A Study of the Newly Discovered Butian Ge in the Ming Transcribed Version of Song Tianwen Shu

Ming dynasty manuscript versions of the Song tianwen zhi (宋天文志, Treatise of Astronomy of the Song Dynasty) have recently been found in the collections of the Shanghai Library and Nanjing Library, each accompanied by a previously undisclosed anonymous work Butian ge (步天歌, Songs of Pacing the Sky). Upon examination, this Song tianwen zhi is determined to be the Da Song tianwen shu (大宋天文书, Books of Astronomy of the Great Song Dynasty) by Wang Anli 王安礼 of the Northern Song dynasty. However, the Butian ge was not originally part of this collection, and has been appended by a Ming scholar. The examination and verification of this version of the Butian ge reveals that its content is significantly different from the widely circulated Danyuanzi butian ge (丹元子步天歌, Songs of Pacing the Sky Written by Danyuanzi), and forms a unique system, recording the celestial officials in accordance with the 283 officials established by Chen Zhuo (陈卓), and retaining much of the content from the Three Schools of Stars. The composition of the Butian ge belongs to the period between the Song and Ming dynasties, distinct from the Danyuanzi butian ge, which was composed between the late Sui and Tang dynasties. It provides important material for understanding the transmission and influence of the Danyuanzi butian ge, as well as for examining the transformation of the celestial system from the Three Schools of Stars system to the Three-enclosure and Twenty-eight-lunar-mansion system.