Legs (Chinese constellation)
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The Legs mansion (奎宿, pinyin: Kuí Xiù) is one of the Twenty-eight mansions of the Chinese constellations. It is one of the western mansions of the White Tiger.
Cultural significance
[edit]In East Asian cultures, the Legs mansion (Kuí Xiù) represents wisdom, scholarship and literature. A notable example is a structure known as "Kuiwen Pavilion" (奎文閣) in the many Confucius temples in China and other East Asian countries.
Asterisms
[edit]| English name | Chinese name | European constellation | Number of stars | Representing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legs | 奎 | Andromeda/Pisces | 16 | Possibly it is the rear legs or feet of the White Tiger. Alternatively, it was also seen as a wild boar. |
| Outer Fence | 外屏 | Pisces | 7 | A fence to screen off the cesspit of Celestial Pigsty (Tiānhùn) |
| Celestial Pigsty | 天溷 | Cetus | 4 | A manure pit on a farm in the pigsty |
| Master of Constructions | 土司空 | Cetus | 1 | A controller of land and minister of works |
| Southern Military Gate | 軍南門 | Andromeda | 1 | South gate of the barracks |
| Flying Corridor | 閣道 | Cassiopeia | 6 | A mountain path, it was also seen as the banner of Wangliang |
| Auxiliary Road | 附路 | Cassiopeia | 1 | The road pavement or alternate |
| Wang Liang | 王良 | Cassiopeia | 5 | Wang Liang was a famous charioteer during the Spring and Autumn period |
| Whip | 策 | Cassiopeia | 1 | The whip of Wang Liang |