Manchu (All Terms)

TAuthors: Lyu Haocheng.

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The Manchus are a people whose traditional homeland lies in Northeast China, especially in the region of the Changbai Mountains and the Amur/Heilongjiang basin. Traditionally they lived by hunting, fishing, and gathering, and later also by agriculture. Their indigenous religion, Manchu Shamanism, is characterized by animism, nature worship, ancestor worship, and the worship of Heaven. Among natural phenomena, the sun, moon, and stars were especially sacred. Star worship was historically as important as ancestor worship; Qing-dynasty sources such as the Jilin Tongzhi (吉林通志), Jilin Jiuwenlu (鸡林旧闻录), and the Imperially Commissioned Manchu Rites for Sacrificing to Spirits and Heaven (钦定满洲祭神祭天典礼) record these customs. Living in a high-latitude cold region with long winters and clear night skies, the Manchu ancestors developed a star-based calendrical and ritual system centred on winter constellations.

Transliteration Table

The Latin transliteration of Manchu used here follows the Möllendorff system, which is currently regarded as the most authoritative Manchu transliteration. It should be noted that the Manchu script must be written vertically and requires a dedicated font. The same letter has different forms depending on its position within a word (similar to Arabic), and some consonants are written differently depending on the following vowel (e.g., t, d, k, g, h). The Manchu script shown in the table is only one example and does not necessarily show the correct Manchu letter forms; please refer to the images in the individual star-name entries for the correct spelling.

To ensure accuracy, Manchu terms in subsequent terminology lists will be transcribed using the Möllendorff transliteration, and no Manchu script will be provided.

Manchu	Unicode	Möllendorff transliteration	IPA	commentary
Vowels
ᠠ	1820	a	/ä/
ᡝ	185D	e	/ə/
ᡳ	1873	i	/i/
ᠣ	1823	o	/ɔ/
ᡠ	1860	u	/u/
ᡡ	1861	ū	/ʊ/
᠊ᡟ	185F	y	/ɹ̩, ɻ̩/	The vowel y is used only in certain syllables of Chinese transcriptions; see "Special Syllables" below.
Consonants
ᠨ	1828	n	/n/	In syllable-final position, it is usually silent, but it causes nasalization of the preceding vowel.
᠊ᠩ	1829	ng	/ŋ/
ᡴ᠊	1874	k	/kʰ, qʰ/	Before a, o, and ū, it is pronounced /qʰ/; before e, i, and u, it is pronounced /kʰ/. The letter has different forms depending on context.
ᡤ	1864	g	/k, q/	Before a, o, and ū, it is pronounced /q/; before e, i, and u, it is pronounced /k/. The letter has different forms depending on context.
ᡥ	1865	h	/x, χ/	Before a, o, and ū, it is pronounced /χ/; before e, i, and u, it is pronounced /x/. The letter has different forms depending on context.
ᠪ	182A	b	/p/
ᡦ	1866	p	/pʰ/
ᠰ	1830	s	/s, ɕ/	Before i, it is pronounced /ɕ/.
ᡧ	1867	š	/ʃ/
ᡨ	1868	t	/tʰ/	The letter has different forms depending on context.
ᡩ	1869	d	/t/	The letter has different forms depending on context.
ᠯ	182F	l	/l/
ᠮ	182E	m	/m/
ᠴ	1834	c	/t͡ʃʰ, t͡ɕʰ/	Before i, it is pronounced /t͡ɕʰ/.
ᠵ	1835	j	/t͡ʃ, t͡ɕ/	Before i, it is pronounced /t͡ɕ/.
ᠶ	1836	y	/j/
ᡵ	1875	r	/r/
ᡶ	1876	f	/f/	The letter has different forms depending on context.
ᠸ	1838	w	/w/	It may occur only before the vowels a and e.
ᠺ	183A	k῾	/kʰ/	It occurs only before a, o, and ū, and it is used to transliterate foreign words.
ᡬ	186C	g῾	/k/	It occurs only before a, o, and ū, and it is used to transliterate foreign words.
ᡭ	186D	h῾	/x/	It occurs only before a, o, and ū, and it is used to transliterate foreign words.
ᡮ	186E	ts῾	/t͡sʰ/	Used to transliterate Chinese words.
ᡯ	186F	dz	/t͡s/	Used to transliterate Chinese words.
ᡰ	1870	ž	/ʒ/	Used to transliterate Chinese words.
Special Syllables
ᡮᡟ	186E 185F	ts	/t͡sʰɹ̩/	Used to transliterate Chinese words.
ᡯᡳ᠌	186F 1873	dzi	/t͡sɹ̩/	Used to transliterate Chinese words.
ᠰᡟ	1830 185F	sy	/sɹ̩/	Used to transliterate Chinese words.
ᡱᡳ	1871 1873	c῾y	/t͡ʃʰɻ̩/	Used to transliterate Chinese words.
ᡷᡳ	1877 1873	jy	/t͡ʃɻ̩/	Used to transliterate Chinese words.

