The Chinese Lunisolar Calendar

中国阴阳合历：中华文明中的时间智慧

The Chinese Lunisolar Calendar: Time Wisdom in Chinese Civilization

引言：《尚书·尧典》与观天授时

《尚书·尧典》记载：

“乃命羲和，钦若昊天，历象日月星辰，敬授民时。”

《尚书·尧典》记录了约公元前2200年前后的唐尧时代关于天文观测与历法制定的传统记忆。其中记载帝尧命羲和氏观察日月星辰的运行规律，以制定历法，指导百姓安排农耕生产。这是中国典籍中保存下来的关于观天授时最早、最重要的记载之一。从《史记》《汉书》等文献来看，中国历法传统的形成还可以追溯到更早的黄帝、颛顼时代。经过长期的观察、积累与发展，中国先民逐渐建立起系统的历法体系，并形成了独具特色的阴阳合历传统。

中国文化素有经史合参的传统。经者，载道也；史者，明变也。以经观史，则知兴替之理；以史证经，则见圣贤之言不虚。

从《尚书》的记载可以看出，早在数千年前，中国先民便开始通过观察天地运行来认识时间，通过历法制度来协调人与自然的关系。经过长期积累与发展，逐渐形成了独具特色的中国阴阳合历体系，以及闻名世界的二十四节气。

时间，对于中国人而言，从来不仅仅是数字的计算，更是人与天地之间秩序与关系的体现。

Introduction: The Book of Documents and the Origins of Timekeeping

The chapter Yao Dian in the Book of Documents (Shang Shu) records:

“He commanded Xi and He to reverently observe the heavens, study the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, and thereby provide the people with the proper seasons and times.”

This passage preserves a traditional account from the legendary reign of Emperor Yao, dated to approximately 2200 BCE. According to the text, Emperor Yao instructed the Xi and He clans to observe the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, establish a calendar, and guide agricultural life. It is one of the earliest and most important surviving records of astronomical observation and timekeeping in Chinese civilization.

However, according to later historical sources such as the Records of the Grand Historian (Shi Ji) and the Book of Han (Han Shu), the origins of the Chinese calendrical tradition may be traced even further back to the eras of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) and Zhuanxu. Through centuries of observation, accumulation of knowledge, and refinement, early Chinese scholars gradually developed a systematic calendrical tradition, culminating in the distinctive Chinese lunisolar calendar.

Chinese culture has long embraced a tradition of studying the Classics and History together. The Classics preserve enduring principles, while History reveals change and development. Through the Classics, we understand the deeper patterns behind human affairs; through History, we see how ancient wisdom was applied in practice.

From the records of the Book of Documents, we can see that thousands of years ago, the Chinese people had already begun to understand time through the observation of Heaven, Earth, and the changing seasons. Through centuries of accumulated knowledge and careful observation, they gradually developed a distinctive lunisolar calendar system, as well as the Twenty-Four Solar Terms that continue to influence Chinese culture today.

For the Chinese, time has never been merely a matter of counting days and years. Rather, it reflects the relationship between humanity and nature, as well as the underlying order of the cosmos itself.

一、什么是历法

历法是人类记录时间、安排生产与生活的重要工具。

自古以来，人们通过观察自然现象来认识时间。日出日落形成了“日”的概念，月圆月缺形成了“月”的概念，寒来暑往、四季更替形成了“年”的概念。

因此，无论东方还是西方，历法的产生都源于对自然规律的长期观察。

世界各文明发展出的历法虽然不同，但大体上都围绕太阳、月亮和四季运行规律而建立。

其中最主要的两种历法体系，便是太阴历与太阳历。

1. What Is a Calendar?

A calendar is one of humanity’s most important tools for measuring time and organizing life.

Since ancient times, people have observed natural phenomena in order to understand the passage of time. The rising and setting of the sun gave rise to the concept of a day; the waxing and waning of the moon formed the concept of a month; and the changing seasons established the concept of a year.

Whether in the East or the West, calendars emerged from long-term observation of the natural world.

