Twenty-eight mansions

The Twenty-eight Mansions , , or are part of the Chinese constellations system. They can be considered as the equivalent to the zodiacal constellations in the Western astronomy, though the Twenty-eight Mansions reflect the movement of the Moon in a lunar month rather than the Sun in a solar year. Another similar system, called Nakshatra

Nakshatra

Nakshatra is the term for lunar mansion in Hindu astrology. A nakshatra is one of 27 sectors along the ecliptic...

, is used in traditional Indian astronomy.

Overview

Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the sky ecliptic

Ecliptic

The ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...

 into four regions, collectively known as the Four Symbols

Four Symbols (Chinese constellation)

The Four Symbols are four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations. They are:*Azure Dragon of the East *Vermilion Bird of the South *White Tiger of the West *Black Tortoise of the North...

, each assigned a mysterious animal. They are Azure Dragon (青龍) on the east, Black Tortoise (玄武) on the north, White Tiger (白虎) on the west, and Vermilion Bird (朱雀) on the south. Each region contains seven mansions, making a total of 28 mansions. The mansions or xiù are latitudes the Moon crosses during its monthly journey around Earth and serve as a way to track the Moon's progress.

List of mansions

The names and determinative stars of the mansions are:

Four Symbols Four Symbols (Chinese constellation) The Four Symbols are four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations. They are:*Azure Dragon of the East *Vermilion Bird of the South *White Tiger of the West *Black Tortoise of the North... (四象)	| Mansion (宿)
	Number	Name (pinyin Pinyin Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into... )	Translation	Determinative star
Azure Dragon of the East (東方青龍) Spring	1	角 (Jiăo)	Horn Horn (Chinese constellation) The Horn mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.-Asterisms:...	α Vir Spica Spica is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, and the 15th brightest star in the nighttime sky. It is 260 light years distant from Earth...
	2	亢 (Kàng)	Neck Neck (Chinese constellation) The Neck mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.In Chinese Cosmology, the Kang Constellation is associated with the Kidney Organ...	κ Vir Kappa Virginis Kappa Virginis is a star in the constellation Virgo.Kappa Virginis is an orange K-type giant with an apparent magnitude of +4.18. It is approximately 224 light years from Earth....
	3	氐 (Dĭ)	Root Root (Chinese constellation) The Root mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.-Asterisms:...	α Lib Alpha Librae Alpha Librae is the second brightest star in the constellation Libra . It has the traditional name Zubenelgenubi. The name, from Arabic الزبن الجنوبي , means "southern claw" and was coined before Libra was recognized as distinct from Scorpius...
	4	房 (Fáng)	Room Room (Chinese constellation) The Room mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.-Asterisms:...	π Sco Pi Scorpii Pi Scorpii is a triple star system in the constellation Scorpius. It is approximately 459 light years from Earth.Pi Scorpii A is a contact binary of the Beta Lyrae type. Both its members are hot, blue-white B-type dwarfs. Together they have a mean apparent magnitude of +2.89. Their rotation...
	5	心 (Xīn)	Heart Heart (Chinese constellation) The Heart mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.-Asterisms:...	σ Sco Sigma Scorpii Sigma Scorpii is a star system in the constellation Scorpius. It has the traditional name Al Niyat, although this name is sometimes also applied to Tau Scorpii, or to the asterism formed by both Sigma and Tau. Sigma Scorpii is 735 light years from the Sun.The primary component of the system,...
	6	尾 (Wěi)	Tail Tail (Chinese constellation) The Tail mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.- Asterisms :...	μ Sco Mu Scorpii The Bayer designation Mu Scorpii is shared by two star systems, in the constellation Scorpius:* μ¹ Scorpii* μ² ScorpiiThey are separated by 0.1° in the sky....