In this transliteration, sh and th are not English digraphs. Read each letter separately: sh = s + h, th = t + h. The h is /χ/ before a, o, ū and /x/ before e, i, u. Thus gasha ("bird", read as /qäs.χä/) has s + /χ/, not English sh /ʃ/; bithe ("writing, book", read as /pit.xə/) has t + /x/, not English th /θ/ or /ð/. In Möllendorff, the /ʃ/ sound is written š, not sh.

List of terms

Manchu	English	commentary
usiha	star	It can represent a single star, as well as a constellation or a asterism.
enduri
mama
mafa

Solar System Names

Manchu	IPA	English	commentary
Šun	/ʃun/	Sun	In the ancient creation mythology of the Manchu people, the solar deity is also known as Šun Morin (literally "sun horse"). According to traditional narratives, humanity owes its eternal light and warmth to Šun Morin. Moreover, it is by its ceaseless running, day and night, that the cycle of the four seasons, the alternation of heat and cold, and the rhythms of tides are brought about.
Biya	/pjä/	Moon
Muke usiha	/mu.kʰə u.ɕi.χä/	Mercury	Calque (semantic loan) from the Chinese term Shuǐ Xīng (水星), literally meaning "water star".
Aisin usiha	/äi.ɕin u.ɕi.χä/	Venus	Calque from the Chinese term Jīn Xīng (金星), literally meaning "metal star".
Tuwa usiha	/tʰwä u.ɕi.χä/	Mars	Calque from the Chinese term Huǒ Xīng (火星), literally meaning "fire star".
Moo usiha	/moː u.ɕi.χä/	Jupiter	Calque from the Chinese term Mù Xīng (木星), literally meaning "wood star".
Boihon usiha	/pɔi.χɔn u.ɕi.χä/	Saturn	Calque from the Chinese term Tǔ Xīng (土星), literally meaning "earth star".

List of Manchu asterism names

Fu Yuguang and the Folk Manchu Constellations

Fu Yuguang (富育光, 1933–2020) was a leading authority on Manchu folklore and folk culture. His fieldwork also covered Manchu heaven-worship traditions. In 1988 he published A Study of Manchu Shamanic Star Rituals and Customs (满族萨满教星祭俗考), a detailed record of Manchu star ritual culture. It catalogues eighteen folk Manchu constellations, provides hand-drawn star charts, and gives identifications with modern constellations. It remains the most important source for understanding Manchu sky culture.

