Mr. Davis on the Chinese Tear. 
93 
European zodiac, for the sake of comparison ; and in the 
second circle is described their zodiac, or the twenty-eight 
constellations, with the same number of degrees affixed 
to each, as are given to them in the Chinese books, ma- 
king 360 in all. It will be observed that they are extremely 
unequal, the largest, tsing, consisting of 30 degrees, and 
the least, jgj tsuy, of not more than about half a degree. Of 
these 28 constellations, Kid, denoted by Spica Virginis, is 
considered as the first in order.* 
In the circle next to the constellations are noted the 
Chinese moons, or months, of which 7 b ching is the 1st, 
' urh is the 2nd, &c. : and in the innermost circle are 
described the 24 Tsie-ky, or divisions of half moons, each 
consisting of about 15 days. Their names have a reference 
to some prevailing circumstance in each season, as 
Yu-shuy, “ rain and water,” iiBj] tsing-ming , “ clear 
and bright,” A * jg ? ta-siu, “ much snow,” &c. 
The Chinese, as far as the writer of this knows, have no 
solar year, unless their celebration of a grand festival at the 
A? tung-chy, or winter solstice, may be considered as 
an observance of its annual limits. Du Halde says, that 
» 
• These constellations are generally found written on the Chinese compass, to- 
gether with the diagrams of Fo-hi, the Jive elements (viz. fire, water, wood, stone, 
and metal, a division strikingly philosophical) and various other characters used in 
fortune-telling. 
