Eclipses - Astrological Divination at the Tang Court

Early Medieval China 13-14.1 (2007) 185

ASTROLOGICAL DIVINATION AT THE TANG COURT

Victor Cunrui Xiong Western Michigan University

Introduction Solar and lunar eclipses, Martian retrogressive movements out

of stellar lodges, and disastrous apparitions of tailed and tailless cometsthese were among the celestial phenomena that most interested court astrologers of the Tang.1 Much information about these astrological events survives thanks to three sourcesthe Jiu Tang shu , Xin Tang shu , and Tang huiyao .2 Outside the realm of court records, two major Tang astrological works are still extant essentially in their entirety: the Yisi zhan and the Tang Kaiyuan zhanjing (hereafter Zhanjing), both influential works in the field of astrological divination.3 In addition, there are fragments of other Tang works discovered in Dunhuang and the Tianwen yaolu by Li

1 Liu Zhiji (661721), Shitong (710), 3:8.589, in Pu Qilong

(16791762), Shitong tongshi (17521762) (Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe, 1978).

2 Jiu Tang shu [hereafter JTS] by Liu Xu (887946) et al. (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1975); Xin Tang shu [hereafter XTS] by Ouyang Xiu (10071072) and Song Qi (9981061). All references to the dynastic histories are to the Beijing, Zhonghua shuju edition. Wang Pu (Wudai and N. Song), comp., Tang huiyao [hereafter THY] (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1955).

3 Li Chunfeng (602670), Yisi zhan [hereafter YSZ], Congshu jicheng chubian edition; Datang Kaiyuan zhanjing [hereafter TKYZJ], collated by Qutan Xida (late 7thearly 8th c.), Wenyuange edition of the Siku quanshu edition.

186 Xiong: Tang Astrological Divination

Feng , a lesser-known Tang astrological book partially preserved in Japan.4

This paper examines Tang astrological data with a focus on court divinatory practice. In verifying these data, I have availed myself of recent advances in computer technology that make it possible to reconstruct many Tang celestial events with accuracy. With the most prominent divinatory subjects of tradition as focal pointsthe sun, the moon, comets, shooting stars, and the five planets5my study provides a taxonomic survey of astrological divinations by the court.

The second part of my study addresses issues of correlating celestial occurrences with historically significant events.

Solar Eclipses (rishi /)

The sun, as the essence of Grand Yang, embodies the sovereign. Solar eclipses resulting from the moon veiling the sun were traditionally regarded as disastrous phenomena. They suggest erosion of the sovereigns power by his subjects.6 Court astrologers of the Tang paid special attention to the timing and location of an eclipsing event because the stellar lodges and constellations an eclipsed sun passed through were believed to directly correlate to their corresponding earthly elements. A typical record is that of the solar eclipse on the 1st (xinwei ) of the fifth month in

4 On Tang astrological literature in general, see Joseph Needham with Wang Ling, Chinese Science and Civilisation, vol. 3: Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1959), 2026. On the Tianwen yaolu, see Huang Zhengjian , Dunhuang zhanbu wenshu yu Tang Wudai zhanbu yanjiu (Beijing: Xueyuan chubanshe, 2001), 243. A popular long poem on astrology, the Butian ge , was allegedly first composed in the Sui dynasty. See Chen Zungui , Zhongguo tianwenxue shi (Shanghai: Shanghai renmin chubanshe, 19801989), 2: 4057. See also Zhou Xiaolu , Butian ge yanjiu (Beijing: Zhongguo shudian, 2004).

5 XTS 31 and 32. 6 YSZ 1.212. Gustave Schlegel, Uranographie chinoise (The Hague:

Librairie de Martinus Nijhoff and Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1875), 598602.


Zhenguan 8 (1 June 634): The sun was eclipsed at 7 [forwards from the beginning] of the lodge Shen .7 To verify this record, the Tang sky as viewed from Changan at 6:30 P.M. on that day is reconstructed.8 Indeed, a partial eclipse took place in an area in Gemini that was close to Taurus and Orion. It corresponded to the leftmost area of Shen (fig. 1) bordering on the lodge Jing .

It would seem that astrological divinations would be made following each solar eclipse, but few Tang records on solar eclipses are accompanied by divinatory comments. Some of these comments survive in the Xin Tang shu. For example, the solar eclipse inside the lodge Di on the 1st (renshen ) of the tenth month in Wude 1 (24 October 618). In fact, the eclipse started at the break of dawn in the center of Libra (corresponding to Di) and developed into a total eclipse around 4:30 P.M. (fig. 2). A divination based on the event reads: If the local lords control power, they are expected to do so in the areas governed by their stellar lodges; if the local lords make themselves subordinate, it is a matter for king-making.9 This was apparently in reference to the chaotic situation in the Henan area governed by the Dahuo celestial mansion (ci ), of which Di was a component part. The freshly founded Tang dynasty had yet to defeat such claimants to dynastic power as Wang Shichong in Luoyang and Li Mi in Luokou . Both were entrenched in Henan and were local warlords in the eyes of the Tangs.10 The divinatory outcome here can go either way: Either the local lords will seize control or they will be subdued by the Tang sovereign.

7 XTS 32.828. According to the astrologer Shi Shen as quoted by Qutan

Xida, the lodge Shen with its 10 stars has an extent from right to left of 10 degrees. See TKYZJ 62.9. The JTS 34.12401 records two measurements: 10 degrees on the equator and less than 9 degrees on the ecliptic.

8 Tang celestial events are reconstructed using Starry Night Backyard. 9 XTS 32.827. 10 On Wang Shichong, Li Mi, and the solar eclipse, see Sima Guang

(10191086) et al., Zizhi tongjian [hereafter ZZTJ] (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1956), 186.5816 ff.


Other messages were less ambiguous but more laconic. They predicted such disastrous results as drought (han ), the grand minister will have worries (dachen you ), frontier war (bianbing ), the sovereign will be sick (zhu you ji ), and the sovereign will be uneasy (jun buan ).11

Solar Metamorphoses (ribian )

Solar metamorphoses referred to extraordinary solar appearancescolor changes of the sun itself and color and morphological changes of the solar corona and halo. They were usually inauspicious. Auspicious metamorphoses are described in divination manuals, but they were almost never officially recorded. 12 One of the most detailed records of solar meta-morphoses is kept for the first and second months of Tianyou 2 (905). According to it, initially, the sun displayed a yellow-whitish corona with a dark-red background (bei ). When the same phenomenon recurred, a white rainbow was seen growing out of the corona. Later, a yellow-white semi-corona (banhuan ) occurred with the sun engulfed (jia ) by a dark black anthropomorphic and horse-like cloud.

According to the Yisi zhan, a solar corona with a background always suggests rebellion.13 A white rainbow penetrating the sun was even more ominous: members of the imperial consort family will all be deposed. The Son of Heaven will engage in external war. Or war will threaten and usurpation from within will take place. A human figure inside the sun suggests, Either the minister will murder the sovereign or two sovereigns will fight

11 XTS 32.8279. 12 For example, if the corona assumes a four-lobed shape, the Son of

Heaven will within three years be blessed with offspring and will set up princes or marquises. If the sun is surrounded by an enwrapping aura, neighboring states or subordinate ministers will surrender. See YSZ 1.189.

13 Ibid., 1.20.


Fig. 3. Changan, 10/10, 618, 12:04 a.m.

Fig. 1. Changan, 6/1, 634, 6:30 p.m.

SW

W

SW

W

Fig. 2. Changan, 10/24, 618, 4:30 p.m.


each other.14 The recorded divinatory results are very much along the same lines:

Bei (background) is the sign of rebellion. The solar corona with a rainbow means major warfare. The semi-corona suggests the chief ministers conspiracy. The dark, black color suggests bad omens.15 The engulfed sun is symbolic of treacherous ministers controlling the sovereign. The anthropomorphic shape [of the cloud] indicates a subversive minister, and the horse shape, war.16

The event took place at a time when the young Aidi , the last sovereign of the Tang, had just been placed on the throne by the warlord Zhu Wen in Luoyang during an on-going civil war. The solar observations and their divinations must have been carried out in Luoyang. By that time, the Tang court was completely at the mercy of Zhu who had just murdered Aidis predecessor and would soon replace the Tang with his own (Later) Liang dynasty.17 Zhu, as the future usurper, certainly would not be pleased with the outcome of the divination, but gloomy prospects predicted by the court astrologer based on observation of solar metamorphoses were by no means atypical. The astrologer in this case did little more than pointing to the obvious. Lunar Eclipses (yueshi /) Lunar eclipses are the only major category conspicuously absent in the Xin Tang shus typology of astrological events. A remark on the symbolic significance of lunar eclipses in general by the Tang scholar Su Mian may throw some light on this glaring omission:

Lunar events are recorded in great detail. However, Zhongni (Confucius), in the process of compiling the Chunqiu

14 Ibid., 1.21. 15 Jinxiang : literally, good and bad omens. Here it apparently

emphasizes bad omens. 16 XTS 32.835. 17 ZZTJ 265.8636.


