Dimensions:Length: 150cm; width: 48cm

Origin:Unearthed from Tomb 3 at Mawangdui, Changsha

The main front part of the book has six columns of drawings and words, among which the third and the fourth changed sequence when they were pieced together again. 

There are four columns of divination words at the end of the second half. As to the relationship between these two parts, experts generally believe that they are probably two divination books of the same kind. The first part of this Divination centers round the drawings and the words further explain them. 

The objects of divination are all expressed through drawings or with further explanations of words. Though seemingly in disorder, the contents of this part still show priority, beginning with divination by floating clouds, the sun, the moon and the stars. The objects of divination in the second part are all described in words. There are three augurs that appear in the first part: “Beigong”, “Ren” and “Zhao” – all are family names of the augurs. The first part has two noteworthy points: “different divination results with the same drawing” and “different drawings with the same divination result”. 

To deal with this, the compiler arranged the two drawings of the same divination result either in vertical columns of upper and lower positions or in horizontal order of left and right to keep the different drawings, and respectively indicated the source of each drawing. We can also see that there are more cases of different drawings with the same divination result than cases of different divination results with the same drawing. A reasonable explanation for this phenomenon is that drawings are more susceptible to alteration than words. A precise differentiation of the shape of divination objects is a prerequisite for a precise prophesy of human events. This is why the compiler attached such great importance to the differences in the drawings of different editions. 

It can thus be seen that the compiler of this Divination by Astrological and Meteorological Phenomena made a careful bibliographic study of the drawings and words in different editions and came up with a systematic arrangement of these drawings and words before copying them onto silk. It is also certain that the drawings were done first and the words were added later. This silk book as we see today can be taken as a fairly edited and almost foolproof final version of that time.