Preface to the Translation of the Book of Astronomy

Preface to the Translation of the Book of Astronomy

The Emperor, having received the bright mandate of Heaven original: 天 (Tiān). In Chinese political philosophy, the "Mandate of Heaven" represents the divine right to rule., governs both the Chinese and the surrounding peoples. Under his reign, the world has achieved a great unity in its standards and scripts, and human culture is displayed with clarity. At the beginning of the Hongwu era original: 洪武 (Hóngwǔ). The reign period (1368–1398) of the first Ming Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang., the Great General Likely referring to Xu Da, the commander who captured the Yuan capital. pacified the Yuan Capital original: 元都 (Yuán Dū). Known as Dadu, the site of modern-day Beijing.. He collected all their maps, records, and the four categories of literature—classics, commentaries, philosophies, and histories.

Totaling some tens of thousands of volumes, these were all presented to the imperial capital and stored in the imperial library. In the leisure time between his "myriad administrative duties" original: 萬幾 (wànjī). A classical expression for the heavy burden of an emperor’s daily governance., the Emperor summoned Confucian officials to present lectures on these texts to assist in the way of governance. Among these collections were several hundred volumes of "Books from the Western Regions" original: 西域書 (Xīyù shū). "Western Regions" referred to Central and Western Asia; these were likely Islamic scientific texts in Persian or Arabic.. Their speech was distinct and their script was foreign; no one was able to understand them. In the fifteenth year of his reign [1382]...