Xingguan is an ancientChinese mythologyA combination of astronomy.In order to facilitateStar recognitionWith observation, several stars are formed into a group. Each group is named after a thing on the ground. This group is called a star officer, or simply an officer.After the Tang and Song Dynasties, it was also called one.However, this kind of constellation does not contain the meaning of the sky division, which is different from the concept of constellation today.three countriesChen ZhuoThe three star officials of Shi, Gan and Wuxian were combined to form a 283 star official system with a total of 1465 stars, which was used by future generations of astronomers.
The ancient star official system of China divided the night sky into three walls andTwenty eight nights。The ancientsYellow declination angleAroundVernal equinoxLooking up at the stars above in the evening, the 28 constellations are divided into four sections according to the four directions of southeast, northwest and northwest.Each segment corresponds to an elephant, each containing seven constellations: the bird elephant is in the south, the dragon elephant and the tiger elephant are in the east and west, respectively,Tortoise snakeIt disappears below the northern horizon.In ancient times, it was popular to say that the five elements were matched with five colors. The blue, red, yellow, white and black were matched with the east, the south, the central, the west and the north respectively. Finally, the oriental green dragonWestern White Tiger、Southern Rosefinch(Bird), Northern Xuanwu (tortoise and snake).[1-2]
Major Star Officials
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Identification and division of ancient astronomy in ChinaStar regionThe method ofZodiacOfDivision method, Chinaancient astronomy The star area division in is a "star officer" system similar to the western "constellations". The most systematic division method is to divide 1464 stars in the sky into "283 officers".The ancient Chinese "star officer" system divided the sky into“Sanyuan 28su”And other star officials.(The earliest record of star officials in the ancient books available today appears in《Redords of the Grand History of China·Heavenly Official Letter》"283 officials"“Sanyuan”, "28 Constellations" and other star officials.
“Taiweiyuan”, located in the south of the "Big Dipper", contains ten stars.Sanjia NoteRedords of the Grand History of China》There is a note in "Taiwei Palace and Ten Stars".
The Four Elephant Star Officer is the 28 Constellation Star Officer, also known as“Twenty eight rounds”。Then divide the "28 Constellations" into four star regions, and use“rosefinch”、“Basalt”、“Qinglong”"White Tiger"Four spiritsAnimal naming means that the so-called "four elephants" are also called "four spirits" or "four lands".It can be understood that "Rosefinch", "Xuanwu", "Green Dragon" and "White Tiger" are four large-scale "constellations".
The explanation of "Four Elephants" in Records of the Historian - Tianguan Book is: "East Palace Black DragonNangongVermilion birdWestern Palace... The ginseng is a white tiger... Beigong Xuanwu... ", (the black dragon is the green dragon, and the red bird is the red sparrow).
"Qinglong" includes seven constitutions: horn, kang, di, room, heart, tail and dustpan;
"Rosefinch" includes well, ghost, willow, star, Zhang, wing and Zhen;
According to the "Records of the Historian · Tianguan Book", "twenty-eight states live in twelve states", which links astronomy with geography.“Twenty eight nights”Are distributed in the ecliptic andEquatorial zoneLast year, the relative sports meeting between the sun and the moon crossed the 28 "star officials".The 28 constellations are divided into four groups and matched with the four palaces in the east, south, west and north and the four elephants named after animals. Each night is matched with an animal in the order of wood, gold, earth, sun, moon, fire and water.That is:
Dongfang QinglongJiaosukang, Zu, Zu, Zu, Zu, Xin, Wei, Ji, SuCorresponding animalsJiaomu Jiaokang Jinlong Ditu Raccoon Dog House Sun Rabbit Heart Moon Fox Tail Fire Tiger Jishui Leopard
North basaltDousu Niu sleeps in a girl's house, and sleeps in a dangerous room, and sleeps in a wallCorresponding animalsDoumu XieTaurus taurusFemale Earth Bat Deficiency Sun Rat Danger Moon Swallow Room Fire Pig Wall Water
Western White TigerKusu Lousu Stomach Pleiades Bi Zui GinsengCorresponding animalsKumu Wolf Loujin Dog Stomach Pheasant Pleiades Day ChickenBi YuewuMouth fire monkeyShenshui Ape
Southern RosefinchJing Su Gui Su Liu Su Xing Su Zhang Su Yi Zhen SuCorresponding animalsJingmu'an Ghost Golden Sheep Willow Earth Swertia Star Sun Horse Zhang Moon Deer Wing Fire Snake Zhen Water Worm
Xingguan Qinglong
Xingguan - Rosefinch
Xingguan White Tiger
Xingguan Xuanwu
Other star officials
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In addition to the main star officials mentioned above, there are still some famous "star officials" in ancient astronomy in China.
