Twenty-eight Constellations
[Explanation]
Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the visible stars in the sky into twenty-eight groups, called the Twenty-Eight Constellations, with seven constellations each in the southeast, northwest, and northwest. . The seven constellations of Canglong in the east are Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei and Qiao; the seven constellations of Xuanwu in the north are Dou, Niu, Nv, Xu, Wei, Shi and Bi; the seven constellations of White Tiger in the west are Kui, Lou, Wei and Pleiades. , Bi, Xi, and Shen; the seven constellations of Southern Suzaku are well, ghost, willow, star, Zhang, Yi, and Zhen. In ancient times, Indians, Persians, and Arabs also had similar sayings about the Chinese Twenty-Eight Constellations.
In order to understand the stars and observe celestial phenomena, in ancient China, stars in the sky were grouped into groups, and each group was given a name. This group of stars was called Xingguan. The number of stars contained in each star official varies from one to dozens, and the areas of the sky they occupy vary. Among the many star officials, 31 occupy a very important position. These are the Sanyuan Twenty-eight Constellations. In the Tang Dynasty, Sanyuan and Twenty-eight Constellations developed into the ancient Chinese starry sky division system, similar to the constellations in modern astronomy.
Sanyuan refers to Ziweiyuan, Taiweiyuan and Tianshiyuan. Ziweiyuan includes the sky area near the North Celestial Pole, which is roughly equivalent to the Gongji star area; Taiweiyuan includes parts of the constellations such as Virgo, Cognac, and Leo; Tianshiyuan includes Snake, Wuxian, Giant Snake, and Aquila. part of the constellation.
Twenty-eight constellations are also called twenty-eight stars or twenty-eight houses. Originally, the ancients selected twenty-eight star officials to compare the movements of the sun, moon, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth as markers for observation. The meaning of "su" is similar to the "palace" of the zodiac, indicating the location of the sun, moon and five stars. In the Tang Dynasty, the Twenty-Eight Constellations became the main body of the twenty-eight heavenly regions. These heavenly regions were still named after the Twenty-Eight Constellations. Unlike the situation in Sanyuan, as a heavenly region, the Twenty-Eight Hosts were mainly for the purpose of dividing the star officials. The twenty-eight constellations start from Spica and are arranged from west to east, in the same direction as the apparent motion of the sun and moon.
The seven constellations in the east: Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei, and Qi; the seven constellations in the north: Dou, Ox, Female, Xu, Danger, Shi (Barracks), and Bi (East Wall) ; The seven constellations in the west: Kui, Lou, Wei, Pleiades, Bi, Xi, and Shen; the seven constellations in the south: Jing (East Well), Gui (Yugui), Liu, Xing (Seven Stars), Zhang, Yi, and Zhen. In addition, there are some star officials who are close to these star officials and have a close relationship with them, such as Tomb, Li Gong, Fu Er, Fa, Yue, Ji Shi, You Ju, Zuo Ju, Changsha, Shengong, etc., which are attached to Fang, Wei and Shi respectively. , Bi, Shen, Jing, Gui, Zhen, Wei and other places are called auxiliary officials or auxiliary seats.
The Twenty-eight Constellations of the Tang Dynasty had a total of 183 stars, including the auxiliary officials or auxiliary constellations.
The names of the twenty-eight constellations
The ancients divided the starry sky near the ecliptic into several areas, called the twenty-eight constellations, and connected the twenty-eight constellations with the four phenomena according to their directions and seasons. Zhang Heng has a description in "Lingxian": "The black dragon is curled up on the left, the white tiger is fiercely occupying the right, the red bird is flying in front, and the turtle is circling behind." The following is a summary of the famous works of the twenty-eight constellations based on their positions in the sky. introduce.
The twenty-eight constellations are divided into four groups according to the four directions of northeast, southwest, and each group of seven constellations is matched with four colors and five groups of animal images, called four elephants or four continents. The corresponding relationships are as follows: The eastern Canglong is cyan; the northern Xuanwu is black; the western white tiger is white; the southern red bird is red.
