Xue Fengzuo

Xue Fengzuo

Xue Fengzuo (1599-1680), a famous astronomer and mathematician in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, was born in Yidu, Shandong Province (now Jinling Town, Linzi District, Zibo City).

Profile

Xue Fengzuo was born in the 27th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1599) and died in the 19th year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1680). Xue Fengzuo was born in a scholarly family. He studied the traditional Chinese method of astronomical calendar. From 1652 to 1653, he went to Nanjing to learn the new western law from the Polish missionary muniger, and translated the western works on astronomy and calendar with muniger. Xue Fengzuo was a scholar with little knowledge of Confucianism. During the reign of emperor Tianqi of the Ming Dynasty, he traveled far to Dingxing County, Baoding Prefecture, and studied Lu Wang from Lu Jishan and sun Qifeng. He followed Wei Wenkui to study the Chinese calendar, and then he taught Italian missionary royager (who came to China in the second year of Tianqi and worked with Chongzhen Almanac); he went to Nanjing to work with the famous astronomer of Taixi, Polish munige (who was the first to spread Copernicus' theory of celestial movement in China) and German Tang ruowang (also known as Daowei, who worked with Chongzhen Almanac). He collected the merits of all the teachers and got the essence of the Western calendar. Finally, he became a well-known astronomer at home and abroad.

Growth experience

Xue Fengzuo, a native of Jinling Town, Linzi District, was buried near Tieshan, qilixu, northwest of Jinling town. Xue Fengzuo, a gifted and intelligent scholar, received Confucian education from his father's generation. He was familiar with the five classics and four books, and was a scholar in middle school. Influenced by his father's generation, Xue Fengzuo was not interested in studying Confucian classics and becoming an official. During the reign of Tianqi, he was educated by Lu Jishan and sun Qifeng, the masters of Neo Confucianism, and studied Lu (Jiuyuan) and Wang (Yangming). Sun and Lu had a close relationship with the Donglin Party. They were persecuted by the eunuch party. They had a sense of justice and national integrity. Later, they took part in the anti Manchu struggle. All this had a great impact on Xue Fengzuo's life. However, Lu's and Wang's studies were empty talk about mind and nature, but they were not practical. Therefore, Xue Fengzuo abandoned the study and began to pursue practical science, and began to devote himself to the study of natural science. Xue Fengzuo first followed Wei Wenkui, a Manchurian in Zhili, to study Chinese traditional calendar, and then he began to study western learning by Italian missionary and astronomer Luo Yage. He learned many kinds of western languages with an open mind, and absorbed all kinds of western natural science knowledge. He gained the advantages of many teachers, the essence of Chinese and Western mathematics and astronomy, and became a well-known astronomer at that time. Xue Fengzuo learned from him Copernicus' theory of the movement of celestial bodies (that is, the theory of the earth and the theory of the sun's movement) in his many years of writing with muniger, and cooperated in the translation of the introduction of Western science, which made a great contribution to the spread of Western Science in China. Later, Xue Fengzuo was appointed as qintianjianzheng by the Qing government, but soon he resigned and returned to his hometown of Jinling to write in seclusion.

Academic achievements

Xue Fengzuo is knowledgeable and has a wide range of knowledge, including astronomy, mathematics, geography, water conservancy, art of war, medicine and music. In the 15th year of Kangxi (1676), Wang Guangyu, the governor of the river, invited Xue Fengzuo to assist in the administration of the Yellow River and the Grand Canal. Xue Fengzuo inspected the advantages and disadvantages of the river and the canal, and wrote eight volumes of Qinghui of the two rivers, which put forward his unique views on the administration of the river. This work was later included in Si Ku Quan Shu. In the third year of Kangxi (1664), Xue Fengzuo collected the knowledge of calendar calculation methods, practical science and his own astronomical works as the "Tian Xue Xue Tong", which was published in the world. This book is rich in content and reflects Xue Fengzuo's academic achievements.

Main works

Xue Fengzuo wrote many works. In addition to the Chinese translations of Tianbu Zhenyuan and tianxuexuetong written by munige, he also translated the table of proportional logarithm, trigonometric algorithm and the new table of proportional four lines in mathematics. In terms of astronomy and calendar, he also translated the methods of Taiyin and the sun, jiaoshifa yuan, jiaoshibiao, calendar Jiazi, qiusuishi, Xiyu Huihui and Jinxi "Fa Xuan Yao", "Jin FA Biao", "similarities and differences of solar eclipses", "seeking the total number of degrees and rates of the Yellow equator", "Li Cheng of the calendar", "secret rate of the new method", "principle of solar and lunar eclipses" and "table of five-star eclipses". There are also mathematical categories such as "Li Suan Hui Tong", "proportional logarithm table", "trigonometric algorithm", "new table of proportional four lines", etc.; there are also many categories such as "Jia Dun Zhen Shou Mi Ji", "Qian Xiang Lei Zhan", "Sheng Xue Xin Zhuan", "Che Ma Tu Kao", "Liang He Qing Hui", etc. His works cover astronomy, geography, mathematics and chemistry, medicine, water conservancy and other disciplines. Later, Xue Fengzuo published 80 volumes of Tian Xue Xue Xue Tong, which was the result of his life's research. In the third year of the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1664 A.D.), Li Xuexue Tong was compiled. Kangxi died in the 19th year. Li Xue Xue Tong has 12 volumes of Zhengji, 28 volumes of test and 16 volumes of application. Four of Xue Fengzuo's works are included in Sikuquanshu, and some of them are included in general textual research of Qing Dynasty literature. In 664, Xue Fengzuo compiled his research achievements into 80 volumes of Tian Xue Xue Tong, which was published in the world. The book is divided into three parts: Zhengji, Xueshi and Zhiyong.

