In ancient China, there were twenty-eight constellations (pronounced: xiu), not twelve constellations.

The Twenty-Eight Constellations are the twenty-eight star regions divided by ancient Chinese astronomers to observe the movements of the sun, moon, and five stars. They are our country's native astronomical creations. Used to illustrate the positions of the sun, moon, and five stars.

China was founded on agriculture, and "observation of phenomena and timing" was an important basis for farmers' farming. In order to observe the stellar background of the sun, moon, and five planets, the concept of stars gradually developed. ?

Since the moon orbits the earth once every 27.3 days, and the path it takes is the ecliptic (an angle of 5 degrees from the ecliptic), the ancients divided the equinox circle into 28 segments, so the moon moves eastward approximately 28 segments every day within one of the stars. The twenty-eight constellations are divided into four groups, each group has seven constellations, which match the four directions of east, west, south, north and the four animal images of green dragon, white tiger, red bird and black basalt, which are called the four images.

The twenty-eight constellations are the seven constellations of Qinglong in the east: Jiao, Kang, Di (dī), Fang, Xin, Wei and Ji (jī); the seven constellations of Xuanwu in the north are Dou (dǒu), Ox, Female, empty, dangerous, room, wall; the seven constellations of the white tiger in the west are Kui, Lou (lóu), stomach, mǎo (mǎo), Bi, zī, and shen (shēn); the seven constellations of the red bird in the south are well, ghost, Liu, Xing, Zhang, Yi, Zhen (zhěn).

Extended information:

A constellation is an ancient astronomical term. A constellation usually contains one or more stars. The ancients divided the sky into four star fields, such as Qinglong, White Tiger, etc. The Four Symbols came from this, and in the Spring and Autumn Period, the Four Symbols were subdivided into twenty-eight constellations.

There is a patron saint in the east, south, west and north, namely: Qinglong, Suzaku, White Tiger and Xuanwu. The picture decorated with a lacquer box unearthed from the tomb of Zeng Marquis Yi during the Warring States Period is the earliest complete record of the names of the Twenty-eight Constellations and the Four Elephants. The seven constellations in each of the east, north, west, and south directions are imagined to be four animals, called the Four Elephants. .

The Eastern Qisu looks like a giant dragon flying in the night sky in late spring and early summer, so it is called Donggong Canglong; the Northern Qisu looks like snakes and turtles appearing in the late summer and early autumn night sky, so it is called Beigong Xuanwu The Qisu in the west looks like a fierce tiger leaping out of the night sky in late autumn and early winter, so it is called the White Tiger in the West Palace; the Qisu in the south looks like a flying red bird, appearing in the night sky in mid-winter and early spring, so it is called the Nangong Suzaku.

The four images (four spirits) composed of the twenty-eight constellations are more respected by Taoism. The main characteristic is that it serves as a guardian god. Ge Hong's "Baopuzi Neipian·Miscellaneous Ying" regards him as the bodyguard of Taishang Laojun, saying that Laojun "has twelve green dragons on the left, twenty-six white tigers on the right, twenty-four red birds in front, and seven in the back." "Twelve Xuanwu"; and said "this matter comes from the immortal scriptures".

The four gods are Qinglong, Suzaku, White Tiger and Xuanwu. They are the gods who guard the four directions of southeast, northwest and northwest in ancient Chinese legends. The order is southeast and northwest: Qinglong, Suzaku, White Tiger and Xuanwu.

The Twenty-Eight Constellations were recorded in the early Xia Dynasty. Each constellation is composed of several stars, and some of its names appear in the "Book of Songs" and "Shangshu". According to the directions in which the twenty-eight constellations appear, they are divided into Qinglong Qisu, Zhuque Qisu, White Tiger Qisu, and Xuanwu Qisu.

These four gods were used in military formations in ancient times. During the Warring States Period, there was a saying that "the Suzaku in front and the Xuanwu in the back, the green dragon on the left and the white tiger on the right." After the rise of Taoism, Qinglong, Suzaku, White Tiger, and Xuanwu became The patron saint of Taoism. And this is also one of the origins of the twelve zodiac signs, but that's another story.

There are seven constellations in the twenty-eight constellations in the southeast, northwest, and west. The number of stars is not the same. The seven constellations in the east have thirty-two stars, the seven constellations in the south have sixty-four stars, and the seven constellations in the west have fifty-one stars. There are thirty-five stars in the seven constellations in the north, and there are one hundred and eighty-two stars in total. They move in a certain orbit, which we call the "zodiac."

Baidu Encyclopedia - Twenty-Eight Constellations