Home›Sources›Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3: Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the EarthSourcesScience and Civilisation in China, Volume 3: Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the EarthCitation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3: Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/science-and-civilisation-in-china-volume-3-mathematics-and-the-sciences-of-the-heavens-and-the-earth.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3: Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/science-and-civilisation-in-china-volume-3-mathematics-and-the-sciences-of-the-heavens-and-the-earthCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-science-and-civilisation-in-china-volume, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 3: Mathematics and the Sciences of the Heavens and the Earth}, year = {2026}, url = {https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/science-and-civilisation-in-china-volume-3-mathematics-and-the-sciences-of-the-heavens-and-the-earth}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXJoseph Needham's monumental scholarly history of Chinese science, this volume covering mathematics, astronomy and the earth sciences, published by Cambridge University Press, including the equatorial construction of the twenty eight lunar lodges and the unresolved question of whether they share a common origin with the Indian nakshatras and Arabic lunar mansions. Needham's standing and the academic press publication place it at this atlas's top tier. Its locators here are cited at the section level and have not been independently checked against page numbers, so a claim needing an exact page reference should be verified against the book directly rather than assumed from this citation alone.FactsClaims Backed By This Source (1,875 claims)Comments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsAssessmentReliability TierWell-attested1A landmark scholarly history of Chinese science and mathematics from a university press, part of a decades long, widely cited series, cited here for the technical astronomical content it documents.NotesWell-attestedCited for the equatorial construction of the twenty-eight lunar lodges, their determinative stars and unequal widths, the du measure, the four palaces, and for the unresolved state of the question of common origin with the Indian nakshatras and the Arabic lunar mansions; also for the structure of the twenty-four qi. Locators are section-level. They were not checked against pagination when these entries were written, and the claims drawn from this work rest on that unverified basis.CitationAuthorWell-attestedJoseph NeedhamPublisherWell-attestedCambridge University PressPublication YearWell-attested1959URLWell-attestedhttps://www.cambridge.org/us/universitypress/subjects/history/history-science-and-technology/science-and-civilisation-china-volume-3Source TypeWell-attestedacademic monographClaims Backed By This Source (1,875 claims)This source backs 1,875 claims across the atlas. As facts: 1,265 well-attested, 7 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 380 holds. Plus 223 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.Disposition By TopicYears, 1,010 claims: 606 well-attested, 303 holds, 101 general references.Articles, 284 claims: 261 well-attested, 10 holds, 13 general references.Solar Terms, 192 claims: 144 well-attested, 24 holds, 24 general references.Chinese Xiu (Mansions), 168 claims: 112 well-attested, 28 holds, 28 general references.Categories, 42 claims: 37 well-attested, 5 general references.Constellations, 32 claims: 19 well-attested, 9 holds, 4 general references.Mythical Creatures, 27 claims: 22 well-attested, 5 general references.Elements, 25 claims: 15 well-attested, 5 scholarly debate, 5 general references.Calendars, 22 claims: 19 well-attested, 1 holds, 2 general references.Seasons, 20 claims: 15 well-attested, 5 general references.Earthly Branches, 12 claims: 12 general references.Heavenly Stems, 10 claims: 10 general references.Sources, 8 claims: 8 well-attested.Holidays & Festivals, 6 claims: 3 holds, 3 general references.Sacred Objects & Ritual Items, 6 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 general references.Disciplines, 5 claims: 1 well-attested, 2 holds, 2 general references.Sacred Foods, 4 claims: 2 scholarly debate, 2 general references.Numbers, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.Well-attested1,265ArticlesA