Eastern Seven Constellations
1 Dongguan Qinglong
The Eastern Seven Constellations include: Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Heart, Tail and Ji.
The horn is the dragon's horn. In the modern constellation organization system, Spica belongs to the constellation Virgo. The brighter Spica and Spica are first-magnitude and third-magnitude stars respectively. Modern times call them Virgo alpha and Virgo zeta. The ecliptic passes between these two stars, so the sun, moon and planets often pass near these two stars. This is why ancient books call the two stars Tianguan or Tianmen.
Kang is the dragon's throat. "Erya Shiniao" says: "Kang, bird's throat", annotation: "Kang means swallowing, commonly known as shouting." Kang constellation also belongs to Virgo, but it is smaller than Spica, and the stars in it are also fainter, mostly four. Wait for the following.
In late April in Nanjing area, Virgo is in mid-air in the southeast around 9 p.m.
Di, "Shuowen": "Di, Zhiye; Congshi, with -, -, ground.". "Erya Shitian": "The root of the sky is Di." Note: "The horns are tied to Di, just like a tree with roots." Therefore, Di can be understood as the front legs of a dragon. Libra belongs to the constellation Libra, among which Libra sigma, Libra beta and Libra alpha are all brighter stars of second to third magnitude. These three stars form an isosceles Triangle, the vertex of Albedo falls on the ecliptic.
The chamber is the chest chamber. "Historical Records of Heavenly Officials": "The house is the mansion, and it is also the Tiansi." The mansion is connected to the fu organs. "Erya Shitian": "Heavenly Si, Fang also." Note: "The dragon is Tianma, so the four stars of Fang are called Tiansi." Fangsu belongs to Scorpio, and the four stars of Fang are the heads of scorpions. They are both two , a brighter star of third magnitude (Scorpius beta, delta, pi, rho).
The heart is the heart of a dragon. The heart star, the famous Antares (Scorpio alpha), was called fire, fire, or business star in ancient times. It is a red giant star, red in color, and a first-magnitude star. Antares also belongs to Scorpio, and the three stars of Antares form the body of the scorpion.
The tail is the tail of the dragon. "Zuo Zhuan": "The nursery rhyme goes, 'In the morning of Bing, the dragon's tail lies in the morning'". The note says: "The tail of the dragon is also the tail star. The meeting of the sun and the moon is called Chen." , the sun is at the end, so the tail star is invisible. "Osu also belongs to the constellation Scorpio, which is the tail of the scorpion. It is composed of eight or nine brighter stars, among which the Scorpio lambda at the tip of the scorpion's tail is brighter than the second magnitude.
The dustpan, as the name suggests, looks like a dustpan. "Shi Xiaoya": "There is a dustpan in Weinan, which cannot be winnowed." It refers to it. Jisu belongs to the constellation Sagittarius, and the four stars of Jisu (Sagittarius gamma, delta, epsilon, eta) form a quadrilateral, shaped like a dustpan. In the Nanjing area, the above Di Fang Xin Wei Ji Wu Su appeared one after another in the mid-air in the south in the early morning.
The Western Seven Constellations
2 Xiguan White Tiger
The Western Seven Constellations include: Kui, Lou, Wei, Pleiades, Bi, Shen, and Xi.
Kui, "Shuowen": "Between the two thighs", "Guangya": "The crotch, Kui." Kui constellates the sixteen stars, and the left and right halves are just like the shape of the two thighs. "Bu Tian Ge" describes Kui Su as: "The waist is as thin as a broken shoe, and the tip of the head is like a broken shoe, and sixteen stars are born around the shoe." Kui Su 1 to 9 belong to Andromeda, and Kui Su 10 to 16 belong to Pisces. Most of these sixteen stars are dark stars of fourth or fifth magnitude, among which the brightest Kuisujiu (Fairy beta) is a second-magnitude star. Above Kuisuqi (that is, near the toe of Kuisu's shoe) there is a bright spot of about fourth magnitude, which is the famous Andromeda Nebula (M31).
