List of Chinese star names

Chinese star names (Chinese: 星名, xīng míng) are named according to ancient Chinese astronomy and astrology. The sky is divided into star mansions (星宿, xīng xiù, also translated as "lodges") and asterisms (星官, xīng guān). The ecliptic is divided into four sectors that are associated with the Four Symbols, guardians in Chinese mythology, and further into 28 mansions. Stars around the north celestial pole are grouped into three enclosures (垣, yuán).[1] The system of 283 asterisms under the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions was established by Chen Zhuo of the Three Kingdoms period, who synthesized ancient constellations and the asterisms created by early astronomers Shi Shen, Gan De and Wuxian.[2] Since the Han and Jin dynasties, stars have been given reference numbers within their asterisms in a system similar to the Bayer or Flamsteed designations, so that individual stars can be identified.[3] For example, Deneb (α Cyg) is referred to as 天津四 (Tiān Jīn Sì, the Fourth Star of Celestial Ford).

In the Qing dynasty, Chinese knowledge of the sky was improved by the arrival of European star charts. Yixiang Kaocheng, compiled in mid-18th century by then deputy Minister of Rites Ignaz Kögler, expanded the star catalogue to more than 3000 stars. The newly added stars (增星, zēng xīng) were named as 增一 (zēng yī, 1st added star), 增二 (zēng èr, 2nd added star) etc. For example, γ Cephei is referred to as 少衛增八 (Shào Wèi Zēng Bā, 8th Added Star of Second Imperial Guard). Some stars may have been assigned more than one name due to the inaccuracies of traditional star charts.

While there is little disagreement on the correspondence between traditional Chinese and Western star names for brighter stars, many asterisms, in particular those originally from Gan De, were created primarily for astrological purposes and can only be mapped to very dim stars.[4] The first attempt to fully map the Chinese constellations was made by Paul Tsuchihashi in late 19th century. In 1981, based on Yixiang Kaocheng and Yixiang Kaocheng Xubian, the first complete map of Chinese stars and constellations was published by Yi Shitong (伊世同).[5]

The list is based on Atlas Comparing Chinese and Western Star Maps and Catalogues by Yi Shitong (1981) and Star Charts in Ancient China by Chen Meidong (1996). In a few cases, meanings of the names are vague due to their antiquity.[6] In this article, the translation by Hong Kong Space Museum is used.

  1. ^ Pankenier, David W. Astrology and Cosmology in Early China. Cambridge University Press. p. 457.
  2. ^ Hu Axiang; Li Tianshi; Lu Haiming (2009). Nanjing Tongshi Liuchao Juan (in Chinese). Nanjing: Nanjing Press. ISBN 9787807185642. Archived from the original on 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  3. ^ Stephenson, F. Richard (1994). "Chapter 13. Chinese and Korean Star Maps and Catalogs". The history of cartography: Cartography in the traditional east and southeast asian societies (PDF). University of Chicago Press. p. 530. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  4. ^ Sun, Xiaochun. "Identification of Constellations in the Tian Wen Jie Hou Chan Ci Quan Tu". In Chen, Meidong (ed.). Star Charts in Ancient China (in Chinese). Shenyang: Liaoning Education Press. p. 63.
  5. ^ Kistemaker, Jacob; Yang, Zhengzong (1987). "A New Approach to Traditional Chinese Astronomy". Mapping the Sky: Past Heritage and Future Directions: Proceedings of the 133rd Symposium of the International Astronomical Union: 24. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  6. ^ Sun, Xiaochun; Kistemaker, Jacob (1997). The Chinese Sky During the Han: Constellating Stars and Society. Leiden: Brill. p. 98. ISBN 9789004107373.