Tengshe

Tengshe螣蛇 or 腾蛇 (Téng Shé, Flying Serpent) is a constellation created by ancient Chinese astrologers, dating back to the 2nd century BCE. It is classified as one of the "internal" constellations (内官) of the Shi School (石氏), as it belongs to the Shi School's constellation system during the Han Dynasty， and it is inside of the 28 lunar mansions.

Tengshe before Tang-reconstructed by Yang

Etymology and History

Tengshe is a mythical flying snake in ancient Chinese folklore, with numerous references found in classical Chinese literature. For instance, the Xunzi荀子 mentions, "螣蛇无足而飞(The Tengshe flies without legs)", and Cao Cao’s famous poem "《龟虽寿》Though the Tortoise Lives Long" includes the line, "神龟虽寿，犹有竟时。螣蛇乘雾，终为土灰(The divine tortoise, though it lives long, will eventually die; the Tengshe rides the mist, yet will eventually turn to dust)", indicating that Tengshe is a legendary creature as well-known as the divine tortoise. Zhang Heng’s "《思玄赋》Ode to Returning to Immortality" describes many constellations, with lines like "玄武缩于壳中兮，螣蛇蜿而自纠(The Xuanwu retracts into its shell, while the Tengshe coils upon itself)", where the Xuanwu is the divine tortoise or a combination of tortoise and snake, representing the northern constellation of the Four Symbols, corresponding to the seven mansions of the north. Tengshe here might also refer to the constellation associated with this celestial creature.

The "《天官书》Treatise on Celestial Offices" does not mention Tengshe, suggesting that this constellation might have been incorporated into the Shishi constellation system only after the Taichu(104-102BCE) reformation to the constellations. The 《石氏星经》Shishi Xingjing (Master Shi's Star Canon or The Shi School's Star Canon) records that this constellation comprises 22 stars, located north of the lunar mansion Shi(室, Room). It states, "When this constellation are bright, there is unrest; when faint, there is peace," indicating that this constellation is generally dim.

The Shishi Xingjing describes the Tengshe constellation as a male serpent that mates with turtles, serving as the leader of aquatic creatures. This further highlights the connection between Tengshe and the tortoise. Some believe that the establishment of this constellation was intended to compensate for the lack of a serpent in the Northern Symbol Xuanwu (with the mansions Xu(虚, Ruins) and Wei(危, Roof) forming the shape of a tortoise), thereby making the image of the Black Tortoise in the Northern Symbol more complete.

Identification of stars

The Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido Star Chart, the Dunhuang Star Chart, and the Geziyuejintu document the shapes of constellations during the Tang dynasty and earlier periods, and these three early star charts share significant similarities, but they differ considerably from star charts created after the Song dynasty, like Suzhou star map. In these earlier star charts, Tengshe (the flying serpent) is depicted with two heads, while in post-Song dynasty star charts, Tengshe is shown with a single head. According to the Han dynasty’s Shi School's Star Catalog (or Master Shi's Star Catalogue), the star associated with Tengshe's beak star(螣蛇喙星) corresponds to V424 Lac (HIP 113288). However, in later single-headed depictions, the central major star(中央大星） of Tengshe is α Lac, indicating a shift in the constellation’s position over time.

Star Names or Orders(Traditional/Qing)	Ho PENG YOKE	Yi Shitong Based on catalogue in 18th century	Pan Nai based on Xinyixiangfayao Star Map	SUN X. & J. Kistemaker Han Dynasty	Boshun Yang before Tang dynasty	Boshun Yang Song Hingyou(1052)
Primary Star(central star or beak star)	Beta Lac	alpha Lac	alpha Lac	alpha Lac	HIP 113288	alpha Lac

Star Maps

• Tengshe
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  Tengshe on Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido star chart

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  Tengshe on Dunhuang Star Map

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  Tengshe on Geziyuejintu Star Map

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  Tengshe before Tang-reconstructed by Yang

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  Tengshe on Suzhou Star Map

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  Tengshe on Xinyixiangfayao Star Map

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  Tengshe after Song-reconstructed by Yang

References

References (Chinese)