1792년 관상감이 출간한 새로운 『보천가(步天歌)』의 기원 = The Origin of the New Bocheonga Published in 1792 by the Royal Astronomical Bureau of the Joseon Dynasty

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper traces the origin of the new Bocheonga 步天歌, which was edited by an astronomer named Kim Yeong 金泳 and then published in 1792 by the Royal Astronomical Bureau of the Joseon dynasty. It shows that the lyrics of the new Bocheonga were from the Bocheonga published in the early Joseon period, and that its celestial charts and commentaries were from the “Xingtu butiange 星圖步天歌” in Qinding xieji bianfang shu 欽定協紀辨方書, which was in turn based on Ferdinand Verbiest’s star-chart. The Joseon astronomers in the Royal Astronomical Bureau did their best to learn from China the new practical knowledge of making calendars, the two main ingredients of which were the astronomical calculations and the astrological commentaries. In order to satisfy the needs for astrological commentaries, the Joseon astronomers imported in 1743 the “Xingtu butiange” in Qinding xieji bianfang shu, only one year after its publication in China. In 1792, when the Joseon government reformed the astronomical and astrological sections of the Royal Astronomical Bureau, the Qinding xieji bianfang shu became one of the main textbooks of the Bureau. Based on this book, the Bureau later compiled its own astrological textbook Hyeopgil tongui 協吉通義. The new Bocheonga was published as part of this reform project. Its contents had the same structure as the “Xingtu butiange” in Qinding xieji bianfang shu, in that both consisted of the European style star-charts and the traditional Chinese lyrics.