Guo Shoujing

Guo Shoujing

Guo Shoujing (1231-1316), the word ruosi. Xingtai County, Xingzhou (now Xindu District, Xingtai City, Hebei Province) people. He was a famous astronomer, mathematician and expert in water conservancy engineering in Yuan Dynasty. In his early years, he studied under Liu Bingzhong and Zhang Wenqian, and became an official of Taishiling, a Bachelor of zhaowenguan, and a scholar of taishiyuan. He was known as "Guo Taishi" in the world. In 1316, Guo Shoujing died at the age of 86. He has written 14 kinds of astronomical and calendar works such as tuibu and Licheng.

Guo Shoujing has made remarkable achievements in astronomy, calendar, water conservancy and mathematics. Since 1276, he was ordered to revise the new calendar. After four years, he worked out the calendar of serving the time, which was popular for more than 360 years. It became the most advanced calendar in the world at that time. In order to revise the calendar, Guo Shoujing also reformed and invented twelve new instruments, such as simple instrument and high meter.

In the first year of the Zhiyuan Dynasty (1264), Guo Shoujing was ordered to build and dredge the ancient canals in Xixia and set up gates and weirs to irrigate the local farmland. In 1291, Guo Shoujing was in charge of the construction of the canal from Dadu to Tongzhou. It took one year to complete all the projects, named Tonghui River, and developed the North-South transportation and water transport.

In 1970, the International Astronomical Society named a crater on the moon "Guo Shoujing crater" after Guo Shoujing. In March 1977, the international asteroid center named asteroid 2012 "Guo Shoujing asteroid". The National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences also named the LAMOST telescope as "Guo Shoujing astronomical telescope".

Life of the characters

Learning experience

Guo Shoujing was born in the eighth year of Zhengda reign (1231) in Xingtai County, Xingtai City. Guo Shoujing's father's condition is not recorded in the history, it is possible that he died early. He was brought up by his grandfather Guo Rong.

Guo Rong was a famous scholar during the Jin and Yuan Dynasties. Guo Shoujing inherited his grandfather Guo Rong's family education. He was proficient in five classics, astronomy, mathematics, and water conservancy technology. Under Guo Rong's upbringing, Guo Shoujing was diligent and studious from childhood, and developed a strong practical ability in his youth. When Guo Shoujing was 15 or 16 years old, according to an illustration in the book, he used bamboo strips to make a armillary sphere for measuring the sky. He also piled up soil to make a soil step, and put the bamboo armillary sphere on it for astronomical observation. He also made clear the working principle of this kind of advanced timing instrument, which could keep the water surface of the leaky pot stable, according to a stone lotus leaky picture of Yan Su in the Northern Song Dynasty.

At that time, Liu Bingzhong, an important counselor and famous scholar of Kublai (later the emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty), was studying in Jielu, Zijin Mountain, southwest of Xingtai, because of his father's death. Famous scholars such as Zhang Wenqian, Zhang Yi and Wang Xun studied. Guo Rong made friends with Liu Bingzhong, so he sent the young Guo Shoujing to Liu Bingzhong for further study. Liu Bingzhong was proficient in Confucian classics and astronomy, and Guo Shoujing gained a lot of lessons from him.

In the eighth year of mengge Khan (1251), Liu Bingzhong was summoned to the scene by Kublai, who was then in charge of the affairs of Monan Han. After Liu Bingzhong left Xingtai, he introduced Guo Shoujing to Zhang Wenqian.

Not long after Guo Shoujing came of age, he was ordered to appease tuowutuo and Liu Su in Xingtai area, initiated the work of renovating and excavating the flow channel, and specially hired Guo Shoujing to undertake the planning and design of the project. Based on his family knowledge and careful investigation, Guo Shoujing soon found out the river system destroyed by the war. The subsequent dredging and renovation project made the spreading water return to the old ways, and under the guidance of Guo Shoujing, the stone bridge relics that had been buried for nearly 30 years were excavated at one stroke. Yuan Haowen, a famous litterateur, wrote a special article about the new stone bridge in Xingzhou. Guo Sheng in the article refers to the young Guo Shoujing.

In 1260, Kublai Khan ascended the throne in Kaiping prefecture (later called Shangdu) and ordered Zhang Wenqian to serve as the commander of Xuanfu department in Daming Road (now Daming area of Hebei Province). Guo Shoujing also followed Zhang Wenqian to study. Where Guo Shoujing went, he did a lot of river water conservancy investigation work. He also called together craftsmen in Daming to create a set of lotus flowers which he explored when he was young. Maybe he changed the lotus as a decoration, so it was called baoshanlou.

Water control in Xixia

In 1262, Guo Shoujing was summoned by Kublai Khan, the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, in Kaiping Mansion because of the recommendation of Zhang Wenqian, who was then Zuo Cheng. He presented six suggestions on water conservancy. Kublai Khan nodded his head and said yes to every one of them. He was quite appreciative of him. He was appointed by Kublai Khan as tiju Zhulu canal, in charge of the renovation and management of the canals.

In 1263, Guo Shoujing was granted a silver amulet by the imperial court, and was promoted to vice channel envoy.