	7	箕 (Jī)	Winnowing Basket Winnowing Basket (Chinese constellation) The Winnowing Basket mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the eastern mansions of the Azure Dragon.-Asterisms:...	γ Sgr Gamma Sagittarii Gamma Sagittarii is a 3rd-magnitude star in the constellation Sagittarius.It was temporarily referred to Gamma-2 Sagittarii . The Bayer designation "Gamma Sagittarii" was temporarily shared by two star systems in this constellation, γ1 Sagittarii and γ2 Sagittarii...
Black Tortoise of the North (北方玄武) Winter	8	斗 (Dǒu)	(Southern) Dipper Dipper (Chinese constellation) The Dipper mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise.-Asterisms:-Stars:* ζ Sgr* τ Sgr* σ Sgr* φ Sgr* λ Sgr* μ Sgr...	φ Sgr Phi Sagittarii Phi Sagittarii is a star in the constellation Sagittarius. It is a member of the teapot asterism marking the junction of lid and handle.Phi Sagittarii is a spectral type B8 giant and has an apparent magnitude of +3.17...
	9	牛 (Niú)	Ox Ox (Chinese constellation) The Ox mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise.-Asterisms:...	β Cap Beta Capricorni Beta Capricorni is a star system in the constellation Capricornus. It has the traditional name Dabih, which comes from the Arabic الذابح al-dhābiḥ, meaning "the butcher". The β Capricorni system is located 328 light years from Earth...
	10	女 (Nǚ)	Girl Girl (Chinese constellation) The Girl mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise.- Asterisms :...	ε Aqr Epsilon Aquarii Epsilon Aquarii is a star in the constellation Aquarius. It has an obscure traditional name, Albali, from the Arabic البالع albāli‘ "the swallower"...
	11	虛 (Xū)	Emptiness Emptiness (Chinese constellation) The Emptiness mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise.-Asterisms:...	β Aqr Beta Aquarii Beta Aquarii is a triple star in the constellation Aquarius. It has the traditional name Sadalsuud, from an Arabic expression سعد السعود sa‘d al-su‘ūd, the "luck of lucks"...
	12	危 (Wēi)	Rooftop Rooftop (Chinese constellation) The Rooftop mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise.- Asterisms :...	α Aqr
	13	室 (Shì)	Encampment Encampment (Chinese constellation) The Encampment mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise.-Asterisms:...	α Peg Alpha Pegasi Alpha Pegasi is the third brightest star in the constellation Pegasus and one of the four stars in the asterism known as the Great Square of Pegasus. It has the traditional name Markab .Markab is a relatively average star nearing the end of its stellar evolution on the main sequence...
	14	壁 (Bì)	Wall Wall (Chinese constellation) The Wall mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the northern mansions of the Black Tortoise.- Asterisms :...	γ Peg Gamma Pegasi Gamma Pegasi is a star in the constellation of Pegasus. It also has the traditional name Algenib; confusingly however, this name is also used for Alpha Persei....
White Tiger of the West (西方白虎) Fall	15	奎 (Kuí)	Legs Legs (Chinese constellation) The Legs mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.-Asterisms:...	η And Eta Andromedae Eta Andromedae is a spectroscopic binary star in the constellation of Andromeda...
	16	婁 (Lóu)	Bond Bond (Chinese constellation) Leu sieu meaning "the Train of a garment", was one of the twenty-eight lunar mansions of the traditional Chinese astronomy. It was one of the White Tiger of the West （西方白虎）.- The asterisms in the Region of Leu （婁宿天區）:...	β Ari 35 Arietis 35 Arietis is a star in the constellation Aries. Its apparent magnitude is 4.65.-References:*...
	17	胃 (Wèi)	Stomach Stomach (Chinese constellation) The Stomach mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.-Asterisms:...	35 Ari Epsilon Arietis Epsilon Arietis is a double star in the constellation Aries. It is approximately 293 light years from Earth.The two components are both white A-type main sequence dwarfs with apparent magnitudes of 5.2 and 5.5 respectively. They are separated by 1.5 arcseconds on the sky...
	18	昴 (Mǎo)	Hairy Head Hairy Head (Chinese constellation) The Hairy Head mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.This mansion corresponds to the Pleiades in English.-Asterisms:...	17 Tau Electra (star) Electra, also cataloged as 17 Tauri, is a blue-white giant star in the constellation of Taurus. The star is one of the nine brightest stars in the Pleiades open cluster. The most visible stars in this group are named for the Seven Sisters of Greek mythology.The star has an apparent brightness of...
