Abstract
With divergent styles of reasoning, the Chinese Literati had different explanations for the cause of lunar eclipse from the West. Interpreting the unique issue of An-shu 闇虛, Chu Hsi 朱熹 argued that a lunar eclipse resulted from the projection of the dark gap of the moon based on the theory of Yin/Yang. On the other hand, Western astronomists argued that the shadow of the Earth causes lunar eclipses. The conclusion was based on the fact that the Sun is bigger than the Earth, the Earth is bigger than the Moon, the Sun and Moon revolve around the Earth, and the Moon shines due to the projection of sunlight. When Jesuits came to China in late Ming and early Qing, they introduced different interpretations of lunar eclipse studies from the Chinese and then inspired some positive responses to the isssue of An-shu among Chinese literati.The concept of An-shu came from Classicism. In the Ling Xian靈憲, Zhang Hen 張衡 argued that An-shu was the shadow of the Earth that resulted from the Earth’s obstacle to sunshine. In Tang Dynasty, Kun Yin-Da 孔穎達and his colleagues, however, argued that An-shu was a sort of substance (or a circumstance) existing in the opposite of the sun where light could not illuminate. In Yuan and Ming, Chinese literati influenced by Chu Hsi began a dispute of An-shu. In late Ming Dynasty, the studies of lunar eclipse in western astronomy introduced by Jesuits furthered the issue of An-shu by the explanations of the components, locations, and movement of among Earth, Moon and Son. When Jesuits were assigned to the task of revising the calendar at the end of Ming Dynasty, they learned the questions of An-shu. Their interpretation encouraged Wang Ying-Ming王英明, Xiong Ming-Yu熊明遇, Xu Guangqi徐光啟, and He Guo-Zong何國宗 to accept the western explanation of lunar eclipse. The astronomical explanation of An-shu also influenced the studies of Classicism of Zhu Chao-Yin朱朝瑛and Hui Shi-ji惠士奇 in the late Ming and early Qing.