Zhong-Xi jingxing tongyi kao 中西經星同異考

Zhong-Xi jingxing tongyi kao 中西經星同異考 "An examination of the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western star catalogs" is a book on astronomy written during the early Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Mei Yuanmi 梅文鼏 (b. 1641), courtesy name Ersu 爾素, a younger brother of Mei Yuanding 梅文鼎 (1633-1721).

The book of 2 juan length was finished in 1689. In 1688, Mei Wending, while in Hangzhou, encountered his friend Zhang Shenneng 張慎能, who was constructing a Western-style armillary sphere (Xishi hungai 西式渾蓋). Mei shared with Zhang his research findings based on the precession of the equinoxes and asked him to incorporate these into the armillary sphere. At the same time, he instructed his younger brother Mei Wenmi to draft a "Star chart of ecliptic and equatorial coordinates" (hengxing huang-chi er xing tu 恒星黄、赤二星圖). Mei Wenmi meticulously verified the positions of the stars recorded throughout history and discovered errors and discrepancies in the star catalogs of Johann Adam Schall von Bell's (Ch. Tang Ruowang 湯若望; 1591-1666) Xiyang xinfa lishu 西洋新法曆書 (see Chongzhen lishu 崇禎曆書) and Ferdinand Verbiest's (Chinese name Nan Huairen 南懷仁; 1623-1688) Lingtai yixiang zhi 靈臺儀象志. The names and numbers of stars differed from those recorded by ancient Chinese astronomers. Mei Wenmi carefully corrected and clarified these discrepancies, such as the traditional assumption that.

The author also notes that the ancient saying, "The North Pole rises 36 degrees above the horizon, while the South Pole sinks 36 degrees below" (beiji chudi sanshiliu du, nanji rudi sanshiliu du 北極出地三十六度，南極入地三十六度)," only applies to the region of Henan province. In reality, the altitude of the North Pole observable in China ranges from 24 degrees to 42 degrees. Therefore, this book records all stars located more than 23 degrees away from the South Pole to aid in celestial observation. It also includes stars near the South Pole, as they were observed and measured in detail by Western astronomers. Any missing information is supplemented using charts and diagrams. Additionally, the book lists the latitudes of 35 locations, including Shuntian Prefecture 順天 and Daming 大名 Prefecture.

Since the names, numbers, and groupings of constellations differ between Chinese and Western traditions, the book adopts a dual-annotation system. Each star is annotated with two lines: the right side for the Chinese record and the left for the Western record. If the names and numbers match between the two traditions, there is no need for additional notes. When the numbers differ but the names are identical, the annotation specifies the Western count. If the table indicates a star as being south, north, or inside/outside of a certain position, the stars are grouped accordingly. If the star does not belong to the main count, it is marked as an additional Western star. For stars that exist in the Western charts but not in ancient Chinese records, it is noted as "Western-only added" (Xi wai zeng 西外增). Conversely, if a star appears in ancient Chinese records but is absent from Western charts, it is marked as "not in Western [data]" (Xi wu 西無). If the Western charts depict a star but it is missing from the Western star table, it is marked as "missing from the Western table" (Xi biao wu 西表無).

The main text organizes the stars according to the traditional Three Enclosures (sanyuan 三垣: Purple Forbidden Enclosure 紫微垣, Supreme Palace Enclosure 太微垣, and Heavenly Market Enclosure 天市垣), the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions (ershiba xiu 二十八宿; see Butian ge 步天歌), and the stars near the South Pole. For each star, both Chinese and Western names are annotated. In total, the book catalogs 1,878 stars.

The book in included in the series Zhihai 指海, Baqianjuanlou congshu 八千卷樓叢書, Siku quanshu 四庫全書 and Congshu jicheng chubian 叢書集成初編.