Xing (形) refers to the form of an object, and ming (名) refers to its name. The ancient Chinese believed that objects have forms, and that each formed object has its own specific nature which distinguishes it from other objects, whereas its name specifies the object. An order comprised of names establishes the relationships between the objects as w…

Ji (几) refers to an omen indicating the emerging or changing of things. Ancient Chinese believed that a subtle omen would appear before something new emerged or when something old was about to change, or before the differentiation of good and evil in human nature occurred. An omen is either visible or hidden inside something old. One should develop…

Humans and all things are one. The ancients believed that humans and all things were produced by heaven and earth, and that despite belonging to different categories, they ultimately followed the same fundamental principle and had a commonality or consistency, just like the parts of a person’s body; humans must acknowledge this so they won’t lose…

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