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Books on Astronomy and Mathematics (tianwen suanfa lei 天文算法類)

Jul 24, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald

Books on Astronomy and Mathematics (tianwen suanfa lei 天文算法類) is a subcategory in traditional Chinese bibliographies and part of the category of Masters and Philosophers (zibu 子部). The section as presented in the reprint series Siku quanshu 四庫全書 is divided into treatises on astronomy (tuibu 推步), including 31 books, and treatises on mathematics (suanshu 算書), including 25 books. A few book have been compiled by Western scientists, like the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci (Chinese name Li Madou 利瑪竇), Emmanuel Diaz (Yang Manuo 陽瑪諾), Sabatino de Ursis (Xiong Sanba 熊三拔) or Jean-Nicolas Smogolenski (Mu Nige 穆尼閣). The most famous books are the ancient astronomical treatise Zhoubi suanjing 周髀算經, the Jihe yuanben 幾何原本, a book on Western geometry, and the corpus of the ten ancient mathematical classics (suanjing shishu 算經十書).

Table 1. Books on astronomy and mathematics (tianwen suanfa 天文算法)
Part of Siku quanshu 四庫全書
Part of Xuxiu siku quanshu 續修四庫全書
推步之屬 tuibu Astronomy
周髀算經 二卷 Zhoubi suanjing (Han) 趙君卿 Zhao Junqing (?; comm.); (Northern Zhou) 甄鸞 Zheng Luan (arr.); (Tang) 李淳風 Li Chunfeng (comm.)
(御製)曆象考成 四十二卷 (Yuzhi) Lixiang kaocheng (Qing) imp. ord.
算書之屬 suanshu Mathematics
算經十書 Suanjing shishu The Ten Books of Mathematics
九章算術 九卷 Jiuzhang suanshu (Jin) 劉徽 Liu Hui (comm.); (Tang) 李淳風 Li Chunfeng (comm.)
孫子算經 三卷 Sunzi suanjing () NN
數術記遺 一捲 Shushu jiyi (Han) 徐岳 Xu Yue (?); (Northern Zhou) 甄鸞 Zheng Luan (comm.)
海島算經 一卷 Haidao suanjing (Jin) 劉徽 Liu Hui; (Tang) 李淳風 Li Chunfeng (comm.)
五曹算經 五卷 Wucao suanjing () NN
五經算術 二卷 Wujing suanshu (Northern Zhou) 甄鸞 Zheng Luan; (Tang) 李淳風 Li Chunfeng (comm.)
夏侯陽算經 三卷 Xiahou Yang suanjing () 夏侯陽 Xiahou Yang; (Northern Zhou) 甄鸞 Zheng Luan (comm.)
張邱建算經 三卷 Zheng Qiujian suanjing () 張邱建 Zheng Qiujian; (Northern Zhou) 甄鸞 Zheng Luan (comm.)
緝古算經 一卷 Jigu suanjing (Tang) 王孝通 Wang Xiaotong

others
數學九章 十八卷 Shuxue jiuzhang (Song) 秦九韶 Qin Jiushao
測圓海鏡 十二卷 Ceyuan haijing (Yuan) 李治 Li Zhi
(御製) 數理精蘊 五十三卷 (Yuzao) Shuli jingyun (Qing) imp. ord.
* not included in the series Siku quanshu 四庫全書, the catalogue Siku quanshu zongmu tiyao 四庫全書總目題要, nor the Xuxiu siku quanshu 續修四庫全書.