英語訳
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...measuring the length [of the day/shadow], taking the two equinoxes and two solstices of the ecliptic as boundary points, and further measuring the degrees by which certain fixed stars are distant from those boundaries. [Interlinear annotation: Those who measure the precession must begin with these several methods.] Following this, measuring again, one can observe the [stars'] progression and shift, and can further see that there is a discrepancy arising from their cyclical rotation. Comparing [the current positions] with those of the middle and high antiquity, one finds that these stars have been gradually moving further from the winter solstice point. For example, the lunar mansion that previously stood at the winter solstice was Xū (Emptiness 虚); now it has moved eastward in prograde motion, and the ones that follow it in sequence are Nǚ (Maiden 女), Niú (Ox 牛), Dǒu (Dipper 斗), and Jī (Winnowing Basket 箕).
Thus, the annual precession (*suì chā* 歳差) is in reality related to the forward progression of the fixed stars, and is no different from the intrinsic motion (*běn xíng* 本行) of the Seven Governors [sun, moon, and five planets].
On the Names and Positions of the Fixed Stars (*jīng xīng* 経星)
Question: The sun is the ancestor (*zōng* 宗) of all yang [forces], and is therefore named "Grand Yang" (*tàiyáng* 太陽). The moon is the mother of all yin [forces], and is therefore named "Grand Yin" (*tàiyīn* 太陰). The five planets resemble the colors of the Five Phases (*wǔ xíng* 五行), and are therefore named Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth [i.e., Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn]. The fixed stars (*jīng xīng* 経星) are intricately interwoven and spread across the entire heavens. How is it that each one has a name and a meaning?
Answer: The stars in the heavens' image originally have no names. However, as affairs on earth correspond to and accord with heaven, [scholars] observe the heavens in sequential order. Therefore, they divide the interior [of the heavens] into the Three Enclosures (*sān yuán* 三垣): Purple Forbidden Enclosure (*Zǐwēi yuán* 紫微垣), Supreme Subtlety Enclosure (*Tàiwēi yuán* 太微垣), and Heavenly Market Enclosure (*Tiānshì yuán* 天市垣). The outer [heavens] are divided into four quadrants (*sì wéi* 四維): to the East are [the mansions] Horn (角 *Jiǎo*), Neck (亢 *Kàng*), Root (氐 *Dǐ*), Room (房 *Fáng*), Heart (心 *Xīn*), Tail (尾 *Wěi*), and Winnowing Basket (箕 *Jī*); to the North are Dipper (斗 *Dǒu*), Ox (牛 *Niú*), Maiden (女 *Nǚ*), Emptiness (虚 *Xū*), Rooftop (危 *Wēi*), Encampment (室 *Shì*), and Wall (壁 *Bì*); to the West are Legs (奎 *Kuí*), Bond (婁 *Lóu*), Stomach (胃 *Wèi*), Hairy Head (昴 *Mǎo*), Net (畢 *Bì*), Turtle Beak (觜 *Zī*), and Three Stars (参 *Shēn*); to the South are Well (井 *Jǐng*), Ghost (鬼 *Guǐ*), Willow (柳 *Liǔ*), Star (星 *Xīng*), Extended Net (張 *Zhāng*), Wings (翼 *Yì*), and Chariot (軫 *Zhěn*). The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions (*èrshíbā xiù* 二十八宿) are thus arrayed. The Three Enclosures and the Twenty-Eight Mansions revolve together with heaven; those that remain fixed and do not shift are called "fixed stars" (*jīng xīng* 経星, literally "warp stars"). The sun, moon, and five planets traverse the array of lunar mansions without any fixed position; these are called "weft stars" (*wéi xīng* 緯星, literally "woof stars"). The fixed stars spread out as the warp, and the Seven Luminaries (*qī yào* 七曜) travel as the weft. As warp and weft interweave, and all stars are arranged within this framework, the pattern (*wén* 文) of heaven becomes manifest.
Scholars of heavenly learning speak of the Three Enclosures thus: the Heavenly Market (*tiānshì* 天市) corresponds, upon examination, to the position of the Bright Hall (*míngtáng* 明堂). The Supreme Subtlety (*tàiwēi* 太微) corresponds to the position of the Court (*cháotíng* 朝廷). The Purple Forbidden [Enclosure] (*zǐwēi* 紫微) corresponds to the position of the Palace Bedchamber (*gōng qǐn* 宮寝). The position of the Bright Hall is the residence [of the Son of Heaven] when making royal progresses (*xúnshòu* 巡狩). The position of the Court is the residence where government affairs are heard. The position of the Palace Bedchamber is the residence for rest and repose. The Son of Heaven comes to the Heavenly Market once a year. He comes to the Supreme Subtlety daily. The Purple [Forbidden Enclosure...]
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