Taimin and Shaomin

Taimin太民 (or Damin大民） and Shaomin are the two southernmost stars of the Xuanyuan constellation. The shape of Xuanyuan resembles a dragon, and these two stars are considered the left and right horns of the dragon. The specific meanings of Da Min and Shao Min are difficult to determine. However, according to the Western Han dynasty's Shi's Star Classic, they were referred to as Tai Ming and Shao Ming. Literally, Tai Ming should be brighter than Shao Ming, which is indeed the case: Tai Ming is Omi Leo with a magnitude of 3.5, while Shao Ming is Rho Leo with a magnitude of 3.8. It is noteworthy that "Ming" and "Min" sound very similar, leading to the possible evolution of "Tai Ming" and "Shao Ming" into "Da Min" and "Shao Min" over time. Additionally, for some reason, the positions of Da Min and Shao Min have been swapped.

According to ancient Chinese star divination theory, Xuanyuan represents the group of empresses and consorts. Under this context, these two stars were given new meanings: Da Min represented the clan of the Empress Dowager, while Shao Min represented the clan of the Empress. This interpretation was established during the Han dynasty.