Legs (Chinese constellation)

Kuí Xiù map

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

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.

Khuê Văn Các (Pavilion of Kuí's Elegance), which is both the symbol of Hanoi and appears on the one-hundred-thousand Vietnamese dong note.

Asterisms

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

See also