The Four Divine Creatures and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions 四灵二十八宿

The Four Divine Creatures and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, collectively referred to as such, are star deities in Taoism. The Four Divine Creatures, also known as the Four Symbols or Four Images, refer to the constellations formed by the stars in the four directions of the sky, namely the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermilion Bird of the South, and the Black Tortoise of the North. Sanfu Huangtu (Records of the Three Adjuncts) states: "The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise are the four divine creatures of heaven, governing the four directions."

The Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions are twenty-eight star groups designated and marked by ancient Chinese astronomers when observing celestial phenomena, dividing the stars in the regions through which the sun and moon pass. Shangshu Kaolingyao (The Shangshu's Revealing of Spirits) points out: The seven mansions of the East—Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei, and Ji—are shaped like a dragon, hence called the Azure Dragon of the East. The seven mansions of the South—Jing, Gui, Liu, Xing, Zhang, Yi, and Zhen—are shaped like a quail, hence called the Vermilion Bird of the South. The seven mansions of the West—Kui, Lou, Wei, Mao, Bi, Zi, and Shen—are shaped like a tiger, hence called the White Tiger of the West. The seven mansions of the North—Dou, Niu, Nü, Xu, Wei, Shi, and Bi—are shaped like a tortoise and snake, hence called the Black Tortoise of the North.

Each of the star deities of the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions has a name, costume color, and specific duties. For example, the deity of Jiao Mansion is surnamed Bin, named Yuansheng, and wears a green and black unlined robe. The deity of Kang Mansion is surnamed Fu, named Sima, with a horse's head and a red body, wearing a red unlined robe and carrying a sword, and so on.

In Taoist temples, the Four Divine Creatures are often enshrined on both sides of the Lingguan Hall at the mountain gate. The Four Divine Creatures are in golden armor, dressed as heavenly generals. Taoism enshrines them to regard them as guardian spirits of the Taoist school. Most Taoists start from the mountain gate when entering the temple to burn incense, that is, starting with worshipping Wang Lingguan and the Four Divine Creatures. Large-scale Taoist rituals often set up shrines for the Four Divine Creatures and the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions, and there are frequent details of invoking the Four Divine Creatures for protection in the rituals.