As the dragon is considered by the Chinese as the noblest of animals, it is the head of the Four Symbols. The Azure Dragon corresponds to the season of spring. The Azure Dragon is the mythological creature in the East, as it is said that when the seven mansions in that area (Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, and Winnowing Basket) are joined up, they form the shape of a dragon. 433 B.C.) is a lacquer-painted wardrobe with the patterns of the Four Symbols and 28 Mansions. In addition, it is claimed that one of the artefacts from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng (c.
This is based on some clam shells and bones forming the images of the Azure Dragon and the White Tiger that were found in a tomb in Henan. Apart from their astronomical significance, each of the Four Symbols is surrounded by various mythological associations.Īccording to the archaeological evidence, the concept of the Four Symbols may have existed as early as China’s Neolithic period (some 6,000 years ago). These creatures are the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Black Tortoise of the North, and the Vermillion Bird of the South. Each section of the sky is assigned to a mythological creature, collectively known as the Four Symbols. This enabled the ancient Chinese to mark the travelling positions of the Sun and the Moon, as well as to determine the time and seasons. The 28 Mansions may be considered to be equivalent to the zodiacal constellations in Western astronomy, although they reflect the movement of the Moon through a sidereal month rather than the Sun in a tropical year. Each of these sections contained seven mansions, and together they formed the 28 Mansions. In ancient Chinese astronomy, the sky ecliptic was divided into four sections.
0 kommentar(er)