“Sirius”，Canis MajorAlpha star, the brightest star in the sky, is light blue.In fact, "Sirius" has a companion star, forming a visualKonductraSystem, but the companion star is dark and cannot be observed by the naked eye.According to the Records of the Historian - Tianguan Book, "The big star in the east is called Wolf", which means Sirius.
“Beiluo School”, Alpha Arisae, is the only bright star in the southern sky in autumn.
“Heavenly Hound”There are seven stars in the compass.In the Book of Jinshu, Zhiyi, Astronomy, there is a saying that "wolf is a star... the northern seven stars are called Tiangou".
"North Pole", also known as“Gou Chen Yi”, Alpha Minor.Because it is only about one degree away from the North Celestial Pole and is a brighter star, it is called "North Pole".In Er Ya · Shi Tian, "The North Pole is called"Beichen”Therefore, "North Pole" is also called "North Star"."North Pole" is actually a double star.
"Beidou" Letter“Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, YuhengKaiyangSeven stars, namely, α, β, γ, δ, ε, ζ, η stars of Ursa Major.Actually, it should be the "Big Dipper" eight stars, because the "Kaiyang" star is also a double star, but since the "Big Dipper" has been called seven stars since ancient times, it still uses the original name.In the Moonlight Night written by Liu Fangping, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, there is a saying that "the moon is half deep, and the Big Dipper is thin and the South Dipper is slanting." The "Big Dipper" refers to the seven stars of the Big Dipper, while the "South Dipper" refers to todaySagittariusOf“Nandou Six Stars”
In addition, there are some bright stars and star officials.For example, "Antarctic Old Man", "Xuanyuan Fourteen", etc;"Tianhe"“Tianjiang”"Tianchuan", "Tianjin", just the water, boat, ferry all ready;Moreover, those named after "kinship", such as "father-in-law", "son" and "sun";They are named after animals, such as "dog", "crane", and so on.
In addition to being rigorous, the star official system of ancient Chinese astronomy used "gorgeous" and "extensive and profound"EquivalencyTo describe it without exaggeration.The more you know, the more charming it is.
Star official system
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luminary
When it comes to Chinese ancient astronomy, it is necessary to have a rough understanding of the meaning of "Yao", "Yuan" and "Su". The above has ended "Yuan" and "Su", and now we will focus on "Yao".
The original meaning of "Yao" is sunlight. Later, the sun, moon and stars are called "Yao", which can be understood as bright celestial bodies.The word "Yao" has been used in China since ancient times“Five obsidities”、“Qiyao”、“Navagraha ”, "Ten Yao"“Eleven Obsidian”, "28 Zhengyao", etc., which is briefly described below.
Five obsidities
Five Yao namely“Five latitudes”Also known as "Five Stars", namelysolar systemWater (star), gold (too white), fire (Yingdou), wood（Old Star）, soil（Saturn）(According to the distance from the sunSequential arrangementThe term "five stars" first appeared in about four or five hundred BC.
Mercury, ancient name“Mercury”。It is the planet closest to the sun in the solar system. When observing "Mercury" from the Earth, it usually appears on both sides of the sun, and the distance from the sun is always within 30 degrees.The "degree" here is the unit in ancient China, and about 30 degrees is about one "Chen". It was once found in the New Book of Tang, Annals 21, Astronomy 1“twelve nocturnal time divisions”Therefore, "Mercury" is called "Chenxing" according to the moving distance.Mercury is difficult to observe with the naked eye, because its orbit radius is the smallestTerrestrial planetGenerally, it moves with the sun in the sky, and the strong light of the sun covers the "Mercury". Only a few days each year can it be used successfullyVisual observationTo Mercury.
Venus, the ancient name "Taibai".Because ofreflected lightIt is bright white, the brightest one of the planets.Its silvery white light is brighter thanLight blueOf“Sirius”But also dazzling.The Book of Songs · Xiaoya · Valley Style · Dadong says: "DongyouVenusThere is Chang Geng in the west. "The words "Qiming" and "Changgeng" here seem to be two different stars, but actually both are "Venus", which appears before the sunhorizonWhen the sun rises above the horizon, it is called "Chang Geng".Venus has a thickatmosphere, Venus spheresurface temperature It is very high and can even melt someBi-Sn Metal.
Mars, the ancient name of "Mars".Because the soil and rocks on the surface of "Mars" are red, the reflected light is light fire red, similar to fluorescence;Another "Mars" is the firstExoplanet, which is connected with the earth'srelative motion, which makes it look at itself on the earthDirection of movementIt will produce changes, which is puzzling. There is a record of "Yingdou retrograde" in The History of the Later Han Dynasty, Annals No. 11, Astronomy, so the ancients called it "Yingdou".Mars is“terrestrial planet”One of the most similar to the Earth, "Mars" once reached a fairly close distance from the Earth, providing a good opportunity for its observation.