Lou, Tonghu. Hu, "Shuowen": "Yijuye", "Jiyun": "Yuye, commonly known as Lou", "Gongyang": "cow and horse Weilou", annotation: "Tie the horse and say Wei, tie the cow and say "Lou." "Historical Records of Tianguan": "Lou is for gathering people." In ancient astronomical classics, Lou Su is regarded as a place in charge of pastoral sacrifices or gathering troops. The three stars belong to the constellation Aries (Aries alpha, beta, gamma), and the brightest star among them is the second-magnitude star. Lousu is located near the intersection of the ecliptic (the path of the moon) and the ecliptic.
Stomach, "Explanation of Names": "Stomach, surrounding, surrounding food." "Historical Records of Tianguan Shu": "The stomach is the warehouse." The three stars of the stomach belong to Aries (Aries delta, zeta, 63), are all small stars of fourth and fifth magnitude.
Pleiades, "Historical Records of Heavenly Officials": "Pleiades is called Maotou", Mao, "Shuowen": "Faye". Pleiades are also called Liu, which means clustering and grouping. For example, fruits with many seeds and clusters are called pomegranates, and fruits caused by the accumulation of diseased blood are called tumors. The Pleiades is composed of a group of small stars. People with good eyesight can distinguish seven stars. They are called the "Seven Sisters (Pleiades)" in Greek mythology. The ancients used Pleiades to determine the four seasons. "Yao Dian" of Shangshu states: "The short day and the star Pleiades mark the middle of winter." This means that if you see Pleiades appearing in the mid-heaven at sunset, you can know that the winter solstice has arrived. The Pleiades belong to the constellation Taurus and are made up of a cluster of small stars.
Bi, "Rituals": "The clan members hold Bi first and enter first", and the note says: "The shape of Bi is like Yi". "Poetry Xiaoya": "There is Bi Tianbi", Zhu Xi's note: "The Bi sky is also the Bi star, which looks like Bi covering a rabbit." Aldebaran belongs to the constellation Taurus. Its shape is like a small fork, and it also looks like the English letter Y. "Song of the West": "Aldebaran is like a small net, with a single pearl in the left corner shining brightly." The bright star in the left corner is Aldebaran (Taurus alpha), a first-magnitude star. "Historical Records of the Heavenly Officials" says: "The space between the Pleiades and the Pleiades is the Heavenly Street", which means that the sun, moon and planets often pass through here, and Mercury is currently located between these two stars. "The Book of Songs" says: "When the moon leaves at the end of the day, the waves are pouring." It refers to the onset of the rainy season when the moon passes through Biju.
Rigel and Rigel are called Orions in the West, and these two names are well-known at home and abroad. "Xibu Tiange": "Rigel is a bright candle at night, two shoulders, two feet and three are waists." This shows how eye-catching Rigel is in the night sky. From winter to early summer, Rigel is the most prominent constellation in the night sky. Rigel 1, 2, and 3 (orion delta, epsilon, zeta) make up the hunter's belt. "Tang Feng": "Three stars, ginseng." Shen is a pictographic writing, which symbolizes the three stars of the belt. "Zuo Zhuan" uploaded: "In the past, the Gaoxin family had two sons. The uncle was called Yan Bo and Ji was called Shi Shen. They lived in the open forest and could not get along with each other. They often fought with each other to conquer each other. The later emperor did not live in Zang and moved to Yan Bo. Shangqiu, the main star. The businessman is the reason, so Chen is the Shang star. Qianshi sinks in Daxia, and the main star is "Chen". The right ascension of Rigel and Antares is about 180 degrees. People in the same place. They cannot be seen at the same time, so there is a folk saying that "participating in business does not meet each other". Betelgeuse (Orion alpha) is the hunter's right shoulder, Rigel (Orion gamma) is the left shoulder, Rigel (Orion kappa) is the right foot, and Rigel (Orion beta) is the left foot. They are all bright stars.