(Spring and autumn annals) for a period of 242 years, made a point of writing about solar and astral metamorphoses, but recorded no lunar eclipses. Commentators say that the moon is the dao of various local lords, and the symbol of barbarians. Its erosions indicate gains for the government of the Middle Kingdoms sovereign. Therefore they are not considered misfortunes. [On this,] someone says, Probably, it follows the poet [who said,] For the moon to be eclipsed is but an ordinary matter.18 The Huiyao is a branch of imperial history as well. As a follower of the historiographical tradition, it should model itself on the Chunqiu. So [lunar eclipses] should not be dwelled upon.19

The perception that lunar eclipses do not exercise an adverse influence on the throne may indeed account for the scant attention they received. Nevertheless, in astrological divination, lunar eclipses could be unfavorable as well. The harm an eclipsed moon might cause was greatly augmented when it appeared in the same lodge where a planet happened to be present:

If the moon is traveling with Jupiter in the same lodge when an eclipse happens, people will eat people, grain will be expensive, and there will be worries for agricultural officials. If the moon is traveling with Mars in the same lodge when an eclipse happens, all under Heaven will break apart and perish, and there will be worries. If the moon is traveling with Saturn in the same lodge when an eclipse happens, the state will perish of starvation. If the moon is traveling with Venus in the same lodge when an eclipse happens, a strong state will conquer a fallen city. The general-in-chief will become disloyal. If the moon is traveling with Mercury in the same lodge when an eclipse happens, the state in question will perish because of the trouble caused by a femme fatale.20

18 Quoted from the Shi jing . See Maoshi zhengyi ,

subcommentary by Kong Yingda (574648) (Shisanjing zhushu edition), 12.2.178b; James Legge, trans., The Chinese Classics, vol. 4: The She King (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 1960), 321.

19 THY 42.7634; Schlegel, 60213. Note that the Huiyao records some information on lunar eclipses through Daizongs reign.

20 YSZ 2.41.


These ominous configurations are not found in surviving Tang astrological records, probably because of their extremely rare occurrences. Instead, less dramatic lunar eclipses were observed. For example, the first ever Tang lunar eclipse fell on the night of the 15th of the ninth month, Wude 1 (9 October 618). According to computer data, the total eclipse appeared about 12:00 A.M. in the lower right corner of Aries (Ram) (fig. 3).21 At the time, the moon was in the area of the lodge Lou (, , and Arii). None of the five planets was present inside the lodge.

Lunar Metamorphoses (yuebian )

Like their solar counterparts, lunar metamorphoses referred to unusual lunar appearancescolor changes of the moon itself and color and morphological changes of the lunar corona and halo. Events involving lunar metamorphosis often had dark implications:

The moon is the essence of Grand Yin: As the companion of the sun, it symbolizes the queen (nzhu ); when likened to virtue, it embodies legal punishment; at court, it represents the various local lords and ministers. 22 Consequently, if the sovereign is wise, the moon will move according to rules. If a subject assumes power, the moon will move out of orbit. When a grand minister is in power and war and law (bing xing ) lose their rationale,23 the moon will move north and south erratically. If the queen and consort families grab power, the moon will sometimes advance and sometimes retreat. If the moon has a color change, there will be a disaster. If the moon shines in daylight, the treacherous and wicked will rise in tandem, sovereign and subject will fight for dominance, the queen will lose her proper conduct, the yin states (yinguo ) will become militarily strong and the Middle Kingdom will starve, and all under Heaven will conspire to usurp power.24

21 This event is recorded in THY 42.762. 22 . YSZ 2.25 reads shu (destiny) for lei . 23 Bing and xing were also two of the six executive boards of the

central government. 24 Fang Xuanling (579648) et al., Jin shu [hereafter JS]


All these lunar attributes underscore the fact that the moon was the antithesis of the sun. The three earthly objects the moon symbolizesthe queen, the subjects, and the yin statesare respectively the female, subordinate, and yin counterparts of the sovereign and his power as symbolized by the sun. Thus abnormal movements of the moon were indicative of the deviant behavior of these earthly objects, and were generally viewed as unfavorable to the sovereign and court.

One exception to the rule was certain unusual lunar movements related to the state of yin, or the barbarian state. These movements were viewed in a favorable light by the court astrologer, especially at a time when a barbarian state posed a threat to the court. One such event took place on the guisi night of the jianzi (eleventh) month in the year Yuannian (13 December 761):25

The moon concealed the lodge Mao and exited to its north with a white halo. From the lodge Bi a white aura from the north penetrated the lodge Mao. The director of the Astrological Office Han Ying memorialized: Divination la Shi Shen yields: When the moon invades Mao, the barbarian king will die. In addition, when the moon travels north of Mao, it is a blessing for all under Heaven. In the humble opinion of your subject, the Three Luminaries (the sun, the moon and the five planets) manifest astrological signs, and the moon symbolizes capital punishment. The Two Shis were exterminated, [according to] the usual divinatory results of the Astrologer.26 The lodges Bi and Mao are [part of] the celestial grid. The white aura suggests war and death. If the stars [of Bi and Mao] are concealed, the

(Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1974), 12.318. For a similar passage, see YSZ 2.25.

25 In the ninth month of that year, Suzong replaced the reign title Shangyuan with yuannian , which simply means the first year. Meanwhile, the Xia-style calendar was replaced with the Zhou-style calendar and the twelve earthly branches were used as month names.

26 JS 13.370. Peng Yoke Ho, The Astronomical Chapters of the Chin shu: with Amendments, Full Translations, and Annotations (Paris: Mouton & Co and cole Pratique des Hautes tudes, 1966), 201.


barbarian king will be decisively beaten. [The moon] traveling to their north indicates a blessing to all under Heaven.27

In the reconstructed Tang sky, the moon was seen near the bright star cluster Pleiades (M45) inside Taurus at 6:00 p.m., an area within the lodge Mao. The moon moved towards 44 Tauri before it sank below the horizon at 5.00 a.m. Indeed 44 Tauri belonged to the area of Bi even though the core constellation of Bi lay south of the ecliptic below (, , , , Tauri) (fig. 4).

This Tang event was compared to an earlier event that had taken place in 331 when a newly established Eastern Jin, barely recovered from the loss of Luoyang in the north, was threatened by the rise of the Later Zhao founded by Shi Le of the Jie ethnic group. A divination at the Jin court in the eleventh month of Xianhe 6 (331) predicted, There will be war in Zhao and Wei. But it is followed by the commentary, At that time, although the Two Shis (Shi Le and Shi Hu ) have arrogated a dynastic title, their strength is often indicated by divination in association with the lodge Mao, with no relevance to the Taiwei and Zi Palaces . The court astrologer noticed that relevant celestial occurrences took place in the lodge Mao, which governed the Zhao and Wei areas on earth, while the Taiwei and Zi[wei] Palaces (later known as enclosures or yuan ), the celestial counterparts of the court and central government, were unaffected. In the same month, Shi Le died and his successor Shi Hu suffered a series of setbacks.28

In the 761 celestial event, there were no lunar invasions of the enclosures either. That signified that the Tang court would prevail. But who does the barbarian king in the divination refer to? According to an interpretative note in the Jiu Tang shu, the barbarian king was none other than the rebel leader Shi Siming . To lend credence to the divination, the note goes on to state that in the following year (762), Shi Siming was killed by his son

27 JTS 36.1325. 28 JS 3.3701; Peng Yoke Ho, 2012.


Shi Chaoyi .29 This statement, however, turns out to be inaccurate. All the key sources, including Suzongs basic annals in the Jiu Tang shu, indicate that Shi Siming had died in the third month of Shangyuan 2 (761) before the divination.30 The note was probably a post hoc attempt to prove the divinations historical relevance. Comets and Guest Stars

Regardless of their shapes and sizes, comets were invariably baleful, symbolic of the subversive, chaotic, and ominous. Their arrival heralded war and catastrophe:

The state affected by a tailed or tailless comet will be impacted by its evil. When the comet invades the moon and the five planets, there will be war and death: The Middle Kingdom will be astir with war, the barbarians will come to invade, and the masses will have no peace. A comet apparition is also caused by conspiring ministers plotting a sedition, with their families becoming guilty by association; by a defeated army shedding blood, with countless people dead and with the sound of crying and wailing heard by all under Heaven; by a subject killing his sovereign and a son killing his father; by a wife killing her husband; by the junior dominating the senior; by the many roughing up the few; by the masses getting restless; by the shield and dagger-axe rising together; by barbarians coming from all four directions to invade; by government troops failing to dep-loy; and by hunger and pestilence, death and flight.31

One of the earliest recorded comet appearances of Tang times took place in Taizongs reign. It started on the 25th (jiazi ) of the eighth month in Zhenguan 8 (22 September 634).32 As for the

29 JTS 36.13245. 30 XTS 6.163; JTS 10.261; ZZTJ 222.7108. 31 YSZ 8.133. 32 THY 43.765 records the event as beginning on the 23rd of the eighth

month (Sept. 20). The XTS 32.837 claims that the event ended on the day of yihai . But the eighth month of that year does not have a yihai day.


duration of this occurrence, there are two different records. According to the Basic Annals of the Jiu Tang shu, it remained visible until the middle of the eleventh month, traveling from the lodges Xu and Wei to Di .33 The Tang huiyao, on the other hand, records only 11 days for its appearance.34

To test these claims, I recreated the sky in September that year. A comet made its appearance in Sagittarius in the lodge Dou in late September. In a span of three months, it traveled westwards along the ecliptic through Capricornus and Aquarius, to Pisces, constellations that were governed by the lodges Niu , N , Xu , Wei , Shi , and Bi Wall . This lends credibility to the evidence in the Jiu Tang shu concerning the duration of the comets appearance. It never reached, however, the lodge Di (Libra) as recorded (fig. 5).

