Tusi (屠肆)
Tusi
Tú Sì (屠肆, "Butcher's Shop") is a Chinese asterism consisting of two stars, established by the Wuxian (巫咸) school during the Han dynasty.
Contents
Etymology and Historyedit source
In early China, tusi referred to butcher shops within marketplaces, where whole livestock—such as cattle, sheep, poultry, or aquatic animals—were purchased, slaughtered, and sold by portions. According to the Zhouli (周礼, Rites of Zhou), the hides, horns, tendons, and bones of some animals could be collected as a form of tax after butchering, whereas animals lacking these parts required a separate tax payment. Commentary from the Wuxian school further explains that the butcher's role involved both killing and cooking, serving delicacies to entertain guests. This suggests that some ancient butcher shops may have offered not only raw meat but also prepared foods. The Da Song Tianwen Shu (大宋天文书, Astronomical Treatise of the Great Song Dynasty) explicitly defines Tusi as responsible for “slaughter and culinary preparation” (主屠宰、庖馔), reinforcing the interpretation of this asterism as part of the celestial Tianshi (天市, “Heavenly Market”) system, representing food supply and preparation.
Identification of starsedit source
Tusi lies in close proximity to another Wuxian asterism, Bodu (帛度, “Textile Ruler”). Some divination texts and star charts place Tusi to the north (or northeast) of Bodu, aligned east–west; others describe it as lying east of Bodu, arranged north–south. In some star charts, the two are depicted together as a square formation. Because both asterisms are small and the diagrams often lack precision, minor shifts in their relative positions are common across sources.
| Star Names or Orders(Traditional/Qing) | Ho PENG YOKE | Yi Shitong
Based on catalogue in 18th century |
Pan Nai
based on Xinyixiangfayao Star Map |
Pan Nai
based on catalogues in Yuan dynasty |
SUN X. & J. Kistemaker
Han Dynasty |
Boshun Yang
before Tang dynasty |
Boshun Yang
Song Jingyou(1034) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st/4th | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| 2nd/3rd | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| 3rd/2nd | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| 4th/1st | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
Maps (Gallery)edit source
| historical map | modern identification
(Yang 2023) |
same in Stellarium 24.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Kulou on the Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido Star Chart |
Star Name Discussion (IAU)edit source
In 202x, the name of the historical constellation "xxx" was suggested to be used for one of the stars in this constellation. ...
Decision: ...
Referencesedit source
- ↑ P.-Y. Ho, “Ancient And Mediaeval Observations of Comets and Novae in Chinese Sources,” Vistas in Astronomy, 5(1962), 127-225.
- ↑ Yi Shitong伊世同. Zhongxi Duizhao Hengxing Tubiao中西对照恒星图表1950. Beijing: Science Press.1981: 56.
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 1989. p226.
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 2009. p443.
- ↑ Sun Xiaochun. & Kistemaker J. The Chinese sky during the Han. Leiden: Brill. 1997, Pp241-6.
- ↑ Jump up to:6.0 6.1 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). 261.
