Jian (建)
Jian
Authors: Boshun YANG, Susanne M Hoffmann
| Asterism Info | |
| Native | 建 |
|---|---|
| Romanisation | Jian |
| IPA | /tɕjɛn˥˩/ |
| Translation | Erect |
| Position (2000) | |
| Right ascension | ... to ... |
| Declination | ... to ... |
| Area | xx.xx sq. deg. |
| Stars | |
| Bright stars | 6 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 6 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 1 |
| Brightest star | π Sgr Albaldah (2.88m) |
| Taxonomy | |
| category of asterism | constellation |
| IAU- constellations | Sgr |
Jiàn (Erect, 建), also called Jianxing, is a six-star asterism belongs to the Shi tradition and is preserved with a determinative-star coordinate in the Shi star catalogue quoted in the Kaiyuan zhanjing. It lies north of Nandou and corresponds to part of modern Sagittarius. Modern reconstructions usually take ξ² Sgr as the determinative star and identify the other members with ο Sgr, π Sgr, d Sgr, ρ¹ Sgr, and υ Sgr. It was in existence at least by the 4th century BC.
Concordance, Etymology, History
The primary meaning of jian 建 is “to set up” or “to erect,” as in raising a wooden pole or a flagstaff. It was later extended to mean “to establish,” “to institute,” or “to construct.” During the Warring States, Qin, and Han periods, Jian was used in one tradition as the eighth of the Twenty-Eight Lodges. At the same time, there also existed a parallel system in which this position was occupied by Dou 斗, and it was this latter system that gradually became the more widely accepted one in later periods. Since the region of Jian was regarded as the place where the Sun was located at the winter solstice, and since the winter solstice served as a crucial starting point for astronomical computation, Jian acquired special calendrical significance. It was therefore described as “the gate through which yin and yang begin and end” and as “the origin of the harmonic(which correspond closed to calendar) and the calendar.” Because Jian lies close to the ecliptic, the space between Nandou and Jian was understood as a route along which the Sun, Moon, and Five Planets travelled. For this reason, Jian was also known by such names as “Celestial Pass” (Tianguan 天关) or “the metropolitan pass of Heaven” (tian zhi duguan 天之都关).[1] A guan 关 was both a node of movement and a point of frontier control; consequently, Jian further came to evoke the symbolic world of flags, drums, and horses—objects associated with military mobilization and command. Its alternative name “Celestial Flag” (Tianqi 天旗) may also be related to the original sense of jian as “raising” or “setting up” a banner. In sum, because of its long history and its important celestial position, Jian accumulated a rich range of meanings. The convergence and layering of these cultural associations transformed it into a highly conceptual asterism, one that brought together celestial location, planetary motion, calendrical beginnings, routes of passage, and the military-administrative order of the state. It may thus be understood as a symbol of order combining calendrical, transit, and politico-military meanings.
Jian also acquired other extended meanings. The Tianwen zhi of the Sui shu and the Kaiyuan zhanjing preserve an interpretation of its six-star structure: the two southern stars are the Celestial Storehouse; the two central stars are the Market, or alternatively the axe and execution block; and the two upper stars are the Flag. The statement in the Shiwei: Yadu lan 詩緯·雅度覽, “When the Jian stars move, labor will not cease,” clearly draws on another extended meaning of jian, namely “to build” or “to undertake construction.”[2] This illustrates a common feature of astrological texts: the same asterism did not correspond to a single fixed object, but could carry several related and mutually transformable layers of meaning in different textual and divinatory contexts.
A prominent actual record involving Jianxing is the “guest star” of the ninth year of Yongping in the Later Han (66 CE). The text says that it emerged at Qianniu, was eight chi long, passed Jianxing, reached south of Fang, and disappeared after fifty days. 出牵牛，长八尺，历建星至房南，灭见至五十日[3] Ho Peng Yoke lists it as no. 78 and treats it as a likely comet, probably related to Halley’s comet, because of its length, motion, and duration.[4]
Identification of stars
The modern identification of the six stars of Nandou is relatively stable.
| Star Names or Orders(Qing) | Modern Corspondance |
|---|---|
| 1st (determinative) | xi² Sgr |
| 2nd | omi Sgr |
| 3rd | pi Sgr |
| 4th | d Sgr |
| 5th | rho¹ Sgr |
| 6th | ups Sgr |
Maps (Gallery)
| historical map | |||
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IAU Working Group on Star Names
In 2026, the name of the historical constellation "Jian" was suggested to be used for one of the stars in this constellation. There are some Chinese celestial records of historical comets that occurred near Jian. Since xi² Sgr is the determinative star of it, then this name should be applied to xi² Sgr.
Decision: ...
