Chinese Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions: Names and Groups
The twenty-eight Chinese mansions divide the traditional stellar belt into four groups of seven. Their almanac sequence and their astronomical star regions are distinct uses of the names.
| Chinese name | Direction group | Associated luminary or phase |
|---|---|---|
| 毕 | West · White Tiger | Moon |
| 翼 | South · Vermilion Bird | Fire |
| 箕 | East · Azure Dragon | Water |
| 奎 | West · White Tiger | Wood |
| 鬼 | South · Vermilion Bird | Metal |
| 氐 | East · Azure Dragon | Earth |
| 虚 | North · Black Tortoise | Sun |
| 危 | North · Black Tortoise | Moon |
| 觜 | West · White Tiger | Fire |
| 轸 | South · Vermilion Bird | Water |
| 斗 | North · Black Tortoise | Wood |
| 娄 | West · White Tiger | Metal |
| 柳 | South · Vermilion Bird | Earth |
| 房 | East · Azure Dragon | Sun |
| 心 | East · Azure Dragon | Moon |
| 室 | North · Black Tortoise | Fire |
| 参 | West · White Tiger | Water |
| 角 | East · Azure Dragon | Wood |
| 牛 | North · Black Tortoise | Metal |
| 胃 | West · White Tiger | Earth |
| 星 | South · Vermilion Bird | Sun |
| 张 | South · Vermilion Bird | Moon |
| 尾 | East · Azure Dragon | Fire |
| 壁 | North · Black Tortoise | Water |
| 井 | South · Vermilion Bird | Wood |
| 亢 | East · Azure Dragon | Metal |
| 女 | North · Black Tortoise | Earth |
| 昴 | West · White Tiger | Sun |
Four celestial groups
The east group is the Azure Dragon, north the Black Tortoise, west the White Tiger and south the Vermilion Bird. Each contains seven mansions.
Reading a calendar label
An almanac mansion label is a calendrical assignment to a day. It is not a measurement of the Moon’s current angular position in the sky.