Prolonged apparitions of comets were considered particularly ominous. According to Li Chunfeng:

As a comet traveling through the 28 stellar lodges stays visible for 100 days without departure, [earthly] responses to it will take place within three years; when [it is visible] for more than [1]50 days,35 responses will take place within five years; when [it is visible] for more than 200 days, responses will take place within seven years. Profound misfortune.36

Elsewhere, Li makes a remark that is especially pertinent to the aforementioned 634 event:

When a comet made its initial appearance in the lodge Xu, war will rise in a big way. The Son of Heaven will personally

33 JTS 3.44. Li Fang (925996) et al., comps., Taiping yulan

[hereafter TPYL], 4 vols. (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1960), 7.6 records that the event lasted more than 100 days, which is closer to the JTS record. According to Wang Qinruo (9621025) et al., comps., Cefu yuangui [hereafter CFYG] (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1960), 144.34, the comet was first seen in the tenth month.

34 THY 43.765; CFYG 144.34. 35 I suspect that (50 days) is an error for (150 days). 36 YSZ 8.134.


command the army in the battlefield, engaging in fierce blood-shedding battles. The kingdom where the [comets] light points will surely perish. [The event] is expected to occur in three years or five years at the outside.37

Taizong, who regarded the prolonged celestial event as a warning against his hubris, was concerned about its terrestrial outcome. To ease his fear, one of his advisers, Yu Shinan , cited the case of Duke Jing of Qi in Spring and Autumn times, who had responded to the apparition of a comet by cultivating virtue. Subsequently, the comet vanished. 38 Of all the emperors and sovereigns since antiquity, none could avoid disastrous phenomena. If only virtue is cultivated, the disastrous phenomena will disappear by themselves, reasoned another adviser, Wei Zheng .39

In the fourth month of Tianyou 1 (from 19 April 904), a human-shaped comet with a black head and red body was detected inside the Ziwei Enclosure directly beneath the Northern Dipper. The divination reads, When it collides with Heaven, it envelopes the Northern Pole and sobs in front of the emperor. Blood turns turbid, fog descends, and all under Heaven suffers injustice.40 Li Chunfengs remark on this type of event was, When the comet invades Ziwei, all under Heaven will witness a change of king,41 indicating a possible change of government. At that time, the penultimate Tang emperor Zhaozong had just been forced to abandon Changan, and was on his way to Luoyang. The warlord Zhu Wen would murder him not long after.42

In the reconstructed Tang sky of 19 April 904 (at the beginning of the fourth month), a bright comet can be detected between

37 Ibid., 8.135. 38 Edward Schafer, Pacing the Void: Tang Approaches to the Stars

(Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997), 1101. 39 THY 43.765; TPYL 7.6. 40 XTS 32.841. 41 YSZ 8.138. 42 ZZTJ 264.8630265.8636.


Cancri and Leonis. It moved westwards along the ecliptic towards Virginis and beyond. The area it covered was not the Ziwei Enclosure but the Taiwei Enclosure to its south (fig. 6). Although the comet invasion of Taiwei has its own ominous implications,43 what matters here is the divination based on the astrologers record of the comets location and motion. Since the astrologer believed that a comet invasion of Ziwei had occurred, he predicted that a major disaster of national significance would ensue. Certain unrecorded celestial bodies were referred to as guest stars(kexing ). Generally, guest stars are identified as novae.44 But oftentimes, comets were categorized as guest stars, and vice versa.45 So it is no surprise that the Xin Tang shu lumps guest stars and comets together.46 The Zhanjing, on the other hand, groups guest stars with auspicious stars (ruixing ).47 Guest stars, according to the Yisi zhan, are uncommon and make occasional appearances in the sky. They are all messengers of the Celestial Sovereign-Grand Emperor,48 and essences that announce condemnations and punishments. They were considered the bearers of bad omens. Despite their assumed importance in astrology, I have yet to find a record on Tang guest star divination.49

43 According to Li Chunfeng (YSZ 8.138), when a comet appears from Zhifa

(Law-enforcer), it signifies trouble for the ministers and administrative orders will be ignored. The comet in question went through and Virginis, which are Youzhifa and Zuozhifa, respectively.

44 Needham, 426; Schafer, 1169. 45 Chen Zungui, 3: 10968. 46 XTS 32.839, 841. Occasionally, there are confirmed cases of novae

appearing in the Tang sky. See Schafer, 1189. 47 TKYZJ 77.13. 48 In reference to an almost invisible star near Polaris. See Sun Xiaochun

and Jacob Kristemaker, The Chinese Sky During the Han (Leiden, New York, and Kln: Brill, 1998), 85. Cf. Schlegel, 523.

49 YSZ 7.125. Tang guest star events are recorded in Schafer, 1189.


Fig. 4. Changan, 12/13, 761, 6:00 p.m.

Fig. 5. Changan, 9/22, 643

Fig. 6. Changan, 4/19, 904, 10:30 p.m.

S

SW

SW

W

NW


Jupiter/Suixing (Year Star) Suixing, also known as Sheti ,50 has as its attribute wood,

and as its cardinal point the east. Its trigrams are zhen and xun . As the celestial chronometer, it passes in its revolution of approximately 12 years through the 12 Jupiter stations, which are matched with the 12 earthly branches known as ci (mansions) and the 28 lodges.51 Despite its key role in astrological divination, its recorded observations were relatively rare in Tang times. Symbolic of the sovereign, Jupiter was mainly in charge of virtue. A bright, large, full and lustrous Jupiter was indicative of the benevolence, prosperity, and longevity of a sovereign. Conversely, a dark and small Jupiter suggested the cruelty and death of the sovereign.52 By comparison with the other planets, Jupiter was much less a messenger of disaster when it invaded the lodges or the enclosures. Still certain types of Jupiter invasion were considered inauspicious. For example, its retrograde motions were always ominous, especially at times when Jupiter entered or exited a lodge.

The Xin Tang shu records the retrograde invasion of Jupiter into Di (Libra) on the day of dingchou of the third month in Zhenguan 3 (629). However, the third month of that year did not contain a dingchou day. Furthermore, during the corresponding period (late April through early May), Jupiter was in Virgo, some distance away from Libra. The record must have been entered in

50 The Sheti here is obviously different from the constellation Sheti in

Botes, composed of Right Sheti (, , Bootis) and Left Sheti (, 1, Bootis). On the constellation Sheti, see TKYZJ 65.1. The Tianguan xingzhan lists other aliases for Jupiter as well: Chonghua , Yingxing , Jingxing , and Xiuren . See TPYL 7.1. Note that in Sui times, there were at least two books bearing the title Tianguan xingzhan, respectively by Chen Zhuo (ca. 230ca. 320) and Wu Xi (Liang). See Wei Zheng (580643) et al., Sui shu [hereafter SuiS], 34.1019.

51 SuiS 20.556; Schafer, 216; Chen Zungui, 3: 8078; Schlegel, 61423; Lopold de Saussure, Les origines de lastronomie chinoise (Taibei: Cheng-wen Publishing Company, 1967), 44394.

52 YSZ 4.734.


error. However, in the following year Zhenguan 4 (630), not only did the third month have a dingchou day (the 12th day or April 30), the above-cited celestial event also occurred. Crossing over from Virgo into Libra in November 629, Jupiter had moved retrogradely westward until early February 630 (fig. 7). After a brief period of hesitation, it resumed its usual eastwards movement. It was then that Jupiter made a retrograde move to invade Di. Clearly, the Jupiter event recorded for 629 actually took place in 630. Two divinations were conducted and recorded. The first claims, The sovereign pursues excessive palace construction, suggesting that the celestial phenomenon was a sign of heavenly disapproval. The second divination consists of a simple, but alarming, expression, Starvation.53

Prior to the Jupiter invasion, according to the Tang huiyao, Dai Zhou , president of the Board of Revenues (minbu shangshu ), submitted a memorial in Zhenguan 3 (629) that opposed Taizongs plan to renovate the Luoyang palace. Although Taizong praised Dai for his honesty and loyalty, a record for the 22nd of the sixth month (August 5) in the following year indicates the resumption of the renovating activity. The activity was eventually stopped by a memorial from Supervising Secretary (jishizhong ) Zhang Xuansu . 54 Apparently, the divinatory warning against excessive building activity was relevant to Taizongs renovation project. While the Yisi zhan offers no information on the first divinatory result, it contains a passage germane to the second: When Jupiter invades by way of retrogradation and lingers on in the lodge Di, the kingdom it governs will suffer starvation on a large scale. It will cause the people to go on an exodus, and make them prone to diseases.55

