Song, Liao, and Jin · Astronomer and Official

Yu Yuan 於淵

Attested AD 1029 - AD 1049

Passages: 4
Chapters: 2
Histories: 1

Overview

Yu Yuan was an Astronomer and Official.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 1029 七年
Dated from the passage context · History of Song 73, passages 222, 224, 226
AD 1049 皇祐初
Directly stated · History of Song 76, passages 11, 49, 66

Key source chapters

History of Song, Chapter 76 Volume 76 Treatises 29: Measures and Calendar 9 3 passages
History of Song, Chapter 73 Volume 73 Treatises 26: Measures and Calendar 6 1 passage

Career and standing

calendar official 曆官
Strongly inferred · History of Song 73, passage 226
solar official 日官
Directly stated · History of Song 76, passage 11

Places and affiliations

Polity Song 宋 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · History of Song 73, passage 226
Polity Song 宋 · Relation Served
Directly stated · History of Song 76, passage 11

Learning and skills

Skill Venus computational method 金術 · Level approved
Directly stated · History of Song 73, passage 226

Works and attributed material

New Book of Yue Terrace Gnomon Shadows 岳台晷景新書
Relation Author
Strongly inferred · History of Song 76, passages 66, 68
Chongtian Calendar 崇天曆
Relation Contributor
Directly stated · History of Song 73, passage 226

Events and relationships

Comparative verification
AD 1029 七年 · Calendar verification · Verifier · With Zhou Cong (周琮)
Dated from the passage context · History of Song 73, passages 222, 224, 226
Rebuilt clepsydra
AD 1049 皇祐初 · Scholarly · Maker
Directly stated · History of Song 76, passage 49
Rebuilt gnomon table
AD 1049 皇祐初 · Scholarly · Maker
Directly stated · History of Song 76, passage 66
Recast ecliptic armillary and clepsydra gnomon
AD 1049 皇祐初 · Scholarly · Maker
Directly stated · History of Song 76, passage 11
Relation Colleague of · Person Zhou Cong (周琮)
Directly stated · History of Song 76, passage 11

References in the histories

History of Song, Chapter 73Volume 73 Treatises 26: Measures and Calendar 6 · 1 passage

又有楊皞、於淵者，與琮求較驗，而皞術於木為得，淵于金為得，琮於月、土為得，詔增入《崇天曆》，其改用率數如後： Yang Hao and Yu Yuan also joined Cong in seeking comparative verification; Hao's method proved correct for Jupiter, Yuan's for Venus, and Cong's for the Moon and Saturn. An edict ordered these incorporated into the Chongtian Calendar. The revised rate constants are as follows:

History of Song, Chapter 76Volume 76 Treatises 29: Measures and Calendar 9 · 3 passages

皇祐初，又命日官舒易簡、于淵、周琮等參用淳風、令瓚之制，改鑄黃道渾儀，又為漏刻、圭表，詔翰林學士錢明逸詳其法，內侍麥允言總其工。 Early in the Huangyou era, the court again ordered the solar officials Shu Yijian, Yu Yuan, and Zhou Cong to draw on the designs of Li Chunfeng and Liang Lingzan, recast an ecliptic armillary sphere, and also build clepsydra graduations and a gnomon table; Hanlin Academician Qian Mingyi was directed to work out the methods, and Inner Attendant Mai Yunyan to supervise construction.

皇祐初，詔舒易簡、于淵、周琮更造，其法用平水重壺均調水勢，使無遲疾。 Early in Huangyou, an edict directed Shu Yijian, Yu Yuan, and Zhou Cong to rebuild the clock; their method used a leveling weighted jar to steady the flow and eliminate uneven dripping.

皇祐初，詔周琮、于淵、舒易簡改制之，乃考古法，立八尺銅表，厚二寸，博四寸，下連石圭一丈三尺，以盡冬至景長之數，面有雙水溝為平准，於溝雙刻尺寸分數，又刻二十四氣岳台晷景所得尺寸，置於司天監。 Early in Huangyou, Zhou Cong, Yu Yuan, and Shu Yijian were ordered to rebuild it; studying ancient methods, they erected an eight-chi bronze gnomon two cun thick and four cun wide, joined to a stone platform one zhang three chi long to capture the full winter-solstice shadow, with twin water channels on the face for leveling and graduated inches, cun, and fen on both sides, plus the twenty-four solar terms' shadow lengths measured at Yue Terrace; the instrument was installed at the Directorate of Astronomy.