212
CAROLE MORGAN
The first set of stars is composed of nine xing, orbiting in a framework called the jiugong which has given its name to the set. In point of fact, the jiugong, or Nine Palaces, uses exactly the same pattern as the houtian (see above) but adds the centre as the ninth direction. The name of each star in the series combines the name of a colour with that of a number3:
一白 Yibai 二黑 Erhei 三碧 Sanbi 四綠 Selu
五黃 Wuhuang 六白 Liubai 七赤 Qichi 八白 Babai 九紫 Jiuzi
Of these nine stars five are considered baleful and no burial may take place in the compass point they occupy. Fortunately, no star lingers in the same point for more than a year so that no point of the compass is ever permanently eliminated. (See B. Frank, "Kata-imi et kata-tagae, Etudes sur les interdits de directions," Bulletin de la Maison Franco-japonaise, Tome V, pp. 177 sq.)
The other set of stars comprises the seven stars of the Dipper and two imaginary xing. The names of these stars stem mainly from the Taoist canon, and present day geomancers use them to describe the shape of mountains and hills as follows:
贪狼 Tanlang 巨門 Juman 禄存 Lucun 文曲 Wenqu 廉真 Lianzhen 武曲 Wugu 破军 Pojun 左辅 Zuofu 右弼 Youbi
(For additional information on these stars see E.H. Schafer, Pacing the Void pp. 50 sq.)
Two more astronomical terms which occur in fengshui deserve to be mentioned. Both refer to the twenty-eight su (constellations or stellar mansions):
*These combinations are based on the numbers and colours of the Loshu, the second pattern which Heaven gave to Yu and from which Duke Wen deduced the houtian.