Although different civilizations developed different calendrical systems, most were based on the movements of the sun, the moon, and the cycle of the seasons.

Among these systems, the two most fundamental are the lunar calendar and the solar calendar.

二、太阴历与太阳历

太阴历以月亮绕地球运行的周期为依据。

中国古人通过观察月亮的盈亏变化，将一个月划分为不同阶段：

• 朔：每月初一，新月不见；

• 上弦：初七、初八左右；

• 望：十五前后，月圆；

• 下弦：二十二、二十三左右；

• 晦：每月最后一天。

古人常说：

“无月为朔，满月为望。”

一个朔望月约为二十九天半，因此十二个月约为三百五十四天，比太阳年少约十一天。

太阳历则依据地球绕太阳运行一周的时间而制定。一年约为三百六十五天，与四季变化保持一致。

今天国际社会普遍采用的公历，即属于太阳历体系。

公元纪年常以 A.D.（Anno Domini，主的生年）表示，公元前则以B.C.（Before Christ，基督以前）表示。公元六世纪，僧侣狄奥尼西提出以耶稣诞生作为纪元，逐渐得到教会支持。至十六世纪格里高利历颁布后，这种纪年方式被广泛采用，并延续至今。

2. Lunar and Solar Calendars

A lunar calendar is based on the cycle of the moon as it revolves around the Earth.

Ancient Chinese observers carefully recorded the changing phases of the moon and identified several key stages:

• New Moon (Shuo) – the first day of the lunar month, when the moon is invisible.

• First Quarter – around the seventh or eighth day.

• Full Moon (Wang) – around the fifteenth day.

• Last Quarter – around the twenty-second or twenty-third day.

• End of the Month (Hui) – the final day of the lunar month.

Ancient Chinese texts describe this cycle with the saying:

“Without a visible moon there is Shuo; with a full moon there is Wang.”

One lunar month lasts approximately 29.5 days. Twelve lunar months therefore total about 354 days, which is roughly eleven days shorter than a solar year.

A solar calendar, by contrast, is based on the Earth's orbit around the sun. A solar year lasts approximately 365 days and remains closely aligned with the changing seasons.

The Gregorian calendar used internationally today is a solar calendar.

The Common Era is traditionally marked as A.D. (Anno Domini, “the Year of the Lord”), while years before it are marked as B.C. (“Before Christ”). In the sixth century, the monk Dionysius Exiguus proposed dating years from the birth of Jesus Christ. This system gradually gained acceptance and became widely adopted after the Gregorian calendar reform of the sixteenth century.

三、中国历法：阴阳合历的智慧

许多人习惯把中国传统历法称为“阴历”，实际上并不准确。

中国传统历法既参考月亮运行，也参考太阳运行，是一种典型的阴阳合历。

月亮运行决定月份；

太阳运行决定节气。

为了使月份与四季长期保持一致，中国历法通过设置闰月来进行调整。

因此，中国历法既能够反映月相变化，又能够准确反映四时节令。

中国人几千年来使用的实际上并非单纯的太阴历，也并非单纯的太阳历，而是一套融合日月运行规律的阴阳合历体系。

也正因为如此，中国传统历法不仅是一套记时系统，更是一套观察天地、顺应自然的生活体系。

从春节、端午、中秋等传统节日，到春耕秋收、养生起居，无不与这一历法体系密切相关。

3. The Wisdom of the Chinese Lunisolar Calendar

Many people refer to the traditional Chinese calendar simply as a “lunar calendar.” Strictly speaking, however, this is not accurate.

The traditional Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, combining observations of both the moon and the sun.

The moon determines the months.

The sun determines the seasons and the solar terms.

To keep the lunar months aligned with the seasonal cycle, intercalary months (leap months) are added when necessary.

As a result, the Chinese calendar is able to reflect both the phases of the moon and the rhythms of the seasons.

For thousands of years, the Chinese people have used not a purely lunar calendar nor a purely solar calendar, but a sophisticated system that integrates the movements of both celestial bodies.

