What exactly are the three walls, four elephants and twenty-eight lodges in China?

The meaning of starry sky is not self-sufficiency, but the product of human society. Our country had its own unique constellation system in ancient times, which was established by moving our ancient society and culture to the sky.

Three walls, four images and twenty-eight lodges are the unique sky division system in China, which has always been valued by researchers. The purpose of studying it is to explore the deeper astronomical significance besides dividing the sky.

The ancients in China divided the starry sky into several regions long ago. During the Western Han Dynasty, Sima Qian divided the starry sky into five celestial realms: Zhonggong, Dongfang, Xigong, Nangong and Gong Bei. After the Sui Dynasty, the division of the starry sky was basically fixed, which is what China people often say: three walls and four images of twenty-eight nights.

Sanyuan, namely Ziwei Yuan, Tianshi Yuan and Taiwei Yuan, is one of the star officials who divided the starry sky in ancient China. Together with the 28 nights on the ecliptic, it is called "Sanyuan 28 Nights".

Each of the three walls is a relatively large sky area, which contains several stars or constellations. Each wall has two stars, east and west, which are arranged around in a ring shape, and its shape is like a wall, which is called "wall".

Ziweiyuan includes the sky area near the north celestial pole, which is roughly equivalent to the area of Gongxing. Ziweiyuan is the middle wall of three yuan, living in the center of the northern sky, so it is also called "Zhonggong" or "Ziweiyong". Wei Zi Palace means Imperial Palace, and most of the stars are named after the official star zone near Ziwei Garden.

The name of Ziwei Garden was first seen in Shi Xing Jing compiled by Kaiyuan.

It is located in the center of the north, with 15 stars in the east and west. The two bows were joined together and surrounded by a wall. According to the observation records of the whole Ziweiyuan during the Song You period, there are ***37 constellations, with 2 satellite seats, positive star 163, and additional star 18 1.

Taiwei Courtyard is the upper wall of Sanyuan, located in the lower northeast of Ziwei Courtyard. To the south of Beidou, and to the north of Yasu and Yisu, it is a screen fan.

The name of Taiweiyuan first appeared in Xuanxiang poems in the early Tang Dynasty. Qiu means the imperial court, and the star name is also named after the official name. For example, the law enforcement officer on the left is called Tingwei, and the law enforcement officer on the right is called Imperial Doctor.

Taiwei Courtyard covers the sky about 63 degrees, with the emperor as the center, ***20 constellations, 78 positive stars and 100 additional stars. It contains a part of constellations such as girls, latecomers and lions.

Shi Tian Wall is a three-dimensional lower wall, which is located in the southeast direction under Wei Zi Wall. In the northeast of HeXinSu, it takes the throne as the center, forming a screen fan shape.

Shi Tian is "Bazaar", and "Book of Jin Tian Wenzhi" records: "The son of heaven leads princes to prosper the city." Therefore, the name of a star is often named after the market of goods, equipment and commercial content.

Tianshiyuan occupies about 57 degrees in the sky, including 19 stars or constellations, 87 main stars and 173 additional stars. It takes the throne as the center and becomes a screen fan.

The ancients imagined seven nights in the east, west, north and south as four animal images, which were called "four elephants". In Twenty-eight Hostels, four images are used to divide the stars in the sky, also known as "four gods" and "four spirits".

In the traditional culture of China, Qinglong, Baihu, Suzaku and Xuanwu are the representatives of the four elephants. Qinglong represents wood, white tiger represents wind, Suzaku represents fire, and Xuanwu represents water.

Seven nights in the East Palace, like a dragon soaring in the night sky in early spring and early summer, is called the "East Palace Black Dragon". Seven nights in the south, like a Suzaku spreading its wings and flying, appeared in the night sky in winter and early spring, so it was called "Nangong Suzaku"; Seven nights in the Western Heaven is like a tiger jumping out of the night sky in late autumn and early winter, so it is called "West Palace White Tiger". The seven nights in the north, like snakes and turtles, appear in the night sky in summer and early autumn, so they are called "Gong Bei Xuan Wu".