Above the shoulders, the shape can be associated with the horn-like beak, hence the name.
The Seven Constellations of the North
3 Beiguan Xuanwu
The Seven Constellations of the North include: Dou, Ox, Female, Virtual, Danger, Room, and Wall.
Dou, also known as Nandou. Like the Big Dipper, the South Dipper also looks like a dipper in the sky, hence the name. However, the scope and brightness of the South Dipper are inferior to those of the Big Dipper. Douban belongs to the constellation Sagittarius together with Jisu, one of the seven constellations in the East. The ecliptic passes between Douban (lambda, a sagittarius) and Douban (mu, a sagittarius). The winter solstice is currently located five degrees to the right of the midpoint between these two stars.
Cows were called morning oxen in ancient times; women were called Wu Nu or Xu Nu in ancient times. It is said that the names of Niu and Nu are derived from the two stars Cowherd and Weaver. The morning glory in the ancient poem "Far Altair Star, Bright River Han Girl" refers to the three stars of the river drum (the two river drums are the Cowherd). In 1978, the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in the early Warring States period was excavated in Suixian County, Hubei Province. Among the unearthed cultural relics was a lacquer box. The lid of the box had the names of the twenty-eight constellations written in seal script. Among them, the two constellations of cow and female were written as Morning Glory and Wu Nu. It can be seen that The names of these two stars have a long history and are not necessarily derived from the two stars Cowherd and Weaver Girl. Ox and female are both inconspicuous constellations. Among the stars, Taurus
(Capricorn beta) and Taurus (Capricorn alpha) are third-magnitude stars, and the rest are fifth- and sixth-magnitude stars.
Among the female stars, only the brightest one (epsilon) is a fourth-magnitude star. By making an imaginary line from Weaver Girl to Cowherd and extending the distance by about double, you can find Niu Su. The Altar One is located to the left of the Taurus star. In Nanjing in early May, these two constellations can be found in the mid-air in the south before sunrise. "The Book of Rites and the Moon Order" says: "The month of Mengxia... Dan Wu Nu Zhong." This means that if you see the position of Nu Nu in the south at dawn, you will know that early summer is coming.
Xu, "Shuowen": "Qiu called it Xu." Ancient cities were often inhabited by Qiu. After the destruction of the city, Qiu was renamed as a ruin. Xu is located in the center of Beiguan. "Erya Shitian" says: "Xuan'er means Xu." Note: "Xu is in the true north, and the color of the north is black. The word "Xu" means "waste", and "waste" is also the meaning of "xu".
"Therefore, Xu has the meaning of big hills, old places and waste. Xu Su has been quite famous in ancient times. It was recorded in the "Shang Shu Yao Dian" written in the Zhou Dynasty that there is Xu Su in the four middle stars, "Xiao Zhong" The star is empty, it is Yin Zhongqiu. "At that time, the virtual constellation appeared in the southern sky in the evening before and after the autumnal equinox. Make an imaginary line from Taurus to the female constellation and extend it about one and a half times. The third-magnitude star it encounters is the virtual constellation. First, it also belongs to the constellation Aquarius (beta). It is above the constellation I. It is a fourth-magnitude star and belongs to the constellation Equus (alpha pony).
Danger is above the house. "Historical Records Suoyin" quoted "Book of Rites" as saying: "The middle house is in danger, and the raised house is built to avoid soldiers. "Historical Records Tianguan Shu": "Danger means building a house." "Jin Shu Tian Wen Zhi": "Wei Sanxing is in charge of building houses in Tianfu City." "The three stars include Alpha (Aquarius), Theta (Theta) and Epsilon (Epsilon), all of which are second and third magnitude stars. The shape of these three stars is like a pointed roof.
