–115 juàn by Yǔ Jìcái) but radically reduced under Northern-Sòng imperial-decree-revision in the early Yuánfēng period (1078–1085). The Sìkù-recension is the post-revision 15-juan version. The original 100+ juan recension is lost.
The Northern-Sòng revision-staff (per the work’s table-of-contents post-script):
- Editor: 司天監丞 (Bureau-of-Astronomy Vice-Director) Yú Dàjí 于大吉, with Sītiān Zhōngguānzhèng (Bureau-of-Astronomy Central-Officer) and Quánpàn Sītiānjiān (Acting Bureau-of-Astronomy Director) Dīng Xún 丁洵
- Reviewer: 奉議郎輕車都尉 (Court Gentleman / Charioteer) Ōuyáng Fā 歐陽發
- Reviewer: Hànlínyuàn xuéshì / Zhīzhìgào / Acting Shàngshū lìbù / Tíjǔ Sītiānjiān gōngshì (Senior Hànlín / Edict-Drafter / Acting Personnel-Director / Bureau-of-Astronomy-Director) Wáng Ānlǐ 王安禮 (Wáng Ānshí 王安石’s brother)
Wáng Ānlǐ’s Tiānwén shū in 16 juàn is separately listed in the Sòng Yìwén zhì, suggesting his sustained engagement with astronomical compilation.
Content (per the 提要): Bùtiān gē (Step-the-Heavens Song) with diagrams; stellar identification; region-allotment (fēnyě tǔguī — astrological geography); wind-thunder-cloud-pneumatic divination; sun-moon-five-planets divination; sānyuán (three-walls) and 28-mansion divination.
The Sìkù 提要 records Qián Céng’s 錢曾 Dúshū mǐnqiú jì praise: “examining-and-verifying refined-and-correct, not a casually-completed book”. Zhū Yízūn’s postface laments: “[Yǔ] Jìcái’s complete book must have many recondite-and-deep meanings; the various ministers’ [Sòng-period] cuts retained only one-tenth — like making wine-and-rice-vinegar but discarding the wine while keeping the rice-mash and the vinegar” — i.e., the Sòng revision lost most of the original content.
The 提要 acknowledges the work’s substantial limitations (much of it is prognosticatory occult, not reliable; the fēnyě (region-allotment) sections force-fit administrative divisions in unsupportable correspondences) but preserves it because (a) it is the most substantial transmitted source for pre-Sui astronomical-and-divinatory practice and (b) the Suíshū’s listed astronomical books are otherwise entirely lost.
For Yǔ Jìcái’s biography, see 庾季才. For the related Sòng instrumental literature, see Sū Sòng 蘇頌’s Yíxiàng fǎyào (KR3f0002).
Tiyao
[Full text in source file. Dated Qiánlóng 46 (1781), tenth month.]