On The Winds Divination And The Concept Of Heaven-man In Han Dynasty

The divination of winds is an important expressional form of divination culture in Han Dynasty.People in Han Dynasty regard "winds" as orders revealed by heaven or nature,and observe the characteristics of winds to look into the past or forecast the future.Therefore,winds are regarded as the messengers of communication between heaven and man.By researching the divination culture of winds in Han Dynasty,this thesis aims to enrich the current academic cognition of the relationship between heaven and man in Han Dynasty.The introduction mainly explains the object and significance of this study,the achievements and limitations of previous studies and the research methods applied in this thesis.At present,the academic circle has not paid enough attention to the divination of winds in Han Dynasty.As a result,no relevant monograph has been published so far.The present studies are often limited in the framework of subject classification and most of them do not have a clear problem consciousness.In view of the situation,this thesis decides to combine methods of philology and culturology to study,and takes " heaven-man relationship" as an important issue to run through the study on the divination of winds in Han Dynasty.Chapter one looks into the background of developments in winds divination and summarizes the basic documents we can use today.The divination of winds in Han Dynasty is developed on the basis of divination culture in pre-Qin period,and the Han Dynasty has established the corresponding institution and equipment for it.Those important documents on studying winds divination in Han Dynasty are preserved in the interpretations of Confucian classics,the numerology and apocryphal theology,and the records of relevant historical figures.By inducting and sorting these documents,we can lay a text foundation in the research of winds divination in Han Dynasty.Chapter two takes the interaction of heaven and man in the background of classical“Fengzheng” as the starting point,researching the classical shaping of winds divination in Han Dynasty by interpretations of Hongfan.Confucians in Han Dynasty combine the theory of regular and disordered winds in Hongfan with human’s affairs in the way of historical narrations.On the one hand,they connect the interpretations of Hongfan with Wuxingzhi,On the other hand,they cite this discourse in classical“Fengzheng” to make their political comments.The ideology of interaction between heaven and man inspires Confucians in Han Dynasty to use natural disasters to restrict the monarchy’s power.Chapter three pays attention to the important method “eight winds divination” of“Fengjiao” in Han Dynasty.We will firstly research the transition of “eight winds” in different contexts.Based on Yi Yin-Yang academic background,this thesis will study on the isostructuralism between the divination of gua-qi in Yiwei and eight winds.Furthermore,this chapter will point out the divinatory differences among gua-qi,eight winds and Yueling.Chapter four studies on another method “phonological winds divination” in Han Dynasty,analyzing the influence of classical phonology on “Fengjiao”.By researching the theory and practical skills of this method,this chapter will comprehensively verify the concrete cases recorded in the unearthed and handed down documents.At the end of this chapter,we will make a transversal observation of discourses between “Fengzheng” and “Fengjiao”,researching their differences on the heaven-man relationship and the ideology form.Chapter five examines the tradition of using Qi to explain winds and its following induction theory from the perspective of cosmology.In the aspect of heaven-man relationship,there are both similarities and differences between “Fengqi” induction and classical winds divination theory.By contrast,there is a big distinction between“Fengqi” and “Fengjiao”.The scholarship of heaven and man in Han Dynasty is extensive and profound.The relationship between heaven and man in Han Dynasty is expressed by the divination of winds in different aspects,such as cultural regulation,theoretical construction and ideological elucidation.Due to the scarcity of documents and the lack of research power,there are still many places to be strengthened in the study of winds divination in Han Dynasty.On the basis of precise analysis and explanations,this thesis may aid us better understand the systematization and complexity of the relationship between heaven and man in Han Dynasty.With the development of studies on the winds divination,the academic circle will also deepen their understanding of the concept of heaven-man in Han Dynasty.