View source for Bodu

{{DISPLAYTITLE: Bodu (帛度)}}

'''Bó Dù''' (帛度, “Textile Ruler”) is a Chinese asterism consisting of two stars, established by the Wuxian (巫咸) tradition during the Han dynasty. 

== Etymology and History ==
The term ''bo'' (帛) refers broadly to silk fabrics, while ''du'' (度) denotes either units or instruments of length measurement. Thus, ''Bodu'' could be interpreted as a tool used for measuring textiles, or by extension, as a shop engaged in the sale of such goods. The Han dynasty (202 BCE - 220 CE) classic ''Liji'' (礼记, ''Book of Rites'') contains strict specifications for commodities, including textiles. It states: “Cloth and silk that are either too fine or too coarse to meet the standard, or '''whose widths are not properly measured''', shall not be permitted in the market.” According to Han regulations, government-issued cloth was required to be “2 chi and 2 cun in width” (1 ''chi'' is about 23.1-24.3 cm in Han, 1 cun is 0.1 ''chi''). The establishment of this asterism may have been informed by such institutional frameworks regulating textile production and trade.

Astrologers later generalized the meaning of ''Bodu'' to represent all measurement, commercial standardization, and market regulation. Since textile trade was primarily associated with women, some traditions even employed this asterism to divine matters related to women’s purchases in the marketplace.
 
=== Identification of stars ===
Some star charts depict ''Bodu'' as oriented east–west, while others depict it in a north–south arrangement. It is located near the ''[[Tusi]]'' (Butcher’s Shop) asterism, and several charts depict the two together as forming a connected rectangular shape. Given their small size and the low precision of ancient mapping techniques, slight variations in their relative positions are frequent. Interestingly, while the position of ''Tusi'' often varies across ancient catalogues, ''Bodu'' remains remarkably stable—aside from a few erroneous identifications of the coordinate in ''Huangyou Star Catalogue'' (皇祐星表) by modern scholars, the coordinates in various catalogues points to 95 Her and 102 Her. For visual representations of ''Bodu'', see the entry ''[[Tusi]]''.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Star Names or Orders(Traditional/Qing)
!Yi Shitong<ref>Yi Shitong伊世同. ''Zhongxi Duizhao Hengxing Tubiao''中西对照恒星图表1950. Beijing: Science Press.1981: 32.</ref>
Based on catalogue in 18th century
!Pan Nai<ref name=":0">Pan Nai潘鼐. ''Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi''中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 2009. p305.</ref>
based on Huangyou Star Catalogue
!Pan Nai<ref>Pan Nai潘鼐. ''Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi''中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 2009. p438.</ref>
based on catalogues in Yuan dynasty
!SUN X. & J. Kistemaker<ref>Sun Xiaochun. & Kistemaker J. ''The Chinese sky during the Han''. Leiden: Brill. 1997, Pp241-6.</ref>
Han Dynasty
!Boshun Yang<ref name=":1">B.-S. Yang杨伯顺, ''Zhongguo Chuantong Hengxing Guance Jingdu ji Xingguan Yanbian Yanjiu'' 中国传统恒星观测精度及星官演变研究 (A Research on the Accuracy of Chinese Traditional Star Observation and the Evolution of Constellations), PhD thesis, (Hefei: University of Science and Technology of China, 2023). 248.</ref>
before Tang dynasty
!Boshun Yang<ref name=":1" />
Song Jingyou(1034)
!Boshun Yang<ref name=":1" />
Song Huangyou(1052)
|-
| 1st/Determinative
| 95 Her
| 96 Her
| 96 Her
| 96 Her
| 102 Her
| 95 Her
|95 Her
|-
| 2nd
| 102 Her
| 101 Her
| 101 Her
| 101 Her
| 95 Her
| 102 Her
|102 Her
|}

== Star Name Discussion (IAU) ==
In 202x, the name of the historical constellation "xxx" was suggested to be used for one of the stars in this constellation. ...

Decision: ... 

==References ==
[[References (Chinese)]]


[[Category:Asterism ]]
[[Category:Constellation ]]
[[Category:Eurasia]]
[[Category:East Asian]]
[[Category:Chinese ]]