STARS: Major | All | Constellations | Chinese | About
29♉20 to 08♊05
The 19th Chinese lunar mansion is named 畢宿 Bì Su, “Net Mansion.” It is the 5th of the 7 mansions of the White Tiger of the West.
The 7th asterism of the Net Mansion is called 九州殊口 Jiǔzhōushūkǒu, “Interpreters of Nine Dialects.” It symbolizes officials who understand local customs and are translators. It is composed of 6 stars of the constellation Eridanus. [1]
| 2000 | 2050 | IAU | Chinese | Orb |
| 29♉20 | 00♊02 | A Eri | Jiuzhou Shukou Yi (1) | 1°00′ |
| 29♉26 | 00♊09 | ο¹ Eri | Jiuzhou Shukou Er (2) | 1°10′ |
| 03♊19 | 04♊01 | ξ Eri | Jiuzhou Shukou San (3) | 1°00′ |
| 06♊49 | 07♊31 | ν Eri | Jiuzhou Shukou Si (4) | 1°30′ |
| 08♊05 | 08♊47 | 56 Eri | Jiuzhou Shukou Wu (5) | 1°00′ |
| 07♊54 | 08♊36 | 55 Eri | Jiuzhou Shukou Liu (6) | 1°00′ |
Jiuzhoushukou, the Interpreters of Nine Dialects
29♉20 to 08♊05
Jiuzhou Shukou (九州殊口) is located below the Bi (Net) constellation. It originally consisted of 9 stars, but during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), the record was revised to 6 main stars, with 11 additional stars.
In its name, “九州” refers to various regions, “殊” means different, and “口” means dialect. The Book of Jin, Treatise on Astronomy (648 AD), records that “The nine provinces have different languages, and the officials who understand local customs are translators.” [1]
Song History (1346)
Jiuzhou Shukou (The Nine Stars) correspond to the diverse dialects of the Nine Provinces. It consists of nine stars located south and below Tianjie (Celestial Tally); they represent officials who understand the customs of different regions and serve as interpreters for foreign envoys. They are usually observed in the eleventh month.
If Venus or Mars remains over Jiuzhou Shukou, it also signifies war. The appearance of a guest star (nova or comet) brings distress to the populace, threatens floods from the sea, destabilizes the nation, and signals the onset of war. [2]