China's ancestors must have been paying attention to the "sky" overhead quite early on.
This concern of the people of the earlier generations, and the people of the present, can no longer know exactly what it is.
Fortunately, the "tangible cultural heritage" such as rock paintings and murals from 10,000 years ago can make people understand the cognition of heaven and earth at that time.
Therefore, words are particularly important.
Even the words of thousands of years ago may contain the "culture" of people from a much earlier time.
For example, "day".
The Sayings say, "Heaven, upside down." Supreme. From one to big. ”
Erya. Commentary: "Upside down, top also." ”
Duan Yujie said that the "top" of all things is said to be "upside down". For example, "the top of the mountain" is "the top of the mountain".
And "heaven" as the "top", as Xu Shenyun said, is the "top" of "supreme".
The original meaning of "upside down" is the skull of a person, so there is the word "top of the head", also known as "Tianling Gai".
Xu Shen's small seal "Tian" character in the Shuowen must have originated from the Oracle, although he himself did not have the opportunity to see this source.
The word "heaven" in the oracle bone is either "short horizontal" on top of the "big" that means "human form"; or a "mouth" word is added to the "big" - "above the top of the head" is "heaven", or the "skull top" of the person is "heavenly spirit cover".
Whether it is an oracle bone or a small seal, "heaven" is "will". So, "from one to big".
"From one", there is the meaning of "one life two, two birth three, three life all things", which will be mentioned later.
"From the big" means "the sky is like a vault, and the cage covers the four fields", and there is no "bigger" than "the sky is big".
This is the most primitive and intuitive understanding of "heaven" by the ancients.
It can be seen that the ancestors initially "defined" the "heaven" from the perspective of "space".
China is one of the three origins of the world's first "agricultural revolution". Therefore, about 10,000 years ago, the ancestors of China at that time should have begun to observe and define "heaven" from the perspective of "the unity of time and space".
Erya. Shi Tian" Yun: "Spring is the heavens, summer is the Haotian, autumn is the mintian, and winter is the heavens." Another saying is that "spring is Haotian" and "summer is heaven".
Guo Pu's "Note" said: The heavens are "all things born in the sky." "Haotian" was full of words. "Min Tian" Min Yu Yu (mercy) also, all things carved down. "Heaven" says nothing at all times, just from above and down. ”
Northern Song Dynasty Xing Fu "Shu": "The words are chen in the name of the four hours of heaven." ”
"Heaven, Heaven, Heaven, Heaven" is the "name of heaven" of the "four hours", that is, the "four seasons".
"Heaven" is not only the concept of "space", but also the concept of "time", which is the unity of "space and space".
Winter is "heavenly", because "there is nothing to say at all times, but it is only up and down." Obviously, this has to do with the fact that winter is the season of idleness; but "from above to below" has personified the "heavens", or begun to "deify".
Poetry. WANG Feng. "Those who know me are worried about me; those who do not know me, what do they ask for me?" Leisurely heavens, this man is so bad! ”
King Ping moved east, and the pickaxe capital was abandoned, and the land was full of grass. The poem thus exclamates, "High above God, who is casting the spell!" ”
This "heaven" is no longer the "day" of spring or the "day" of summer, but the "god" that is high above.
Most of the things and events that the ancients could not control over manpower also attributed to "heaven", such as "natural production", "natural disasters", etc., or "providence" which also added the mysterious color of "heaven".
Interestingly, in the oracle bone words, "heaven" has the meaning of "upside down", the meaning of "vast", and the name of people, places, and countries, and so far, there is no direct reference to the meaning of "gods". The "Emperor" or "God" is the supreme god of "heaven"; including the ancestors who became "gods", they also dwell in "heaven". But "heaven" is only the dwelling place of "God."
At the beginning of the solstice, "heaven" became a god with a will and the lord of all things. At least in the texts handed down from the beginning of the Week.
Shang Shu. "Hong Wei Tu Tian's destiny, Fu Yongyin thought of the ancestors." However, the emperor was demoted to Xia. ”
This means that the last monarch of Xia And Shang corrupted the divine destiny and did not respect the rituals. So "the Emperor of Heaven sent down disasters to accuse them."
Gu Jiegang and Mr. Liu Qimin's "Commentary on the Interpretation of Shangshu School" says, "Yin Ren Yan Emperor, Zhou Ren Yan Tian".
Of course, there is no shortage of fear of "heavenly condemnation" in Yin Shang's remarks, but they are all expressed in terms of "emperor" or "god" unhappiness or blame, which is indeed different from the language used by the Zhou people.
This is a "big difference".
Poetry. ZHOU Song. Hao Tian has a destiny", is the song of the King of Zhou to sacrifice to become a king. He said: "Hao Tian has a destiny, and the second queen receives it." ”
In this way, the god of "HaoTian", he was sent down to the second king of Wenwu. This is the same as the aforementioned "heaven" does not refer only to "spring", and "Haotian" does not refer to "xia" but also "god".