Jupiter, the ancient name of "Suixing".Ancient ChinaAstronomical observationIt is believed that the operating cycle of "Jupiter" is 12 yearszodiacIt is divided into twelve parts, each of which is called "times" (respectively:Astroperiod, Xuanxiao, Jianglou, DaliangSolid Shen, quail head, quail fire, quail tail, birthday, big fireDissect wood）Jupiter passes through once a year, that is, once a year.Hence the name.Developed and formed after the Han Dynasty“years designated by Heavenly Stems and Earthly BranchesThe "law" actually originated from the previous“Annals”。Jupiter is the largest planet in the known solar system“great red spot ”It was once a famous puzzle in astronomy.
Saturn, the ancient name of "Zhenxing"."Saturn" ancients measured that it circled the sky for about 28 years.Average annual travel“Twenty eight nights”One is to take turns to stay in the "28 Nights", which is called "Suizhen Yisu", hence the name.Also known as“Star filling”, where "fill" is the same as "town", which should beInterchangeable characters。The first amazing thing about Saturn is its "ring", which seems to have two "ears" when viewed from the earth.
According to the Records of the Historian, Tianguan Book, "There are five stars in the sky and five elements in the earth." Therefore, the "five elements" are matched with the five stars, which are the names of water, gold, fire, wood and earth.These five planets are evenly across the sky, similar to the latitude line, so they were collectively called "five latitudes" in ancient times."Five latitudes" and "five stars" are also called“Five obsidities”。
Qiyao
QiyaoIn ancient times, it was also called "Seven Politics"“Seven latitudes”。It is the ancient Chinese view of "the sun", "the sun"“Mercury”, "Taibai", "Yingdou", "Suixing" and "Zhenxing".It was the ancients who mistook the sun and moon for planets because they moved in the sky at the same time and were different from other stars.
"Qiyao" was widely used in ancient times. In Li Bai's "DaLieFu and Preface", it says: "The articles are almost seven yao, the production is based on Liangyi, and the production is based on the wisdom of all." In the "Book of Jin · Volume XI · Zhi No.1", it says: "But the three emperorsMaide, the seven obsidities are on the right track, the sun and the moon are not changing, and the stars are in chaos. "In many foreign regions, similarly, "Qiyao" represents the seventh day of the week.Around 700 BC,Babylon, CubaThe system of a week divided into seven days has emerged, and four weeks constitute a month.They built the Seven Star AltarHoshigami。There are seven layers in the Seven Star Altar. Each layer has a star god. From top to bottom, there are seven gods, namely, the sun, the moon, fire, water, gold, wood and earth.Each of the seven gods is in charge one day a week.Say on Sunday“Sunday”；Monday“Monday”；Tuesday“Tuesday”；Wednesday said“Suiyoubi ”；Thursday is called "Obsidian Day";Friday, say“FridayDay ";Saturday is called "Earth Day";(also appeared inTwo river basinOfAncient Babylon Civilization）。Therefore, in the West, every week is counted from Sunday, which is different from the Chinese custom.“Qiyao Day”The term "li" is widely used in Japan.
Navagraha
Jiuyao means beyond the "Qiyao",Reintroduction"Luo Xuan"“Ji Du”The two "Yin Yao", "Luo Xuan" and "Ji Du" are transliterations of Sanskrit.The sudden appearance of stars threatening everyone in the night sky is called "Jidu";Caused by seizing the light of the sun and moonsolar eclipseThe star of "Luo" is called "Luo".
It is said that "Luo Xuan" was originally the dragon that led the demonsDeityWeJoint confrontationDevil, but when he played his triumphal song, he stole the holy liquid while everyone was unprepared. Unexpectedly, his crime wasSun and MoonWhen he saw it, he told the gods that the gods rushed to cut off the head of "Luo Xuan". At this time, the holy liquid had worked in the body of "Luo Xuan", making it immortal like a star. Since then, the head of "Luo Xuan" and his body, "Ji Du", became the sun and the moonNever compromiseAs long as the environment permits, they will try to devour the sun and moon, causing the sunlunar eclipseThe tail of Ji Du sometimes appears in front of the world as a comet.Another editionThis bookFor: "Luo Xuan" is ancientIndian mythologyIt is said that "King Pibrajiti of Dayetiya" and“Reach brakeHe is also known as the "king of planets and meteors" and the guardian god of the southwest;He has four hands, and the lower part of his body is a snake tail.“Deity”And“Ashura”Milky seaAt that time, "Luo Xuan" pretended to be drinking nectar in the team of gods, but was“Helios”And the discovery of "Luna"“Vishnu ”After making a small report, Vishnu immediately cut off the head and arm of Rahula with a divine plate.But because "Luo Xuan" has drunk the nectar, his head lives forever. In order to revenge, he often devours the sun and the moon, causing solar and lunar eclipses, which is the origin of solar and lunar eclipses.The star "Luodang" is a dark star, and the dead body becomes the star "Jidu", both ominous.
