Northern Black Tortoise · 08
Dou Mu Xie（Dipper Mansion）
Dou Mu Xie is the traditional deity title for Dipper Mansion, number 8 in the atlas and part of the Northern Black Tortoise. It follows Winnowing Basket Mansion and precedes Ox Mansion. This Chinese Medieval reconstruction contains 6 stars and 5 segments; HIP 92041 is the red-ringed reference star.
Asterism reference
- Position in the atlas
- 8 / 28
- Four Symbols group
- Northern Black Tortoise
- Stars in this diagram
- 6
- Determinative star
- HIP 92041
Reading this star map
Dipper’s six stars run from upper right toward lower left, with the red-ringed reference in the middle of the chain. At the left end the pattern turns down and right. This six-star mansion should not be confused with the seven-star Big Dipper just because both names use “dipper.”
Understanding the deity title
The traditional title 斗木獬 (Dou Mu Xie) combines the mansion character 斗, the association 木, and the animal image 獬. The astronomical entry is Dipper Mansion. A deity portrait expresses cultural imagery; a star map records positions and connecting lines. They can be read together without expecting the star pattern to resemble the animal.
What does this calculator result mean?
If a birthday lookup returns this mansion, the entered date is assigned to it by our daily almanac rules. It does not mean everyone born that day shares a personality, or that the Moon was inside this star pattern. Compare calendar, date and assignment system before comparing tools.
Twenty-Eight Mansions sculptures · Fucheng Jade Emperor Temple, Jincheng
Photo: Patrick20242023. Resized and compressed; Shen Shui Yuan is also cropped to isolate the figure.
Original photographs · CC BY-SA 4.0Further reading: personality associations
The historical text describes the roles of celestial asterisms. The life and personality associations below are our modern interpretations, not historical claims about people born on a particular date.
「主褒賢進士，稟授爵祿」《晉書》卷十一・天文志上・二十八舍The Southern Dipper is linked with recommending talent and allocating office and reward. A modern reading is noticing an overlooked colleague and making room for them. Support becomes more generous when it does not require the other person to follow the sponsor's preferred path.
Sources and image credits
The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan explains the classifications and calendar concepts. Star lines follow Stellarium Chinese Medieval, with positions from HYG v4.1. Our diagrams are attributed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and represent one reconstruction, not the only historical depiction.