Shang Shu. The Yao Dian says that Emperor Yao "is the fate of Xi He, Qin Ruohao Heaven, and the calendar is like the moon and the stars." Or because the Yao Dian was written in Zhou, ibid.
In addition, the "Punishment of Heaven in the "Gansu Oath of the Book of Shang"; the "Punishment of Heaven in present" in the "Tang Oath" should be recorded according to the language of the Zhou people.
It can be seen that at the beginning of the week, the "government. Governance", has fully matured and formed a system. It has two "core" elements - one is "the heavenly right of the king"; the other is "Fengtian transport", which is called "the concept of the mandate of heaven" in later generations.
Poetry. Daya. Da Xie (大眀) is an important epic poem of the Zhou people, which concentrates on the above ideas.
His poem Yun: "The Heavenly Overseer is under the heavens, and there is a set of destiny." ”
That is to say, the heavens monitor the human world, and the destiny has already returned to the Zhou state.
Youyun: "There is a destiny from heaven, and this King Wen is destined to be yu Zhou Yujing." ”
That is to say, the Heavenly Emperor had the order to descend from heaven, and the fate was sent down to King Wen of Zhou, and the capital of Zhou Jingxing Zhou state was established.
Such a "political. Zhiguan", which gave rise to the term "Imperial Heaven".
Pseudo-Kong Chuan ancient text "Shang Shu. Da Yu Mo said: "The Emperor is destined to have four seas, and is the king of the world." ”
Xu Shen's "Five Classics of Different Meanings" quotes the Shang Shu: "There are five numbers in the heavens: honor and the king, then the emperor is heaven; if the yuan qi is vast, then hao tian; under benevolence and compassion, it is called Min Tian; from the upper prison, it is called the upper heaven; according to the far-sighted cangran, it is called the heavens." This is a representative view of ancient scripture.
The earliest "state" in ancient China was formed around 6,000 years ago. Judging from the archaeological results, the Hongshan culture period has already had a national prototype.
This can only be said to be "approximate", and perhaps with new archaeological discoveries, this time will be advanced.
To interject, more and more Chinese archaeologists and historians regard the emergence of "nations", religions and the formation of "cities" as new criteria for judging "civilization". Internationally, more and more scholars are gradually recognizing this standard. The UNESCO Cultural Heritage Committee, which has identified the Liangzhu site as a "typical urban civilization", is the best example.
The above-mentioned "government. The concept of governance" must have been accompanied by the formation of the "state." However, it cannot be created out of thin air.
In fact, before this, the ancient ancestors had already begun to observe the "heaven" earlier, and according to the imagination, formed the worship of the "heaven", including the "sun, moon and stars" in the sky.
Therefore, the aforementioned "political. The premise of the emergence of the "zhiguan" is the observation of "heaven" by earlier ancestors; the second is the "primitive sect" formed by the worship of "heaven" based on imagination. Teach".
Picture of the ancient tomb of Xishuipo
Regarding the ancestors' observation of "heaven", the 6500-year-old tomb of Xishuipo in Puyang, Henan, is the best archaeological evidence.
Tomb No. 45 is obviously carefully designed according to the "time of observation", according to the "meridian line" of "due north and due south" and the "unitary line" of "due east and west". The "hip bone" placed in the tomb and the "Big Dipper Star" pattern arranged with mussel shells show that the ancients at that time had mastered the methods of "hip meter shadow measurement" and "Big Dipper timing", and skillfully combined the two. The dragon and tiger figures arranged in mussel shells are undoubtedly the symbols of the "East Palace Dragon" and the "West Palace White Tiger", and the figures of birds and deer are most likely the original embodiment of the later "Nangong Suzaku" and "North Palace Xuanwu". This shows that at that time, the ancients had made sufficiently detailed observations of the constellations and constellations around the "ecliptic" of the sun's apparent motion orbit.
The best empirical evidence of the ancient people's imagination-based worship of "heaven" is also the Xishuipo Ancient Tomb.
In the tomb, three sets of mussel shell patterns have been excavated, showing the earliest known "ideal path" for the ascension of the soul after death - the head of the deceased is south and north, living in the north; there is a dragon riding pattern in the south, which is consistent with the ancients' understanding of the earth in the north and the sky in the south. Dragons, tigers, deer, birds, etc., are all "four spirits", that is, the "tools" for the soul of the negative person to ascend to the heavens, called "spiritual stalks". What this expresses should be the ancient concept of the ancients "matching the ancestors with the heavens".
In the Hongshan Cultural Site, the jade pillow that hollows the pillow under the head of the deceased; the ascension map on the "non-clothing" tomb of Mawangdui Han; and many large ancient tombs are long with south-facing tombs, etc., should be the embodiment of this concept.