Traditional Manchu Shamanistic Asterisms

No.	Chinese translit. (Fu, 2007)	Reconstructed Manchu (Möllendorff transliteration)	English	Modern constellation	commentary
1	那丹那拉呼 （那丹岱珲）	Nadan Narhūn (ᠨᠠᡩᠠᠨ ᠨᠠᡵᡥᡡᠨ)	Seven Maidens	Tau (Pleiades)	An incarnation of the star-spreading goddess Elden Hehe.
2	恩都力僧固	Enduri Senggu	Hedgehog Goddess	Cyg	As a deity, also known as Jeguru Enduri.
3	塔其妈妈	Taci Mama	Taci (Goddess)	Cas	Timekeeping goddess.
4	托包乌西哈	Tobo Usiha (ᡨᠣᠪᠣ ᡠᠰᡳᡥᠠ)	Hut	Per
5	恩都力特克	Enduri Tehe	God of the Stand	Peg, And
6	依兰乌西哈	Ilan Usiha (ᡳᠯᠠᠨ ᡠᠰᡳᡥᠠ)	Three Stars	Ori (Orion's Belt)
7	那丹乌西哈	Nadan Usiha	Seven Stars	UMa (Big Dipper)
8	嘎思哈	Gasha (ᡤᠠᠰᡥᠠ)	Divine Eagle	Aur, Gem, Per, Ori, Tau, Eri	The eagle deity in Manchu legend.
9	兴恶里乌西哈	Singgeri Usiha	Rat	Leo	The sun-welcoming Rat Goddess.
10	莫林乌西哈	Morin Usiha	Horse		Not one particular star, but a collective term for four stars, including prominent stars such as Sirius and Arcturus.
11	瓦丹星	Wadan	Wadan (The Celestial Altar)	Crv
12	尼马沁星	Imcin	Drum	Ari, Tri, And	The Drum Stars and the Drumstick Stars.
13	西离妈妈	Siri Mama	Goddess of Carp	Lyn, Cam
14	妥亲乌西妈妈	Terkin Usiha Mama	Goddess of the Staircase Stars	Vir, Com
15	乌西哈布鲁古	Usiha Buruhun	Star of Buruhun (The Dawn Beast)	Boo, CVn, Com
16	佛朵妈妈	Fodoho Mama	Goddess of Willow	Hya (Head of Hydra)	Evidently related to the Chinese lunar mansion Willow (柳宿).
17	阿苏乌西哈	Asu Usiha (ᠠᠰᡠ ᡠᠰᡳᡥᠠ)	Net	Her	An incarnation of the hunting deity Banda Mafa.
18	尼玛哈乌西哈	Nimaha Usiha	Fishhook	Sco
19	苏勒干乌西哈	Sureken Usiha	Star of Wisdom

Foreign-Derived Manchu Star Names in Qing Official Sources

The Qing dynasty (1636–1912) was founded by the Manchus and was the last imperial dynasty of China. While the court emphasized Manchu identity and "Manchu customs", it also adopted many Chinese political, institutional, and scholarly traditions and sponsored large-scale translation and compilation of Chinese texts. The Han i araha sunja hacin i hergen kamciha manju gisun i buleku bithe (御制五体清文鉴, c. 1794) reflects this context: it is a multilingual imperial dictionary that places Manchu, Tibetan, Mongolian, Chagatai, and Chinese terms side by side. This helps explain why most Manchu star names in the dictionary are Chinese-derived, while a smaller number preserve Turkic-Mongolic or native Manchu elements.

The star names in this chapter are drawn mainly from the Qianlong Han i araha sunja hacin i hergen kamciha manju gisun i buleku bithe, whose Manchu star names appear in the "Heaven Section, Astronomy Category". Jiang & Wang divide them into four types: non-Chinese, transliterated from Chinese, semantically translated from Chinese, and half-transliterated/half-semantic. Most are Chinese-derived; pure phonetic loans are rare. In the table, Hadaha Usiha and Juru Sirha belong to the non-Chinese Turkic-Mongolic layer, Taidzi Usiha is a Chinese transliteration, and Abkai Ten i Usiha, Han Usiha, and Abkai Šurdejen Usiha are semantic translations from Chinese. This reflects the Qing court's preference for calque and hybrid formation over wholesale phonetic borrowing.