The chamber and the wall are two connected rooms. In ancient times, the barracks were called the east wall. The barracks were originally four stars in a square shape, with two stars on the east wall and two stars on the west wall, just like the image of the palace in Zhou Guanzi. "People": "Turtles and snakes wander around, looking like campsites. "Then the east wall separated from the barracks and became a room with two dormitories on the wall. On the lid of the lacquer box in the tomb of Zeng Houyi, the two dormitories are called Xiying and Dongying. The four stars on the east wall and the west wall are the famous The Pegasus quadrilateral. Murosu 1 (Pegasus alpha) and Murosu 2 (Pegasus beta) are the west wall, also known as Ding. "Poetry? #123; Wind": "In the square of Ding, it was created in the Chu Palace. "During the Spring and Autumn Period, the room accommodation appeared in the southern sky in the evening of late autumn and early winter. This was the off-farming season. People used this time to build houses to prepare for the winter, so they were called campsites. Bisuyi (Pegasus Gamma) It is on the east wall with Aldea (Fairy alpha). The right ascension of these two stars is very close to 0 degrees. By connecting the line from Aldea to Aldea and extending it approximately twice, you can find the approximate position of the current vernal equinox.
Southern Seven Constellations
4 Nanguan Suzaku
The Southern Seven Constellations include: Well, Ghost, Willow, Star, Zhang, Yi, and Zhen
Well, "Historical Records of Tianguan": "East Well is a matter of water." The shape of the eight stars of Jingsu is like a water well, hence the name. Jingsu belongs to the constellation Gemini, and the brightest one is Jingsu San (Gemini Gamma). , is a second-magnitude star. Pollux forms an isosceles triangle with Pollux and Pollux (the twins alpha and beta). Pollux is located between Pollux and Rigel. This is one way to find it. /p>
Ghost, also known as Yugui, "Jiyun": "Zhong Ye", so Yugui can be understood as the meaning of all ghosts; "Shuowen": "Yu, the bottom of the car", ghost. The four stars in the constellation are square, like a car, which may have another meaning: "The four-star book is square like a wooden cabinet, and the white one in the center accumulates corpse energy." "Guanxiang Wuzhen" says: "The ghost center is there. Those that are as white as powder are called accumulated corpse qi. One is called the Heavenly Corpse, which is the funeral temple for the deceased. "Guisiu belongs to the constellation Cancer, and the four stars of Guisu (Cancer gamma, delta, eta, theta) are all small stars of fourth and fifth magnitude. The so-called corpse aura in the center is a star cluster, which is called Beehive in the West. , the scientific name is M44. In the Japanese comic "Saint Seiya" that was popular a few years ago, the unique move of the Cancer Gold Saint was called "Zi Qi Underworld Wave". Galileo once believed that Zhi Qi was a star. When he took the lead in observing this star cluster with a telescope, he was surprised to find that there were more than 40 stars in it. The summer solstice point was located in Cancer more than a thousand years ago, and the sun was shining directly on the Tropic of Cancer on the summer solstice. The Tropic of Cancer is called Tropic of Cancer in the West. Venus is currently moving near M44.
Liu's original name is "宮", which means "bird's beak", which is similar to the meaning of "er". "Ya Shitian": "It is called willow, willow, and quail fire", and the note is: "quail, the name of the bird; fire belongs to the south". The eight stars of Liusu are curved in shape, like a bird's beak, and also like a weeping willow. "Bu Tian Ge": "Liu Ba Xing, the curved head is as heavy as a willow." Liu, Xing, and Zhang Sansu all belong to the constellation Hydra. Liu Su is located at the position of the snake's head. The brightest one is Liu Suliu (Zeta Hydra). Third star.