	19	畢 (Bì)	Net Net (Chinese constellation) The Net mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.-Asterisms:...	ε Tau Epsilon Tauri Epsilon Tauri is an orange giant star, spectral type of K0 III, located approximately 147 light-years away from the Sun in the constellation of Taurus. It is a member of the Hyades open cluster...
	20	觜 (Zī)	Turtle Beak Turtle Beak (Chinese constellation) The Turtle Beak mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.-Asterisms:...	λ Ori Lambda Orionis Lambda Orionis is a star in the constellation Orion. It has the traditional names Meissa or Heka. "Meissa" derives from the Arabic "Al-Maisan" which means "The Shining One". This term was used for Gamma Gemini , but was somehow also mistakenly applied to λ Orionis and the name stuck...
	21	參 (Shēn)	Three Stars Three Stars (Chinese constellation) The Three Stars mansion is one of the twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger. This collection of seven bright stars is visible during winter in the Northern Hemisphere .- Asterisms :...	ζ Ori
Vermilion Bird of the South (南方朱雀) Summer	22	井 (Jǐng)	Well Well (Chinese constellation) The Well mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the southern mansions of the Vermilion Bird.-Asterisms:...	μ Gem Mu Geminorum Mu Geminorum is a star in the constellation Gemini, approximately 230 light years away from Earth. It has the traditional name Tejat Posterior, which means back foot, because it is the foot of Castor, one of the Gemini twins...
	23	鬼 (Guǐ)	Ghost Ghost (Chinese constellation) The Ghost mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the southern mansions of the Vermilion Bird.-Asterisms:...	θ Cnc Theta Cancri Theta Cancri is a binary star in the constellation Cancer, 494 light years from Earth.θ Cancri is classified as an orange K-type giant with an apparent magnitude of +5.33. Since it is near the ecliptic, it can be occulted by the Moon and, very rarely, by planets...
	24	柳 (Liǔ)	Willow Willow (Chinese constellation) The Willow mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the southern mansions of the Vermilion Bird.-Asterisms:...	δ Hya Delta Hydrae Delta Hydrae is a Class A1, fourth-magnitude star in the constellation Hydra. Delta Hydrae is a binary double star, located about 180 light-years from Earth.-Name and etymology:...
	25	星 (Xīng)	Star Star (Chinese constellation) The Star mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the southern mansions of the Vermilion Bird.- Asterisms :...	α Hya Alphard Alphard is the brightest star in the constellation Hydra. The name Alphard is from the Arabic الفرد , "the solitary one", there being no other bright stars near it. It was also known as the "backbone of the Serpent" to the Arabs. In ancient China it formed part of an asterism called the "red bird"...
	26	張 (Zhāng)	Extended Net Extended Net (Chinese constellation) The Extended Net mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the southern mansions of the Vermilion Bird.-Asterisms:...	υ¹ Hya Upsilon1 Hydrae Upsilon1 Hydrae is a yellow giant star in the constellation of Hydra. The star is one of Okayama Planet Search's main target for planet search and has turned out to host a substellar companion.-Substellar companion:...
	27	翼 (Yì)	Wings Wings (Chinese constellation) The Wings mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the southern mansions of the Vermilion Bird.- Asterisms :...	α Crt Alpha Crateris Alpha Crateris is a star in the constellation Crater. It has the traditional name Alkes, from the Arabic الكاس alkās or الكأس alka's "the cup"....
	28	軫 (Zhěn)	Chariot Chariot (Chinese constellation) The Chariot mansion is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the southern mansions of the Vermilion Bird.-Asterisms:...	γ Crv Gamma Corvi Gamma Corvi is the brightest star in the constellation Corvus. Its traditional name is Gienah, which it shares with Epsilon Cygni...

External links

• By Gary D. Thompson:
  • History of Constellation and Star Names: 24 - Early constellations in China
  • History of Constellation and Star Names: 25 - Early Chinese star maps