The appearance of the four elephants is relatively early, and the embryonic form has been found in Shangshu Yaodian. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the theory of five elements rose, and the theory of five palaces appeared in the sky.

In Historical Records of Heaven, the whole day is divided into five palaces, and there is a middle palace besides the four palaces of East, West, North and South. The middle palace is dominated by Beidou, and it is considered that "the bucket is the emperor's car, transported in the middle, and the four towns are nearby." Dividing yin and yang, building four seasons, leveling five elements, shifting degrees and setting records all depend on fighting. "

Compared with three walls and four elephants, the problem of twenty-eight lodgings is much more complicated. In order to observe the movements of the sun, the moon and the five stars, the ancients divided them into 28 star zones to explain the positions of the movements of the sun, the moon and the five stars. There are several stars every night.

It is one of the themes in China's traditional culture and has been widely used in ancient astronomy, religion, literature and astrology, astrology, geomantic omen, lucky choice and so on. Different fields give it different connotations, and the related content is very complicated.

In ancient times, there were four common methods to observe the ghost of twenty-eight nights: one was to observe the stars rising on the eastern horizon at dusk, which was called "fainting"; Second, observing the stars in the southern sky at this time is called "fainting"; Third, when the night is coming before dawn, observe the stars rising on the eastern horizon, which is called "morning sight" or "morning sight"; The fourth is to observe the stars in the southern sky at this time, which is called "Zhong Dan".

In ancient times, in order to observe the movements of the sun, the moon and the five planets of gold, wood, water, fire and earth, people chose 28 constellations near the ecliptic and equator as symbols, collectively called "28 constellations" or "28 stars".

Angle, health, stone, square, heart, tail and polar plate, these seven stars form the image of a dragon, which is in the eastern sky at the vernal equinox, so it is called "the seven hostages of the Oriental Qinglong".

Fighting, ox, female, air, danger, house and wall, these seven stars form a group of images intertwined with turtles and snakes, and the vernal equinox season is in the northern sky, so it is called "seven nights in the northern Xuanwu";

Kui, Lou, Stomach, Ang, Bi, Zui and Shen, these seven stars form the image of a tiger, which is in the western sky at the vernal equinox, so it is called "Seven Nights of the Western White Tiger";

Well, ghosts, willows, stars, Zhang, wings and birds make up the image of a bird. The spring equinox season is in the southern sky, so it is called "Seven Nights of Southern Suzaku".

The four animal images formed by the above seven nights are collectively called "four elephants", "four dimensions" and "four beasts". The ancients used the appearance and arrival times of the four elephants and the twenty-eight stars to judge the seasons.

The ancients saw the solar terms facing south, so there was a saying that there was a dragon in Zuo Dong, a white tiger in the right west, Xuanwu in the north and Suzaku in the south.

In the East Seven Hostels, the horn is the Dragon Horn. Arcturus belongs to Virgo, and the brighter arcturus I and arcturus II are first-class and third-class stars respectively. The ecliptic passes between these two stars, so the sun, moon and planets often pass by them. It is also for this reason that the two stars in the corner are called Tianguan or Tianmen in ancient books.

Kang is the throat of the dragon. Kangsu also belongs to Virgo, but smaller than arcturus, and its stars are dim, mostly below Grade 4.

Di is the front foot of the dragon. The Pleiades belong to Libra, including Pleiades III, zubeneschamali and zubenelgenubi, all of which are second-class and third-class brighter stars. These three stars form an isosceles triangle, and zubeneschamali at the apex falls on the ecliptic.

The room is a chest room. The house belongs to Scorpio, and the four stars in the house are the heads of scorpions. They are all second-and third-class brighter stars.

