Twenty-Eight Mansions

The Twenty-Eight Mansions (Chinese: 二十八宿; pinyin: Èrshíbā Xiù), also called xiu^[1] or hsiu, are part of the Chinese constellations system. They can be considered as the equivalent to the zodiacal constellations in Western astronomy, though the Twenty-eight Mansions reflect the movement of the Moon through a sidereal month rather than the Sun in a tropical year.

The twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese astronomy (east is on the left, north at the top)

The lunar mansion system was in use in other parts of East Asia, such as ancient Japan; the Bansenshūkai, written by Fujibayashi Yasutake, mentions the system several times and includes an image of the twenty-eight mansions.^[2]

A similar system, called nakshatra, is used in traditional Indian astronomy.^[3]

Overview

Yuan dynasty illustration of the 28 mansions from Shilin Guangji by Chen Yuanjing

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. These mansions or xiù correspond to the longitudes along the ecliptic that the Moon crosses during its 27.32-day journey around the Earth and serve as a way to track the Moon's progress. In Taoism they are related to 28 Chinese generals.^[4]

Late Sui to early Tang dynasty portrayal of the Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Mansions, by Liang Lingzan (梁令瓒), .

List of mansions

Ming Dynasty Water and Land Ritual paintings of the mansions from Baoning Temple. (clockwise: Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird)

The names and determinative stars of the mansions are:^[5][6]

Four Symbols (四象)	Mansion (宿)
	Number	Name (Pinyin)	Translation	Determinative star
Azure Dragon of the East (東方青龍 - Dōngfāng Qīnglóng) Spring	1	角 (Jiǎo)	Horn	α Vir
	2	亢 (Kàng)	Neck	κ Vir
	3	氐 (Dī)	Root	α Lib
	4	房 (Fáng)	Room	π Sco
	5	心 (Xīn)	Heart	α Sco
	6	尾 (Wěi)	Tail	μ¹ Sco
	7	箕 (Jī)	Winnowing Basket	γ Sgr
Black Tortoise of the North (北方玄武 - Běifāng Xuánwǔ) Winter	8	斗 (Dǒu)	(Southern) Dipper	φ Sgr
	9	牛 (Niú)	Ox	β Cap
	10	女 (Nǚ)	Girl	ε Aqr
	11	虛 (Xū)	Emptiness	β Aqr
	12	危 (Wēi)	Rooftop	α Aqr
	13	室 (Shì)	Encampment	α Peg
	14	壁 (Bì)	Wall	γ Peg
White Tiger of the West (西方白虎 - Xīfāng Báihǔ) Fall	15	奎 (Kuí)	Legs	η And
	16	婁 (Lóu)	Bond	β Ari
	17	胃 (Wèi)	Stomach	35 Ari
	18	昴 (Mǎo)	Hairy Head	17 Tau
	19	畢 (Bì)	Net	ε Tau
	20	觜 (Zī)	Turtle Beak	λ Ori
	21	参 (Shēn)	Three Stars	ζ Ori
Vermilion Bird of the South (南方朱雀 - Nánfāng Zhūquè) Summer	22	井 (Jǐng)	Well	μ Gem
	23	鬼 (Guǐ)	Ghost	θ Cnc
	24	柳 (Liǔ)	Willow	δ Hya
	25	星 (Xīng)	Star	α Hya
	26	張 (Zhāng)	Extended Net	υ¹ Hya
	27	翼 (Yì)	Wings	α Crt
	28	軫 (Zhěn)	Chariot	γ Crv

See also

• China portal
• Astronomy portal

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

References

1. Gary D. Thompson chapter 11-24 Archived 2011-01-26 at the Wayback Machine
2. "Bansenshukai 8". Archived from the original on 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
3. CBETA T21 No. 1299《文殊師利菩薩及諸仙所說吉凶時日善惡宿曜經》卷1 Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
4. 统天殿 Archived 2005-11-22 at the Wayback Machine
5. "The Chinese Sky". International Dunhuang Project. Archived from the original on 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
6. Sun, Xiaochun (1997). Helaine Selin (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 517. ISBN 0-7923-4066-3. Retrieved 2011-06-25.