West Tianzhu《Qiyao bustling disaster resolution》(Translated and introduced into China around the year 900 AD) specifically introduces the two implicit meanings of "Luo Xuan" and "Ji Du" as: "Luo Xuan, the teacher to stop Luo, a yellow banner, an eroding god head, a compound, and a sun head.It is invisible when you are in seclusion, eclipsed when you meet the sun and the moon, eclipsed when you meet the new moon, and eclipsed when you meet the sun and the moon... Jidu, Enluoshi, a leopard tail, an eroding god tail, a Yueboli, and a sun head, are always invisible. "
It is generally believed that the name of "Luo" first appeared in the Jiuzhi Calendar translated in 718 AD, and the so-called "Jiuzhi" refers to“Navagraha ”。"Luo Xuan" and "Ji Du" were gradually valued by Chinese astronomers in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.
The so-called "hidden obsidian" refers to what people cannot see in their visionStarlight, different from the visual visibility of planets and stars.In essence, "Yin Yao" is an orbital term in ancient astronomy. "There is only air in the sky but no form" is a fairly accurate description of "Yin Yao".The "Yin Yao" in ancient Chinese astronomy is mostly related to the observed movements of the sun and the moon.But "Luo Xuan" and "Ji Du" refer to each other in astronomy.
The track of the sun's movement on the celestial sphere is called the "ecliptic". In the Book of Songs, Annals XIII, Astronomy 1, it says: "The ecliptic is what the sun does."MoonThe track of moving on the celestial sphere (orbit around the earth) is called“Bai Dao”。"The ecliptic" and "the Baidao" intersect at two points, which are called "Yuebeijiao" and "Yuenanjiao" respectively.In China, "Luo Xuan" and "Ji Du" refer to the intersection of "the ecliptic" and "Bai Dao".
Ten obsidians refer to (generally relatively rare) two imaginary celestial bodies in addition to the seven obsidians in the "Shilun Calendar", namely, "Luo Xuan" and "Kaohuo" ("Luo Xuan Wei", which has not been studied in detail here, but the author speculates that it is "Ji Du"), plus "Long Tail Comet", collectively called "Ten obsidians".
Eleven Obsidian
Eleven Yao refers to the addition of "Luo Xuan" and "Ji Du"“Lunar month”"Purple", "Yin Yao", and "Si Yu" together with "Qi Zheng"“Seven policies and four surpluses”。The moon and purple were introduced into China relatively late.Astronomers of the Ming DynastyXingyun RoadIt is pointed out that the "Four Surplus" should be derived from the Dulaiyusi Sutra, and the "eleven stars" mentioned in this book refer to the "Seven Policies" and "Four Surplus".
"Yin Yao" is generally recognized that "Four Surplus" is invisible to the naked eyeStarlightUnder special circumstances, it is still considered that it can be observed as an observable object like Qiyao.In addition to the "Luo" and "Ji Du", which refer to the "North Moon Crossing" and "South Moon Crossing", the ancients believed that the "Moon Pol" could also be seen by vision when evil spirits appeared, and that "its stars belong to comets".But the difference is that it shines everywhere, which is different from a comet with only one tail《spring and autumn》Record: "See the big day", "Join the Big Dipper".When "the king's virtue reaches the sky", "purple gas" can be seen, which is shaped like a half moon. It usually appears at the end of the lunar calendar month, and "helps the moon to make it bright", which is often called "Jingxing" or "Dexing". In the Book of the Han Dynasty, Vol. 16, Astronomy No. 6, it is said that "Jingxing is also a Dexing, which is impermanent in shape and often comes from a country of Tao."
In addition, it is said that the following reference is formed: the moon passes south from the ecliptic along the white pathAscending intersectionWhen entering the north, it was called "Luo Xuan";And then go north by the eclipticDescending pointWhen entering the south, it is called "Ji Du";The moon travels along the white path to the apogee, which is called "Moon Pol";Run toPerigeeIt is called "purple"."Four Surplus" and "Yin Yao" are all related to the monthly track.
There is a saying that "the sun" and "the sun" are "the main stars of the middle heaven", while "the sky"“Georobbery”It is called "Zhongtian helps the star".
