Zongren (宗人)
Zongren
Authors: Lyu Haocheng
Zōng Rén (Official of Religious Ceremonies, Asistants of Zongzheng, 宗人), a Chinese constellation consists of 4 stars, located east of Zongzheng, belongs to the Heavenly Market Enclosure (Tianshi Yuan, 天市垣), the Shi school, and corresponds to the modern constellation Ophiuchus. This constellation official symbolizes the members of the Heavenly Emperor's clan, presiding over the rituals and seasons of ancestral sacrifices, and also recording the degrees of kinship within the royal house.
Concordance, Etymology, History
The Zongren stars are responsible for offering sacrifices to ancestors at proper times. They are the image of the greater lineage and govern kind affection and familial harmony.
Huangdi says:
If the Zongren stars are bright and remain as usual, the clan order is maintained, and the ruler is prosperous and lucky. If they shake or deviate from their normal state, then the clansmen are discordant, the emperor's relatives will face changes, and many nobles of the clan will die.
This indicates that bright and orderly Zongren stars bring harmony to the imperial clan, while abnormal movement or a guest star guarding them brings disaster to relatives. Thus the Zongren constellation is directly linked to the life-and-death harmony of the royal family.
Identification of stars
| Star Names or Orders(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 | 66 Oph | 66 Oph | 66 Oph(Determinative) | 66 Oph | 66 Oph | 66 Oph | 66 Oph |
| 2nd | 67 Oph | 67 Oph | 67 Oph | 67 Oph | 67 Oph | 67 Oph | 67 Oph |
| 3rd | 68 Oph | 68 Oph | 68 Oph | 68 Oph | 68 Oph | 68 Oph | 68 Oph |
| 4th | 70 Oph | 70 Oph | 70 Oph | 70 Oph | 70 Oph | 70 Oph
(Determinative) |
70 Oph
(Determinative) |
Maps (Gallery)
| historical map | modern identification | same in Stellarium |
|---|---|---|
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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: 56.
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 1989. p226.
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 2009. p443.
- ↑ 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). 261.