For this reason, the Chinese calendar is more than a method of measuring time. It is also a way of observing nature and living in harmony with its rhythms.

Traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as agricultural activities and seasonal practices, all remain closely connected to this calendrical tradition.

四、从黄帝到汉代：历法的发展

《汉书·律历志》系统保存了中国古代历法发展的重要资料，其中记载了古代著名的六种历法：

• 黄帝历

• 颛顼历

• 夏历

• 殷历

• 周历

• 鲁历

中国传统认为，黄帝时期已经开始系统观察天象并制定历法。

《史记·历书》记载：

“太史公曰：黄帝考定星历，建立五行，起消息，正闰馀，于是有天地神祇物类之官，是谓五官。各司其序，不相乱也。”

意思是黄帝通过观测天象，建立历法体系，调整闰月，使时间秩序与天地运行保持协调。

《史记·五帝本纪》记载，颛顼、帝喾、尧、舜、禹等皆承袭黄帝文明传统，历法制度也在长期发展过程中不断完善。

中国历代对于岁首的确定并不完全相同：

• 夏代以寅月为岁首；

• 商代以丑月为岁首；

• 周代以子月为岁首。

直到汉代以后，以夏历正月初一为岁首的制度逐渐稳定下来，并长期沿用。

1912年，中华民国建立后，为了与国际接轨，正式采用公历作为国家纪年体系。但传统历法仍然广泛保留于节日、民俗和日常生活之中。

4. The Development of Chinese Calendars: From the Yellow Emperor to the Han Dynasty

The Treatise on Calendrical Science (Lüli Zhi) in the Book of Han (Han Shu) preserves some of the most important historical records concerning the development of ancient Chinese calendars.

It records six major calendrical systems of antiquity:

• The Yellow Emperor Calendar (traditionally dated to the era of Huangdi, c. 27th century BCE)

• Zhuanxu Calendar (traditionally dated to the era of Zhuanxu, c. 26th–25th century BCE)

• Xia Calendar (Xia Dynasty, c. 21st–17th century BCE)

• Yin Calendar (Shang Dynasty, c. 16th–11th century BCE)

• Zhou Calendar (Zhou Dynasty, c. 11th–3rd century BCE)

• Lu Calendar (State of Lu, Spring and Autumn Period, c. 8th–5th century BCE)

According to Chinese tradition, systematic observation of the heavens began during the era of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi), one of the legendary founders of Chinese civilization.

The Records of the Grand Historian (Shi Ji) states:

“The Yellow Emperor examined the stars and calendar, established the Five Elements, regulated the intercalary months, and brought order to the cycles of Heaven and Earth.”

Whether regarded as historical memory or cultural tradition, such accounts reflect the importance that early Chinese civilization attached to astronomy, seasonal observation, and the organization of time.

The Records of the Grand Historian further records that Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Yao, Shun, and Yu all inherited and developed this calendrical tradition.

Different dynasties adopted different months as the beginning of the year:

• The Xia Dynasty used the month of Yin (寅月).

• The Shang Dynasty used the month of Chou (丑月).

• The Zhou Dynasty used the month of Zi (子月).

After the Han Dynasty, the Xia calendar gradually became the standard system and remained influential for nearly two thousand years.

In 1912, following the establishment of the Republic of China, the Gregorian calendar was officially adopted for civil administration. Nevertheless, the traditional calendar continues to play an important role in festivals, customs, and cultural life.

五、二十四节气与七十二候

中国阴阳合历最伟大的创造之一，便是二十四节气。

古人根据太阳在黄道上的运行位置，将一年划分为二十四个节气：

立春、雨水、惊蛰、春分、清明、谷雨；

立夏、小满、芒种、夏至、小暑、大暑；

立秋、处暑、白露、秋分、寒露、霜降；

立冬、小雪、大雪、冬至、小寒、大寒。

与此同时，古人还将自然变化进一步细分。

五日为一候；

三候为一气；

三气为一节。

因此：

一年共有七十二候；

二十四节气。

古人通过观察候鸟迁徙、草木生长、昆虫活动以及气候变化，将自然规律细致记录下来。

什么季节播种，什么季节收获，什么时节养生，什么时节储藏，都有明确规律可循。

因此，二十四节气不仅是一套时间体系，更是农业文明长期实践经验的总结。

5. The Twenty-Four Solar Terms and the Seventy-Two Pentads

One of the greatest achievements of the Chinese lunisolar calendar is the system of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms.