53 On the 629 record, see XTS 33.852. 54 THY 30.5512. 55 YSZ 4.76.


Mars/Yinghuo Yinghuo (Sparkling Deluder), also known as the star of

punishment (faxing ), has as its attribute fire, and as its cardinal point the south. Its trigram is li . It is called Deluder because of its ever changing brightness, and the complexity of its motions. 56 One of its main charges was war. Thanks to its retrogradations, Mars looked rather erratic in motion and was considered highly harmful to the areas affected. Its passage and residence would bring death and turmoil, with a special relevance to the Son of Heaven, both in terms of foreign war and domestic politics.57

Because of its assumed significance Mars was the most noted member of the five planets in official records. The orbit of Mars frequently went through Leo and Virgo, which often resulted in the invasion of the Taiwei (Grand Tenuity) Enclosure , especially the two key stars guarding its southern entranceLeft Enforcer (Zuozhifa ) or (eta)Virginis and Right Enforcer (Youzhifa ) or Virginisoften identified with the top administrators. It was believed that when Mars overshadowed these stars, it would bring adversity to top court officials. In Sui times, the dismissal of Wendis chief minister Gao Jiong from office was linked with the Martian invasion of Zuozhifa.58

In Early Tang59 times, court astrologers took notice of similar events. For example, there was the Martian invasion of Zuozhifa (Left Enforcer) on the third of the sixth month, in Wude 7 (23 June 624) (fig. 8), 60 and the Martian invasion of Youzhifa (Right Enforcer) in the fifth month of Zhenguan 13 (7 June5 July 639).

56 SuiS 20.556; Chen Zungui, 3: 80910; Schafer, 215. 57 JS 12.3189; Peng Yoke Ho, 1223; YSZ 5.856; TPYL 7.2; Schlegel,

6238. 58 SuiS 41.1182. 59 Early Tang refers to the first phase (618712) of the Tang dynasty. It is

followed by High Tang (712756), Middle Tang (756820), and Late Tang (820907).

60 In fact, Mars passed through Zuozhifa a little earlier, on June 10.


Fig. 7. Changan, 2/6, 630, 3:00 a.m.

Fig. 8. Changan, 6/10, 624, 8:00 p.m.

Fig. 9. Luoyang, 5/13, 904, 8:00 p.m.

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Divinations must have been conducted following these two observations, but no records of them have survived. On both occasions, a prominent top administrator came forward to offer his resignation: Xiao Yu in 624, and Zhangsun Wuji in 639.61 According to the Yisi zhan, If [one of] the five planets enters the Taiwei Enclosure from the right, the sovereign will have great worries, and there will be an amnesty. [If it] invades the stars Generals (jiang ), Chief Ministers (xiang ), and Law-enforcers (zhifa), [court] ministers will have worries,62 and law-enforcers [at court] will be executed. This is particularly true of [invasions by] Venus and Mars.63 Xiaos and Zhangsuns requests must have intended from the basis of divinatory interpretations to ward off disaster. The reigning sovereign Taizong did not, however, grant their requests.

Martian invasions of the lodges were frequently observed and recorded. Of special interest was the one mentioned on the 11th (yisi ) of the intercalary fourth month in Tianyou 1 (28 May 904). Concerning this, Zhaozong, not long after his arrival in Luoyang, issued an edict: Mars the punisher has lingered in Dongjing (lodge Jing) for long. Astrological signs indicate disaster for the allotted field of Qin while geomantic readings of the terrain suggest no adversity for Luoyang.64 This phenomenon had been observed by court astrologers: That winter (904), Mars roamed within the space of the lodge Dongjing for an extended period without departure. This (Dongjing) is the allotted field of the capital.65 The allotted field of Qin extends from Jing 16 to Liu 8.66 In the reconstructed sky, Mars had entered the lodge Jing on September 5, 903, and proceeded further into the lodge. By

61 THY 43.769. 62 Here Generals, Chief Ministers, and Law-enforcers refer to stars of the

Taiwei Enclosure. There are four Generals and four Chief Ministers. See Chen Zungui, vol. 2, Tianwen tu ; Sun and Kristemaker, 152.

63 YSZ 4.82. 64 JTS 20 (). 780. 65 XTS 33.864. 66 YSZ 3.489.


May 13, 904, 15 days prior to the issuance of the edict (fig. 9), it had passed the lodge Gui to reach the lodge Liu.67 For months, Mars stayed within the boundary of the allotted field of Qin. The prolonged appearance of Mars in the allotted field of Qin portended catastrophe for the old capital: The fate of the kingdom will be determined by its stellar lodges: It will cause turmoil and rebellion, pestilence and death, famine and war. The kingdom in whose corresponding lodges it (Mars) stays will suffer calamity.68

The intrusion of Mars into Jing, Gui , and Liu was particularly ominous for the sovereign: When Mars (Fire) stays in the lodge Jing (Well), the great man worries. When Mars enters Jing and stays within it, the Son of Heaven will encounter a fire disaster. If Mars enters the lodge Gui, it will adversely affect the empress and bring about war death. It also suggests the presence of an arsonist near the great man. When Mars stays in the lodge Liu (Willow), there will be war, and subversive ministers will be close by.69 Thus the Martian event was of dual significance. Not only was it harmful to the old capital, it would also bring disasters to the Son of Heaven. As such, it provided the rationale for abandonment of Changan, while the absence of adversity in Luoyang justified its choice as the new seat for the court. To mark the occasion of the emperors departure from Changan and settlement in Luoyang, the reign title was changed from Tianfu (Heaven restored) to Tianyou (Heaven protected).70

While there is no reason to suspect the authenticity of the edict in question, it was obviously not written according to Zhaozongs dictates. In reality, Zhaozong left Changan against his will. During his short stay in Luoyang until his death, he was virtually a hostage in the hands of Zhu Wen.71 On the other hand, since the

67 Changan had been abandoned in February 904. So I use Luoyang as the

viewing site for these computer-generated celestial observations. 68 JS 12.318; Peng Yoke Ho, 122. 69 YSZ 5.878. 70 JTS 20. (). 780. 71 Victor Cunrui Xiong, Sui-Tang Changan: A Study in the Urban History

of Medieval China (Ann Arbor, Mich.: Center for Chinese Studies, the


Martian invasion of the allotted field of Qin appeared in late 903 and stayed there well into the following year, inflicting its baleful influence on the city of Changan, it became the apparent celestial confirmation of two terrestrial eventsthe abandonment and destruction of Changan, and the inevitable move of the court eastwards to Luoyang. Yet it is worth pointing out that as a planet with a relatively short period of revolution (687 days), Mars enters and exists various stellar lodges, including Dongjing, frequently.72 Apparently, the edict cited the 903904 Martian invasion to give an air of celestial sanction to a predetermined action, which would have taken place anyway. Saturn/Zhenxing

Zhenxing (Quelling Star) or Tianxing , also known as Dihou , is the most distant of the five planets. It has as its attribute earth and as its cardinal point the center. Its trigrams are kun and gen . Saturn was the pneuma of the feminine and the symbol of the female sovereign. With a period of revolution of 29.4 years, Saturn on average passes through one of the 28 stellar lodges per year. Its relation to the 28 stellar lodges is analogous to Jupiters to the 12 mansions (ci).73 Although primarily a star of fortune, it could also inflict baleful influences:

Where Saturn resides, the sovereign is saintly, and the ministers are loyal. When people are trustworthy and events are satisfactory, Saturn is bright and large. The propitious wind arrives to move a myriad of things. The sovereign prospers, and his kingdom thrives. If the sovereign fails to contemplate the proper way of government and to make good on [what he promises in] his teachings and statutes, and if he uses deceitful statecraft to intimidate his subjects, Saturn brings down signs of

University of Michigan, 2000), 2835.

72 On Mars invasion of Jing, see XTS 33.85164. 73 SuiS 20.556; Chen Zungui, 3: 810. Since the lodges have different

breadths, the time it takes for Saturn to pass through a lodge can vary greatly.


misfortune: It changes its color and shrinks its size. The kingdom concerned does not prosper.74 In the sixth month of Daye 13 (9 July6 August 617) before the

rise of the Tang dynasty, Saturn after a premature advance (ying ) was seen between (i) Tauri and 109 Tauri, not far from Orion. That area was part of the lodge Shen and the celestial mansion of Shichen , which governed the terrestrial area of Jin, where the future Tang royal house of Li was enfeoffed. Therefore, Shen was regarded as the asterism of Tang. On this occasion, Li Chunfeng made the prediction, Zhenxing is in charge of happiness. Residing where it is not expected is propitious for the kingdom [whose stellar lodge] it dwells in75 (fig. 10).

