Sui and Tang · Diviner

Chief Diviner 太卜正

Taibu Zheng

Attested AD 618 - AD 907

Passages: 5
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Chief Diviner was a Diviner.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 618 to AD 907 唐
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 11, passages 58, 65, 72

Career and standing

diviner 占者
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 11, passage 58
Chief Diviner 太卜正
Held
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 11, passage 58

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 11, passage 58

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Mode quoted
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 11, passage 72

Events and relationships

Cracked tortoise
Ritual · Diviner
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 11, passage 65
Yarrow stalk divination
Ritual · Diviner
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 11, passages 72-73

Assessments and attributes

Item tortoise 龜 · Relation Used
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 11, passages 58, 64-65

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 11, passage 58

References in the histories

New Book of Tang, Chapter 11Volume 11 Treatises 1: Rites and Music 1 · 5 passages

太常卿立門東，太卜正占者立門西，卜正奠龜於席西首，灼龜之具在龜北，乃執龜立席東，北向。 The Director of Court Music stands east of the gate; the Chief Diviner, who performs the divination, stands west of the gate. The diviner places the tortoise at the west head of the mat; implements for burning the tortoise are north of the tortoise; then, holding the tortoise, he stands east of the mat, facing north.

興，授卜正龜。 He rises and hands the tortoise to the Chief Diviner.

卜正負東扉坐，作龜，興。 The Chief Diviner sits with his back to the eastern door leaf, cracks the tortoise, and rises.

乃以龜還卜正。 Then he returns the tortoise to the Chief Diviner.

若筮日，則卜正啟韇出策，兼執之，受命還席，以韇擊策，述命曰：「假爾太筮，有常。」 If divining by yarrow stalks for the day; the Chief Diviner opens the case, takes out the stalks, holds them together, receives orders and returns to the mat, strikes the stalks with the case, and states the charge: "I borrow you, great yarrow, according to constant rule."