Based on the annual movement of the sun along the ecliptic, ancient Chinese astronomers divided the year into twenty-four seasonal markers:

Beginning of Spring, Rain Water, Awakening of Insects, Spring Equinox, Clear and Bright, Grain Rain;

Beginning of Summer, Grain Full, Grain in Ear, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat, Major Heat;

Beginning of Autumn, Limit of Heat, White Dew, Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew, Frost Descent;

Beginning of Winter, Minor Snow, Major Snow, Winter Solstice, Minor Cold, Major Cold.

These solar terms provided a practical framework for agriculture and daily life.

Ancient observers further divided natural change into smaller units:

Five days formed one Pentad (Hou).

Three Pentads formed one Solar Term Period.

Together, the system produced:

• Seventy-Two Pentads

• Twenty-Four Solar Terms

By observing migratory birds, plant growth, insect activity, rainfall, frost, and seasonal weather patterns, the Chinese developed a remarkably detailed understanding of the natural world.

The Twenty-Four Solar Terms are therefore much more than a method of measuring time. They represent centuries of accumulated agricultural knowledge and close observation of nature.

In 2016, the Twenty-Four Solar Terms were inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing their enduring cultural significance.

六、天干地支与六十甲子

除了节气之外，中国历法还建立了独特的干支体系。

十天干：

甲、乙、丙、丁、戊、己、庚、辛、壬、癸。

十二地支：

子、丑、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戌、亥。

天干与地支依次相配，形成六十甲子循环。

这一体系不仅用于纪年，也用于纪月、纪日和纪时。

因此，中国传统时间观念强调的并不仅仅是线性时间，而是周期运行与循环变化。

从岁月更替到四季轮回，从昼夜变化到人生阶段，都体现出循环与更新的思想。

6. The Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and the Sixty-Year Cycle

In addition to the solar terms, the Chinese calendar developed a unique cyclical system known as the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

The Ten Heavenly Stems are:

Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui.

The Twelve Earthly Branches are:

Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai.

By combining the ten stems with the twelve branches, the Chinese created the Sixty-Year Cycle (Sexagenary Cycle), one of the oldest continuous chronological systems in the world.

This system is used not only for years but also for months, days, and even hours.

As a result, traditional Chinese timekeeping emphasizes cyclical patterns rather than purely linear progression.

The changing seasons, the succession of years, the alternation of day and night, and the stages of human life all reflect a worldview based on renewal, transformation, and recurring cycles.

The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches therefore represent more than a method of dating events; they embody a deeper understanding of time as a dynamic process of change.

七、《易经》中的时间观

中国古代对于时间的理解，与《易经》的思想密不可分。

古人观察到：

日有出没；

月有盈亏；

四时有寒暑；

万物有生长收藏。

因此形成了阴阳变化的观念。

《易经》中的“易”，本身便包含变化之义。

古人常说：

日月之谓易。

太阳与月亮不断运行，阴阳不断转换，构成天地万物变化的基础。

《易经》的卦象、阴阳理论以及许多关于变化规律的思想，都建立在古人长期观察天象、历法与自然规律的基础之上。

因此，中国历法不仅是天文学的发展成果，也成为中国哲学的重要根基之一。

7. The Concept of Time in the Book of Changes

The Chinese understanding of time is closely connected to the Book of Changes (Yi Jing), one of the oldest and most influential classics in Chinese civilization.

Ancient observers recognized that everything in nature is constantly changing:

The sun rises and sets.

The moon waxes and wanes.

The seasons alternate.

All living things grow, flourish, decline, and renew themselves.

From these observations emerged the concept of Yin and Yang, the fundamental principle of change in Chinese thought.

