Neichu: Difference between revisions
Boshunyang (talk | contribs) Created page with "{{DISPLAYTITLE: Neichu (內杵)}} {{distinguish|}} Authors: {{PAGEAUTHORS}} ---- thumb|Image that shows the earliest map or drawing thumb|Image that shows the cultural object (e.g. in archaeological museum) Chinese constellation. == Concordance, Etymology, History == ... === Identification of stars === {| class="wikitable" |+ !Star Names or Orders(Traditional/Qing) !style="color: gray;" |Ho PENG YOKE<ref>P.-Y. Ho, “Anci..." |
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[[File:Example.jpg|thumb|Image that shows the earliest map or drawing]] | [[File:Example.jpg|thumb|Image that shows the earliest map or drawing]] | ||
[[File:Example.jpg|thumb|Image that shows the cultural object (e.g. in archaeological museum)]] | [[File:Example.jpg|thumb|Image that shows the cultural object (e.g. in archaeological museum)]] | ||
Chinese | Nèichǔ (“Inner Pestle”) is a three-star Chinese asterism belonging to the Gan school, represented in black in the three-school tradition. It lies in the region assigned to the lodge Wēi (危), close to Rén (人, “People”) and Jiù (臼, “Mortar”). Under modern IAU boundaries, its members fall in Pegasus and Lacerta. | ||
== Concordance, Etymology, History == | == Concordance, Etymology, History == | ||
... | A '''chu''' (Pestle杵) was a rod-shaped implement used for pounding grain, normally in combination with a mortar (''jiu'' 臼). Together, the pestle and mortar formed one of the most basic devices for processing foodstuffs. They could be used to dehusk grain, pound rice, produce flour, and prepare ritual food; implements of similar form were also employed for grinding medicinal ingredients or working other materials. The ''Xici II'' commentary of the ''Book of Changes'' states: “…cut wood to make pestles and dug the earth to make mortars; through the benefit of mortar and pestle, the myriad people were sustained斷木為杵，掘地為臼；臼杵之利，萬民以濟.” Early mortars could be made by hollowing depressions directly into the ground or into blocks of stone, while pestles were fashioned from short pieces of wood or elongated stones. Archaeological evidence indicates that the invention of the pestle and mortar reaches far back into prehistory. Stone pestles have been excavated at both the Baozitou site in Nanning and the Zengpiyan site in Guilin, which date to approximately 10,000–9,000 years ago. | ||
The prefix '''nei''' (Inner内) does not indicate that the implement was kept indoors. Rather, it served as a distinguishing element within the nomenclature of Chinese asterisms. Yang Boshun has argued that the Gan school deliberately coined some of its asterism names with reference to names already used in the Shi-school system. Since the Shi school already had an asterism called '''Chu''' 杵, the Gan school designated another one as '''Neichu''' (Inner Pestle内杵), “Inner Pestle.” Comparable pairs include '''Tianjie (Celestial Steps'''天阶)'''–Neijie (Inner Steps'''内阶) and '''Ping (Screen'''屏)'''–Waiping''' ('''Outter'''外屏). The name Neichu therefore served primarily to distinguish this asterism from another Chu belonging to the Shi-school tradition and located south of the lunar lodge Ji 箕. | |||
Sun Xiaochun and Jacob Kistemaker treated Neichu, '''Jiu''' 臼, and the nearby '''Tianchu''' 天厨 as a coherent group within the same sector of the sky. They connected these asterisms with the ancestral-temple imagery associated with the neighboring lodges Shi 室 and Bi 壁, interpreting them as cooking and food-processing facilities used to prepare special offerings for ancestral rites. This interpretation emphasizes the idea of a ritual kitchen. Other sources, however, including the ''Kaiyuan zhanjing'', the ''Xingjing'', and the astronomical treatise of the ''History of the Song'', preserve prognostications concerning the “annual harvest” and “military provisions.” In this context, the pestle and mortar symbolized the harvesting, storage, and processing of grain, especially supplies intended for the army. Although these interpretations may derive from different intellectual and astrological contexts, they share the same central semantic field: the harvesting, storage, and processing of food grains. | |||
=== Identification of stars === | === Identification of stars === | ||
Revision as of 09:39, 28 July 2026
Authors: Boshun YANG
Nèichǔ (“Inner Pestle”) is a three-star Chinese asterism belonging to the Gan school, represented in black in the three-school tradition. It lies in the region assigned to the lodge Wēi (危), close to Rén (人, “People”) and Jiù (臼, “Mortar”). Under modern IAU boundaries, its members fall in Pegasus and Lacerta.
