Written by Evelyn Lip Illustrated by Wee See Heng

Transcription

1 Written by Evelyn Lip Illustrated by Wee See Heng

2 Preface The title reflects the intent of the book, which is to explain the primer Qian Zi Wen with its underlying philosophies and cultural implications. Although this classic has been memorised by millions of Chinese, very few know its implications or understand its application. It is believed that Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty commissioned Zhou Xingsi( )tocomposeapoemfor his princetopractisecalligraphy. The poem, consisting of 1,000 characters selected from the works of renowned calligrapher Wang Xizhi ( ), was set in unique four-word phrases to describe the natural phenomena, the structure and cultural traits of society, the historical happenings, the philosophical thinking and moral education of the previous eras. Zhou s composition became popular and remained so until the Qing Dynasty. Today, its significance and its implications are little known. In fact, very few understand it at all. Written in classical literary style, well-structured and rhythmical, the Qian Zi Wen is still applicable as a text for general education because it embodies the basic moral teaching and traditional values that are deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Its historical records may be brief and incomplete but they convey messages of philosophical and moral value Character Classic aims to explain the phrases of the original text and interpret them in such a way that the underlying philosophical implications are clear to the readers; to highlight the social and cultural background of society as presented in the original text; and to expand the text by introducing a proverbial saying, whenever possible, which has similar implications to the original text. In cases where the original text was more illustrative, I have used stories which have interested me. This book is an enriching read for both the young and old; for the literary as well as the pragmatic; for beginners who are interested in Chinese culture as much as for those devoted to keeping Chinese traditions alive. Evelyn Lip

3 tian di yubn hubng This phrase implies that the earth was originally covered by wilderness. Heavens Earth At the beginning Barren The ancients believed that the light component of the earth s energy rose up to become the sky or tian ( ) while the heavy part sank to become the ground or di ( ). The phrase was originally written as tian di xuan huang, but was later changed to tian di yuan huang because Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, who was named Xuan Ye ( ) at birth, had Xuan in his personal name which became taboo for others to use. Yuan was adopted as a mark of respect for him. The word xuan means black in colour. The original phrase referred to the sky as black and the earth, yellow. 2

4 yw zhnu hlng huang The universe is vast and borderless. Universe World Vast Desert In ancient writings such as the Huai Nan Zi ( ), zhou ( )represents both the past and present while yu ( )refers toeverything. It is alsoever- changing and fluctuating. The Huai Nan Zi, a Chinese philosophical classic, was written during the 2nd century BC. It was a collection of essays based on literary, political and philosophical debates in the courtrooms. It also included a compilation of essays that ranged from mythology, history, astronomy, to science and metaphysics. 3

5 ri yus ygng zs The waxing and waning of the moon, and the rising and setting of the sun. Sun Moon Waxing Setting The universe is represented by the sun during the day, and the moon during the night. Night follows day and day follows night, just like the waxing and waning of the moon and the rising and setting of the sun. The waxing and waning of the moon here also refers to the success and failure of businesses and ventures, while the rising and setting of the sun suggests the birth and demise of man. Waxing and waning typically refers to the phases of the moon. It appears to become larger (waxing) and then smaller (waning), just like the way businesses expand during a boom but contract during a recession. Sunrise represents success of a business while sunset, failure. 4

6 chqn sx lis zhang A group of stars spread as constellations across the sky. Stars Constellations Line-up Spread This phrase implies that time and the cosmos change constantly. In ancient times the sun, moon, planets, the 12 gongs (heavenly sectors) and the 28 constellations were classified under chen which also represented one of the 12 double hours of the day. Chen means time. The Chinese divide the day into 12 two-hour segments. The constellations represent a group of stars sometimes, we can see as many as 1,000 stars! They help by breaking up the sky into areas with groups of stars. 5

7 hbn lbi shw wcng Winter comes after summer has gone. Winter Comes Summer Goes There are four seasons in China: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Winter is, of course, cold; and summer, hot or warm. This phrase states that the cold and hot weather are cyclical. The Earth s rotational axis with respect to the plane of the ecliptic is the main cause of the seasons. It goes around its orbit and so the Northern Hemisphere is at various times oriented either towards or away from the sun. Similarly, the Southern Hemisphere, at various periods, also orientates either towards or away from the sun. So we experience summer in the Northern Hemisphere when the Earth is on that part of its orbit where the Northern Hemisphere is oriented towards the sun. We have winter when we are oriented away from the sun. 6

8 qiu shku dkng cbng Reap in autumn and store during winter. Autumn Reap Winter Store The climatic and seasonal conditions are elaborated by this phrase, which states that autumn is followed by winter. It also suggests that the harvest should be stored for consumption during winter-time. Seasonal changes mean that man must plan and make preparations: harvesting in autumn and storing for winter. Animals and birds, too, respond to the seasonal changes. Birds migrate from cold to warm places. Certain animals sleep and hibernate in winter. 7

9 rxn yv chqng sui Intercalary days and months accumulate to make a year. Intercalarymonth Extra Makeup Year The ancient writings such as Shiji ( ) have records of how the lunar calendar was formed based on the cycle of the moon which consists of 355 ¼ days. There are 365 ¼ days in the solar calendar. Compared with the lunar calendar, there is a difference in the number of days in a year. Therefore intercalary days and months were introduced. An intercalary day is the insertion of a leap day in the calendar in order to make the calendar year correspond to the solar year. Similarly an intercalary month is introduced for the same reason. In solar calendars, intercalary days are added to a common year of 365 days, making a leap year of 366 days. 8

10 l` l_ tibo ybng Using a sound tuner to regulate yin and yang. Sound tuner Regulateor harmonise Yang (and yin) It also means that rules, laws and principles are like rhythms in music as they are required to be in harmony with yin and yang (the low and high notes). In ancient China, musical notes were classified into six l_ ( )andsix l` ( ). l` l_ was a musical instrument made of bamboo consisting of long and short sections which produced high and low notes. The author indicates here that all principles, be they the laws of justice or the laws of nature, are regulated in both negative and positive rhythms to achieve harmony, just like musical notes and rhythms. 9

11 yvn tqng zhi yw When clouds rise and meet cold air, there will be rain. Clouds Rise Cause Rain As clouds reach the colder atmosphere at the hilltops, the moisture in them becomes so saturated that condensation takes place and rain results. In other words, a cloud is made of evaporated water. When more and more water molecules gather together in the air, they become heavier and heavier. They can no longer float in the air, and so gravity brings them back to earth in the form of raindrops. 10