Exploration experience

Xue Fengzuo studied Chinese calendar with Wei Wenkui when he was young. Later, in 1646, he met the Polish missionary munige in Nanjing and studied western natural science with him. Around the ninth year of Shunzhi (1652), Xue Fengzuo went to Nanjing, where he studied astronomy, calendar and arithmetic, and studied the new western law. Muniger was the first person to spread Copernicus' theory of the movement of celestial bodies in China. Xue Fengzuo cooperates with munige to introduce and translate western science, and cooperates in the translation of Western astronomy and calendar work Tianbu Zhenyuan. The contents of Li Xue Xue Tong involve astronomy, mathematics, medicine, physics, water conservancy, firearms, etc. It mainly introduces astronomy and mathematics. The astronomy part includes the sun and the sun, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, eclipses, calendar Jiazi, qiusui Shi, Wuxing Gaoxing, eclipses, jinginvading Xingqian, Xiyu huishu, Xiyu Biao, modern Xifa Xuanyao, Jinfa Biao, etc. The book not only introduces European astronomy and Arabic astronomy, but also Chinese traditional methods, striving to integrate Chinese and Western methods. He was the first astronomer to introduce systematically the calculation of solar, lunar, planetary and eclipse according to the Digu system after Chongzhen Almanac. Logarithm and trigonometric function logarithm are introduced for the first time. In this paper, the decimal system is changed from the 60 carry system in the west, and the logarithm table of trigonometric function is redrawn. The mathematical part of Li Xue Xue Xue Tong written by Xue Fengzuo is mainly passed down from munige's proportional logarithm table, new proportional four line table and trigonometric algorithm. The table of proportional logarithms and the new table of proportional four lines give the table of six digit logarithms from 1 to 20000 and the table of six digit trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, tangent and cotangent). In the book, "logarithm" is called "proportion number" or "pseudo number", and the reason of transforming multiplication and division operation into addition and subtraction operation is simply explained. This is the first introduction of logarithmic method in China. The plane trigonometry and spherical trigonometry introduced in trigonometry are more complete than those in Chongzhen Almanac. For example, plane trigonometry contains sine theorem, cosine theorem, tangent theorem and half angle theorem, and most of them use the logarithm of trigonometric function to calculate. Half angle formula, half arc formula, d'Alembert formula and Napier formula are added to spherical triangle. Besides sine and cosine theorem, there are half angle formula and half arc formula. The book also includes mechanics, water conservancy, music, medicine and other contents, and the knowledge contained in it was relatively novel at that time. Xue Fengzuo gave a comprehensive introduction to Chinese, Western and Hui (Arabic) astronomy. In his two books, the sun, the earth and the moon, and the angle between the ecliptic and the equator, are deeply studied and elaborated. After on-the-spot observation and precise calculation, he found that the time needed for the earth to circle the sun was only 13 minutes and 37 seconds less than the time now universally recognized. In addition, he also determined that the sun is not a "Star" as Western astronomers call it, but a star that rotates at a speed of 52 seconds a year. He also had deep research and incisive views on the operation law of the three stars of the "Hui calendar" and "wood, fire and earth". In the study of astronomical theory, the more advanced "Tycho system" (Tycho blach 1546-1601, Danish astronomer) was adopted.

Character influence

Xue Fengzuo is a hard-working, rigorous and pragmatic natural scientist with great achievements. He synthesized, collated and introduced astronomy of China, the West and the Hui (Arabic). For example, his two books "the law of the sun in the Taiyin sun" and "seeking the age of the year" have made on-the-spot observation and precise calculation of the laws of the sun, the earth and the moon, and the angle between the ecliptic and the equator The time it usually takes for the earth to go around the sun is only 13 minutes and 37 seconds less than the time now recognized; the rotation speed of the "Star" sun is also measured; and there are also in-depth studies and incisive views on the operation rules of the three stars of the Hui calendar, namely wood, fire and earth. In addition, the 12 volume table of proportional logarithm in mathematics is the earliest monograph on logarithm in China. This book introduces the method and principle of logarithm for the first time, compiles the common logarithm table of 10000 to 20000, and calculates it to the sixth decimal place. Joseph Needham, a famous historian of science, called his book "China's earliest logarithmic table and its discussion."

brilliant contribution

Xue Fengzuo was a famous mathematician and astronomer in the early Qing Dynasty. General Xue Fengzuo