Chinese Designation, Not a Corrupted WordA Government Seated in the StarsA Lacquered Chest, and the Right Hand of a SiteA Market at the Heart of SummerAlkaid As The Seventh Star Of The Northern DipperAstronomy and almanacBailu Among the Twenty-Four TermsBailu, the White DewBi, the Net of the White TigerBi, the Wall of the Black TortoiseChunfen Among the Twenty-Four TermsChunfen, the Spring EquinoxChushu Among the Twenty-Four TermsChushu, the End of HeatCounting and calculatingDahan Among the Twenty-Four TermsDahan, the Major Cold That Closes the YearDashu Among the Twenty-Four TermsDashu, the Major HeatDaxue Among the Twenty-Four TermsDaxue, the Major SnowDi, the Root of the Azure DragonDongzhi Among the Twenty-Four TermsDongzhi, the Winter SolsticeDou, the Dipper of the Black TortoiseFang, the Room of the Azure DragonFour Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is EarthGui, the Ghost of the Vermilion BirdGuyu Among the Twenty-Four TermsGuyu, the Grain RainHanlu Among the Twenty-Four TermsHanlu, the Cold DewHow the Forbidden City Got Its NameJi, the Winnowing Basket of the Azure DragonJiao, the Horn of the Azure DragonJing, the Well of the Vermilion BirdJingzhe, the Waking of the InsectsKang, the Neck of the Azure DragonKui, the Legs of the White TigerLichun Among the Twenty-Four TermsLichun and the Start of the Farming YearLidong Among the Twenty-Four TermsLidong, the Start of WinterLiqiu Among the Twenty-Four TermsLiqiu, the Start of AutumnLiu, the Willow of the Vermilion BirdLixia Among the Twenty-Four TermsLixia, the Start of SummerLou, the Bond of the White TigerMangzhong Among the Twenty-Four TermsShowing 1 to 50 of 398 entities carrying this claim. NextScholarly debate7ElementsEarthFireMetalWaterWoodSacred FoodsMooncakeZongziHolds380ArticlesFour Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is EarthSeven Lodges Closing the Cycle as the Southern BirdSeven Lodges Forming the Eastern DragonSeven Lodges Forming the Northern TortoiseSeven Lodges Forming the Western TigerThree Enclosures and a Bushel Charting a Celestial BureaucracyTwo Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is FireTwo Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is MetalTwo Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is WaterTwo Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is WoodCalendarsSexagenary Cycle (Jiazi)Chinese Xiu (Mansions)Bi (Net)Bi (Wall)Di (Root)Dou (Dipper)Fang (Room)Gui (Ghost)Ji (Winnowing Basket)Jiao (Horn)Jing (Well)Kang (Neck)Kui (Legs)Liu (Willow)Lou (Bond)Mao (Hairy Head)Niu (Ox)Nu (Girl)Shen (Three Stars)Shi (Encampment)Wei (Rooftop)Wei (Stomach)Wei (Tail)Xin (Heart)Xing (Star)Xu (Emptiness)Yi (Wings)Zhang (Extended Net)Zhen (Chariot)Zi (Turtle Beak)ConstellationsBeidou (Northern Dipper)Heavenly Market EnclosurePurple Forbidden EnclosureSupreme Palace EnclosureDisciplinesChinese AstrologyHolidays & FestivalsChinese New YearMid-Autumn FestivalQingmingSolar TermsBáilùChūnfēnChǔshǔShowing 1 to 50 of 172 entities carrying this claim. NextGeneral References223ArticlesFour Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is EarthSeven Lodges Closing the Cycle as the Southern BirdSeven Lodges Forming the Eastern DragonSeven Lodges Forming the Northern TortoiseSeven Lodges Forming the Western TigerThe Study of Seasonal Reckoning Across Traditions: History and MethodThe Study of the Sexagenary Cycle: History and MethodThree Enclosures and a Bushel Charting a Celestial BureaucracyTwo Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is FireTwo Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is MetalTwo Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is WaterTwo Earthly Branches Whose Fixed Agent Is WoodWhat a Year Entry CoversCalendarsChinese Luni-Solar CalendarSexagenary Cycle (Jiazi)CategoriesChinese AnimalsChinese Xiu (Mansions)Earthly BranchesHeavenly StemsSolar TermsChinese Xiu (Mansions)Bi (Net)Bi (Wall)Di (Root)Dou (Dipper)Fang (Room)Gui (Ghost)Ji (Winnowing Basket)Jiao (Horn)Jing (Well)Kang (Neck)Kui (Legs)Liu (Willow)Lou (Bond)Mao (Hairy Head)Niu (Ox)Nu (Girl)Shen (Three Stars)Shi (Encampment)Wei (Rooftop)Wei (Stomach)Wei (Tail)Xin (Heart)Xing (Star)Xu (Emptiness)Yi (Wings)Zhang (Extended Net)Zhen (Chariot)Zi (Turtle Beak)ConstellationsBeidou (Northern Dipper)Heavenly Market EnclosureShowing 1 to 50 of 223 entities carrying this claim. NextComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year