Research On The Generative Theory Of Universe In Huainan Zi

The Huainanzi,as a masterpiece of pre-Qin thought,tries to build a systematic and complete system of thought by taking Taoism as the core and integrating the different ideas of the pre-Qin philosophers.In such a Taoist work,cosmology is one of the most important parts.Nowadays,Most scholars believe that the evolutionary processes discussed in different chapters of Huainanzi are similar and try to outline a "consistent" cosmology.However,as the research progresses,some scholars realize that the cosmology in different chapters of Huainanzi is not the same,and the differences between some cosmologies are even more obvious,so it is very difficult to get a conclusion that encompasses the whole.Therefore,the focus of the study should be shifted to analyzing the cosmology of different chapters of Huainanzi.This thesis,divided into five chapters,examines the cosmology of the Huainanzi,several major cosmological evolutionary theories,and two major modes of cosmological evolution,and then reveals the profound influence of the Huainanzi’s cosmology on human society-mainly on human nature and political theory.The first chapter explores the background and ideological origins of the Huainanzi cosmology,and provides an overview of the key chapters involved in the Huainanzi cosmology as a whole.The compilation of the Huainanzi cosmogony was a result of political helplessness,a response to the trend of academic unification,the requirement of the nature of philosophy itself,and the result of its own continuous development.Therefore,Huainanzi has a large number of theories about the universe.It is not difficult to find that these theories draw on numerous pre-Qin ideas such as Zhou Yi,Laozi,Zhuangzi,and Zengzi Tian Yuan.However,because the Huainanzi’s cosmological theories are huge in volume and extensive in scope,this thesis provides an overview of the key chapters involved in the theory of cosmogenesis for subsequent research.The second chapter analyzes the nature of the universe’s original "Tao" in Huainanzi.In Huainanzi,"Tao" is not only the supreme existence that is invisible and undefined and does not increase or decrease,but also the driving force that can transform all things and keep the empirical world running.This understanding of "Tao" in Huainanzi is very close to that of the Four Classics of the Yellow Emperor-Tao Yuan,and should be a reference to Tao Yuan.In addition,Huainanzi’s "Dao Ying Xun" and "Shuo Shan Xun" use fables to point out the transcendence of "Tao",arguing that the real "Tao" is beyond words and that one can only understand "Tao" through "anti-clerical"."This idea is probably an absorption of the concept of"anti" in Laozi.The third chapter discusses the main theories of cosmic evolution in Huainan Zi.There are six systematized evolution theories in Huainan Zi.The first is the evolution theory of "creating something out of nothing",which interprets the text of Zhuangzi and thus integrates the concept of the evolution of the universe in Laozi,in order to realize the integration of the both.The second is the evolution theory of "one-two-four-thousands",which has a complete logical chain.By setting the stage of "Taizhao",the evolution process becomes simple and clear,and reveals the evolution process of Qi-born things.The third is the evolutionary theory of "Si Xuan born something",which involves five evolutionary sequences of animals and three evolutionary sequences of plants.Among them,the evolutionary sequence of animals also extends the evolutionary sequence of humans,revealing that animals come from a similar ancestor.The fourth is the evolution theory of "Jing Qi born human",which also presents a more specific evolutionary process,among which the most important is the idea of "Jing Qi born human",which is the inheritance and development of the four chapters of Guan Zi,and greatly improves the subject status of human.The fifth is the evolutionary theory of "harmony between Yin and Yang".This evolutionary theory not only involves a wide range of chapters,but is closely related to such evolutionary theories as "creating something out of nothing","one-two-three-thousands" and "Jing Qi born human ".More importantly,it is consistent with the pattern of "corresponding to the same kind and moving with Qi".The key point of the evolution theory of "harmony of Yin and Yang" is to emphasize that there must be the transition of Yin and Yang into "qi",so as to produce all things.It denies the possibility of a single Yin or Yang formation,and makes a specific elaboration on how the qi of Yin and Yang form into things.Finally,it is the evolution theory of "all things arise from themselves".Because of the special concept of this evolution theory,it must be assisted by the cosmology of Heng Xian to provide ideas for accurately grasping how all things arise from themselves on the basis of other things,and to understand how "all things arise from themselves" makes the whole world "emerge from nothing".The fourth chapter analyzes the model of the universe evolution theory in Huai Nanzi.The first is the pattern of "the same kind corresponds to each other and moves with Qi",which is closely related to the evolutionary theory of "harmony between Yin and Yang".The mode of "The same kind corresponds to each other and moves with Qi" holds that since all things are formed by the gasification of Yin and Yang,nature can interact with each other by virtue of its own Yin and Yang categories,that is,things belonging to Yang can relate to other things belonging to Yang,and things belonging to Yin can relate to other things belonging to Yin,and human being,as the highest being,can relate to things belonging to Yin and Yang by virtue of its "essence".Therefore,the pre-Qin concept of "disasters and auspicious auspicious" was included,exhorting the monarch to practice heart,otherwise it would cause disasters.The second is the "four seasons and five directions" cosmic pattern.Through the combination of the five elements and the four seasons,this model integrated everything into the five elements and the four seasons,forming a specific and fixed framework in which the monarch could not act arbitrarily and should act within the provisions of the framework to ensure the smooth operation of the universe.The fifth chapter discusses the theory of human nature and politics in Huainan Zi.In the Huainanzi,the essence of the Way of Origin,"Wu-wei," is not only found in the theory of cosmic evolution and the model of cosmic evolution,but also has a great influence on the theory of human nature and the theory of politics.In the theory of Human Nature in Huainan Zi,by analogy with the evolution process of Tao,human nature is determined to be the same with Tao,and it is pointed out that human nature also has "invariability" and "changeability" just like "Tao",among which the "invariability" of human is the original "Tao",and the "changeability" of human is the "sociality" that changes with the development of The Times,both of which are human nature.But man’s Tao nature is above man’s sociality.As for the problem of nourishing the nature,Huainan Zi proposed the methods of nourishing the nature of "Tao" and "sociality" respectively by "doing nothing" and "educating",and constructed the corresponding view of virtue and happiness.The construction of political theory is based on the theory of human nature and cosmology.Since the monarch is a human being,the core of political theory naturally should first adhere to the "Tao" nature of human beings and realize the "rule by doing nothing".By expanding the meaning of "inaction",Huainan Zi includes some specific means of "action",and affirms the value of "action" which cannot be included in the part of "inaction".Huainan Zi also requires the monarch to "do nothing" and even to keep "quiet" in his heart with the help of two models of cosmic evolution,so as to realize the highest realm of governance--the mind determines the world.