Zu Chongzhi was born in Jiankang (now Nanjing) in 429 (the sixth year of Yuanjia in the Southern Song Dynasty), and his ancestral home was in Qixian County (now Laishui County, Hebei Province). At the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, a large-scale war broke out in the north, and Zu Chongzhi's ancestors migrated from Hebei to the south of the Yangtze River to settle down. Zu Chongzhi was born in Jiangnan. His grandfather Zuchang was a great craftsman of Liu in Song Dynasty. He is an official in charge of civil engineering in the imperial court. His father, Zushuo, is knowledgeable and often invited to attend royal ceremonies and banquets.

Zu Chongzhi received a good family education from an early age. Grandpa told him "The Stars Move", his father led him to read the classics, his family's edification and his own diligence made him interested in natural science, literature, philosophy, especially astronomy, and he gained a reputation for erudition in his youth.

Early experience

Zu Chongzhi once said in his works that he began to "specialize in mathematics and search for the past and the present" from a very young age. He collected almost all documents, records and materials from ancient times to the present. At the same time, it is advocated that we should never "falsely push the ancients", never tie ourselves to the outdated wrong conclusions of the ancients, and make accurate measurements and careful calculations in person. As he himself said, he often "looks at the ruler, looks at the instrument and tries his best to make plans."

Because of Zu Chongzhi's well-read reputation, he was sent to Hualin University, an academic research institution of the imperial court at that time, by Emperor Xiaowu of the Southern Song Dynasty to do research work, and later worked in Zongmingguan. At that time, Zongmingguan was the highest scientific research academic institution in China, equivalent to the current China Academy of Sciences. There are five disciplines: literature, history, Confucianism, Taoism and Yin and Yang, which are taught in different categories. Zu Chongzhi is one of them. Here, Zu Chongzhi came into contact with a large number of ethnic books, including astronomy, calendars, arithmetic and other books, which provided a prerequisite for reference and expansion.

Focus on science

46 1 year (the fifth year of the Southern Song Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty), Zu Chongzhi worked in the secretariat office in the south of Xuzhou (now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province), and served as an official and a government official to join the army. During this period, although Zu Chongzhi's life was very unstable, he still persisted in academic research and made great achievements.

In 462 (the sixth year of the Southern Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty), Zu Chongzhi presented the carefully compiled Daming Calendar to Emperor Xiaowu of Song Dynasty for promulgation and implementation. Emperor Xiaowu of Song ordered officials familiar with the calendar to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this calendar. Finally, Emperor Xiaowu decided to adopt a new calendar in the ninth year of the Ming Dynasty (465).