however, precisely known how they distributed
their months of thirty and twenty-nine days, or, as they termed them,
great and small moons. This, with other matters appertaining to the
calendar, was probably left to be regulated from time to time by the
mathematical tribunal.

The Chinese divide the time of a complete revolution of the sun with
regard to the solstitial points into twelve equal portions, each
corresponding to thirty days, ten hours, thirty minutes. Each of these
periods, which is denominated a _tse[)e]_, is subdivided into two equal
portions called _chung-ki_ and _tsie-ki_, the _chung-ki_ denoting the
first half of the _tse[)e]_, and the _tsie-ki_ the latter half. Though
the _tse[)e]_, are thus strictly portions of solar time, yet what is
remarkable, though not peculiar to China, they give their name to the
lunar months, each month or lunation having the name of the _chung-ki_
or sign at which the sun arrives during that month. As the _tse[)e]_ is
longer than a synodic revolution of the moon, the sun cannot arrive
twice at a _chung-ki_ during the same lunation; and as there are only
twelve _tse[)e]_, the year can contain only twelve months having
different names. It must happen sometimes that in the course of a
lunation the sun enters into no new sign; in this case the month is
intercalary, and is called by the same name as the preceding month.

For chronological purposes, the Chinese, in common with some other
nations of the east of Asia, employ cycles of sixty, by means of which
they reckon their days, moons and years. The days are distributed in
the calendar into cycles of sixty, in the same manner as ours are
distributed into weeks, or cycles of seven. Each day of the cycle has
a particular name, and as it is a usual practice, in mentioning dates,
to give the name of the day along with that of the moon and the year,
this arrangement affords great facilities in verifying the epochs of
Chinese chronology. The order of the days in the cycle is never
interrupted by any intercalation that may be necessary for adjusting
the months or years. The moons of the civil year are also
distinguished by their place in the cycle of sixty; and as the
intercalary moons are not reckoned, for the reason before stated,
namely, that during one of these lunations the sun enters into no new
sign, there are only twelve regular moons in a year, so that the cycle
is renewed every five years. Thus