In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty (1264), Guo Shoujing and Tuo tuoyan went to the Xixia (today's eastern Gansu, Ningxia and Western Inner Mongolia) to inspect the rivers and waterways. A few months later, Zhang Wenqian ruled Xixia as a representative of the imperial court. Under the leadership and support of Zhang Wenqian, Guo Shoujing was ordered to build and dredge Tanglai, Hanyan and other ancient canals in Xixia, and set up gates and weirs to irrigate the local farmland, which was loved by Xixia people. Local people once built a ancestral temple for him at the head of the canal.

In 1265, he was promoted to Dushui Shaojian.

In 1275, the prime minister Boyan made a South expedition and planned to set up a water transportation station. He ordered Guo Shoujing to inspect the places where boats could travel in Hebei and Shandong, and drew a memorial.

Making the new calendar

In 1276, dushuijian was incorporated into the Ministry of industry, and Guo Shoujing was appointed as the doctor of the Ministry of industry. In the same year, according to Liu Bingzhong's suggestion, Kublai Khan ordered Zhang Wenqian to revise the new calendar. Guo Shoujing and Wang Xun were ordered to lead the northern and southern Japanese officials to carry out the actual measurement, and put forward the correct proposition that "the origin of the calendar lies in the test, and the instrument of the test should not be the first".

In 1279, the Taishi Bureau was expanded into the Taishi Academy. Wang Xun was appointed as Taishi Ling, and Guo Shoujing was appointed as Tongzhi Taishi Academy. When he presented the instrument, he explained Kublai Khan in detail. Kublai Khan was not tired until sunset. In the same year, under the leadership of Guo Shoujing, a nationwide astronomical survey was carried out, which later became known as the "Four Seas test".

In the 17th year of the Zhiyuan Dynasty (1280), the "chronological calendar" was completed, which is an excellent calendar in Chinese history.

In 1281, Wang Xun died. Guo Shoujing undertook all the work of the Imperial Academy of history. At the same time, he compiled many works such as tuibu and Licheng.

In the 23rd year of Zhiyuan (1286), he was promoted to Taishiling.

Digging Tonghui River

In 1291, it was suggested that the Luanhe River and Hunhe River should be used to transport grain to Shangdu. Kublai Khan could not make up his mind, so he sent Guo Shoujing to investigate on the spot. Guo Shoujing found that these suggestions were unrealistic on the way. He took the opportunity to report on the findings and put forward many new suggestions. Including the new plan of the Grand Canal. Kublai Khan was very happy after watching the performance. He especially reset the Dushui supervisor, and Guo Shoujing was appointed as the supervisor of Dushui.

In the spring of 1292, the canal project started. On the day of its commencement, Kublai Khan ordered all officials below the prime minister to work at the construction site and listen to Guo Shoujing's command. Although this is only a symbol, it reflects Kublai Khan's attention to the canal and Guo Shoujing's authority in water conservancy. Guo Shoujing led and opened up the Baifu weir in Dadu (today's urban area of Beijing) and the construction project of Tonghui River, the northernmost section of the Grand Canal from Tongzhou to Dadu Jishuitan (today's Shichahai in Beijing). He not only solved the water source problem of Tonghui River according to the topography of most cities, but also set up gates and dams and Doumen in the canal according to the changes of topography and water level, which solved the water quantity and water level of the river.

In July of the thirtieth year of Zhiyuan (1293), Tonghui river was built. Kublai Khan returned to Dadu from Shangdu (now the grassland of Zhenglan Banner in Xilin Gol League of Inner Mongolia). Passing by Jishuitan, Kublai saw that the water on it was "covered by water". Dayue gave him the name of Tonghui River, and gave Guo Shoujing a banknote of 12500 Guan. He ordered him to still serve as an official of Taishi and promote the water transportation of Tonghui river.

Reputation is growing

In 1294, Guo Shoujing was a Bachelor of Zhaowen school and also a scholar of Taishi Academy.

In the second year of Dade (1298), it was proposed that a channel for releasing mountain torrents should be opened under tiefangan ridge in the northwest of Shangdu City, leading southward to Luanhe River. In the Yuan Dynasty, Timur summoned Guo Shoujing to Shangdu for discussion. Guo Shoujing pointed out that according to the terrain and the data of mountain torrents over the years, the channel for releasing mountain torrents should be 50-70 steps wide (about 80-115 meters). But the person in charge of the matter thought that Guo Shoujing was exaggerating too much, so he reduced the width he set by one third. Who knows, when the next year's mountain torrents broke out, the channels were so narrow that they were inundated, and the bank accounts of Chengzong were almost flushed. Cheng Zong sighed when he was avoiding the water: "Guo Tai Shi is really a man of God. It's a pity that he didn't listen to him!"

Die old

In the seventh year of Dade (1303), Chengzong issued an edict that all officials over 70 years old could retire, except Guo Shoujing, who was not allowed to retire because the imperial court still had work to rely on him. Thus a new example is formed: the astronomical officials of the Imperial Academy of history do not retire.

After yuan Chengzong, the political power of Yuan Dynasty was decadent, the struggle within the ruling group was increasingly fierce, and the life was extravagant. Under this background, Guo Shoujing's creative activities were greatly limited. Compared with his rising fame at that time, his creative activities in his later years were very quiet.

In 1316, Guo Shoujing died at the age of 86.

Main achievements

mathematics

Guo Shoujing participated in the formulation of the

Chinese PinYin : Guo Shou Jing