Tugongli (土公吏) and Tugong(土公)
Tugong
Authors: Boshun YANG, Susanne M Hoffmann
Tǔ Gōng Lì (Clerks of the Earth Official, 土公吏) is a two-star asterism. It belongs to the external asterisms of the Gan tradition and entered the received common sky through Chen Zhuo’s synthesis of the Three Schools. Sources generally place it “southwest of lodge Shi”, corresponding tp modern constellation constellation of Pegasus. The constellation had already existed at least by the late Western Han Dynasty. In history, the term "Tugongli 土公吏" has various names such as "Tugongli土功吏" and "Tuli土吏".
Another asterism closely related to Tugongli was Tǔ Gōng (Earth Official, 土公). It likewise belonged to the Gan school, consisted of two stars, and was located south （or southeast） of the lodge Bi (Eastern Wall, 壁).
Concordance, Etymology, History
Variants
| Star Name | Variants |
| Tugong(Earth Official, 土公) | Tugong (Earthworks土功) |
| Tugongli (Clerks of the Earth Official, 土公吏) |
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Cultural History
Tugongli (Clerks of the Earth Official, 土公吏) and the nearby asterism Tugong(Earth Official, 土公) both belonged to the Gan school of Chinese uranography. They were located close to each other, and their names also indicate a clear connection. An early text attributed to the Gan school states: “Tugong governs advance provisioning.” It further states: “Tugongli administers the screened stable [or, in a variant reading, the ‘screened privy’] and establishes reserves. Its prognostications are the same as those given for Tugong above.” These passages suggest that the early functions of Tugong and Tugongli were primarily concerned with provisioning the court and managing the associated facilities and supplies. According to the Eastern Han scholar Xi Meng, Tugongli may also have been responsible for their practical administration and supervision. The two asterisms may originally have represented a pair of administrative offices in a superior–subordinate relationship, responsible for palace facilities, material reserves, and administrative oversight.
The celestial region of Yingshi–Dongbi (Encampment–Eastern Wall, 營室–東壁) had long been associated with palaces and earthworks. The Tianguan shu (Book of Celestial Officials, 天官書) chapter of the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian, 史記) states: “The six stars east of Wei (Rooftop, 危), arranged side by side in three pairs, are called Sikong (Minister of Works, 司空).” Sikong was an important official responsible for civil engineering, water management, and related public works, indicating that this celestial region had included symbols of offices associated with construction from 1st century BCE. The Tianwen zhi (Treatise on Celestial Patterns, 天文志) of the Jin shu (Book of Jin, 晉書) states that lodge Yingshi (Encampment, 營室) represents the emperor’s palace and a repository for military provisions, and governs matters relating to earthworks; movement of lodge Dongbi (Eastern Wall, 東壁) portends the undertaking of earthworks.
Probably because Tugong and Tugongli were situated in this region, their functions gradually expanded during the medieval period to encompass land, agriculture, city walls, and construction, with the interpretation relating to earthworks eventually becoming predominant. Astrological texts predating the Tang dynasty broadly associated Tugong with three groups of meanings: the land and territory of the state and its Virtue of Earth (tude, 土德); city walls, fortifications, and defensive works; and the political order within the corresponding terrestrial field (fenye, 分野). At the same time, Tugong was explicitly interpreted as governing the construction of palaces and other buildings. Tugongli, meanwhile, gradually acquired associations with government repositories and reserves, subordinate officials of the inner court and their misconduct, and agricultural affairs.
During the Tang and Song periods, the name Tugongli 土公吏 was sometimes written or reinterpreted as Tugongli 土功吏 (Clerks in Charge of Earthworks), and the asterism was accordingly understood as representing officials responsible for earthworks and construction. The Tianwen zhi (Treatise on Celestial Patterns, 天文志) of the Song shi (History of the Song, 宋史), for example, states: “Tugongli土功吏 consists of two stars south of the lodge Bi (Eastern Wall, 壁). Another account places it northeast of Wei. It governs the construction of palace buildings and represents the officials responsible for breaking ground. If it wavers, rammed-earth construction will begin.” This passage not only reflects the engineering reinterpretation of the asterism’s name and functions, but may also combine the different locational traditions formerly associated with Tugong(Earth Official, 土公) and Tugongli(Clerks of Earth Official, 土公吏).
Meanwhile, the name Tugong (Earth Official, 土公) gradually entered systems of calendrical prohibitions and numinous agencies (shensha, 神煞). It became associated with construction, the disturbance of earth, and violations of prohibitions against earthworks. Tugong was subsequently personified as a deity believed to move among such locations as the stove, gate, well, and courtyard.[1]
The history of Tugong and Tugongli illustrates the dynamic process through which the names, functions, and cultural meanings of traditional Chinese asterisms were continually extended, altered in transmission, and reinterpreted over time.
Identification of stars
The identification of Tugongli (Clerks of the Earth Official, 土公吏) with particular stars appears to have remained stable until the astronomical reforms of the late Ming dynasty, during which one of its component stars was omitted. Although Qing-dynasty star catalogues attempted to restore its traditional configuration, the stars assigned to the asterism were no longer the same as those used before the late Ming reforms.
Star charts and catalogues dating from the Tang through the Yuan dynasty consistently place Tugong (Earth Official, 土公) south of the lodge Bi (Eastern Wall, 壁). The earlier Sanjia xingjing (Star Canon of the Three Schools, 三家星經) and Chen Zhuo's star catalogue (陳卓星表), however, both locate it southeast of Bi, suggesting that its stellar identification may have shifted once during the early medieval period. From the late Ming through the Qing dynasty, Tugong was reidentified by missionary astronomers. Although it continued to be placed south of Bi, the component stars assigned to it differed from those in the traditional identification.
| Star Names or Orders(Qing) | Han Dynasty (SUN X. & J. Kistemaker[2]) | 3rd to 6th Century (Boshun Yang[3]) | Song Dynaty (Boshun Yang[3], 1034 CE) | Song Dynasty (Pan Nai[4], 1052 CE) | Yuan Dynasty (Pan Nai[5], 1279-1368) | Qing Dynaty (Yi Shitong[6], 18th Century) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tugongli | 1st | zeta Peg | zeta Peg | zeta Peg(determinative) | zeta Peg (determinative) | zeta Peg | 31 Peg |
| 2nd | xi Peg | xi Peg(determinative) | xi Peg | xi Peg | xi Peg | 36 Peg | |
| Tugong | 1st | omega Psc | 57 Psc(determinative) | 34 Psc | 34 Psc (determinative) | c Psc | |
| 2nd | d Psc | 64 Psc | HIP 1465 (determinative) | HIP 1465 | 45 Psc |
Maps (Gallery)
| historical map | modern identification | same in Stellarium |
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IAU Working Group on Star Names
In 2026, the name of the historical constellation "Tugongli" was suggested to be used for ξ Peg, for it might be the earliest determinative star in this constellation.
Decision: ...
References
- ↑ Zhang Lishan 張麗山, Higashi Ajia ni okeru dokō shinkō to bunka kōshō 東アジアにおける土公信仰と文化交渉 (Tugong Belief and Cultural Interaction in East Asia), PhD thesis (Osaka: Kansai University, 2014), 26.
- ↑ Sun Xiaochun. & Kistemaker J. The Chinese sky during the Han. Leiden: Brill. 1997, Pp241-6.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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).
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 1989.
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 2009.
- ↑ Yi Shitong伊世同. Zhongxi Duizhao Hengxing Tubiao中西对照恒星图表1950. Beijing: Science Press.1981.
