The way of earth refers to the law by which the earth and all things on it exist and undergo change. The ancient Chinese believed in the oneness of the heaven, earth, and human being. Thus they associated the way of earth with the way of heaven and the way of man. They also considered that the way of heaven and the way of earth establish the order of human relationships and the norms of human affairs. However, the ancients did not agree on their conception of the way of earth. According to some philosophers, the earth and all things on it follow a law that is different from the way of heaven, while others believed the law governing the earth and all things on it is the same as the way of heaven in essence but different in manifestation.