(25 8 C(21) means 25th year, 8th month, 3rd quarter, jiashen (21); 979y means the year 979, assumed to begin with the yin (pre-spring-equinox) month). (h = hai, pre-solstice month; z = zi, solstice month; c = chou, post-solstice month.) 11(06) means 11th month (counting from the solstice month), first day jisi (06). yr means year beginning with the yin month, with an intercalation (run) within the year.)
Bronze vessel
Date given Reign yuan year month(gan)
day
1. Xiao Yu ding 25 8 C(21) Kang 1003 979yr 11(06) 16
2. Shi Ju gui 3 4 B(58) Mu 956 954z 4(44) 15
3. Geng Ying ding 22 4 C(46) Mu 956 935z 4(24) 23
4. Qiu Wei gui 27 3 B(35) Mu 956 930z 3(26) 10
5. Xian pan 34 5 C(55) Mu 954 921z 5(32) 24
6. Qiu Wei he 3 3 B(39) Gong 917 915c 4(27) 13
7. Qiu Wei ding I 5 1 A(47) Gong 917 913c 2(47) 1
8. Qi Sheng Lu yi 8 12 A(24) Gong 917 910c 909.1(24) 1
9. Qiu Wei ding II 9 1 D(17) Gong 917 909c 2(53) 25
10. Zou gui 12 3 C(27) Gong 917 906c 4(05) 23
11. Jue Cao ding II 15 5 B(19) Gong 915 901z 5(06) 14
12. Shi Hu gui 1 6 C(11) Yih 899 899z 6(53) 19
13. Hu ding 1 6 C(12) Yih 899 899z 6(53) 20
14. Wu fangyi 2 2 A(24) Yih 899 898c 3(19) 6
15. Yi zhi 2 3 A(52) Yih 899 898c 4(49) 4
16. Da Shi Ce gui 12 1 C(31) Yih 897 886z 1(11) 21
17. Wang gui 13 6 A(35) Yih 897 885h 5(33) 3
18. Shi Shi gui I 1 4 B(51) Xiao 870 870h 3(37) 15
19. Mu gui 7 13 B(51) Xiao 872 866h 12(39) 13
20. Shi Yu gui 3 3 A(11) Yi 867 865z 3(8) 4
21. Shi Chen ding 3 3 A(11) Yi 867 865z 3(8) 4
22. Jian gui 5 3 A(27) Yi 867 863z 3(26) 2
23. Xing xu 4 2 B(35) Yi 865 862h 1(22) 14
24. San Ji gui 4 8 A(24) Yi 865 862h 7(18) 7
25. Shi Shi gui II 5 9 B(19) Yi 865 861h 8(11) 9
26. Bo Shi Fu ding 6 8 A(6) Yi 865 860z 8(06) 1
27. Wang Chen gui 2 3 A(27) Li 859 858c 4(27) 1
28. Shi Dui gui I 1 5 A(51) Li 857 857cr 7(50) 2
29. Shi Fu Fu xu 1 6 A(24) Li 857 857cr 8(19) 6
30. Shi Li gui 11 9 A(24) Li 857 847c 10(20) 5
31. Da gui 12 3 B(24) Li 857 846c 4(17) 8
32. Da ding 15 3 D(24) Li 857 843z 3(60) 25
33. Shi Dui gui II 3 2 A(24) Li 844 842c 3(24) 1
34. Shi Hui gui 1 1 A(24) Gong He 841 841y 3(19) 6
35. Ni zhong 1 3 B(57) Gong He 841 841c 4(48) 10
36. Yi gui 27 1 C(24) Li 859 833z 1(03) 22
37. Wuji gui 13 1 A(39) Gong He 841 829z 1(39) 1
38. Ge You Cong ding 31 3 A(29) Li 857 827z 3(27) 3
39. Ke xu 18 12 A(27) Li 844 827z 12(22) 6
40. Bo Ke hu 16 7 B(32) Gong He 841 826c 8(18) 15
41. Song ding 3 5 D(11) Xuan 827 825z 5(44) 28
42. Xi Jia pan 5 3 D(27) Xuan 827 823z 3(03) 25
43. Guoji Zibo pan 12 1 A(24) Xuan 827 816z 1(24) 1
44. Xing hu 13 9 A(15) Xuan 827 815h 8(15) 1
45. Ke Zhong 16 9 A(27) Xuan 827 812h 8(27) 1
46. Zou ding 19 4 C(28) Xuan 827 809h 3(13) 16
47. Ci ding 17 12 B(52) Xuan 825 809z 12(39) 14
48. Xiu pan 20 1 C(11) Xuan 825 806c 2(56) 16
49. Bo Ju Sheng hu 26 10 A(16) Xuan 825 800y 12(16) 1
50. Huan pan 28 5 C(27) Xuan 825 798y 7(07) 21
51. Bo Kui Fu xu 33 8 D(28) Xuan 825 793y 10(06) 23
52. Shanfu Shan ding 37 1 A(47) Xuan 825 789y 3(47) 1
53. Shi Hung gui 1 2 C(27) You 783 783c 3(12) 16
54. Shi Mou gui 1 9 C(24) You 783 783cr 11(08) 17
55. X gui 2 1 A(24) You 781 780c 2(24) 1
56. Zha zhong
3 4 A(51) You 781
779c 5(48) 4
1. In 979 there was an intercalary 4th month in the yin calendar. Take 8(37), 9(07), 10(37) (yin 5th, 6th, 7th months) as 8(37), 9(07), 10(36) (syzygy 02:24).
23. The shift from a year beginning with the zi month to a following year beginning with the hai month, though 863 was not a 13-month year, is perhaps explainable by the shift from 867 as yuan to 865 as yuan. When 865 was taken as base for the calendar, the intercalation due (and actually made) in 865 was ignored.
33. The shuo was actually at 01:32 on the next day, wuzi (25).
34. At the beginning of a new order, confusion: so the popular calendar is used, although it is not official. The expected chou-year calendar is used later. The confusion continues, every available calendar being used in the next 15 years.
38-40. Xuan Wangs de jure succession was 827. But Gong He at the capital I assume did not leave his post at once, the deceassed Li Wang had been far away, and the supporters of his son probably moved slowly and carefully. Therefore it is reasonable to suppose Li Wang calendars still being used in 827. The Bo Ke hu, which I date to 826, appears to be addressed to Gong He, still functioning as head of state; the maker acknowledges his gratitude to "the friendship of tian you wang bo," i.e., to "the lord functioning as king, assisted by Heaven."
45. 8.1 = (28) (shuo 06:44). Long-short regularization calls for (27).
47. Change from hai as first month to zi as first month between the Zou ding and the Ci ding is caused by the change from 827 as yuan to 825 as yuan. Assume an intercalation effecting this change, after month 3 (= "4") and before month 12.
51. In 793, 10.1 = (07), syzygy 00:21; interpret as (06) (allowed by regularization). I have assumed that the 23rd is in jiwang. This inscription may be carelessly irregular (jisibo is carelessly inscribed as simply "jisi"). But it may indicate that in a short month jiwang is only 7 days, so that jisibo starts with the 23rdin a month after a long month, with pangsibo two days later.
54. Assume an intercalation between month 3 and month 11. (783z was a 13-month year. If by this time the qi calendar was based on an accurate determination of the solstice, the 5th month would be intercalary.)
55. 780c, 2nd month first day = (25); regularization allows (24),
forced here by chuji dinghai being especially auspicious.
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