The heart is a dragon heart. Antares, the famous antares, was called "fire", "fire" or "going to the stars" in ancient times. It is a red giant star, red, and it is a first-class star. Antares also belongs to Scorpio. Antares consists of three stars.

The tail is a dragon tail. The tail also belongs to Scorpio, which is the tail of a scorpion and consists of eight or nine brighter stars.

A dustpan, as its name implies, is shaped like a dustpan. Jisu belongs to Sagittarius, and its four stars form a quadrilateral shaped like a dustpan.

There are 56 constellations and more than 800 stars in the northern seven nights, which form the image of snakes and turtles, so it is called "Xuanwu".

The first bucket element of Xuanwu Yuangui in the north is composed of six stars and looks like a bucket. Generally known as "Southern Fight", it is in charge of life and death together with Beidou, also known as "Temple of Heaven".

Taurus has six stars, shaped like an angle. The four-star female dormitory is shaped like a dustpan.

The Pleiades is one of the four stars in the Temple of Shu Yao, also known as the "celestial sphere", and it is a rather ominous star. In ancient times, the empty star dominated autumn, which contained the image of chilling cicada, and everything withered, which was really sad.

It is also unlucky that there are grave constellations, empty beam constellations and house constellations in dangerous houses, which reflects the inner uneasiness of the ancients in late autumn and winter.

Guest rooms are also called "Xuangong", "Qingdian" and "Xuanming". Their appearance tells people to strengthen their rooms to survive the severe winter.

The wall snail is similar to the ventricular snail and may contain the meaning of strengthening the courtyard wall.

Seven nights in the west * *, there are 54 constellations and more than 700 stars, which form the pattern of white tiger.

Quesu consists of 16 stars that are not very bright. Shaped like a sole, it can be regarded as the tail of the white tiger god.

There are three stars in the building, and there are constellations such as Zuo Geng, You Geng, Tian Cang and Tian General nearby.

The three stars in the belly are very close, and there are constellations such as Tianqi, Tianzhu, Jishi and Shuishui nearby.

The Pleiades is a famous Pleiades star cluster, and there are many myths and legends about it. There are rolling tongues and stars in the Pleiades, which seems to mean that disaster comes from the mouth.

Soapy has eight stars, which are shaped like forks and claws. Bixing is also known as "Rain Lord", also known as "Screen" and "Xuanming". In China, Soapy is the rain star.

The three stars are almost completely close together, just like "the cherry is a little small"

Betelgeuse has seven stars, with three stars in the middle and two stars on both sides. All seven stars are bright and stand out in the sky, just opposite to Mars. There are 42 constellations and more than 500 stars in South Seven Nights. Its image is a rosefinch spreading its wings and flying.

Su Jing has eight stars, which are called "Gemini" in the west, and there are constellations such as Beihe, Nanhe, Jishui and Shuifu nearby.

It is said that there are four stars in the Ghost House, one is a horse, the other is a soldier, the other is a cloth and silk, and the other is a jade. There are other constellations such as Tengu, Tian She and Waichu nearby.

Liu Su's eight stars, shaped like weeping willows, are the mouth of Suzaku.

Seven of the stars are Suzaku's neck, and there are eleven stars in Xuanyuan nearby.

Zhang Su's six stars are Suzaku's coffin, and there are fourteen stars in the nearby Temple of Heaven.

Twenty-two stars in the wing can be regarded as the wings and tail of Suzaku.

Four stars in the Eight Giants, also known as the "crowned crane", are in the middle and govern two stars from left to right, which is called "the image of a car" in ancient books.

In the history of astronomy, the formation and meaning of the names of China's three walls, four images and twenty-eight lodges reflect the rich connotation of China's traditional culture, which will give people a lot of inspiration. The ancients in our country thought that heaven and man could interact with each other, and some celestial phenomena in the sky always predicted what would happen at a certain time and place on the earth, so the naming of stars corresponded to everything on the earth.