Symbolism In Chinese Culture

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Symbolism In Chinese Culture

• ---Meaning of Numbers
• Li Liang
• (liangli214_at_126.com)

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1. The Daoism View of Nature and Numbers

• The whole universe is made of two basic forces
  yin(? )and yang(?)

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• Yin the feminine or negative principle in
  nature.
• Yang the masculine or positive principle In
  nature.
• Yin and yang are thought to arise together from
  an initial quiescence or emptiness (wuji, ??),
  and to continue moving in tandem until quiescence
  is reached again.

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Characteristics of Yin Yang

• Yin yang are opposing
• Yin yang describe opposing qualities in
  phenomena.
• For instance, winter is yin to summer's yang over
  the course of a year, and femininity is yin to
  masculinity's yang in human relationships.
• It is impossible to talk about yin or yang
  without some reference to the opposite.

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• Yin yang are rooted together
• Since yin and yang are created together in a
  single movement, they are bound together as parts
  of a mutual whole.
• A race with only men or only women would
  disappear in a single generation, but men and
  women together create new generations that allow
  the race they mutually create (and mutually come
  from) to survive.
• The interaction of the two gives birth to things.

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• Yin yang transform each other
• Like an undertow in the ocean, every advance is
  complemented by a retreat, and every rise
  transforms into a fall.
• E.g. A seed will sprout from the earth and grow
  upwards towards the sky - an intrinsically yang
  movement. Then when it reaches its full height,
  it will begin to weaken, and eventually will fall
  back to the earth in decay - an intrinsically yin
  movement.
• Yin always contains the potential for yang, and
  yang for yin.

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• Yin-yang are balanced
• Yin-yang is a dynamic equilibrium.
• They arise together they are always equal
• If one disappears, the other must disappear as
  well, leaving emptiness.
• This is rarely immediately apparent, though,
  because yang elements are clear and obvious while
  yin elements are hidden and subtle.

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• Yin-yang are omnipresent
• e.g. time/space/ relationship
• Chinese place names ?????
• food???????
• medicine ??(acupuncture)
• ????,????,????
• so energy line system rebalanced

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2. Yin and Yang Corresponding Energies
Yin Yang
Dark Light
Matter Spirit
Earth Sky
Female Male
Passive Active
Even Numbers Odd Numbers
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• Can add more to this binary system
• winter/summer, death/life, cold/hot,
• So the point is basically there is no distinction
  between good/bad, etc, numbers inclusive.
• All are indispensable pairs in this system of
  balance.

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3. Why Lucky and Unlucky numbers?

• Western religion? 7 lucky
• 13 unlucky
• Chinese
• 1)traditional Chinese philosophy
• 2)words that sound similar (homophones)

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4. Meaning of Numbers

• ?(yi) unity /initiation/ beginning
• Daoism One begets two.
• father of the children of
  numbers
• holds yang/masculine energy.
• has a thrusting energy that
  surges forth new growth and potential.
• e.g. ????(yi xin yi yì)
• ???? (jiu jiu gui yi)

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• ? (èr)duality /germination/harmony
• mother of numbers
• even number feminine/yin
  energy.
• good things come in pairs
• (???? háo shì chéng shuang)
• e.g. wedding
• a pair of red candles/pillows/shoes
• couplets

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• ?(san)
• The first offspring from the union of numbers 1
  and 2.
• number three is forever linked with the sanctity
  of life, progeny and childbirth.

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• Associated with endings in the Chinese meaning of
  numbers.
• (????? not means three)
• From three, the family of numbers branches out to
  create diversity and complexity.
• Daoism Great Triad (Heaven-Mankind-Earth)
  which can be loosely translated to mean the path
  from obscurity into manifestation.
• Daoism
• ???,???,???,????, ??????
• Also sounds similar to
• sheng (?, birth or ?,rising)

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• ? (sì) sounds similar to
• si(?,death)
• Many numbered product lines skip the "4
• or any number chains ending with 4
• But it sounds similar to shì ?(things)or
  ?(world,life)
• e.g ???????? (shì shì rú yì)
• Everything done as wished.
• ????(sì jì fa cái)
• May you be prosperous all four seasons.

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• ? (wu) associated with the five elements in
  Chinese philosophy

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• The doctrine of five phases describes two cycles,
  a generating or creation (?, sheng) cycle, also
  known as "mother-son"
• and an overcoming or destruction (?/?, kè) cycle,
  also known as "grandfather-nephew", of
  interactions between the phases.

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• Generating
• Wood feeds Fire
• Fire creates/produces Earth (ash)
• Earth bears Metal
• Metal carries Water (e.g H2O is created by
  reactions catalyzed by metal oxides when molten
  volcanoes erupt)
• Water nourishes Wood.
• Other common words for this cycle include
  "begets", "engenders" and "mothers."

