Tianjiu (天厩)
Tianjiu
Authors: Lyu Haocheng
| Asterism Info | |
| Native | 天厩 |
|---|---|
| Romanisation | Tiān Jiù |
| IPA | /tʰjɛn˥.t͡ɕjoʊ˥˩/ |
| Translation | Celestial Stable |
| Position (2000) | |
| Right ascension | 2.57925 to 11.181625 |
| Declination | 44.39822222 to 52.84388889 |
| Area | 0 sq. deg. |
| Stars | |
| Bright stars | 10 |
| Bayer/Flamsteed stars | 4 |
| Stars brighter than 3.00m | 0 |
| Brightest star | ο Cas (4.30m) |
| Taxonomy | |
| category of asterism | constellation |
| IAU- constellations | And, Cas |
Tiān Jiù (天厩, Celestial Stable) is a Chinese asterism belonging to the Bì (壁, Wall) or Dongbi (東壁, Eastern Wall) lunar mansion. Among the Three Schools, it is classified as an asterism of the Wu Xian School (巫咸氏). The asterism consists of ten stars located to the north of Dongbi and near Wang Liang (王良), spanning the modern constellation Andromeda and Cassiopeia.
Concordance, Etymology, History
Shuowen Jiezi (説文解字) defines the character jiù (厩) as "a stable for horses". The Shi Ming (釋名) elaborates: “Jiù means to gather; it is where cattle and horses are gathered.” Tianjiu thus represents the celestial horse stable — the heavenly counterpart to the imperial post-horse stations and cavalry stables on earth.
The asterism's position near Wangliang (王良) is significant: Wangliang is the legendary charioteer, and his asterism includes the Tiansi (天駟) (Heavenly Quadriga) — the four horses that draw the chariot. Tianjiu, located nearby, is the stable that houses and provisions these celestial horses. The Wu Xian Zhan (巫咸占) records: "Tianjiu, ten stars, north of Dongbi, near Wangliang."
Its function is directly tied to the imperial postal relay system (驛傳). The Chunqiu Hecheng Tu (春秋合誠圖) states: "The office of Tianjiu governs the guest houses." (天廄官主傳舍) The Wu Xian Zan (巫咸讚, Wu Xian's Eulogy) describes it vividly:
Tianjiu establishes the post stations, racing with the water-clock. (天厩置驛，逐漏馳騖)
This paints a picture of celestial post-horses galloping at the same speed as time itself. The Jin Shu·Tianwen Zhi (晉書·天文志, Book of Jin, Treatise on Astronomy) records:
Ten stars north of Dongbi are called Tianjiu, the office governing horses; it is like the post stations of today, governing the transmission of orders and the establishment of relay stations, racing with the water-clock — meaning its speed is urgent and swift, competing with the sundial and water-clock. (東壁北十星曰天厩，主馬之官，若今驛亭也，主傳令置驛，逐漏馳騖，謂其行急疾，與晷漏競馳也。)
The Kaiyuan Zhanjing (開元占經) preserves the astrological interpretation that if the stars of Tianjiu deviate from their proper positions, there will be matters of ancestral admonition (廟戒之事), and the ruler will be troubled by horses; otherwise, horses will fall ill.
Identification of stars
| Star Names or Orders(Qing) | 3rd to 6th Century (Boshun Yang[1]) | Song Dynasty (Pan Nai[2], 1052 CE) | Song Dynasty (Boshun Yang[1], 1052 CE) | Qing Dynaty (Yi Shitong[3], 18th Century) | Ho PENG YOKE[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 22 And | 22 And (determinative) | 22 And (determinative) | θ And | θ And |
| 2nd | HIP 2225 | HIP 2225 | HIP 2225 | ρ And | ρ And |
| 3rd | HIP 2900 | HIP 2900 | HIP 2900 | σ And | σ And |
| 4th | π Cas | π Cas | π Cas | (deleted) | HIP 394 |
| 5th | HIP 3478 | HIP 3478 | HIP 3478 | (deleted) | HIP 117673 |
| 6th | ο Cas | ο Cas | ο Cas | (deleted) | HIP 117844 |
| 7th | ξ Cas | ξ Cas | ξ Cas | (deleted) | HIP 118071 |
| 8th | HIP 1921 | HIP 1921 | HIP 1921 | (deleted) | HIP 365 |
| 9th | HIP 1415 | HIP 1415 | HIP 1415 | (deleted) | 23 And |
| 10th | HIP 967 | HIP 967 | HIP 967 | (deleted) | ? |
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 "Tianjiu" was suggested to be used for 22 Andromedae in this constellation, as it is the determinative star in the Huangyou star catalogue.
Decision: ...
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 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), Pp297-304.
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 1989, Pp220-226.
- ↑ Yi Shitong伊世同. Zhongxi Duizhao Hengxing Tubiao中西对照恒星图表1950. Beijing: Science Press.1981.
- ↑ P.-Y. Ho, “Ancient And Mediaeval Observations of Comets and Novae in Chinese Sources,” Vistas in Astronomy, 5(1962), 127-225.