Star, also known as seven stars, there are seven stars in the world. "Book of Rites·Yue Ling" says: "The moon of Meng Chun is among the seven stars on the first day", which refers to it. "Historical Records of Tianguan Shu": "Seven stars, neck, are officials, in charge of urgent matters", "Historical Records Suoyin": "Neck, the neck of a red bird. Officials, throat. Things in the throat will not stay for a long time, so Urgent matter. "The stars are located in the heart of Hydra. The brightest one is Hydra Alpha, which is a second-magnitude star. "Bu Tian Ge": "Seven stars are like hooks and willows growing below, and the stars are in the shape of seventeen Xuanyuan", which points out the relative positions of the stars. Regulus here is a famous star group, called Leo in the West, and Regulus is the alpha star of Leo.
Zhang, "Erya": "The bird Zhang Cui", annotated: "Cao, the place where birds eat." It can be seen that Zhang Su took the intention of the red bird. "Historical Records" has another reference: "Zhang means that everything is Zhang." The six stars of Zhangsu are shaped like an open bow and arrow. They are all small stars of fourth and fifth magnitude, among which the brighter one is Zhangsuer. (long snake lambda). Wings are also taken from the red bird. "Historical Records Tianguan Shu" states: "Wings are feathers."
The twenty-two stars of the Wings are shaped like outstretched bird wings, part of which belongs to the constellation Hydra, and the rest to the constellation Giant.
Zhen is written as a chariot on the lid of the lacquer box of Zeng Hou Yi’s tomb. "Historical Records of Tianguan Shu" says: "Zhen is a chariot". "Suo Yin" says: "Zhen has four stars in the middle and two more stars. "Zhen" refers to the small iron rod inserted on the axle to prevent the wheels from falling off. The four stars of Zhensu and the left and right jurisdictions all belong to the constellation Corvus. "Xibu Tiange" says: "The four stars of Zhensu are not square, and the black one of Changsha is hidden in the middle." Changsha is a fifth-magnitude star, and its scientific name is Zeta Corvus.
Four Spirits and Twenty-Eight Constellations
The star god worshiped by Taoism. Refers to the "four images" and the "twenty-eight constellations".
Twenty-eight constellations, also known as "Twenty-Eight Houses" or "Twenty-Eight Stars". In ancient my country, in order to observe the astronomical phenomena and the movement of the sun, moon and five stars, twenty-eight star officials were selected as the symbols for observation, which are called "Twenty-Eight Constellations". It is evenly divided into four groups, each group has seven constellations, which match the four directions of east, west, south and north and the images of animals such as Canglong, white tiger, Suzaku, Xuanwu (collectively known as turtles and snakes), which are called "Four Symbols". The Taoist name is "Four Spirits". The formation of the concept of the Four Symbols in the Twenty-Eight Constellations was very early, and it was already recorded in the early Warring States Period. The later "Book of Rites, Qu Lishang" says: "The red bird is in front of the line and the black dragon is behind, the blue dragon is on the left and the white tiger is on the right." Kong Yingda Shu: "The red bird, black dragon, green dragon and white tiger are the names of the four directions." Weishu of the Han Dynasty " "Shang Shu Kao Ling Yao" says: "The twenty-eight constellations are the vitality of heaven and the essence of all things. Therefore, the seven constellations of Dongjiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei and Ji are shaped like a dragon, which is called 'Zuo Qinglong'. The southern well, The seven constellations of Gui, Liu, Xing, Zhang, Yi and Zhen are shaped like a quail, which is called Qian Zhuque. The seven constellations of Kui, Lou, Wei, Pleiades, Bi, Xi and Shen in the west are shaped like a tiger and are called Right. White Tiger'. The seven constellations of Dou, Niu, Nu, Xu, Wei, Shi and Bi in the north are shaped like turtles and snakes, which is called "Hou Xuanwu". ① Taoism personifies this celestial phenomenon as "White Tiger". He decided on his name, color of clothes and job title, and paid homage to him. Volume 24 "Twenty-Eight Constellations" of "Yunji Qizhu" says: "A is from the official Yang Shen, and is hosted by the horned star god. There are nine Yang gods. Their surname is Bin and their first name is Yuansheng. They are dressed in green and mysterious single clothes. They are hosted by the horned star. B. There are four Yin gods, named Fu and Sima. They have horse heads and naked bodies. They are dressed in red and silk clothes. They carry swords. Kangxing God is the master."
