Page 265 - A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols BIG Book

A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols 258
Such doctrines as that of the two natural principles yin and yang, of the
heaven-earth-man trinity, of the square as the ruling figure, of the five elements
or ‘permutations’, and of the eight trigrams, give rise, as might be expected, to
endless numerological speculation. Geomancy also derives ultimately from a form of
number mysticism.
Along with their many practical uses, the natural numbers gave the Chinese for
thousands of years an insight ‘into the way things are held together and into the
alternating cultural systems in which we may discern the rhythms of cosmic life’ (Marcel
Granet).
See separate entries on the cardinals, numbers One to Ten, Twelve, Thirteen: also,
Twenty-four, Thirty-six, Seventy-two and Ten Thousand.

Nuns

ni-gu

Nunneries were instituted against the will of Buddha, mainly at the behest of
Ananda, Buddha’s favourite disciple. From the historical sources it seems that the first
convent was set up in China round about AD 350.
A woman who did not wish to marry could expect to meet with little understanding
and no sympathy. It is related of one provincial governor that he had all the nuns in his
province rounded up and weighed. They were then forcibly married off to available
bachelors at the best going rate – for pork!
There were times when women flocked to convents in considerable numbers.
A Chinese proverb ran: ‘If a woman refuses to serve a husband and bring up children, let
her enter a nunnery!’ The first nunneries exclusively for women date from AD 972: from
then onwards, nuns could no longer be initiated along with monks.
It is considered bad luck to see a nun on the street between New Year’s Day and the
3rd day of the feast.

Nuo-zha

This is a youthful god: he stands on a fiery wheel, in combat with his enemies. According
to one tale, he is the son of the Heavenly Ruler of the North, at fault in that he revered
only Buddha and not his parents. Then again, he is the son of Li Jing: he was born
after a three-year pregnancy as a lump of flesh which his father dashed to pieces.
His deeds are related in the novels Feng-shen yan-yi (‘The Metamorphoses of the Gods’)
and Xi you ji (‘Journey to the West’).