Chinese constellations

Chinese constellations (Chinese: 星官, xīngguān) are the groupings used by the ancient Chinese to organize the stars. They are very different from the modern International Astronomical Union-recognized constellations based on Greco-Roman astronomy. 
Ancient Chinese skywatchers divided their night sky into 31 regions: the Three Enclosures (三垣, Sān Yuán) and the Twenty-Eight Mansions (二十八|宿, Èrshíbā Xiù).二十八宿的形成与演变 The Three Enclosures occupy the area close to the North Celestial Pole. The stars in the Three Enclosures can be seen all year around. The Twenty-Eight Mansions occupy the zodiacal band. These find their equivalent in the 28 lunar mansions of western astrology and the Nakshatra of Indian astrology. Though marked along the zodiac, they are defined by the movement of the Moon in a lunar month rather than the Sun in a solar year.
==Three Enclosures==
The Three Enclosures are the Purple Forbidden Enclosure (紫微垣, Zǐ Wēi Yuán), the Supreme Palace Enclosure (太微垣, Tài Wēi Yuán) and the Heavenly Market Enclosure (天市垣, Tiān Shì Yuán). The Purple Forbidden Enclosure occupies the northernmost area of the night sky. From the viewpoint of the ancient Chinese, the Purple Forbidden Enclosure lies in the middle of the sky and is circled by all the other stars. 
The Supreme Palace Enclosure lies east and north to the Purple Forbidden Enclosure, while the Heavenly Market Enclosure lies west and south. The Three Enclosures are separated by "walls", which are asterisms with their shapes resembling their namesakes.
==The Twenty-Eight Mansions==
The Twenty-Eight Mansions are grouped into Four Symbols, each associated with a compass direction and containing seven mansions. The names and determinative stars are:
Four Symbols(四象) 	Mansion (宿) 	Mansion (宿) 	Mansion (宿) 	Mansion (宿)
Four Symbols(四象) 	Number 	Name (pinyin)	Translation 	Determinative star
Azure Dragonof the East(東方青龍)Spring 	1 	角 (Jiăo) 	Horn 	α Vir
Azure Dragonof the East(東方青龍)Spring 	2 	亢 (Kàng) 	Neck 	κ Vir
Azure Dragonof the East(東方青龍)Spring 	3 	氐 (Dĭ) 	Root 	α Lib
Azure Dragonof the East(東方青龍)Spring 	4 	房 (Fáng) 	Room 	π Sco
Azure Dragonof the East(東方青龍)Spring 	5 	心 (Xīn) 	Heart 	σ Sco
Azure Dragonof the East(東方青龍)Spring 	6 	尾 (Wěi) 	Tail 	μ Sco
Azure Dragonof the East(東方青龍)Spring 	7 	箕 (Jī) 	Winnowing Basket 	γ Sgr
Black Tortoiseof the North(北方玄武)Winter 	8 	斗 (Dǒu) 	(Southern) Dipper	φ Sgr
Black Tortoiseof the North(北方玄武)Winter 	9 	牛 (Niú) 	Ox 	β Cap
Black Tortoiseof the North(北方玄武)Winter 	10 	女 (Nǚ) 	Girl 	ε Aqr
Black Tortoiseof the North(北方玄武)Winter 	11 	虛 (Xū) 	Emptiness 	β Aqr
