Northern Black Tortoise · 09
Niu Jin Niu（Ox Mansion）
Niu Jin Niu is the traditional deity title for Ox Mansion, number 9 in the atlas and part of the Northern Black Tortoise. It follows Dipper Mansion and precedes Girl Mansion. This Chinese Medieval reconstruction contains 6 stars and 6 segments; HIP 100345 is the red-ringed reference star.
Asterism reference
- Position in the atlas
- 9 / 28
- Four Symbols group
- Northern Black Tortoise
- Stars in this diagram
- 6
- Determinative star
- HIP 100345
Reading this star map
Ox has compact groups above and below, with the red-ringed reference toward the right between them. The three lower stars are especially close in the diagram. Identify the dots before following the lines. Ox is also the mansion omitted by common 27-mansion systems.
Understanding the deity title
The traditional title 牛金牛 (Niu Jin Niu) combines the mansion character 牛, the association 金, and the animal image 牛. The astronomical entry is Ox 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.
「天之關梁，主犧牲事」《晉書》卷十一・天文志上・二十八舍Niu is described as a celestial passage or bridge. A modern metaphor is reliable handover: filling gaps so someone else can proceed. Reliability also needs a load limit; asking to redistribute work can protect a commitment rather than undermine it.
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.