This lecture mainly introduces the calendar on which the Book of Changes is based and the knowledge of the chronology of stems and branches.
The calendar on which the Book of Changes is based is the Xia calendar, which is the earliest calendar used in my country. The specific calendar content of the Xia calendar is mostly out of order. The "Xia Xiaozheng", which is now preserved in the "Da Dai Li Ji", is an important existing document about the "Xia calendar". Astrology, weather, objects, and agricultural and political affairs to be engaged in. The current calendar in our country is the Gregorian calendar and the lunar calendar, in which the lunar calendar is also a yin-yang calendar, which includes both the solar calendar and the lunar calendar. The Gregorian calendar is an internationally accepted calendar based on the year of AD, that is, the calendar method that uses the year of Jesus' birth as the starting point. The year of Jesus' birth is set as the first year of AD, before it was called BC, and later it was called AD. The Gregorian calendar belongs to the solar calendar. nature. The Chinese calendar is different in nature from both the solar and lunar calendars. The Gregorian calendar is based on the relationship between the earth and the sun. The ancients of our country obtained relevant data by measuring the shadow of the sun; the calendar of the lunar calendar is based on the relationship between the moon and the earth. There are twelve months in total and the number of days in a tropical year is supplemented by intercalary months. The calendar of the Xia calendar is not based on the relationship between the earth and the sun, nor the relationship between the moon and the earth. The ancients worshipped the astrology and were good at observing the astrology, so the Xia calendar was based on the astrology, and we will focus on it below.
The summer calendar determines the month according to the position pointed by the rotating handle of the Big Dipper. Thus, the year is divided into four seasons, three months per season, twelve months in total, two solar terms each month.These twelve months are the month of Mengchun ( Beginning of Spring , rain), the month of mid-spring ( Jingzhe , vernal equinox ), the month of spring season (Qingming, Grain Rain ), the month of Mengxia ( Lixia , Xiaoman ), Midsummer Moon ( Mango , Summer Solstice ), Season Summer Moon ( Little Summer , Great Summer ), Mengqiu Moon (Liqiu, Summer Summer ), Mid-autumn month ( Bailu , Autumn Equinox ), Autumn Moon ( Cold Dew , Frost ), Mengdong Moon ( Lidong , Xiaoxue), Midwinter Moon (Heavy Snow, Winter Solstice ), Winter Moon ( Xiaohan , Dahan). The month of Mengchun, which begins with the beginning of spring, is the first month, and the day of the beginning of spring is the New Year's day. The Chinese calendar actually has the nature of the solar calendar, so it has a corresponding relationship with the Gregorian calendar. For example, the summer solstice is generally around June 22 of the Gregorian calendar, the autumnal equinox is generally around September 23 of the Gregorian calendar, the winter solstice is generally around December 22 of the Gregorian calendar, and the spring equinox is generally around March 21 of the Gregorian calendar. .
"Zuo Zhuan" said that "the number of summer is the sky", which means that the calendar of the Xia Dynasty more correctly reflected the astronomical phenomenon, so Confucius advocated "the time of the summer" (see "The Analects of Confucius, Wei Linggong ") the ancients With the North Star as the lord of the stars and the ruler of God, it is called " Tiandi ", and the Big Dipper (the twists and turns like a dragon) is the "imperial car". Because the North Star is always at the end of the five-fold extension line of the first and second stars of the Big Dipper, but the handle of the Big Dipper keeps rotating, just like the emperor of heaven driving around the four directions, the so-called emperor of heaven is cruising the four directions in the middle. And fast. "Yi Shuo Gua Biography" says, "The emperor came out of Zhen, Qi came from Xun, met each other from Li, served in Kun, spoke up in Dui, fought in dry, labored in Kan, and formed words in Gen." "Emperor" refers to the North Star, and the ancients used the North Star as the "Emperor of Heaven".The emperor who came out was the beginning of the tour, and the sky also traveled. The handle of the Big Dipper rotates once for a year, representing the emperor of heaven to drive around the Quartet, and the cycle repeats for a year.