Black Tortoiseof the North(北方玄武)Winter 	12 	危 (Wēi) 	Rooftop 	α Aqr
Black Tortoiseof the North(北方玄武)Winter 	13 	室 (Shì) 	Encampment 	α Peg
Black Tortoiseof the North(北方玄武)Winter 	14 	壁 (Bì) 	Wall 	γ Peg
White Tigerof the West(西方白虎)Fall 	15 	奎 (Kuí) 	Legs 	η And
White Tigerof the West(西方白虎)Fall 	16 	婁 (Lóu) 	Bond 	β Ari
White Tigerof the West(西方白虎)Fall 	17 	胃 (Wèi) 	Stomach 	35 Ari
White Tigerof the West(西方白虎)Fall 	18 	昴 (Mǎo) 	Hairy Head 	17 Tau
White Tigerof the West(西方白虎)Fall 	19 	畢 (Bì) 	Net 	ε Tau
White Tigerof the West(西方白虎)Fall 	20 	觜 (Zī) 	Turtle Beak 	λ Ori
White Tigerof the West(西方白虎)Fall 	21 	參 (Shēn) 	Three Stars 	ζ Ori
Vermilion Birdof the South(南方朱雀)Summer 	22 	井 (Jǐng) 	Well 	μ Gem
Vermilion Birdof the South(南方朱雀)Summer 	23 	鬼 (Guǐ) 	Ghost 	θ Cnc
Vermilion Birdof the South(南方朱雀)Summer 	24 	柳 (Liǔ) 	Willow 	δ Hya
Vermilion Birdof the South(南方朱雀)Summer 	25 	星 (Xīng) 	Star 	α Hya
Vermilion Birdof the South(南方朱雀)Summer 	26 	張 (Zhāng) 	Extended Net 	υ¹ Hya
Vermilion Birdof the South(南方朱雀)Summer 	27 	翼 (Yì) 	Wings 	α Crt
Vermilion Birdof the South(南方朱雀)Summer 	28 	軫 (Zhěn) 	Chariot 	γ Crv
==The Southern Asterisms (近南極星區)==
The sky around the south celestial pole was unknown to ancient Chinese. Therefore, it was not included in the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions system. However, by the end of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Guangqi introduced another 23 asterisms based on the knowledge of western star charts. These asterisms were since incorporated into the traditional Chinese star maps.
The asterisms are :
English name 	Chinese name	Number of stars 	Western Constellation
Sea and Mountain 	海山 	6 	Carina/Centaurus/Musca/Vela
Cross 	十字架 	4 	Crux
Horse's Tail 	馬尾 	3 	Centaurus
Horse's Abdomen 	馬腹 	3 	Centaurus
Bee 	蜜蜂 	4 	Musca
Triangle 	三角形 	3 	Triangulum Australe
Exotic Bird 	異雀 	9 	Apus / Octans
Peacock 	孔雀 	11 	Pavo
Persia 	波斯 	11 	Indus / Telescopium
Snake's Tail 	蛇尾 	4 	Octans / Hydrus
Snake's Abdomen 	蛇腹 	4 	Hydrus
Snake's Head 	蛇首 	2 	Hydrus / Reticulum
Bird's Beak 	鳥喙 	7 	Tucana
Crane 	鶴 	12 	Grus / Tucana
Firebird 	火鳥 	10 	Phoenix / Sculptor
Crooked Running Water 	水委 	3 Eridanus / Phoenix	
White Patched Nearby 	附白 	2 	Hydrus
White Patches Attached	夾白 	2 Reticulum / Dorado	
Goldfish 	金魚 	5 	Dorado
Sea Rock 	海石 	5 	Carina
Flying Fish 	飛魚 	6 	Volans
Southern Boat 	南船 	5 	Carina
Little Dipper 	小斗 	9 	Chamaeleon
==Placement of Western constellations==
The list below gives the placement of Western constellations within the Chinese system.