As a largely auspicious member of the five planets, Saturn received its share of Tang official attention. But extant divinations about its motions are relatively few. One instance involves an event on the day of yichou of the seventh month in Dali 2 (16 August 767). In the wake of an invasion of the lodge Di by a reddish yellow Mars, Saturn was seen entering the constellation Water Level (Shuiwei ; (zeta), 8 Cancri, and 11, 6 Canis Minoris). The divination that followed predicted, There will be floods76 (fig. 11). Another instance is about an event on the day of bingxu of the sixth month in Changqing 4 (8 July 824):

Saturn was in the lodge Zixi in accordance with the calendar. It advanced prematurely to 6 forward from the beginning of the lodge Shen. Where it should reside, it did not. Having lost its proper pace, it went forward, and subsequently invaded Yue of the lodge Jing. The divination says, [If Saturn] resides in the lodge long, the kingdom [under its influence] will have great happiness. [If it] deviates from the set course, [the kingdom will have] little happiness. It also says, The premature advance will cause the sovereign to have no

74 YSZ 5.93; TPYL 7.2; Schlegel, 62833. 75 XTS 33.851. 76 Ibid., 33.857.


Fig. 10. Changan, 7/10, 617, 3:00 a.m.

Fig. 11. Changan, 8/17, 767, 4:00 a.m.

Fig. 12. Changan, 7/9, 824, 4:00 a.m.

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peace. Yue, which is in charge of execution, was invaded, and its divinatory outcome will be serious.77

Zixi, also known as Zi, is the smallest lodge with 1 Orionis as its determinant star.78 In the early morning of July 9, Saturn was on the border of Orion and Taurus in an area governed by Zi. As it proceeded westwards, it entered Shen and advanced swiftly towards (eta) Geminorum, but stopped in mid-September. It then started regressing until February in the following year when it resumed its westwards advance from a point near Tauri (fig. 12). The divination had negative implications because Saturn not only presumably went off course but also invaded Shen, the asterism of Tang, and Yue ( Geminorum; Halberd),79 the star of execution. Venus/Taibai

Taibai (Grand White) 80 has a large number of variants. Li Chunfeng records five of them: Tianxiang (Celestial Chief Minister), Taizheng (Great Justice), Taigao ,81 Mingxing (Morning Star),82 and Changgeng (Long West).83 It has as its attribute metal, and as its cardinal point the west. Its trigrams are qian and dui . Venus is in charge of war. Venusian divinations were considered essential prior to a military operation.84

77 Ibid., 33.861. 78 Needham, 236; Schlegel, 391. Chen Zungui (2: 364) gives 1 Orionis as

the determinant star. Zi is sometimes rendered Zui. 79 Chen Zungui, 2: 629. 80 SuiS 20.557; Schafer, 214. 81 Taigao seems to be a variant of Daxiao . 82 Venus is called Morning Star when it is seen in the east at the break of

dawn. 83 Venus is called Long West when it is seen in the west after sunset.

Geng is the seventh of the heavenly branches, symbolizing west. Li Bai was named Li Taibai (Grand White) after his mother dreamt of Changgeng soon after his birth. See XTS 102.5762. Other aliases for Venus include: Dazheng , Dachen , and Dahao . See TPYL 7.2.

84 YSZ 6.101; Schlegel, 6338.


Fig. 14. Changan, 6/27, 902, 7:30 p.m.

Fig. 13. Changan, 6/24, 618, 4:30 a.m.

Fig. 15. Changan, 6/16, 685, 7:00 p.m.

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A typical Venusian event of importance was recorded for the day of gengwu of the fifth month in Wude 1 (24 June 618) when Venus was spotted in broad daylight inside Taurus in the lodge Bi (Net) in the east (fig. 13). Here the planets lodge association was less important than its visibility during the day. The divination reads, War will arise; the ministers will be strong.85 As the earliest Tang official astrological divination ever recorded, it dealt with an event that took place only six days after the coronation ceremony of Li Yuan as the founding emperor of Tang on the propitious day of jiazi in the fifth month of Wude 1 (18 June 618).86 It was probably the first ever astrological divination made by the Tang court. It was very likely that a government agency in charge of astrological divination had ready been serving the Li house. The divination itself not only attempted to predict future events but also acknowledged a reality. Despite its dynastic title, the newly established Tang court was only one of many contenders for national power. Li Yuan had yet to conquer the entire nation.

Apart from Venusian apparitions in daylight, Tang astrologers closely monitored the nocturnal movements of Venus as well. In one of the most detailed records of the planet by the court astrologer, Venus was first seen attacking Mars near the Empress Star (Houxing , Leonis) of the Constellation Xuanyuan on the day of jiazi of the fifth month in Tianfu 2 (27 June 902).87 It continued its course to invade End Gate (Duanmen ),88 which was the space between Youzhifa and Zuozhifa ( and Virginis). The same source adds, It invades the central star of Changyuan (Long Wall, 53 Leonis) as well89 (fig. 14). The

85 XTS 33.851. 86 JTS 1.6. 87 The so-called Houxing is also known as Shaohou (Junior Empress),

which is flanked by Nyu ( Leonis) on the right and Shaomin ( Leonis) on the left. See Yu Jicai (N. Zhou), Lingtai miyuan [hereafter LTMY] (Wenyuange Siku quanshu edition), 2.223.

88 On Duanmen, see LTMY 1.15, 2.5. 89 XTS 33.864. On Changyuan, see LTMY 2.6. There are four stars in this


divination says, Treasonous ministers will plot a rebellion. A great war will take place in the capital area.90 Predictions in the Yisi zhan on this kind of situation are quite similar: When Venus invades Mars, a great war will result. 91 When Venus enters Xuanyuan (Wagon), invading its carriage and staying there, there will be treasonous rebels [whose action will result in something] like a catastrophe.92 If Venus stays at the gate of Taiwei for more than three days, rebellion, treason, and starvation will result.93 Mercury/Chenxing

Like Venus, Chenxing (Chronographic Star) has a large number of aliases. Li Chunfeng records six of them: Anzhou (Tranquil Morning),94 Xiji (Minor Culmen), Xiongxing (Bear Star), Gouxing (Hook Star), Sinong (Star of Farming), Tuxing (Hare Star).95 It has as its attribute water, and as its cardinal point the north.

Thanks to its proximity to the sun, Mercury completes its revolution in less than a year. It is called Chronographic Star because it follows the sun to travel from one chen (chronogram) to another. It is in charge of convictions and penalties. A tiny and bright Mercury passing through a lodge will bring good luck. No

constellation, which is in charge of frontier towns.

90 XTS 33.864. 91 YSZ 6.104. 92 Ibid., 6.109. On Xuanyuan, see Schlegel, 4529. 93 YSZ 6.109. 94 The character is normally pronounced tiao or diao in Mandarin. When

used in the sense of morning, it is pronounced zhou, which I SuiSpect is the proper pronunciation here. See Xu Zhongshu et al., eds., Hanyu da zidian (Wuhan: Hubei cishu chubanshe; Chengdu: Sichuan cishu chubanshe, 1995), 1661.

95 YSZ 6.109; SuiS 20.557; Schafer, 213; Chen Zungui, 3: 811. Taiping yulan probably reads Diaoxing (fishing star) for Gouxing in error. Cf. TPYL 7.2. Diaoxing is believed to be the name of a female demon. See Duan Chengshi (d. 863), Youyang zazu (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1981), 16.1556.


punishments will be imposed, prisons will be at peace, and the people will be pacified. However, a large and shiny Mercury will lead to abuse of the legal system. The people will consequently become dangerous and hurtful.96

There are relatively few records of Mercurial events in Tang official documents. One of them took place on the day of guiwei of the fourth month in Chuigong 1 (16 May 685) when Mercury invaded the northern gate of the lodge Dongjing (Jing).97 At about 7 p.m., on the reconstructed Tang sky, Mercury concealed Geminorum, the northernmost star of Jing (fig. 15). In lieu of a divination, the court record contains a comment, Mercury is the Court Defender (tingwei ), and Dongjing is the law and statutes. They invade each other when [the court] has lost its way. This scenario, however, is not found in the Yisi zhan, which lists divinatory results concerning a Mercury intrusion of Jing: troop forward movements, fire, and barbarian troop advances, among others. In addition, a minister will be executed if the star Yue (Halberd, Geminorum) of Jing is invaded.98

A record on a different Mercurial event claims that on the day of gengzi of the tenth month in Tianfu 2 (30 November 902), a small and faint Mercury was seen inside Di. In reality, Mercury had already entered Di on November 5 and exited it on November 9th. On the 30th, Mercury advanced as far as west of Ophiuchi, and was inching towards Sagittarius, an area of Ji . I suspect that gengzi is an error for gengchen , that is, November 8 (fig. 16). The divination says, Kingdoms bordering on the sea will suffer major floods.99 The Yisi zhan contains similar comments on Mercurys intrusion into Di, When Mercury rides on the right star of Di (2 Librae), there will be major floods and wars under

96 YSZ 6.10910; Schlegel, 63843. 97 XTS 33.854. 98 YSZ 6.113. 99 XTS 33.864. The expression kingdoms bordering on the sea is a

euphemism for distant states.