The five elements of the terrestrial branch
"Book of Changes" refers to the time of the stem and branch, including the year, the month, the day and the time. The stems refer to the celestial stem and the terrestrial branch. The celestial stem is ten, and they are A, B, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren and Gui; Both stems and branches have the attributes of five elements. As far as the heavenly stems are concerned, A and B belong to wood, Bing Ding to fire, Wuji to earth, Gengxin to metal, and Rengui to water. As far as the Earthly Branches are concerned, Zi belongs to Zhengshui, Hai belongs to partial water; Mao belongs to Zhengmu, Chen belongs to partial wood; Wu belongs to normal fire, Si belongs to partial fire; You belongs to Zhengjin, Xu belongs to partial metal; Wei and Shen belong to Xiantu. , Ugly Yin belongs to hidden soil. In the practice of "Book of Changes", the terrestrial branches are mainly used to represent the time, so we omit the heavenly stems and mainly talk about the relationship between the terrestrial branches and time.
The summer calendar starts with the so-called "Jianyin" month, which is pointed by the handle of the Big Dipper in due east-north, as the beginning of the year, so let's start with "yin". Yin represents the month of Mengchun in a year, the solar terms are the beginning of spring and rain, and Yin Zheng is the rainy day; Yin also represents the Pingdan time of the day, the time is between 3 and 5 o'clock, and Yin Zheng is exactly 4 o'clock. Mao represents the mid-spring month of the year, and the solar terms are Jingzhe and the spring equinox. Chen is the month of the season of spring, the solar terms are Qingming and Grain Rain, and Chen Zheng is the Grain Rain Day; Chen also represents the eating time of the day, the time is between 7 and 9 o'clock, and Chen Zheng is exactly 8 o'clock. Si is the month of Mengxia, the solar terms are Lixia and Xiaoman, and Sizheng is Xiaomanri; Si is also the time in the middle of the day. The time is between 9 and 11 o'clock, and Si Zheng is exactly 10 o'clock. Noon is the midsummer month, the solar terms are mango, summer solstice, and noon is the and summer solstice ; noon also represents the midday time of the day, the time is between 11 and 13, and noon is exactly 12 o'clock.It is not the month of the summer season, the solar terms are Xiaoshu and Dashu, and it is the day of the big summer; it also represents the day when the sun falls, and the time is between 13 and 15 o'clock. Shen is the moon of Mengqiu, and the solar terms are the beginning of autumn and the end of summer, and Shenzheng is the day of summer; Shen also represents the morning of the day, and the time is between 15 and 17 o'clock, and Shenzheng is exactly 16 o'clock. You are the mid-autumn month, the solar terms are white dew and the autumnal equinox, and Youzheng is the autumnal equinox. Xu is the month of the autumn season, the solar terms are cold dew and frost, and Xuzheng is the day of frost. Hai is the moon of Mengdong, the solar terms are Lidong and Xiaoxue, and Haizheng is the day of light snow; Hai also represents the time of day for people, and the time is between 21 and 23 o'clock, and Haizheng is exactly 22 o'clock. Zi is the midwinter month, solar terms are heavy snow , winter solstice, zizheng is the winter solstice; Zi also represents the middle of the night in the day, the time is 23~1 o'clock, and Zizheng is 0 o'clock. Ugly is the winter month, the solar terms are Minor Cold and Great Cold, and Ugly is the Great Cold Day; Ugly also represents the time of the rooster crowing in the day, the time is between 1 and 3 o'clock, and Ugly is exactly 2 o'clock.
Modern people study "Book of Changes" and use the modern calendar inadvertently. This is a typical example of learning from the past, and the feet and feet are not suitable. It is like the "wearing" scene in the film and television drama, which not only makes people uncomfortable, Even more ridiculous.
