also: しちしょう
noun
the Big Dipper; the Plough; the Plow
Archaic astronomical term for the Big Dipper asterism; modern Japanese normally uses 北斗七星 (ほくとしちせい).
See also: 北斗七星
昔の人は七星を頼りに方角を知った。
People in the old days used the Big Dipper to find their direction.
「七星」は北斗七星の古い呼び名だ。
"七星" is an old name for the Big Dipper.
北斗七星 is the standard modern term for the Big Dipper; 七星 is its archaic synonym.
From 七 (seven) + 星 (stars), referring to the seven bright stars of the Big Dipper. The reading しちせい is the standard Sino-Japanese reading; しちしょう is an older variant.