Ancient scholars often said:

“The sun and the moon together constitute change.”

In Chinese, the character Yi(易) not only means “change,” but also reflects the continual transformations observed in the natural world.

The movements of the sun and moon, the alternation of day and night, and the cycle of the seasons all became models for understanding the rhythm of life.

For this reason, many ideas found in the Book of Changes are rooted in centuries of astronomical observation and calendrical knowledge.

The Chinese calendar and the Book of Changes developed together as complementary ways of understanding time, nature, and transformation.

八、时间与自然的关系

在中国传统文化中，时间从来不仅仅是钟表上的数字。

日出而作，日落而息；

春生、夏长、秋收、冬藏；

顺应四时，调养身心。

这些观念都源于对天地自然长期而细致的观察。

中国人相信，人不是自然的征服者，而是天地运行秩序中的一部分。

因此，认识时间，不仅是计算时间，更是理解自然。

顺应时间，不仅是安排生活，更是顺应天地之道。

8. Time and Nature

In traditional Chinese culture, time has never been viewed as a series of abstract numbers.

Instead, it is closely connected to the rhythms of the natural world.

People rose with the sun and rested after sunset.

Spring was a season of growth.

Summer was a season of flourishing.

Autumn was a season of harvest.

Winter was a season of storage and renewal.

These patterns were not merely agricultural practices; they reflected a deeper understanding of humanity's relationship with nature.

Traditional Chinese thought emphasizes that human beings are not separate from nature, nor are they its conquerors. Rather, they are participants in a larger cosmic order.

To understand time is therefore to understand nature.

To follow the seasons is to follow the rhythms of life itself.

The calendar was not simply a tool for counting days; it was a guide for living in harmony with the world.

结语：从观天授时到天人合一

从《尚书·尧典》的“历象日月星辰，敬授民时”，到《史记》《汉书》中关于历法制度的记载；从二十四节气到七十二候；从天干地支到《易经》的阴阳变化，中国历法的发展历程，体现了中国人观察天地、认识自然、顺应规律的智慧。

二十四节气不仅是一项古老的时间制度，更是一种人与自然和谐共生的生活方式。

今天，当现代社会越来越依赖精确的数据和技术时，古老的阴阳合历所提醒我们的，或许正是先民最朴素而深刻的智慧：

认识时间，不只是计算时间；

顺应自然，才是真正理解时间。

在中国传统文化中，人们相信天地有其运行规律，人生亦有其节奏。历法所记录的，不只是时间的流逝，更是人与自然之间和谐共生的智慧。

这或许正是中华文明留给世界最珍贵的文化遗产之一。

Conclusion: From Observing the Heavens to Harmony Between Humanity and Nature

From the ancient records of the Book of Documents (Shang Shu), which describe observing the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, to the calendrical systems preserved in the Records of the Grand Historian (Shi Ji) and the Book of Han (Han Shu); from the Twenty-Four Solar Terms and the Seventy-Two Pentads to the Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and the philosophy of the Book of Changes—the history of the Chinese calendar reflects a long tradition of observing nature and seeking harmony with its rhythms.

The Chinese lunisolar calendar is far more than a method of measuring time.

It represents centuries of accumulated knowledge about the heavens, the seasons, agriculture, and human life.

It is both a scientific system and a cultural heritage.

Today, in a world increasingly governed by precision, technology, and speed, the ancient wisdom of the Chinese calendar continues to offer an important reminder:

Understanding time is not merely about calculating it.

True wisdom lies in understanding the rhythms of nature and learning to live in harmony with them.

In traditional Chinese culture, Heaven and Earth follow their own order, and human life has its own natural rhythm. The calendar records not only the passage of time, but also a way of living that seeks balance between humanity and the natural world.

Perhaps this is one of the most enduring gifts that Chinese civilization has offered to humanity.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally developed from a series of live discussions broadcast on Weibo between August 2021 and October 2022.

整理自简歌扬于2021年8月至2022年10月期间微博连线直播中的部分内容。

山水闲人 Jane