Han Wudi Calendar reform passage

[kudra]

I have a question about a passage I read while studying. The following is a section from the main passage, Lesson 33, Written Standard Chinese, Huang and Stimson. The discussion is about the Emperor Han Wudi (B.C. 140-87) and some of the changes he introduced. I am not sure whether this is a grammar question, cultural question, or what.

他把從秦朝沿用下來的曆法改了。秦朝的曆法是把十月算是一年的第一個月。漢武

帝所改的曆法是以正月為一年的第一個月。這個新的曆法一直沿用下來差不多兩千

年。

他把从秦朝沿用下来的历法改了。秦朝的历法是把十月算是一年的第一个月。汉武帝

所改的历法是以正月为一年的第一个月。这个新的历法一直沿用下来差不多两千年。

My translation: "He modified the calendrical system that had been used since the Qin Dynasty. The Qin calendrical system used the tenth month as the first month of the year. Han Wudi's changes took the first month(of the lunar new year) as the first month. This new calendrical system has been used for approximately the last two thousand years."

Perhaps I am missing something, but isn't there more to a calendrical system than deciding with which month to start the year? Are there other details about this change that make it noteworthy?

Thanks for any clarification.

[chenpv]

Both your understanding and translation of the sentence above are excellent. I baidued this for you: 闰月 . Hope it will help. Donno whether you could open it in US. Also, you can refer to 《尚书》，《周易》，《春秋左传集解》，《诗义会通》，《史记》、《汉书》；《关于甲骨文的基础知识》etc.

[kudra]

thanks chenpv

It does open, but it is going to take some serious work. An amusing side note: I pasted

閏 into mandarintools, which yielded /intercalary/ -- 又没认识 ! next stop www.m-w.com.

Anyway, you get the idea.

It's 12:30am here and I have to get some sleep.

Good luck on the test.

[chenpv]

while, 闰月（leap month）is a complicated concept. sorry but i dont know much about it myself. thank you for your benedictions.

[skylee]

Here is an old thread about leap year/month -> http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/958-leap-year-%e9%96%8f%e5%b9%b4