*Andromeda (仙女座)
*Antlia (唧筒座)
*Apus (天燕座)
*Aquarius (寶瓶座)
*Aquila (天鷹座)
*Ara (天壇座)
*Aries (白羊座)
*Auriga (御夫座)
*Boötes (牧夫座)
*Caelum (雕具座)
*Camelopardalis (鹿豹座)
*Cancer (巨蟹座)
*Canes Venatici (獵犬座)
*Canis Major (大犬座)
*Canis Minor (小犬座)]]
*Capricornus (摩羯座)
*Carina (船底座)
*Cassiopeia (仙后座)
*Centaurus (半人馬座)
*Cepheus (仙王座)
*Cetus (鯨魚座)
*Chamaeleon (蝘蜓座)
*Circinus (圓規座)
*Columba (天鴿座)
*Coma Berenices (后髮座)
*Corona Australis (南冕座)
*Corona Borealis (北冕座)
*Corvus (烏鴉座)
*Crater (巨爵座)
*Crux (南十字座)
*Cygnus (天鵝座)
*Delphinus (海豚座)
*Dorado (劍魚座)
*Draco (天龍座)
*Equuleus (小馬座)
*Eridanus (波江座)
*Fornax (天爐座)
*Gemini (雙子座)
*Grus (天鶴座)
*Hercules (武仙座)
*Horologium (時鐘座)
*Hydra (長蛇座)
*Hydrus (水蛇座)
*Indus (印第安座)
*Lacerta (蝎虎座)
*Leo (獅子座)
*Leo Minor (小獅座)
*Lepus( 天兔座)
*Libra (天秤座)
*Lupus (豺狼座)
*Lynx (天貓座)
*Lyra (天琴座)
*Mensa (山案座)
*Microscopium (顯微鏡座)
*Monoceros (麒麟座)
*Musca (蒼蠅座)
*Norma (矩尺座)
*Octans (南極座)
*Ophiuchus (蛇夫座)
*Orion (獵戶座)
*Pavo (孔雀座)
*Pegasus (飛馬座)
*Perseus (英仙座)
*Phoenix (鳳凰座)
*Pictor (繪架座)
*Pisces (雙魚座)
*Piscis Austrinus (南魚座)
*Puppis (船尾座)
*Pyxis (羅盤座)
*Reticulum (網罟座)
*Sagitta (天箭座)
*Sagittarius (人馬座)
*Scorpius (天蠍座)
*Sculptor (玉夫座)
*Scutum (盾牌座)
*Serpens (巨蛇座)
*Sextans (六分儀座)
*Taurus (金牛座)
*Telescopium (望遠鏡座)
*Triangulum (三角座)
*Triangulum Australe (南三角座)
*Tucana (杜鵑座)
*Ursa Major (大熊座)
*Ursa Minor (小熊座)
*Vela (船帆座)
*Virgo (室女座)
*Volans (飛魚座)
*Vulpecula (狐狸座)
==Traditional Chinese star names==
Ancient Chinese astronomers designated names to the visible stars systematically, roughly more than one thousand years before Johann Bayer did it in a similar way. Basically, every star is assigned to an asterism. Then a number is given to the individual stars in this asterism. Therefore, a star is designated as "Asterism name" + "Number". The numbering of the stars in an asterism, however, is not based on the apparent magnitude of this star, but rather its position in the asterism. (The Bayer system does use this Chinese method sometimes, most notably with the stars in the Big Dipper, which are all about the same magnitude.)
For example, Altair is named 河鼓二 in Chinese. 河鼓 is the name of the asterism (literally the Drum at the River). 二 is the number designation (two). Therefore, it literally means "the Second Star of the Drum at the River". (Bayer might have called Altair "Beta Tympani Flumine" if he had been cataloguing Chinese constellations.)
Some stars also have traditional names, often related to mythology or astrology. For example, Altair is more commonly known as 牛郎星 or 牵牛星 (the Star of the Cowherd) in Chinese, after the mythological story of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl.
These designations are still used in modern Chinese astronomy. All stars for which the traditional names are used in English are routinely translated by their traditional Chinese designations, rather than translations of their catalogue names.
==See also==
* Four Symbols (Chinese constellation)
* Nakshatra
==References==
== Further reading ==
* Book of Jin, volume 11–13 (晉書·天文志)
* Huainanzi, volume 3 (淮南子·天文訓)
==External links==
*Ian Ridpath's Star Tales
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