皇極經世書

The Supreme Principles Governing the World

邵雍 (Shao Yong, 1011-1077) · Song (original), Qing (Siku Quanshu edition)

Shao Yong's masterwork integrating cosmology, history, music, and numerology through a 129,600-year Yuan cycle, mapping the rise and fall of civilization onto hexagram transformations and pitch-pipe harmonics.

About This Text

The Huangji Jingshi Shu (皇極經世書) is Shao Yong's (邵雍, 1011-1077) magnum opus, a comprehensive cosmological system that unifies the Yijing, calendrical science, music theory, and political philosophy through mathematics. At its core is the Yuan-Hui-Yun-Shi (元會運世) temporal hierarchy: one Yuan epoch of 129,600 years subdivides into 12 Hui ages of 10,800 years, each containing 30 Yun cycles of 360 years, each containing 12 Shi generations of 30 years. This structure mirrors the 12 pitch pipes, the 360 degrees of the celestial circle, and the 64 hexagrams. Shao Yong maps historical dynasties onto this framework, correlating the Three Sovereigns with spring, the Five Emperors with summer, the Three Kings with autumn, and the Five Hegemons with winter. The Siku Quanshu edition includes Wang Zhi's 14-juan commentary and Zhang Xingcheng's interpretive manual (索隱) that reveals the hidden numerical patterns underlying the system.

Text source: Siku Quanshu (欽定四庫全書) edition, CADAL scans · Philosophical core volumes (6-7) and interpretive manual translated. Chronological tables (vol 1-5) and extended cosmology (vol 8-13) pending.