Concordance, Etymology, History
A chu (Pestle杵) was a rod-shaped implement used for pounding grain, normally in combination with a mortar (jiu 臼). Together, the pestle and mortar formed one of the most basic devices for processing foodstuffs. They could be used to dehusk grain, pound rice, produce flour, and prepare ritual food; implements of similar form were also employed for grinding medicinal ingredients or working other materials. The Xici II commentary of the Book of Changes states: “…cut wood to make pestles and dug the earth to make mortars; through the benefit of mortar and pestle, the myriad people were sustained斷木為杵，掘地為臼；臼杵之利，萬民以濟.” Early mortars could be made by hollowing depressions directly into the ground or into blocks of stone, while pestles were fashioned from short pieces of wood or elongated stones. Archaeological evidence indicates that the invention of the pestle and mortar reaches far back into prehistory. Stone pestles have been excavated at both the Baozitou site in Nanning and the Zengpiyan site in Guilin, which date to approximately 10,000–9,000 years ago.
The prefix nei (Inner内) does not indicate that the implement was kept indoors. Rather, it served as a distinguishing element within the nomenclature of Chinese asterisms. Yang Boshun has argued that the Gan school deliberately coined some of its asterism names with reference to names already used in the Shi-school system. Since the Shi school already had an asterism called Chu 杵, the Gan school designated another one as Neichu (Inner Pestle内杵), “Inner Pestle.” Comparable pairs include Tianjie (Celestial Steps天阶)–Neijie (Inner Steps内阶) and Ping (Screen屏)–Waiping (Outter外屏). The name Neichu therefore served primarily to distinguish this asterism from another Chu belonging to the Shi-school tradition and located south of the lunar lodge Ji 箕.
Sun Xiaochun and Jacob Kistemaker treated Neichu, Jiu 臼, and the nearby Tianchu 天厨 as a coherent group within the same sector of the sky. They connected these asterisms with the ancestral-temple imagery associated with the neighboring lodges Shi 室 and Bi 壁, interpreting them as cooking and food-processing facilities used to prepare special offerings for ancestral rites. This interpretation emphasizes the idea of a ritual kitchen. Other sources, however, including the Kaiyuan zhanjing, the Xingjing, and the astronomical treatise of the History of the Song, preserve prognostications concerning the “annual harvest” and “military provisions.” In this context, the pestle and mortar symbolized the harvesting, storage, and processing of grain, especially supplies intended for the army. Although these interpretations may derive from different intellectual and astrological contexts, they share the same central semantic field: the harvesting, storage, and processing of food grains.
Identification of stars
| Star Names or Orders(Traditional/Qing) | Ho PENG YOKE[1] | Yi Shitong[2]
Based on catalogue in 18th century |
Pan Nai[3]
based on Xinyixiangfayao Star Map |
Pan Nai[4]
based on catalogues in Yuan dynasty |
SUN X. & J. Kistemaker[5]
Han Dynasty |
Boshun Yang[6]
before Tang dynasty |
Boshun Yang[6]
Song Jingyou(1034) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st/4th | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2nd/3rd | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| 3rd/2nd | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| 4th/1st | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
Maps (Gallery)
| historical map | modern identification
(Yang 2023) |
same in Stellarium 24.4 |
|---|---|---|
 |
IAU Working Group on Star Names
In 202x, the name of the historical constellation "xxx" was suggested to be used for one of the stars in this constellation. ...
Decision: ...
References
- ↑ P.-Y. Ho, “Ancient And Mediaeval Observations of Comets and Novae in Chinese Sources,” Vistas in Astronomy, 5(1962), 127-225.
- ↑ Yi Shitong伊世同. Zhongxi Duizhao Hengxing Tubiao中西对照恒星图表1950. Beijing: Science Press.1981.
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 1989. Fig 55.
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 2009. p435-443.
- ↑ Sun Xiaochun. & Kistemaker J. The Chinese sky during the Han. Leiden: Brill. 1997, Pp241-6.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 B.-S. Yang杨伯顺, Zhongguo Chuantong Hengxing Guance Jingdu ji Xingguan Yanbian Yanjiu 中国传统恒星观测精度及星官演变研究 (A Research on the Accuracy of Chinese Traditional Star Observation and the Evolution of Constellations), PhD thesis, (Hefei: University of Science and Technology of China, 2023). 235-296.
