The world-conception of the Chinese : their astronomical, consmological and physico-philosophical speculations

324 Pages·1925·6.39 MB·English

by  Alfred Forke

-
the w orld concephon
OF THE CHINESE
THEIR ASTRONOMICAL, COSMOLOGICAL
AND PHYSICO-PHILOSOPH1CAL
SPECULATIONS
BY
ALFRED FORKE
Professor of Chinese in the University of Hamburg.
AETHUE PEOBSTHAIN
(Late PROBSTHAIN & CO.),
41 Great Russell Street, London, W.C.
1925
Printed in Oile.it Britain ei
THH &ASTHR}! PRBSS, LTD., KEADIHO.
INTRODUCTION.
A great deal has been written on the principal
philosophical systems of the Chinese, Confucian­
ism and Taoism, much less on the independent
thinkers not falling under either of these two
heads and on the Neo-Confucianism of the Sung
time. From these writings we get a fairly good
idea of Chinese Ethics and Metaphysics, we learn
what the Chinese think of human life, man’s
moral obligations, and the transcendental powers
supposed to rule the world, but obtain very little
information as to the Chinese conception of this
world and the phenomena of nature. We might
imagine that, as Chinese philosophy has produced
neither a logic nor a psychology, it did not concern
itself with speculations on the universe either.
Such a conclusion would be erroneous, for since
the dawn of their civilisation the Chinese have
philosophised on the world around them. In the
following we propose giving a systematical digest
of the ancient astronomical and cosmological con­
cepts of the Chinese and their attempts at natural
science. A history of civilisation and of the
vi INTRODUCTION.
gradual development of liuman thought cannot
be written without taking into account the specu­
lations of this important branch of the human
family. The close resemblance which they bear
to similar views of other nations, reasserts the
fact now generally recognised that the Chinese
are not a people apart and totally different from
others, but intimately related to the other repre­
sentatives of the human race.
There is a tendency to overrate the labours of
the Sung philosophers, who are credited with
having discovered the main parts of the philosophy
of nature. With a view to determine how far
these speculations are old and how far of modern
origin, a distinction between ancient and modern
times has been made, counting the latter from
the Sung time in the 11th century a.d. This
shows us that in most cases the efforts of these
scholars have been limited to collecting and systema-
tising ideas scattered in old literature, but that
they have not produced anything quite new,
being like their paragon Confucius rather trans­
mitters of ancient thought than creators.
In ancient Chinese authors, science, religion,
and philosophy are hopelessly mixed up. To
bring more clearness into this medley, in treating
of the various problems the scientific and religious-
philosophical viewpoints have been separated.
INTRODUCTION. vii
Otherwise the division of the subject adopted by
Chinese encyclopaedias has been adhered to. A
great many quotations are given, as it was
deemed of interest to see how the various writers
themselves plead their cause. A mere reference
to them was in most cases not feasible, the texts
not being accessible in translations. These quota­
tions, moreover, enable us to fix the time when
the Chinese mind first faced the diverse problems.
This book was originally written as a contribution
to the Semicentennial Publications of the University
of California (Berkeley), in commemoration of the
Semicentenary Anniversary of this University,
where the author was Agassiz Professor of Oriental
Languages at the time (1918), and it was announced
in the List of Semicentennial Publications (p. 40) as
immediately forthcoming. Meanwhile the author
was summarily dismissed from the University for
imaginary inimical ^cts against the United States,
on which he never could obtain any further infor­
mation, and the manuscript was returned. It is
most gratifying to him that after some delay his
work is now incorporated into Probsthain’s Oriental
Series.
A. FORIvE.
Hamburg,
April, 1925.

