一切經音義 41.38

41.38

明星（明字說文從[囗@(儿/口)][囗@(儿/口)]音鬼永反從月[囗@(儿/口)]象䆫也星者五行之星也言明星者亦非每日常有明星乃是金木火土及以水星有時近日晨朝而現占候者當知不久日出故諸經中時有明星之語佛因近日之星引此為喻言慈氏菩薩隣於佛地也舊義云西方候夜觀三明星初觀白星次觀青星後觀赤星甚乖經意妄說也）。

Bright star (明星: the character 明 [ming], according to the Shuowen, derives from [囗@(儿/口)], which is pronounced [鬼 + 永] j-iǒng [jiǒng], and from 月 [moon]. [囗@(儿/口)] represents a window. A 'star' is one of the stars of the Five Elements. The expression 'bright star' does not mean there is a bright star every single day; rather, it refers to Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, or Mercury occasionally appearing near the sun at dawn. Observers of heavenly omens know that the sun will soon rise; therefore, the sūtras occasionally speak of the 'bright star.' The Buddha used this star near the sun as a metaphor, meaning that the Bodhisattva Maitreya borders on the stage of Buddhahood. The old interpretation claims that in the Western Regions, when observing the night, they watched three bright stars—first a white star, next a green star, and then a red star; this greatly departs from the meaning of the sūtra and is a fabricated explanation).