Wang Zhenyi (astronomer) facts for kids

Wang Zhenyi (simplified Chinese: 王贞仪; traditional Chinese: 王貞儀; pinyin: Wáng Zhēnyí; 1768–1797; styled Deqing(德卿), also known as the Jinling and Jiangning Lady Historian(金陵女史)) was a Chinese scientist from the Qing dynasty well known for her contributions in astronomy, mathematics, and poetry.

During the Qing Dynasty, women's education was highly restricted. It was extremely difficult for women to study, and even more so to excel in natural sciences. Zhenyi defied societal norms by excelling in fields traditionally dominated by men, such as astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. Her works and approach were groundbreaking for her time, blending Chinese and Western scientific knowledge. Unfortunately, many of Zhenyi's works were not recognized by society or even understood by her relatives, some of whom mocked her pursuits. Most of her scientific works have been lost, and only some of her writings remain.

Biography

Zhenyi's family consisted of her grandfather, grandmother, and her father. Her grandfather, Wang Zhefu (王者辅), was a former governor of Fengchen county and Xuanhua District. Her father Wang Xichen failed the imperial examination and instead studied medical science and recorded his findings in a four-volume collection called "Yifang Yanchao" (Collection of Medical Prescriptions).

Wang was very fond of reading when she was a child. From the age of 9, she was taught to write poetry and essays. Zhenyi's grandfather was her first teacher in astronomy; her grandmother was her teacher of poetry; and her father taught her medicine, geography, and mathematics.

After the death of her grandfather in 1779, she lived in Jilin for five years, where she studied under the Lady of Bu Qianyao. There Zhenyi learned equestrian skills, archery, and martial arts from the wife of a Mongolian general named Aa. Later, Zhenyi traveled extensively with her grandmother and father to various places including Beijing, Shaanxi, Hubei, Guangdong, and Anhui. During these journeys, she visited numerous historical sites.

When she was eighteen, she began her studies in astronomy and mathematics, most of which were self-taught. At age twenty-five she married Zhan Mei from Xuancheng in Anhui province.

Wang Zhenyi died at the age of twenty-nine. There is no exact record of how she died. When she knew she was dying, she gave her works and manuscripts to her best friend, Madam Kuai (1763–1827 A.D.) who eventually passed them on to her nephew, Qian Yiji (1783–1850 A.D.), who was a famous scholar of the time. He compiled her work into Shusuan Jiancun (Simple Principles of Calculation). Zhenyi had no children.

Academic achievements

Although she only lived to be twenty-nine, Wang Zhenyi was very accomplished in the academic world. She excelled in astronomy and mathematics. One of her contributions was being able to explain and simply prove how equinoxes move and then how to calculate their movement. She wrote many articles such as "Dispute of Longitude and Stars" as well as "The Explanation of a Lunar Eclipse." She commented on the number of stars; the revolving direction of the sun, the moon, and the planets Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn; as well as describing the relationship between lunar and solar eclipses. Not only did she study the research of other astronomers, but she was also able to do her own original research. Of her works, only about ten papers, such as "Explanation of Lunar Eclipses" and "Explanation of the Starry Sky," have survived.

One of her experiments to study a lunar eclipse included placing a round table in a garden pavilion, acting as a globe; she hung a crystal lamp on a cord from the ceiling beams, representing the sun. Then on one side of the table, she had a round mirror like the moon. She moved these three objects as if they were the sun, earth, and moon according to astronomical principles. Her findings and observations were very accurate and recorded in her article, "The Explanation of a Solar Eclipse."

In "Theory of the Earth's Roundness," Wang Zhenyi refuted the thousand-year-old concept of a flat earth with a round sky, applying astronomical and geographical terms to advocate for the concept of a spherical Earth.

In the realm of mathematics, Zhenyi mastered trigonometry and knew the Pythagorean theorem. She wrote an article called "The Explanation of the Pythagorean Theorem and Trigonometry," where she described a triangle and the relationship between the shorter leg of a right triangle, the long leg, and the triangle's hypotenuse all correctly.

She admired the mathematician Mei Wending (1633–1721 A.D.). He was famous in the early Qing dynasty and wrote the book, Principles of Calculation. Wang Zhenyi became a master of this book, rewriting it with simpler language, and made it available to others under the title, The Musts of Calculation. She was able to simplify multiplication and division to make learning mathematics easier for beginners. She was very dedicated in her study of mathematics and wrote a book called The Simple Principles of Calculation when she was twenty-four.

Poetry

Zhenyi left thirteen volumes of Ci (poetry), prose, and prefaces and postscripts written for other works. The famous Qing dynasty scholar Yuan Mei commented on Wang’s poetry by saying it, “had the flavor of a great pen, not of a female poet.”

Wang Zhenyi's poetry is renowned for its simplicity and emotional depth. She utilized poetry as a medium to express her thoughts on various themes, including the status of women in society, the value of education, and her love for scientific inquiry. Her work is notable for its blend of traditional literary forms with progressive ideas, making her a unique voice in Qing Dynasty literature.

Legacy

In 1994, the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature approved naming crater on Venus Wang Zhenyi after her.

Wang Zhenyi's life and works have influenced modern literature and are often referenced in discussions about women's roles in science and society. Her pioneering spirit and intellect continue to inspire many, particularly in the context of women's historical contributions to fields traditionally dominated by men.

See also

In Spanish: Wang Zhenyi para niños