Heaven. But it makes no reference to kingdoms bordering on the sea.100 Conjunctions of the Planets (wuxing juhe )

Astrologers attached much importance to the appearance of multiple members of the five planets in the same celestial region, especially the conjunction of the five planets. Such a conjunction was a rare sight and could be auspicious for the corresponding terrestrial area and for all under Heaven. The Yisi zhan by Li Chunfeng derives its name from an imaginary conjunction of the five planets plus the sun and moon in a single lodge.101 Concerning planet conjunctions, the ancient text Yi kunling tu says, When the king shows initial signs of utmost virtue, the five planets will appear like a pearl roundel. Zheng Xuan of the Eastern Han comments, It refers to the fact that the gathering [of the planets] in one lodge is a sign that all under Heaven will be won over by virtue. The multi-planet conjunction was believed to have an additional effect: it hastens the death of the unvirtuous, which is also the strongest message out of various divinatory scenarios.102

The most detailed record of a five-planet conjunction was kept for the eighth month of Tianbao 9 (6 September4 October 750) when the five planets gathered in Wei (Tail) and Ji. Mars was the first to arrive and depart. Wei (Tail) and Ji were the allotted field of Yan. In the reconstructed Tang sky, the planet that was the farthest ahead of the others was not Mars, but Jupiter, followed by Saturn. Both Jupiter and Mars first appeared in Ophiuchius in the domain of Wei (Tail). Mars was behind near Librae on the Di-Fang border, followed by Venus and Mercury. By the end of the eighth month, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus were found in close quarters, with Jupiter in Ji in Sagittarius and the other

100 YSZ 6.111. 101 Ibid., 1.12. 102 TKYZJ 19.19.


Fig. 16. Changan, 11/9, 902, 6:00 a.m.

Fig. 17. Changan, 10/4, 750, 6:00 p.m.

Fig. 18. Changan, 8/17, 768, 4:45 a.m.

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three planets in Wei (Tail) in Ophiuchius. Mercury trailed behind on the Di-Fang border in Libra. By then, Venus was already ahead of Mars. Mars eventually overtook Jupiter in late October while Venus had moved even further away. The claim that Mars led the group in the whole event is only partially true. So is the description of the location of the conjunction. Only four planets were actually gathered in the Wei-Ji area. Mercury, although nearby, was in the Di-Fang area all the time (fig. 17). The divination that followed this extraordinary event was nothing out of the ordinary: Those with virtue will have happiness, and those without virtue with suffer disaster.103 Although the astrologer noticed that Yan (Hebei) was the area governed by Wei and Ji, he did not specify the regional effect of the event in his divination, which reflects the prevailing dialectical view in astrological divination.

In another record of a five-planet conjunction, on the first of the seventh month in Dali 3 (17 August 768), the five planets jointly appeared in the east.104 In the reconstructed Tang sky, slightly before 5:00 a.m., the five planets appeared on the eastern horizon, spreading from Sextans and Leo to Cancer and Gemini (fig. 18). The area they covered corresponded to five lodgesZhang , Xing , Liu , Gui , and Jing . In a rare passage from the Yun doushu ,105 a similar scenario is described, When Jupiter leads the five essences (five planets) to gather in the seven lodges of the east, the Cerulean Emperor (Cangdi ) will rise with benevolence, nicety, moderation, and modesty. Divinations on the kingdoms will all be made according to the lodges in question.106 The divinatory implication was the possible rise of a benign ruler. Although the five lodges in the above-cited conjunction were identified with the south, they were in the eastern sky when the five planets made their appearance with Jupiter as the leader. The divination of the court astrologer offered is simply, It

103 XTS 33.865. 104 Ibid., 33.866; JTS 36.1326. 105 The first star of the Dipper is also known as Celestial Pivot (Tianshu

). 106 TKYZJ 19.2.


will benefit the Middle Kingdom.107 This is clearly reminiscent of certain divinations on lunar eclipses, which are rooted in the belief that the gain of the Middle Kingdom will come at the expense of its barbarian neighbors. Meteors Traditionally, meteors, known as flowing stars (liuxing ) or flying stars (feixing ), were considered the quintessential celestial harbingers of news in divination:

[They] fly to various lodges, announcing good and bad omens. A large star represents a great messenger, and a small star a small messenger. A large star indicates a key event with great harm, and a small star indicates a small event with minor trouble. Those with a tail leaving behind a trail are flowing stars. Those without a tail are flying stars. Those which touch down on earth are falling stars (zhuixing ). When it exits an area, so does the messenger. When it enters an area, so does the messenger. If it vanishes during an invasion, it is a sign of punishment by execution. Where a falling star falls, blood will be shed, armies defeated, and generals killed, which will do the greatest harm.108

Few divinations on meteor appearances survive. The earliest

one known to us was made after a meteor event on the day of jiachen of the sixth month in Zhenguan 16 (July 22, 642). A large moon-like meteor was observed in the west. The divination reads, When the star is extremely large, it is the sovereign.109 A similar prescription is found in the Jingzhou zhan as quoted in the Zhanjing.110 The messengerial function of the meteor

107 XTS 33.866. 108 YSZ 7.115; TKYZJ 71. For Tang meteor events, see XTS 32.8428; THY

43.7747; JTS 36.132336. 109 XTS 32.842; Schafer, 94. 110 TKYZJ 71.5.


was emphasized through such epithets as the noble messenger (guishi ) and the generals messenger .111 Cumulative Analysis of Divination

The fact that Chinese rulers were fascinated with astrology was in large measure due to the sway it allegedly held over earthly affairs. To convince the sovereign of its power, the court astrologer had only to point to the records of past dynasties. The frequency of key celestial events provided an abundance of opportunities for making celestially inspired divinations. Although a large number of these predictions went unfulfilled, what eventually mattered were those hits that correlated to earthly events. In view of the vast amount of astrological information the court astrologer had at his disposal, it would be relatively easy to produce a sufficient number of divinations that predicted major historical events with accuracy. But to my surprise, I have found that not to be the case with the surviving divinatory records of the Tang dynasty. Because this finding impinges on the fundamental way in which astrological divination was practiced in Tang times, it warrants close examination.

By far the most observed solar activity was the solar eclipse, which is the focus of this section. To help understand the frequency of divinations on solar eclipses, Table 1 is created, listing the solar eclipse data recorded in the three primary sources of Tang astrological information. Of these, juan 36 of the Jiu Tang shu has only one divination entry, for the year 761. Strictly speaking, it is not even an official record. Instead, it takes the form of a casual reference to divination.112 The Tang huiyao has no divinatory records on solar eclipses at all. The Xin Tang shu, juan 32 is the only source that lists official divinations.113 Most of them

111 XTS 32.8434; TKYZJ 71.5. 112 JTS 36.1324. 113 Both JTS and XTS list solar eclipses in the basic annals chapters as

well. JTS has 11 entries on solar eclipses in its basic annals that do not appear in its juan 36. But the basic annals of XTS do not contain any entries that are not


are extremely short, composed of a single sentence or expression as in the case of the seven divinations of Taizongs reign. The longer one under Gaozu, with two sentences, each with its own conditional clause, is an exception.

Table 1. Solar Eclipses and Their Divinations rec. = records; div. = divinations; * 7th month of 761 (JTS 36.1324)

JTS XTS THY Comments Sources Reigns rec. div. rec. div. rec. div. Gaozu 4 4 1 4 Taizong 14 16 7 15 Gaozong 13 12 2 12 Wu Zetian 13 11 1 13 Zhongzong (II) 2 2 2 Ruizong (II) 1 1 Xuanzong 16 16 17 Suzong 1 1* 2 JTS: On Shi

Siming.114 Daizong 2 Dezong 6 5 1 7 JTS & THY:

Comments on responses to

found in its juan 32. See Alvin P. Cohen and Robert R. Newton, Solar Eclipses Recorded in China during the Tarng Dynasty, Monumenta Serica 35 (19821983): 3524. Since entries in the basic annals are not, as a rule, followed by a divinatory comment, they are not significant for the study of Tang astrology. Ma Duanlin (12541323), Wenxian tongkao (Zhonghua shuju edition) has Tang astrological records as well. But usually they do not yield new information. For example, its records on solar eclipses (283.224950) are copied from the XTS 32.827 ff.

114 This record is found in the three major sources (JTS 36.13245; XTS 32.830; THY 42.760). The JTS is the only source that adds an extensive comment by Qutan Zhuan who linked the solar eclipse in the seventh month to Shi Simings occupation of Luoyang. However, Shi Siming had already perished earlier in the third month of 761. Further down in the same passage, Shis death in 762 is recorded, which is obviously wrong.


eclipses, and 3 congratulations for eclipses not seen.

Shunzong Xianzong 3 3 3 JTS: Inquiry by

Xianzong and extensive comment by Li Jifu . THY: Inquiry by Xianzong and extensive comment by Li Jifu. The heading lists 5 records but the passage provides only 3 dates.

Muzong 1 2 1 THY: Inquiry by Muzong and extensive comment by Wei Shou .

Jingzong Wenzong 2 2 3 Wuzong 4 4 4 Xunzong 2 1 Yizong 1 Xizong 4 Zhaozong 2 Aidi

Sources: JTS 36.13179; XTS 32.82732; THY 42.75862 Of the two Xin Tang Shu divinations under Gaozong, the one

dated 665 reads: The sovereign will be sick, and the one dated 674 reads: The grand minister will have worries. The entry under Wu Zetian dated 703 reads: The sovereign will be uneasy. These brief references are too vague to have much relevance. Thereafter the convention of recording divinations on solar eclipses was abandoned for the rest of the Tang except on two occasions,


respectively under Suzong and Dezong. For the reigns of Dezong, Xianzong, and Muzong in the latter half of the Tang, some comments on solar eclipses by key ministers survive.

