Twenty-Eight Mansions
{{Short description|Part of the Chinese constellation system}}
Image:28 xiu.svg, north at the top, east is on the left)]]
The Twenty-Eight Mansions ({{zh|c=二十八宿|p=Èrshíbā Xiù}}), also called {{lang|zh|xiu}}
[http://members.westnet.com.au/Gary-David-Thompson/page11-24.html Gary D. Thompson chapter 11-24] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126220342/http://members.westnet.com.au/Gary-David-Thompson/page11-24.html |date=2011-01-26 }} or {{lang|zh|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 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.ninpo.org/historicalrecords/bnsnshk8-3.htm |title=Bansenshukai 8 |accessdate=2014-12-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601125504/http://www.ninpo.org/historicalrecords/bnsnshk8-3.htm |archivedate=2010-06-01 }}
A similar system, called nakshatra, is used in traditional Indian astronomy.[http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T21/1299_001.htm 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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923223324/http://www.cbeta.org/result/normal/T21/1299_001.htm |date=2015-09-23 }}
Overview
File:事林廣記二十八宿.png 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.[http://www.hawh.cn/Template/article/display42.jsp?mid=20041230638760 统天殿] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051122064633/http://www.hawh.cn/Template/article/display42.jsp?mid=20041230638760 |date=2005-11-22 }}
{{Panorama
|image = File:五星二十八宿神形图.jpg
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|caption = Late Sui to early Tang dynasty portrayal of the Five Stars and Twenty-Eight Mansions, by Liang Lingzan (梁令瓒), .
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List of mansions
{{multiple image
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| image1 = 水陆画宝宁寺 角亢氐房心尾箕星君 道教二十八宿之东方七宿，四象之一——青龙.jpg
| image2 = 水陆画宝宁寺 斗牛女虚岁危室壁星君 道教二十八宿之北方七宿，四象之一——玄武.jpg
| image3 = 水陆画宝宁寺 奎娄胃昴毕觜参星君。道教二十八宿之西方七宿，四象之一——白虎.jpg
| image4 = 水陆画宝宁寺 井鬼柳星张翼轸星君。 道教二十八宿之南方七宿，四象之一——朱雀.jpg
| footer = Ming Dynasty Shuilu 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:{{cite web | url=http://idp.bl.uk/education/astronomy/sky.html | title=The Chinese Sky | publisher=International Dunhuang Project | accessdate=2011-06-25 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104154237/http://idp.bl.uk/education/astronomy/sky.html | archivedate=2015-11-04 }}{{cite book | last=Sun | first=Xiaochun | editor=Helaine Selin | editor-link=Helaine Selin | title=Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=raKRY3KQspsC&pg=PA517 | year=1997 | pages=517 | publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers | isbn=0-7923-4066-3 | accessdate=2011-06-25}}
| class="wikitable" | |||
| rowspan="2" align="center"|Four Symbols (四象) | colspan="4" align="center" | Mansion (宿) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Number
!Name (Pinyin) !Translation !Determinative star | |||
| rowspan="7" |Azure Dragon of the East (東方青龍 - Dōngfāng Qīnglóng) SpringFile:AZURE DRAGON.png | 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 |
| rowspan="7" |Black Tortoise of the North (北方玄武 - Běifāng Xuánwǔ) WinterFile:BLACK TORTOISE.png | 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 |
| rowspan="7" |White Tiger of the West (西方白虎 - Xīfāng Báihǔ) FallFile:WHITE TIGER OF THE WEST (CHINESE MYTHOLOGY).png | 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 |
| rowspan="7" |Vermilion Bird of the South (南方朱雀 - Nánfāng Zhūquè) SummerFile:VERMILION BIRD.png | 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
{{Portal|China|Astronomy}}