Traditional Chinese star names
Hey kiddo, do you know those twinkling lights in the sky at night? Those are called stars! And did you know that a long time ago, people in China also saw those stars? They gave special names to each star to remember them easily. These names are called traditional Chinese star names.
Now, picture a big evening sky like a giant canvas. The Chinese saw patterns that they imagined looked like different animals or objects. For example, there's a group of stars that they thought resembled a scorpion, and another that looked like a dragon. They also named the individual stars based on the animals or objects.
For instance, there's a star in the constellation called Canis Major that is often called Sirius or the Dog Star. In China, they named it "天狼星" (tiān láng xīng), which means the "heavenly wolf star." Another star they named "织女星" (zhī nǚ xīng), which means "weaver girl star," because it was part of the constellation representing a legend about a weaver girl and a cowherd who were forbidden to be together.
The Chinese also used the stars to mark different seasons and important events, like when it was time to plant crops, celebrate festivals or perform certain rituals.
So, there you have it kiddo, traditional Chinese star names are special names given to each star based on the patterns they make in the sky and their importance in marking the seasons and events. Isn't it fascinating to think about our ancestors looking up at the same stars as we do now and giving them such special names?
Now, picture a big evening sky like a giant canvas. The Chinese saw patterns that they imagined looked like different animals or objects. For example, there's a group of stars that they thought resembled a scorpion, and another that looked like a dragon. They also named the individual stars based on the animals or objects.
For instance, there's a star in the constellation called Canis Major that is often called Sirius or the Dog Star. In China, they named it "天狼星" (tiān láng xīng), which means the "heavenly wolf star." Another star they named "织女星" (zhī nǚ xīng), which means "weaver girl star," because it was part of the constellation representing a legend about a weaver girl and a cowherd who were forbidden to be together.
The Chinese also used the stars to mark different seasons and important events, like when it was time to plant crops, celebrate festivals or perform certain rituals.
So, there you have it kiddo, traditional Chinese star names are special names given to each star based on the patterns they make in the sky and their importance in marking the seasons and events. Isn't it fascinating to think about our ancestors looking up at the same stars as we do now and giving them such special names?