Manchu	English	etymology	Modern Star/Constellation Name
Hadaha Usiha	Nail Star	Hadaha means "stake, post, peg". The Manchu name is a calque/loan translation of Mongolian altan γadasu odun "Golden Stake Star", which in turn translates Old Turkic altun qazŋuq yulduz ~ altun qazuq yulduz "Golden Stake Star". In the 11th-century Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, the North Star is called tämür qazuq / tämür qazŋuq "Iron Peg", explained as "because the sky revolves around it". The 13th–15th-century Uyghur-script Oghuznama likewise calls it altun qazuq "Golden Stake". The name thus reflects the Turkic-Mongolian image of the Pole Star as a stake/peg around which the heavens turn.	α UMi, Polaris
Juru Sirha	Pair of Silver-Maned Steeds	Juru means "pair, couple"; sirha denotes a "silver-maned horse", i.e. a horse white with a pale yellow tinge (rendered here as "silver-maned steed"). The Manchu name evidently derives from Mongolian qoyar sirγa "two silver-maned horses", which in turn comes from Turkic tradition. In Kazakh tradition, the stars γ UMi and β UMi are called aq boz at "white grey horse" and kók boz at "blue-grey horse"; these two grey horses are thought to be tethered to the temir qazyq "Iron Peg", i.e. the North Star. The Manchu term is therefore a collective name for γ UMi and β UMi, preserving the image of a pair of horses tied to the Pole Star.	UMi (β UMi, γ UMi)
Taidzi Usiha	Crown Prince	Transliterated from Chinese "Taizi (太子)".	γ UMi
Abkai Ten i Usiha	Celestial Pole	Chinese "Tianji Xing (天极星)"	UMi
Han Usiha	Emperor	Chinese "Di Xing (帝星)"	β UMi
Abkai Šurdejen Usiha	Emperor's Wagon	Chinese "Diche (帝车)", from the "Treatise on the Heavenly Offices" in the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji): "The Dipper is the wagon of the Emperor. It lays control over the four quarters of the world by moving around the centre. "(斗为帝车，运于中央，临制四乡)	UMa (Big Dipper)
Elderi Usiha	Twinkling Brilliance	Chinese "Yaoguang (摇光)"	η UMa
Da Ujui Usiha	Taiyi star	Literally "Star of the Prime/Original Head", calqued from Chinese "Taiyi (太乙)"	HIP 66798
Ten i Šanyan Usiha	Supreme White Star	Chinese "Taibai (太白)"	Venus (planet)
Ilmahū/Ilmoho Usiha	?	The Manchu ilmahū means "prop-stick", but this form occurs only in the Tongwen Huiji (同文汇集); the more official Yuzhi Wuti Qingwenjian (御制五体清文鉴) gives Ilmoho. It has been suggested that Ilmoho is related to ilan ("three"), because it corresponds to Chinese Faxing (伐星, Smiting Stars), which consists of three stars. Although the origin of moho is still unknown, the il- in ilmoho likely derives from ilan ("three").	Ori (Orion's Sword)
Aidahan i Sencehe	Male Wild Boar's Chin	Chinese "Tianshi (天豕, Heavenly Pig)"	And, Psc. See Kui (奎)
Eldengge Saracan Usiha	Canopy	literally "luminous canopy", semantically translated from Chinese "Huagai (華蓋)"	Cas
Kūwaran Faidan Usiha	Curved Array	Chinese "Gouchen (勾陈)"	UMi
Hayaha Meihe Usiha	Flying Serpent	Chinese "Tengshe (螣蛇)"	Lac, Cas, And
Niyalma Usiha	Humans	Chinese "Ren (人星)"	Peg
Igeri/Ikiri Usiha	Ox-Leading	Abbreviation of ihan-elgembi, literally "ox-leading" (ihan "ox" + elgembi "to lead"); another explanation derives it from ihan-age ("Ox Brother"), in which the final -ri is meaningless and serves only to fill out the syllable. Borrowed from the Chinese star name "Qianniu" (牵牛, Oxherd/Cowherd).	α Aql, Altair
Jodorgan Usiha	Weaving Wife	Abbreviation of jodoro-sargan, literally "Weaving Wife". Borrowed from the Chinese star name "Zhinü" (织女, Weaver Girl).	α Lyr, Vega
Nimaha Usiha	Fish	Chinese "Yu (鱼)"	M7, Ptolemy's Cluster
Eihume Usiha	Tortoise	Chinese "Gui (龟)"	Ara
Jaksangga Ten	Rosy-Cloud Pole	Jaksan means "rosy clouds"; -ngga is an adjectival suffix, so jaksangga means "having rosy clouds". Ten means "pole" or "extreme". The term corresponds to Chinese "Ziji (紫极)" and denotes the Purple Forbidden Enclosure (紫微垣).	See "Zigong (紫宮)"
Jaksangga Gurung	Rosy-Cloud Palace	Jaksangga means "having rosy clouds"; gurung means "palace". Gurung may be an ancient loan from Chinese xiang (巷, "lane, alley"), reshaped in Manchu to avoid consonant clusters. The term corresponds to Chinese "Zigong (紫宮)" and also denotes the Purple Forbidden Enclosure.	See "Zigong (紫宮)"
Borboho Usiha	?	? (Chinese asterism Guansuo (贯索))	CrB

Names of Chinese Lunar Mansions

The Manchu names of the 28 lunar mansions are systematic hybrids. Each name combines a phonetic fragment of the Chinese mansion name with a semantic translation of the animal associated with that mansion in the Chinese "bird-star" (禽星) system. In that system, for example, Horn is paired with the flood-dragon, Neck with the dragon, Root with the raccoon dog, Room with the hare, and so on. Manchu takes the Chinese phonetic element—sometimes the whole syllable, sometimes only the initial or medial—and blends it with the corresponding Manchu animal word, often adjusting vowels for harmony or simplifying consonant clusters. The result is a set of calque-hybrids reflecting both Chinese astronomical learning and Manchu linguistic adaptation.

