Twenty-eight mansions

The Twenty-eight Mansions (Chinese: 二十八宿; pinyin: Èr Shí Bā Xiù), hsiu, xiu^[1] or sieu^[2] 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, is used in traditional Indian astronomy.

Overview

Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the sky ecliptic into four regions, collectively known as the Four Symbols, 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:^[3][4]

References

See also

• Lunar mansion
• Four Symbols (Chinese constellation)
• Three enclosures

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