The Zhou Ji Suanjing Yun: "Those who know the earth are wise, and those who know the heavens are holy." "Saint" is the earliest synonym for those who hold the power of the king in ancient times.
The Xishuipo Tomb dates back 6500 years, and it is difficult to determine whether a rudimentary "state" has been formed at that time. However, the actual scene of the owner of Tomb No. 45 reveals an undeniable historical fact - at that time, the gap between rich and poor and social status had been formed, and after death, the monarch who was "entitled" to the ascension of the soul was not the monarch of the "state", but also the head of the tribe.
There is also a heavier point, that is, the "astronomical" knowledge and its observations at that time must have been in the hands of a small number of "witches". These people are already at the top of all strata of society. Through "seeing and giving time", they have found a basis for arguing that they "know the heavens", "reach the heavens", and "are ordained by the heavens".
The Shang Shu is quoted earlier. According to the Yao Dian ( 尧典) " ( Yao Dian ) " is the destiny of Xi He , Qin Ruo Hao Tian , the calendar is like the sun, the moon, and the stars, and the time of honoring people." "The Analects. Yao Yue: "'Consult! Ershun! The calendar of heaven is in Erzhu and is allowed to cling to it. ’...... Shun also took the fate of Yu. ”
"Observing the heavens and the time" and formulating the calendar is a "privilege" and is the government of the "Mandate of Heaven" of the "Heavenly Mandate of Heaven" of the "Heavenly Mandate of Heaven". Governing the foundations.
As mentioned above, this not only has the term "emperor heaven", but also has the title of "son of heaven" and "emperor" that represent power, and forms the original philosophy of "unity of heaven and man".
Etiquette. Qu Lixia said: "The emperor knows the Son of Heaven." ”
Speaking of "philosophy", "heaven" is the concept of "primordial" in ancient Chinese philosophy.
Zhou Yi. Yun: "Heaven is honored and humbled, and Qiankun is determined." ...... In the heavens, in the earth, in the form of change. ...... The sun and the moon run, one cold and one summer. Qian Dao became a man, and Kun Dao became a woman. Dry knows the beginning, Kun makes things. ”
"Heaven" is "yang", "earth" is "yin"; "heaven" is "dry", "earth" is "kun"; "heaven" is "one", "earth" is "two"... This is the ancient Chinese philosophy of "yin and yang changeable circle".
Zhou Yi. "One yin and one yang is the Tao, followed by goodness, and the nature of the person who becomes." ”
Huan Yun: "Easy and accurate with heaven and earth, so it can be the way of heaven and earth." Looking up at the astronomy and looking down at the geography is the reason why we know the mystery; the original anti-end, so we know the theory of death and life; the essence is the object, and the wandering soul is the change, which is the reason for knowing the ghosts and gods. ”
"Tao", "Heavenly Dao" and "Heavenly Reason" are undoubtedly concepts formed on this basis. The later "derivation" of these ideas does not count.
In ancient times, the observation of "heaven" and the "specialization" of the calendar law should have begun in the Zhou Dynasty.
The Zhou Li records the official positions of the Zhou royal family and sets up the position of "Heavenly Official". It should be the source of the "ceremonial department" of the hereafter.
In the Zhou Dynasty, there were also "specialized" astronomical works, represented by the Zhou Jie Arithmetic Classic, which recorded the astronomical and mathematical achievements of the earlier people.
Among the many astronomical achievements of the pre-Qin Dynasty, the measurement of "heaven" by mathematical methods was amazing, and later generations called it "Pythagorean theorem".
Chinese. Under the Chu language, it is said: "It is to know the heavens, and to know the people." "Note" Yun: "Close, words are few, this word knows little about the Heavenly Dao, how to know the law of governing the people." ”
It can be seen that during the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, astronomy has been popularized to be closely connected with the kingdoms governing the princes.
During this period, coinciding with the controversy of the hundreds of sons and hundreds of families, people's discussion of "heaven" became more and more active. Representative is the "Heavenly Question" in the "Chu Ci". "Heavenly Question", that is, "Asking Heaven", asks a series of questions related to "Heaven". "There are nine weights in the sky", which is also the earliest written record.
Xunzi also published his famous insight: "The heavens have no real form, and those who are above the earth are all heavenly." ”
However, in general, the "cosmology" at this time, that is, the "gaitian theory" of "the round place of the sky". This has been clearly stated in the Zhou Hip Arithmetic Classic. Its "square out of the circle" and "seven balances and six figures" are definitely the "science" creation of the world in the pre-Qin period.
The earliest known prototype of this theory can be pushed forward to at least the circular mounds and square mounds of the Hongshan culture around 6,000 years ago.