Chenxing

In ancient China, Mercury was called 'Chenxing'. Because it always appeared near the sun, it was difficult for ancient people to observe for long periods, giving it a special status in traditional astrology. The 'Records of the Grand Historian: Treatise on Celestial Offices' mentions Chenxing and associates it with 'the North and Water'. As the Five Elements theory gradually matured, Mercury became the representative of 'Water', paired with concepts like the North and Winter. More interestingly, ancient people actually knew that Mercury sometimes appeared before sunrise and sometimes after sunset, and thus divided its observations into different categories. This also shows that ancient China did not simply 'name a bright star when they saw one', but accumulated observational data over a long period. Therefore, a short paragraph can be added to the section on Mercury: 'Mercury was called 'Chenxing' in ancient China because it always moved close to the sun, making it difficult to observe. Ancient Chinese people noticed its appearance patterns early on and incorporated Chenxing into the Five Elements and astrological systems. The later established correspondence of 'Mercury—Water—North' also became part of traditional Chinese cosmology.'