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Nonghou zazhan 農候雜占

Mar 2, 2022 © Ulrich Theobald

Nonghou zazhan 農候雜占 is a book on prognostication related to agriculture written during the mid-Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Liang Zhangju 梁章鉅 (1775-1849), courtesy name Zhilin 茝林 (or 芷鄰), style Hongzhong 閎中 or Tui'an 退庵, from Changle 長樂, Fujian.

The first fascicle is a kind of monthly almanach with five-day prognostications (zhanhou 占候). The rest of the 4 juan is dedicated to weather, phaenology, and consists mainly of sayings (yanyu 諺語) related to the various phenomenons of the world of farming as seen in southeast China, particularly the province of Fujian. The prognostications relate to all aspects of farming, from weather to the drilling of wells, preparing the soil, the sowing of grains, and activities in the human household.

The book was first printed as late as 1873, when the author's son Liang Gongchen 梁恭辰 had the text published. The many errors in the text of this edition might be a proof that it was not based on the original manuscript. The text is included in the series Ersitang congshu 二思堂叢書 and was published as a facsimile in 1956 by the Commercial Press (Zhonghua Shuju 中華書局).

Sources:
Wang Yonghou 王永厚 (1990). "Liang Zhangju de Nonghou zazhan 梁章鉅的《農候雜占》", Zhongguo nongshi 中國農史, 1990 (4): 95-96.
Wang Yuhu 王毓瑚, ed. (1964). Zhongguo nongxue shulu 中國農學書錄 (Beijing: Nongye chubanshe), 257.
Zhu Lükuan 朱履寬 (1986). "Nonghou zazhan 農候雜占", in Zhongguo nongye baike quanshu 中國農業百科全書, Vol. Nongye qixiang 農業氣象卷 (Beijing: Nongye chubanshe), 148.