②The remaining twenty. Liusu is like this. "The Taishang Cave God's Five Stars and Various Constellations of the Sun and the Moon" also describes the appearance and behavior of the twenty-eight constellations. Said: "The essence of the horned star often travels to temples on the Yinmao day after the beginning of spring. It looks like a young man with a small beard, and attends Zen rituals...or wanders to wine shops and drinks by himself...those who know it ask for it, and it can be used to show people how to maintain health and sow seeds." "The spirits of Kang, Di, and Fang often walk together on the Yin Mao Sun, dressed in green clothes... and wander among people or in large gatherings... just to seek for them, and to save the world with others. technique".
③The rest of the twenty-four constellations are similar. The four images (four spirits) composed of the twenty-eight constellations are more respected by Taoism. The main characteristic is that it serves as a guardian god.
Ge Hong's "Baopuzi Neipian·Miscellaneous Ying" regards him as the bodyguard of Taishang Laojun, saying that Laojun "has twelve green dragons on the left, twenty-six white tigers on the right, twenty-four red birds in front, and seven in the back." "Twelve Xuanwu"; and said "this matter comes from the immortal scriptures".
④ "The secret of the longevity of the Northern Emperor's Qiyuan Ziting" changed the name, saying: "There is a green dragon on the left named Meng Zhang, a white tiger on the right called the supervisor, a red bird in the front named Lingguang, and a Xuanwu in the back. He sticks to his name, builds festivals and holds pillars, carries bells and drums on his back, and is at my front, back, left and right."
⑤ This is considered as the patron saint of Taoist priests when practicing Dharma. In later Taoist temples, statues of green dragons and white tigers were erected in front of the mountain gates and regarded as the patron saints of the temples. The first volume of Yao Fujun's "Remembering the Casting of the Cauldron" of the Qing Dynasty says: "Song Fan Zhineng's "Yueyang Fengtu Ji" says: 'There are two statues of gods in Laozi Temple, the so-called green dragon and white tiger.' Yao Zongyi of the Ming Dynasty's "Changshu Private Records" describes the temple view: 'To The two great gods of the Taoist Temple Gate are the Green Dragon Mengzhang on the left and the White Tiger Supervisor on the right. "
The four spirits of the four directions have only been used as guardian gods since ancient times, and their status is not very high. However, Xuanwu God among them has been revered exclusively since the Song Dynasty and became the famous Zhenwu Emperor and Xuantian God, worshiped as a Taoist god. It was particularly prominent in the Ming Dynasty. This is related to the fact that Ming Taizu, especially Ming Chengzu, used it to deify the imperial power.
In ancient my country, the yellow equatorial belt was divided into twenty-eight constellations. Its main function is that the moon travels to one constellation almost every day. It is used to describe the positions of the moon, the sun and the five stars.
Yuan Tiangang (some say Ruan Tiangang), an almanacist of the Tang Dynasty in my country, combined it with Qiyao (wood, metal, earth, sun, moon, fire and water) and 28 animals including the twelve zodiac animals (it includes 12 The 12 animals in the zodiac) combined to form its full name:
Oriental Green Dragon, Horned Wood, Jiao Kang, Golden Dragon, Di Earth, Raccoon House, Sun, Rabbit, Heart Moon, Fox Tail, Fire Tiger, Water Leopard
Southern Suzaku Well, Wooden Goat, Ghost, Golden Sheep, Willow, Earth Deer, Sun, Horse, Moon, Deer Wings, Fire Snake, Waterworm
Western White Tiger, Kuimu, Wolf, Golden Dog, Stomach, Earth Pheasant, Pleiades, Sun, Rooster, Moon, Black Goblet, Fire Monkey, Ginseng Water Ape
Northern Basalt Doumu location, but it is also sometimes used to mark years, months and hours.