Qin and Han · Astronomer and Calendar Maker

Luoxia Hong 洛下閎

Attested BC 141 - BC 87

Passages: 6
Chapters: 6
Histories: 5

Overview

Luoxia Hong was an Astronomer and Calendar Maker.

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 104 太初元年
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 26, passages 50, 59
BC 104 太初曆
Dated from the passage context · History of Song 76, passage 4
BC 104 漢世
Strongly inferred · Book of Zhou 4, passage 94
BC 141 to BC 87 漢興六十餘載
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 68, passages 254, 258; Records of the Grand Historian 112, passages 277, 282

Key source chapters

Career and standing

astronomy and calendrical science 歷數
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 282

Places and affiliations

Western Han 漢
Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Han 68, passage 258
Polity Han · Relation Served
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 26, passage 50
Polity Han 漢 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passages 277, 282
At Ba commandery 巴郡
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 4, passage 94
At Ba 巴
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 26, passage 50

Learning and skills

Skill calendrical computation 運算轉歷 · Level expert
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 26, passage 50
Skill astronomy and mathematics 歷數 · Level renowned · Mode quotation Speaker Ban Gu (班固)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 282

Works and attributed material

Taichu Calendar 太初曆
Relation Author
Directly stated · History of Song 76, passage 4
Prediction · Speaker · Direct quotation · Mode named-source-report Speaker Luoxia Hong (洛下閎)
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 4, passage 94

Events and relationships

Computed rotating calendar matching Xia
Calendrical · Calculator
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 26, passage 50
Listed among Han talents of the era
Career · Exemplar · Mode quotation Speaker Ban Gu (班固)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 282
Used armillary for Taichu calendar
Scholarly · Maker
Directly stated · History of Song 76, passage 4

Assessments and attributes

Assessment calendrical reckoning (歷數) · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Han 68, passage 258

Source notes

Value historical
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 112, passage 282

References in the histories

Book of Han, Chapter 68Volume 58: Gongsun Hong, Bu Shi and Er Kuan · 1 passage

漢之得人，於茲為盛，儒雅則公孫弘、董仲舒、兒寬，篤行則石建、石慶，質直則汲黯、卜式，推賢則韓安國、鄭當時，定令則趙禹、張湯，文章則司馬遷、相如，滑稽則東方朔、枚皋，應對則嚴助、硃買臣，歷數則唐都、洛下閎，協律則李延年，運籌則桑弘羊，奉使則張騫、蘇武，將率則衛青、霍去病，受遺則霍光、金日磾，其餘不可勝紀。 Never did the dynasty gather talent so thickly: Hong, Dong, and Kuan for classical breadth; the Shi brothers for steadfast service; Ji An and Bu Shi for blunt loyalty; Han Anguo and Zheng Dangshi for lifting others; Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang for codifying law; Sima Qian and Xiangru for voice; jesters Dongfang Shuo and Mei Gao; debaters Yan Zhu and Zhu Maichen; calendar-makers Tang Du and Luoxia Hong; the harmonist Li Yan'nian; the reckoner Sang Hongyang; envoys Zhang Qian and Su Wu; blades Wei Qing and Huo Qubing; regents Huo Guang and Jin Midi—and a cloud of names besides.

Draft History of Qing, Chapter 272Volume 272 Biographies 59: Tang Ruowang, Yang Guangxian, Nan Huai Ren · 1 passage

羲和而後，如漢洛下閎、張衡，唐李淳風、僧一行，於曆法代有損益。 Since the calendar minister Xihe, Han had Luoxia Hong and Zhang Heng, Tang had Li Chunfeng and the monk Yixing—each age revised the calendar in turn.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 26Treatise on the Calendar · 1 passage

而巴落下閎運算轉歷，然後日辰之度與夏正同。 then Luoxia Hong of Ba calculated the rotating calendar, and only afterward did the sun’s degrees and the days correspond with the Xia calendar.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 112Biographies of the Marquis of Pingjin and Zhufu · 1 passage

儒雅則公孫弘、董仲舒、兒寬，篤行則石建、石慶，質直則汲黯、卜式，推賢則韓安國、鄭當時，定令則趙禹、張湯，文章則司馬遷、相如，滑稽則東方朔、枚皋，應對則嚴助、朱買臣，歷數則唐都、落下閎，協律則李延年，運籌則桑弘羊，奉使則張騫、蘇武，將帥則衛青、霍去病，受遺則霍光、金日磾。 In Confucian scholarship, there were Gongsun Hong, Dong Zhongshu, and Er Kuan. In steadfast conduct, Shi Jian and Shi Qing. In forthright character, Ji An and Bu Shi. In advancing the worthy, Han Anguo and Zheng Dangshi. In codifying laws, Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang. In literary achievement, Sima Qian and Sima Xiangru. In wit and humor, Dongfang Shuo and Mei Gao. In eloquent debate, Yan Zhu and Zhu Maichen. In astronomy and calendrical science, Tang Du and Luoxia Hong. In harmonizing music, Li Yannian. In strategic finance, Sang Hongyang. In diplomatic missions, Zhang Qian and Su Wu. In military command, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. In receiving the imperial testamentary charge, Huo Guang and Jin Midi.

History of Song, Chapter 76Volume 76 Treatises 29: Measures and Calendar 9 · 1 passage

自洛下閎造《太初曆》，用渾儀，及東漢孝和帝時，太史惟有赤道儀，歲時測候，頗有進退。 From Luoxia Hong's compilation of the Taichu Calendar with the armillary sphere down to the Eastern Han Emperor He, the Grand Astrologer's office possessed only an equatorial instrument, and its seasonal observations drifted noticeably.

Book of Zhou, Chapter 4Volume 4 Annals 4: Emperor Ming · 1 passage

昔漢世巴郡洛下閎善治歷，云後八百歲，當有聖人定之。 In Han times Luoxia Hong of Ba commandery was skilled at calendrics; he said that eight hundred years later a sage would fix the calendar.