Page 234 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A-Z 227
According to the ancient teaching contained in the Hong-fan (‘Great Plan’) metal also
has correlatives in the five viscera (the lungs), in the five bodily functions (hearing and
understanding) and the five heavenly signs or symbols of the seasons (cold). In the
Huang-di nei-jing, the breviary of ancient Chinese medicine, ‘metal’ is further correlated
with one of the bodily orifices (the nose) and with one of the affects (grief). The basic
concept is that of relationship with the West and with autumn as the season in which
vegetation dies: the time of death and, in ancient Chinese society, the time for executions
to be carried out. Metal ( sword) is hence significant as the instrument of execution.

Middle

zhong

The written sign for ‘middle’ represents an arrow striking the centre of a target: the same
sign can be used as a verb meaning ‘to strike in the middle’, ‘hit the mark’.
From very ancient times onwards the Chinese have called their country zhong guo, the
‘Middle Kingdom’, and they still call themselves zhong guo ren = ‘the people of the
Middle Kingdom’. The term zhong guo was replaced at different times over China’s long
history by the name of the ruling dynasty; and our word ‘China’ comes presumably from
the name of the Qin Dynasty (c. 250–206 BC). The Russian word Kitai derives from the
name of the Kitan Dynasty which ruled North China sporadically (AD 1125–1234) (cf.
English ‘Cathay’). The ancient capital, Lo-yang, was shown by Chinese astronomers to
be very close to the centre point of the earth. Indeed, theoretically, the seat of the
Emperor was to be ‘in the middle’, although, in point of fact, most Chinese capitals have
been situated in the West or the North of the country. The Emperor faced the South, so
that he could follow the progress of the sun from dawn through midday to evening. His
subjects had to approach him from the South; and Chinese maps on which the Emperor

could survey his realm, had the South at the top of the sheet, the North at the bottom.
The term ‘Middle Kingdom’ was understood not only in a geographic sense, but in a
moral sense as well. In the Taoist book Lie-zi we already find it described as a land of
diametrical opposites which counter-balance each other and replace each other:
‘Within the Four Seas lies the Middle Kingdom: it lies to the north and the south of the
Yellow River, and to east and west of the Great Mountain (tai shan) in an area of over a
thousand miles ( square). Cloudy and clear are clearly distinguished, and so warm
and cold succeed each other. Dark and bright are clearly divided, so day and night follow
each other. Among the people are the clever and the stupid. Nature thrives luxuriantly,
arts and crafts are richly developed, ruler and people occupy their proper places, and
morality and justice support each other.’
As ‘Middle Kingdom’, China saw herself in the centre of ‘all below heaven’ (tian xia),
as the quintessence of civilisation. Beyond her borders, ‘outside’, lived only barbarians.