Page 245 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 238
‘mountain-oath and sea-oath’ (shan men hai shi). The expression ‘middle mountain’
(zhong yue) may refer to the human nose. A landslip in the mountains was taken as
an unmistakable sign that the ruling dynasty’s days were numbered: for mountain
and Emperor corresponded to and reflected each other.

Expedition in the mountains

The ancient tale of ‘The Old Simpleton’ (Yu-gong) acquired unexpected fame as a
parable in the Mao era. This tells how the old man could no longer put up with having to
go round a chain of mountains in order to get to the nearest village. Undeterred by the

fact that he was already ninety years old, he made a start on digging a way through the
hills. A scholar pointed out to him that he was really too old to take on such a task;
whereupon the old man reminded him that his children were helping him and that his
grand-children and great-grandchildren would certainly bring the work to a successful
conclusion. It is obvious why Mao should have found this tale useful as an exercise in
moral propaganda, but it is noteworthy that he invariably omitted to mention the end of
the story as told in Lie-zi’s original version: here, the gods of the mountains and the sea
take pity on the old simpleton and report his case to the supreme god, Shang-di, who
orders his demiurges to cut a way through the mountains forthwith.
On mountain spirits, see Shan-xiao.