Names of Chinese 28 Lunar Mansions

Manchu	Chinese	English	etymology
Gimda	角	Horn	gi- from Chinese 角 (jiǎo; Manchu transcription giyo) + -mda from Manchu nimada "flood-dragon" (蛟).
K'amduri	亢	Net	k'a- from Chinese 亢 (kàng; k'ang) + -mduri from Manchu muduri “dragon” (龍).
Dilbihe	氐	Root	di- from Chinese 氐 (dī) + -lbihe from Manchu elbihe “raccoon dog” (貉).
Falmahūn	房	Room	fa- from Chinese 房 (fáng; fang) + -lmahūn from Manchu gülmahun “hare” (兔).
Sindubi	心	Heart	sin- from Chinese 心 (xīn; sin) + -dubi from Manchu dobi “fox” (狐); o > u by vowel harmony.
Weisha	尾	Tail	wei- from Chinese 尾 (wěi) + -sha from Manchu tasha “tiger” (虎).
Girha	箕	Winnowing Basket	gi- from Chinese 箕 (jī; gi) + -rha from Manchu yarha “leopard” (豹).
Demtu	斗	Dipper	de- from Chinese 斗 (dǒu; deo) + -mtu from Manchu tontu “otter-like animal” (獬); n > m by dissimilation.
Niohan	牛	Ox	nio- from Chinese 牛 (niú; nio) + -han from Manchu ihan “ox” (牛).
Nirehe	女	Woman	ni- from Chinese 女 (nǚ; nioi) + -rehe from Manchu ferehe “bat” (蝠).
Hinggeri	虚	Emptiness	hi- from Chinese 虚 (xū; hioi) + -nggeri from Manchu singeri “mouse/rat” (鼠).
Weibin	危	Rooftop	wei- from Chinese 危 (wēi) + -bin from Manchu cibin “swallow” (燕).
Šilgiyan	室	Encampment	ši- from Chinese 室 (shì; ši) + -lgiyan from Manchu ulgiyan “pig” (豬).
Bikita	壁	Wall	bi- from Chinese 壁 (bì) + -kita from Manchu dokita (source gloss: 輪 “wheel”; animal association uncertain).
Kuinihe	奎	Legs	kui- from Chinese 奎 (kuí) + -nihe from Manchu niohe “wolf” (狼).
Ludahūn	娄	Bond	lu- from Korean-Chinese reading of 婁 (lóu; ru) + -dahun from Manchu indahun “dog” (狗).
Welhūme	胃	Stomach	we- from Chinese 胃 (wèi; wei) + -lhume from Manchu ulhuma “pheasant” (雉).
Moko	昴	Hairy Head	mo- from Chinese 昴 (mǎo; moo) + -oko from Manchu coko “chicken” (雞).
Bingha	毕	Net	bi- from Chinese 畢 (bì) + -ngha from Manchu gaha “crow/raven” (鴉).
Semnio	觜	Beak	se- from Chinese 觜 (zī) + -mnio from Manchu monio “monkey” (猴); o elided.
Šebnio	参	Three Stars	še- from Chinese 參 (shēn; šen) + -bnio from Manchu bonio “ape” (猿); o elided.
Jingsitun	井	Well	jing- from Chinese 井 (jǐng) + -situn from Manchu tungsitun “jackal” (豺).
Guini	鬼	Ghosts	gui- from Chinese 鬼 (guǐ) + -ni from Manchu honin “sheep” (羊).
Lirha	柳	Willow	li- from Chinese 柳 (liǔ; lio) + -rha from Manchu sirga “roe deer” (獐).
Simori	星	Stars	si- from Chinese 星 (xīng; sing) + -mori from Manchu morin “horse” (馬).
Jabhū	张	Extended Net	ja- from Chinese 張 (zhāng; jang) + -bhū from Manchu buhū “deer” (鹿); u elided.
Imhe	翼	Wings	i- from Chinese 翼 (yì; i) + -me from Manchu meihe “snake” (蛇); ei elided.
Jeten	轸	Chariot	je- from Chinese 軫 (zhěn; jen) + -ten from Manchu beten “earthworm” (蚯蚓).