Next to solar eclipses, solar metamorphoses attracted the most attention, and are treated as a unique category in the Xin Tang shu. Among the relevant entries, only a few are accompanied by divinations. They took place in Zhenguan 23 (649) on Tujue; in Kaiyuan 14 (726) on legal punishment; in Tianbao 3 (744) on war; in Dali 3 (768) on wicked ministers;115 and in Tianyou 1 and 2 (904905) on subversive ministers.116

The Tang huiyao is the only source that systematically gathers lunar eclipse information. However, none of its records on lunar eclipses is accompanied by divinations. There is more coverage of lunar metamorphoses. The Xin Tang shu contains four divinations belonging to this category, all in the latter half of the Tang: Daili 10 (775; twice); Kaicheng 4 (839); and Kaicheng 5 (840). The Jiu Tang shu contains one in 761.117

In spite of their relatively rich data on comet apparitions, the Tang sources provide few records of cometary divinations. The Xin Tang shu, again, is the main source of information. The divinations it records were based on comet apparitions that took place in Dali 1 (766), Xiantong 5 (864), Guangqi 1 (885), Dashun 2 (891), Jingfu 1 (892; twice), Tianfu 1 (901), Tianfu 2 (902; twice), and Tianyou 1 (904). In addition, the Kaiyao 1 (681) entry on the move of the capital appears to be a divination as well.118

The Tang huiyao as a rule does not record divinations on comets per se, but contains entries on imperial inquiries, commentary by key ministers, and cometary influences on earthly events. They are dated Zhenguan 8 (634), Zongzhang 1 (668), Shangyuan 3 (676), Yonglong 2 (681), Yanhe 1 (712), Kaicheng 2

115 XTS 32.833: : , . Here is probably an

error for . 116 Ibid., 32.8325. 117 Ibid., 32.836; JTS 36.1325. 118 XTS 32.83741. For a list of key comet appearances in Tang times, see

Schafer, 1106.


(837), and Tianyou 2 (905).119 Apart from comments on cometary motions by Yu Shinan in Zhenguan 8 (634) and by Xu Jingzong in Zongzhang 1 (668), the Jiu Tang shu records the apparition of a comet called weird star (yaoxing ) on the first day of the fourth intercalary month in Qianyuan 3 (May 20, 760). It did not vanish until the end of that month. During the same month the rebel leader Shi Siming recaptured Luoyang.120 This is one of the few astrological predictions of major historical relevance.

The five planets have numerous entries in the sources. But the Xin Tang shu is the only source that records their divinatory results.

Table 2. Tang Divinations on Invasions by the Five Planets S = invasion by a single planet; C = conjunction. Event types

Reigns S C Event types

Reigns S C

Pre-Tang 2 Shunzong Gaozu 4 1 Xianzong 5 5 Taizong 10 1 Muzong 7 3 Gaozong 12 1 Jingzong Wu Zetian 1 Wenzong 5 4 Zhongzong (II) 5 1 Wuzong 1 1 Ruizong (II) 1 Xunzong Xuanzong 5 1 Yizong Suzong 7 1 Xizong 1 Daizong 17 2 Zhaozong 5 2 Dezong 4 2 Aidi

Source: XTS 33.85168. In the section on invasions by the five planets, lunar invasions are also included.

The relevant section of the Xin Tang shu groups information on invasions by the five planets and by the moon together. As a rule,

119 THY 43.7658. 120 JTS 36.1320, 1324.


virtually all the divinations are extremely short with little or no commentary. Hardly any divination can be said to be of major historical relevance.

On the whole, the Jiu Tang shu and the Tang huiyao, instead of providing divinatory information, attach records of earthly events to astrological observations. 121 This creates the impression that the earthly events happened in consequence of the celestial events. In the absence of divination records, however, the records at best attest to the strong conviction of the court in the potency of astrological events, but offer no testimony to the predictive power of astrological divination.122

The Xin Tang shu devotes a section to star metamorphoses (xingbian ), where most of the events recorded involve meteors or meteoric showers.123 The divinations are typically short phrases with no obvious historical relevance.

Table 3. Tang Divinations on Meteors

Reigns Div. Reigns Div. Pre-Tang Shunzong Gaozu Xianzong 3 Taizong 2 Muzong 1 Gaozong Jingzong 1 Wu Zetian Wenzong 1 Zhongzong (II) Wuzong 1 Ruizong (II) Xunzong Xuanzong 2 Yizong Suzong 1 Xizong 3 Daizong Zhaozong 3 Dezong 1 Aidi

Source: XTS 32.8428.

121 One exception is the record of a conjunction of the five planets in Jing in

Dali 3 (768). It was followed by a divination. JTS 36.1326. 122 Ibid., 36.13212, 132435; THY 43.76973. 123 Schafer, 948.


In the Jiu Tang shu and Tang huiyao, meteor events are recorded without their divinatory results. There is only one meteor-related prediction, which did not take the form of a divination but of a comment made in Wude 3 (620) by Linghu Defen , who regarded the fall of a meteor as sign of the collapse of Wang Shichong. 124 The Xin Tang shu retains the record but omits the predictive comment.125

To be sure, there are a significant number of astrological records in the three major sources surveyedJiu Tang shu, Xin Tang shu, and Tang huiyao. But the Xin Tang shu was the only one that made a point of gathering and recording divinatory data. And those data only deal with a small percentage of the astrological records.126 Hardly any of the data can be said to be associated with historical events.

Conclusion

Tang court astrologers, like their predecessors, diligently observed celestial phenomena and deciphered their meaning by way of divination. The records of celestial events together with their astrological divinations provided a vast reservoir of secret astrological knowledge to the court. Powerful court officials could then tap into it for celestial rationales either to steer the sovereign away from an unfavorable course or to lead him in a more desirable direction.127

The earliest record of astrology was associated with the fate of a Tang dynasty that had yet to be founded. It took place in the sixth month of 617 (9 July6 August) when Saturns passage in Shen

124 JTS 36.1323; THY 43.7745; Schafer, 94. 125 XTS 32.842. 126 I count as divinations those entries preceded by the character zhan

(divination). 127 For example, the above-cited edict by Zhaozong on the move of the

capital used celestial signs as its justification. Memorials on celestial events by court ministers can be found in JTS 36.13189, 36.1333, 36.1334; XTS 33.855; THY 43.765, 43.766, 43.769; ZZTJ 200.6295.


was observed.128 Considering the secretive and exclusive nature of court astrology, it was almost certain that the 617 record was produced by an astrological agency serving the pre-dynastic Li house. The celestial portent boded well for the future ruling house of the Tang which had hoisted the banner of rebellion one month beforeon the jiazi day of the fifth month in Daye 13 (23 June 617).129 After Li Yuan conquered Changan and set up a puppet emperor in the eleventh month of Daye 13 (617), he continued to enjoy official astrological service, as is evidenced by a record of the third month of Yining 2 (618) on Mars appearance in Jing.130 Barely six days after the founding of the Tang, which took place on another jiazi day, in the sixth month of Yining 2 (18 June 618),131 the first known official astrological record under the Tang was produced on June 24, 618, apparently by the Tang governments astrological agency, which must have carried on the work of its pre-dynastic predecessor.

The courts focus on astrology was not limited to these predynastic or Early Tang days. In fact, thanks to the work of the official agency in charge of astrology, known as the Grand Astrologers Bureau or the Astrological Office (taishi ju ), much astrological/astronomical information throughout the Tang has been preserved. Limited by the scope of this study, I have not attempted systematically to verify all the surviving data that are

128 XTS 33.851. 129 JTS 1.23. 130 XTS 33.851. 131 It was no coincidence that a jiazi day was chosen as the beginning of the

new dynasty. The jiazi as the first of the sexagenary cycle is considered a most propitious day. In the words of Li Yuan, Furthermore, jia has as its Five Phases attribute wood. When wood is combined with zi a propitious day. Even if one does want to avoid that date, can one afford to? Consequently, From the start of the uprising to the acceptance of chief ministership and ascent to the throne, a day of jiazi was always chosen. See Wen Daya (Tang), Da Tang chuangye qijuzhu (Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe, 1983), 3.58, punctuation modified.


verifiable. 132 Instead, I have focused on those accompanied by divinatory comments. These selected records have turned out to be highly accurate. Discrepancies can usually be ascribed to scribal errors. This preliminary finding is very much in line with research results on astrological records of earlier times.133

Unlike the relatively rich Tang data on celestial observations, few records on Tang astrological divination survive. Nevertheless, in this area, some periods fared better than others. The threat posed by the anti-Tang warlords and the conflict with the Tujue and Tuyuhun in the early years of the Tang under Gaozu and Taizong, and the widespread civil unrest that led to the eventual collapse of the dynasty were echoed in astrological divination.134 But during the intervening reigns, oftentimes the astrological records were either devoid of divinatory interpretations or had divinatory interpretations with little bearing on major earthly events. Take, for instance, the reign of Wu Zetian. As sovereign, she elevated the Bureau of the Grand Astrologer from an agency under the Department of the Palace Library to the independent Inspectorate of the Celestial Sphere (huntian jian ), later renamed the Inspectorate of the Armillary Sphere (hunyi jian ), with the occultist Shang Xianfu as its director.135 Apparently, she was aware of the significance of astrological signs. But astrological

132 Verifiable data typically include those on solar and lunar eclipses,

passages of comets and the five planets, and planet conjunctions. Unverifiable data include meteor showers and color variations of the sun, moon, and five planets.

