The Twenty-Eight Mansions (), also called or , are part of the
Chinese constellations
Traditional Chinese astronomy has a system of dividing the celestial sphere into asterisms or constellations, known as "officials" ( Chinese ''xīng guān'').
The Chinese asterisms are generally smaller than the constellations of Hellenisti ...
system. They can be considered as the equivalent to the
zodiacal constellations in Western
astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...
, though the Twenty-eight Mansions reflect the movement of the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...
through a
sidereal month rather than the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
in a
tropical year
A tropical year or solar year (or tropical period) is the time that the Sun takes to return to the same position in the sky – as viewed from the Earth or another celestial body of the Solar System – thus completing a full cycle of astronom ...
.
The lunar mansion system was in use in other parts of East Asia, such as ancient Japan; the ''
Bansenshūkai
''Bansenshūkai'' (, ''Ten Thousand Rivers Flowing Together to form an Ocean'') (Also pronounced Mansenshukai) is a 1676 Japanese book containing a collection of knowledge from the clans in the Iga Province, Iga and Kōka, Shiga, Kōga regions th ...
'', written by Fujibayashi Yasutake, mentions the system several times and includes an image of the twenty-eight mansions.
A similar system, called
nakshatra
Nakshatra () is the term for Lunar mansion in Hindu astrology and Buddhist astrology. A nakshatra is one of 27 (sometimes also 28) sectors along the ecliptic. Their names are related to a prominent star or asterisms in or near the respective s ...
, is used in traditional
Indian astronomy
Astronomy has a long history in the Indian subcontinent, stretching from History of India, pre-historic to History of India (1947–present), modern times. Some of the earliest roots of Indian astronomy can be dated to the period of Indus Valle ...
.
Overview
Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the sky
ecliptic
The ecliptic or ecliptic plane is the orbital plane of Earth's orbit, Earth around the Sun. It was a central concept in a number of ancient sciences, providing the framework for key measurements in astronomy, astrology and calendar-making.
Fr ...
into four regions, collectively known as the
Four Symbols, each assigned a mysterious animal. They are
Azure Dragon
The Azure Dragon ( zh, c=青龍, p=Qīnglóng) is one of the Dragon King, Dragon Gods who represent the mount or Chthonic deities, chthonic forces of the Wufang Shangdi, Five Regions' Highest Deities (). It is also one of the Four Symbols o ...
(青龍) on the east,
Black Tortoise (玄武) on the north,
White Tiger (白虎) on the west, and
Vermilion Bird
The Vermilion Bird ( zh, c=朱雀, p=Zhūquè) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. According to Wuxing (Chinese philosophy), Wu Xing, the Taoism, Taoist five elemental system, it represents the Fire (Wu Xing), Fire element, ...
(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
The ecliptic or ecliptic plane is the orbital plane of Earth's orbit, Earth around the Sun. It was a central concept in a number of ancient sciences, providing the framework for key measurements in astronomy, astrology and calendar-making.
Fr ...
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
Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...
they are related to 28 Chinese generals.
List of mansions
The names and determinative stars of the mansions are:
See also
*
Four Symbols (Chinese constellation)
*
Lunar mansion
Often called lunar mansion, a lunar station or lunar house is a segment of the ecliptic through which the Moon passes in orbit of the Moon, its orbit around the Earth. The concept was used by several ancient cultures as part of their calendrical ...
*
Three enclosures
References
{{Chinese constellation
Chinese constellations
Cultural lists
Technical factors of Chinese astrology