Comprehensive Record of the Forest of Affairs

Master Zang’s Comprehensive Observations of the Lunar Mansion Degrees in the Concise Astronomical Treatise

We examine how the twenty-eight lunar mansions traditional divisions of the sky that serve as milestones for the moon’s monthly journey across the heavens encircle the degrees of the celestial dome to arrange the twelve zodiacal positions.

Those stars that rotate in unison with the heavens are called Fixed Stars Fixed Stars (Jing Xing): stars that appear to stay in the same position relative to each other as the sky turns, as opposed to the "wandering" planets. The Treatise on Celestial Officials in the Records of the Grand Historian original: Shiji Tianguan Shu; the first comprehensive record of Chinese astronomy written around 100 BCE states:

The Eastern Palace is the Azure Dragon original: 蒼龍, Canglong, comprising the mansions: Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, and Winnowing Basket.

The Southern Palace is the Vermilion Bird original: 朱鳥, Zhuniao, comprising: Well, Ghost, Willow, Star, Extended Net, Wings, and Chariot.

The Western Palace is the Salty Pool original: 咸池, Xianchi; in this context, it designates the Western quadrant usually associated with the White Tiger, comprising: Legs, Bond, Stomach, Hairy Head, Net, Turtle Beak, and Three Stars.

The Northern Palace is the Dark Warrior original: 玄武, Xuanwu; the serpent-headed tortoise of the north, comprising: Dipper, Ox, Girl, Emptiness, Rooftop, Encampment, and Wall.

The commentary says: The stars in heaven take the forms of the Dragon, the Tiger, the Bird, and the Tortoise. In each of the four directions, there are seven mansions, and together they form a single shape. The East forms the shape of a Dragon; the West forms the shape of a Tiger; the South forms the shape of a Bird; and the North forms the shape of a Tortoise.