133 On the accuracy of early records of solar eclipses, see Needham, 4178. The problem is not so much with falsified records as with information withheld on striking eclipses. Cohen and Newton, 400, note that of the eighty-seven entries in THY, sixteen were not observable in Tang China, and three were false. The Tianwen chapters and basic annals of JTS and XTS have similar ratios between total and unobservable entries, and between total and false entries.

134 On the Early Tang disturbances, see, for example, XTS 32.8278, 832 and 33.8512, 865, and on the Late Tang unrest, ibid., 32.835, 8412, 848, and 33.864.

135 JTS 36.1335.


divinations dating back to her reign do not exist in the extant sources except for one reference to a solar eclipse and one to a planetary invasion. Neither is of much historical relevance. It is true that prior to her rise, there was an astrological divination in the seventh month of Yonghui 6 (655) predicting the ascent of a consort to empress status.136 But one month before, the sitting empress had been caught practicing witchcraft, paving the way for her own deposition.137 So the divination in question was more confirmative than predictive.

Like Wu Zetian, Xuanzong helped advance the cause of court astrology by promoting its government agency. In the wake of Wu Zetians fall from power, this agency suffered a setback and was demoted again to the Bureau of the Grand Astrologer. Xuanzong permanently restored the agencys independence, elevating it once more to the position of an inspectorate and disassociating it from the Department of the Palace Library. 138 During his reign, Xuanzong was instrumental in institutionalizing the cult of the noble gods of the nine palaces in heaven and must have had a strong interest in celestial signs.139 Yet, during his long reign of 44 years, only five celestial events in the sources were accompanied by a divination: two solar metamorphoses, one planet conjunction, and two meteor apparitions. And none of these can be linked to terrestrial events of major historical significance.

To complete a divinatory record, a follow-up earthly response was necessary. In this respect, the Early Tang scholar Li Chunfeng offers the best example. In the Sui section of the Tianwen chapter he wrote for the Sui shu,140 virtually every astrological observation is followed by a divination or a comment and a response in the form of the record of an earthly event. 141 Li

136 XTS 33.853. 137 ZZTJ 199.62889. 138 XTS 47.1216. See JTS 36.1335. 139 Victor Cunrui Xiong, Ritual Innovations and Taoism under Tang

Xuanzong, Toung Pao 82 (1996): 258316. 140 SuiS 21.6125. 141 The same chapters coverage of early periods follows the formula less


Chunfeng provides celestial warnings at almost every crucial historical junction: the initial challenges Wendi faced, the conquest of the south, the downfalls of key ministers, the death of Wendi, the failed attempts to subdue Kogury, the end-of-dynasty rebellion, and Yangdis own demise, among others.142 No doubt, the masterful hand of Li Chunfeng, the most prominent astrologer and diviner of his time, played a decisive part in shaping the existing information into a chronology of astrological influences. However, with so many celestial bodies coming under the purview of court astrologers, numerous astrological events resulting from astral motions or metamorphoses could potentially be deemed of earthly significance. All Li Chunfeng needed to do was keep those divinations that had worked and edit out those that had not.

Considering Li Chunfengs stature in astrological circles, his influence on Tang astrological records was probably enormous. But, in reality, very few Tang records follow the practice Li Chunfeng had established in the Sui shu. In the relevant sections of the three major primary sources that provide almost all the surviving information on Tang court astrologythe Jiu Tang shu, Xin Tang shu, and Tang huiyaoastrological events are often entered without accompanying divinatory results and essentially never followed by an earthly confirmation. This is particularly true of records on solar eclipses. For example, for the period prior to Zhenyuan 3 (787), both the Jiu Tang shu and Tang huiyao list only the dates of eclipses. The Xin Tang shu offers more technical information on such matters as the location of the eclipsed sun but still very little on divinations.143

Thus, although the Tang court has left us with a number of astrological records, they in aggregate have much less relevance to terrestrial events than their Sui counterparts even though the Tang dynastic period was much longer (289 years of Tang versus 37 years of Sui).144 It is not surprising that the Tang records miss out rigorously, apparently for lack of sufficient primary information.

142 Ibid., 21.6125. 143 JTS 36.13178; THY 42.75860; XTS 32.82732. 144 Tang astrological events seem to have particular relevance to the Sui-


on some of the most significant historical events. The rise of a female sovereign and her overthrow of the Tang regime, for example, were never once hinted during the time when Wu Zetian was in ascendancy.145 Nor did astrology give any warning on the serious threat that a general of barbarian descent posed to the Tang court before and during the An Lushan rebellion.146 The same was true of the advent of the religious persecutions under Wuzong (r. 840846), and the cataclysmic rebellion led by Huang Chao . In view of the general Sui-Tang institutional continuity, it was almost certain that the Sui and Tang court astrologers shared similar divinatory techniques. This was especially true during the Early Tang period when Li Chunfeng was responsible for keeping astrological records for the court. He may indeed have followed the high standards he had set for the Tianwen chapter of the Sui shu. But why are the surviving Tang data on astrological divination so scanty? Why is there a dearth of information on earthly responses?

The answer may lie partially in the very nature of astrology as practiced at the court. Nominally, it dealt with both auspicious and inauspicious signs from Heaven, but the divinations it produced and recorded were overwhelmingly ominous. Understandably, the court jealously guarded the astrological data gathered by the Grand Astrologers Bureau, punishing those who divulged astrological secrets, and taking measures to prevent outsiders from having access to astrological knowledge. At least theoretically, only the court, the top-ranking officials, and those responsible for gathering astrological information were privy to these secrets. Traditionally, the astrologer was free to make predictions on the most tabooed

Tang transition in the early 7th century and the collapse of the Tang in the early 10th century.

145 XTS 33.853 records an astrological event which was relevant to Wus promotion to empress status, but there is nothing in the sources on her domination of the court and overthrow of the Tang.

146 There are three divinatory references to Shi Siming, An Lushans coconspirator. Two of them contain glaring errors. Only the one related to a comet apparition may have been of some historical relevance. See above.


subjects, including the death of the sovereign, rebellion, even the fall of the dynasty itself. But eventually such records would leak out. I suspect that that for fear that astrological divinations might in the future compromise the power base of the ruling elite, efforts were made to systematically purge the astrological records of their unflattering contents.147

As for the questions of why the Tang records were more thoroughly purged than the Sui records and why information for some Tang reign periods are better preserved than othersthere is no easy answer. Apart from historical happenstances beyond our ken, they may have been related to different policies adopted by each dynasty or reign.

Insufficient divinatory information in the original Tang records has an unintended effect. It makes impossible any effort to compile a Tang astrological chronology similar in quality to its Sui

147 Cohen and Newton, 3523, 3923, argue that because of the advances in

prediction techniques, solar eclipses were no longer so surprising. Thus compilers of such traditional sources as the Jiu Tang shu were probably not believers in the portentous quality of them. They further argue that due to the relatively high ratio of fabrication in Tang eclipse records, the Tang sovereigns could not have taken eclipses seriously. Only those unpredicted eclipses, which were not many, were viewed as ominous. It seems to me that incorrect entries do not necessarily suggest falsification and nor do they necessarily indicate the absence of belief in solar eclipses on the part of the sovereign.

The great Qing scholar Qian Daxin (17281804) makes an observation that authors of the XTS do not record responses to divinations in the Wuxing chapters. This lacuna, as we have demonstrated above, is also found in the Tianwen chapters of the same work. Qian intuitively links it to the Shitong by Liu Zhiji. But Liu in principle opposes any inclusion of Tianwen and Wuxing chapters in a standard history at all. Moreover, the practice of withholding information on earthly responses had started in Tang times before Liu began to exert much influence on official historiography. See STTS 3:8.64. On Qians view, see Lu Nanqiao , Liu Zhiji de shixue sixiang he ta duiyu chuantong zhengtong shixue sixiang de douzheng , in Wu Ze and Yuan Yingguang , eds., Zhongguo shixue shi lunji (Shanghai: Shanghai renmin chubanshe, 1980), 2: 169.


predecessor. The matter was made even worse by the incompetent hands who handled them. Not only are Tang celestial events as recorded in the Jiu Tang shu poorly organized, they also contain what look like truncated pieces of information. The authors of the Xin Tang shu made a commendable effort to straighten them out. Celestial events were provided with more technical details, and reorganized according to strict thematic and chronological principles. Nonetheless, they did not add much divinatory information to the existing records. There was not much they could do when the original records had been sanitized at the source.

Documents

Eclipses - Astrological Divination at the Tang Court