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• Overcoming
• Wood parts Earth (such as roots)
• Earth absorbs (or muddies) Water
• Water quenches Fire
• Fire melts Metal
• Metal chops Wood.
• Also
• Wood absorbs Water
• Water rusts Metal
• Metal breaks up Earth
• Earth smothers Fire
• Fire burns Wood.
• This cycle might also be called "controls",
  "restrains" or "fathers".

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Significance of Wu Xing Theory

• feng shui e.g. architecture
• Traditional Chinese medicine
• ??(?)??(?)
• Martial arts The Five Steps of Taiji
• Music/astrology/sensory

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• Forbidden City5 arches/5 gates

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Folklore Wu Fu Lin Men (????)
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Wu Fu Lin Men (Cont)
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• Also sounds similar to
• wu(?) poetic I
• e.g ??
• ??
• wo(?)520I love you
• 555??? ?

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• ?( liù)harmony/expansion
• e.g. ??(liù he)
• six cosmic points of directions
• ???????????
• pronounced similar to liú (?,fluid)
• e.g. ???(liù liù shùn)
• ????

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• Good/smooth for business.
• e.g.
• 666 one of the luckiest numbers of all
• AW666 license plate numbered was sold
  for RMB 270,000
• Western devils number?

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• ?(qi)spiritual or ghostly.
• The seventh month Ghost Month.
• not commonly associated with luck.
• Traditional Chinese Memorial Days
• 7749 days
• 1st 7??
• 2nd 7??.7th 7 ??
• BUT
•  

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• Chinese Valentines Day
• ???(qixijié) On July 7 according to Chinese
  Lunar calendar
• Also called The Girls Festival (???)
• Originated from legendary story
• The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid
• (????,niú láng zhi nu)

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The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid (????)
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• The Story
• about the 7th daughter of Emperor of Heaven and
  an orphaned cowherd.
• They were separated by the Emperor.
• The 7th daughter was forced to move to the star
  Vega and the cowherd moved to the star Altair.
• They are allowed to meet only once a year on the
  day of 7th day of 7th lunar month.

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• ???(què qiáo huì)

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• Example
• ??? Fairy Of The Magpie Bridge ?? by
  Qin Guan (1049-1100)???? Among the
  beautiful clouds, ???? Over the
  heavenly river, ?????? Crosses the weaving
  maiden. ??????? A night of rendezvous,
  ??????? Across the autumn sky. ????
  Surpasses joy on earth. ????
  Moments of tender love and dream, ??????
  So sad to leave the magpie bridge. ???????
  Eternal love between us two, ??????? Shall
  withstand the time apart.

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• Chinese Ceremonies
• Girls prepare fruits, melons and incense as
  offerings to the weaving maiden
• Girls throw the five-color ropes on the roof for
  magpies. Magpies will carry ropes to build the
  bridge.
• Girls pray to acquire high skills in
  needlecraft, hoping to find satisfactory
  husbands.
• In the evening, people sit outdoors to observe
  the stars.

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Ancient Seventh-sister Party
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• ?(ba)sounds similar to
• fa (? prosperity or wealth).
• ? is short for ?? (fa cái) get rich
• ???? (gongxi facái)congratulations and get rich.

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• In Chinese New Year it can mean
• Happy new year!
• Congratulations and best wishes for a
  prosperous new year!

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• Also a visual resemblance between two digits,
  88 and ?
• The most favoured number in Chinese culture

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• Examples
• In Chengdutelephone number with all digits being
  eights was sold for 270,723
• In Hangzhou license plate reading A88888 for RMB
  1.12 million (roughly 164,000 USD).
• The opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in
  Beijing are scheduled to open on 8/8/08 at
  80808 pm.

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More

• phone numbers
• 6252-8888. Holiday Inn Crown Plaza in Shanghai
• 6279-8088 Northwest Airlines
• 6247-8888 China Travel Services

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• ?( jiu)the greatest of single-digit numbers
• was historically associated with the Emperor of
  China

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• Number 9 is a homophone of the word for
  longlasting (?,jiu)
• It signifies friendship, love, and long life.
• e.g ?? (cháng jiu)
• ???? ??????(you yì dì jiu tian cháng)
• May our friendship last forever.

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Double-9th Day (???,chóngyángjié)

• on the ninth day of the ninth month in Chinese
  lunar calendar.
• The highest odd number, or yang number, appears
  in double ,so literally double yang.
• a history of more than 2,000 years.

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• Main Conventions
• going on a journey
• ascending height (Height Ascending Festival)
• inserting cornel
• appreciating chrysanthemum
• eating Double-Ninth cake and drinking
  chrysanthemum wine.

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• The Chinese government set September 9 in the
  lunar calendar as "the Elder's Festival" in 1989.
  
• Now the Double-Ninth Day has been enlisted as
  Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.

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5. Number Combinations

• e.g
• 168 road of prosperity or to be prosperous
  together.

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Fun with Number Combinations

• 14
• 518
• 1314
• 1314920
• 88?886

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Closing Remarks

• 1) ???,?????
• 2)Beauty/Auspiciousness is in the eye of the
  beholder?

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• Thank You 39 !?