Yixing (一行) | 24 Histories

Overview

The translated histories identify Yixing as an astronomer, engineer, inventor, and monk. This record brings together 6 passages from 4 chapters across 3 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Yixing	一行	Yīxíng
Alternate name	Tang Yixing	唐一行
Alternate name	Yi Xing	一行
Religious name	Yixing	一行	Yīxíng
Personal name	Yixing	一行	Yīxíng
Religious	Yixing	僧一行	Yixing
Religious name	Yixing	一行	Yixing

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · liaoshi:044:s0053, qingshigao:272:s0029, songshi:076:s0064, songshi:080:s0298

Roles

Astronomer
Engineer
Inventor
Monk
Scientist

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 唐 · Western Interval: Start: AD 721 · End: AD 727
Explicit event contextual date · songshi:076:s0064
Source Date: Text: 唐 · Western Interval: Start: AD 618 · End: AD 907
Explicit · qingshigao:272:s0029
Source Date: Text: 唐 · Western Year: AD 725
Strongly inferred · liaoshi:044:s0053
Source Date: Text: 宣和六年七月 · Western Year: AD 1124
Explicit event contextual date · songshi:080:s0298, songshi:080:s0290

Places and affiliations

Label: Tang / 唐 · Relation: lived-under
Explicit · liaoshi:044:s0053

Learning and skills

Belief: Buddhism / 沙門 · Relation: adherent-of
Explicit · liaoshi:044:s0053

Works and attributed material

Work: Dayan Calendar / 大衍曆 · Relation: author
Explicit · songshi:076:s0064
Work: Yixing's armillary / water-driven mechanism system / 一行之制 · Relation: creator
Explicit · songshi:080:s0298, songshi:080:s0299

Events and relationships

Kind: scholarly · Role: maker · Action: cast-celestial-globe · Statement: Cast a celestial globe praised as ingenious, but bronze and iron stiffened so it could not turn and was abandoned
Explicit · liaoshi:044:s0053
Kind: scholarly · Role: observer · Action: measured-with-gnomon-for-Dayan
Explicit · songshi:076:s0064

Assessments and attributes

Assessment: ingenious / finely made · Provenance: Mode: named-source-report · Source Work: contemporary report / 時稱
Explicit · liaoshi:044:s0053
Assessment: present design goes beyond what Yixing achieved · Provenance: Mode: quotation · Speaker Person Id: Wang Fu (王黼)
Explicit · songshi:080:s0303
Item: celestial globe / 渾天儀 · Relation: made
Explicit · liaoshi:044:s0053

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · liaoshi:044:s0053

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

History of Liao, Chapter 44Volume 44 Treatises 14: Celestial Phenomena 3 · 1 passage

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唐沙門一行鑄渾天儀，時稱精妙，未幾銅鐵漸澀，不能自轉，置不復用。 The Tang monk Yixing cast a celestial globe that was hailed at the time for its finesse, but soon its bronze and iron parts stiffened and would no longer turn; it was abandoned.

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

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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.

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

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又唐一行造《大衍曆》，用圭表測知舊曆氣節常後天一日。 Later, in Tang times Yixing compiled the Dayan Calendar and, measuring with the gnomon table, found the old calendar's solar terms regularly lagged the heavens by one day.

History of Song, Chapter 80Volume 80 Treatises 33: Measures and Calendar 13 · 3 passages

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自余悉如唐一行之制。 Everything else follows the system of Tang Yixing.

然一行舊制機關，皆用銅鐵為之，澀即不能自運，今制改以堅木若美玉之類。 Yet Yixing's old mechanism relied entirely on copper and iron, which when stiff would not turn of themselves; the present design substitutes hard wood or fine jade and the like.

其制皆出一行之外。 Every feature of the design goes beyond what Yi Xing had accomplished.