CONTENTS.
Introduction
Contents ..............................................................
BOOK I.
The Universe.
A. ANCIENT TIMES.
I. Beginnings of Chinese Astronomy.
(а) Earliest reference ...
(б) Astronomers
(c) Astronomical observations
(id) Astronomical works
(e) Astronomical instruments ...
II. The Six Astrc^/omical Systems.
(1) Kai-t‘ien System ...
(2) Hun-t‘ien System ...
(3) Hsiian-yeh System ...
(4) Hsin-t‘ien System ...
(5) Cli‘iung-t‘ien System
(6) An-t‘ien System
IIT. Similar Theories of Other Nations
IV. Creation.................................................
V. Destruction of the World
VI. Infinity of Time and Space
X CONTENTS.
PAGE
VII. Heaven and Earth ......................................... 47
A. THE PHYSICAL VIEWPOINT
(а) Substance... ... ... ... ... 48
(б) Colour ... ... ... ... ... 50
(c) Form ... ... ... ... ... 51
(d) Yin and Yang the two substances of
heaven and earth ... ... ... 55
(e) Dimensions
(1) Distance between heaven and earth 57
(2) World diameter and circumference
of heaven ... ... ... 58
(3) Size of the earth ... ... ... 59
(4) Sizes of the sun, the moon, and the
stars ... ... ... ... 60
(/) Functions of heaven and earth
(1) Passive Functions ... ................ 61
(2) Active Functions ... ................ 62
B. THE MYTHOLOGICAL-RELIGIOUS VIEWPOINT
(I) Heaven and Earth as Husband and
W ife...................................................... 68
(II) Elementary Qualities of Heaven and
Earth...................................................... 71
(III) Moral Qualities of Heaven and Earth ... 72
(IV) The Relation of Man to Heaven and
Earth ... ................ ... ... 74
(V) Analogies of Heaven and Earth with
Man, Animals and Numbers ... 76
(VI) Worship of Heaven and Earth ... 79
(VII) Heavenly Bodies: Sun, Moon, Stars ... 79
1. The Sun ......................................... 83
2. The Moon ... ... ... ... 89
3. Eclipses of the Sun and the Moon... 97
4. Stars ... ... ............................ 100
CONTENTS. xi
B. MODERN TIMES.
PAGE
System of the Universe ................................. 102
Creation....................................................................................... 106
m
Destruction of the World and World Periods
Infinity ............................................................................ 112
Heaven and Earth
A. NATURAL SCIENCE 113
B. PHILOSOPHY ...................................................................... 118
(a) Heaven a Spirit, Earth a Body ... 118
(b) The Spirit of Heaven and Earth 119
Analogies between Heaven, Earth and Man ... 122
The Heavenly Bodies, the Sun, the Moon and
the Stars.
(a) The Motion of Heaven and the Stars 122
(b) Phases of the Moon... ... .............. 124
(c) Eclipses of the Moon 126
(d) Precession of the Equinoxes ............... 126
BOOK IL
71 Heaven.
/
A. PHtSICAL VIEWPOINT.
Subdivisions of Physical Heaven
(a) According to Seasons 133
(b) Regiors of Heaven ... 134
(c) The Nine-storied Heaven ... 136
(d) Buddhist and Taoist Heavens 137
(e) Heaven in other Countries 142
(/) Heaven as Paradise 144
(g) The Gates of Heaven 145
Qualities of Physical Heaven................................ 145
xii CONTENTS.
B. RELIGIOUS-PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWPOINT.
PAGE
I. Nature of Heaven
(a) Heaven the origin of all things ... ... 147
(b) Heaven governs the world... ... ... 148
(c) Heaven as Providence ... ... ... 149
(d) Heaven acts like man ............... ... 151
(e) Heaven according to Lao-tse and Wang
Ch‘ung ... ... ... ............... 154
(/) Heaven according to Ohang-tse, Ch‘eng-tse,
and Clm Hsi ... ... ............... 155
II. The Invocation of Heaven ........................... 158
III. The Personification of Heaven ............... 159
BOOK III.
Yin and Yang.
A. ANCIENT TIMES.
The Oldest Sources 163
The Original Meaning of Yin and Yang ... 171
Yin and Yang as Fluids and Primary Elements 172
Yin and Yang the Substances of Heaven and
Earth, the Sun and the Moon .................. 176
The Alternation of the Yin and Yang during
the Seasons and according to tiie Points
of the Compass ................................ 177
Yin and Yang cause the Weather
1. W ind............................................................................ 184
2. Thunder and Lightning 184
3. Clouds, Fog, Rain, and Dew 185
4. Rain, Dew, Frost (Ice), and Snow.................. 185
5. Hail and Sleet 186