Mythology research

Author: Bashu Book Society
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: The in the table of contents indicates the combination of (left structure ; right structure ). The poems "Dezhu" and "Houren," as well as the "Gao Tang Fu," mention Dezhu, qi, yu, and yun. These terms must be analyzed. Dezhu is the rainbow, also known as "tui," which we have long known. However, the ancients often referred to "yun ni" together, as in the "Li Yang Wang Xia" chapter of the "Mengzi," "like longing for the rainbow during a severe drought," and in the "Li Sao," "leading the rainbow and mist to come," and "raising the rainbow and mist in the misty haze" (ni and tui are the same), showing that they believed yun tui were one thing. The ancients also referred to "hong qi" and "yun qi" together, as in the commentary on "Dezhu," "When a couple goes beyond propriety, the hong qi becomes strong," and in the "Selections of Wen Xuan," "Above it, there is only yun qi," as well as in the "Zhuangzi," "Swinging on yun qi, carrying the blue sky," indicating that they did not distinguish between hong, yun, and qi. The issue of Dezhu (rainbow) and yun qi has been resolved. But what about qi? Some believed qi was qi: the commentary on "Dezhu" said, "qi, ascending (qi). The annotation said, 'In the west, ascending qi in the morning.' The 'Zhou Li · Wei Lu' by Zheng Xuan of the former said, 'qi, ascending qi.' The 'Ancient Micro-Book' quotes the annotation by Song Jun of the 'Spring and Autumn Affecting the Spirit Talisman' as saying, 'qi refers to the halo qi.'" Others believed it was yun: the commentary on "Houren" said, "qi, ascending yun. The annotation said, 'Small clouds of huiyu rise from the southern mountains.' Li's 'Commentary on the I Ching' (Volume II) quotes the annotation by Xun Shuang of the 'Xu Gua' as saying, 'When clouds ascend to the extreme, they descend as rain, hence the poem says, 'In the morning, qi rises in the west, and by morning, it rains.'" Others believed it was hong: the annotation by Zheng Xuan of the later in the 'Zhou Li · Wei Lu' said, "qi, hong." Qi can be interpreted as qi, yun, or hong, which, on one hand, confirms what I said earlier about the ancients not distinguishing between hong, yun, and qi, and on the other hand, proves that hong, yun, and qi were originally also mutually interchangeable terms.
The names of Fu Xi and Nuwa first appeared in records during the Warring States period. Fu Xi is mentioned in the "Lower Commentary on the Changes" of the "I Ching," the "Fengchan Chapter" and "Qingzhong Wu Chapter" of the "Guanzi," the "Renjian Chapter," "Da Zongshi Chapter," "Fu Qie Chapter," "Xiansheng Chapter," and "Tianzi Fang Chapter" of the "Zhuangzi," the "Junzhi Chapter" of the "Shizi," the "Chengxiang Chapter" of the "Xunzi," and the "Dazha Chapter" of the "Chuci." Nuwa is mentioned in the "Tianwen Chapter" of the "Chuci," the "Mingtangwei Chapter" of the "Liji," and the "Daxiangxi Chapter" of the "Shanhaijing," but the latter two can only be considered as Han Dynasty classics, although they may contain materials from the pre-Qin period. The two names were mentioned together for the first time in the "Lanming Chapter" of the "Huainanzi," also a Han Dynasty book.
Regarding their family relationship, there are various theories. Without reason, yet until recently, the theory that they were brothers was favored by scholars. The "Shiben · Xingshi Chapter" said: The Nu family: Tianhuang enfeoffed his brother 16 to the south of the Rushui River and became an emperor, thus being called the Nu Huang. This theory's distortion of the facts by scholars is self-evident. Luo Bi's "Lu Shi · Houji Chapter II" and Liang Yusheng's "Commentary on the People's Genealogy in the Han Shu" openly admitted their reasons for such distortion, so there is no need to delve deeper into this theory.
Another earlier and more accurate theory that reflects the truth of the legend is the theory that they were siblings. The annotation in the "Lu Shi · Houji Chapter II" quotes the "Fengsu Tong" as saying: Nuwa is the sister of Fu Xi (Hui Xi).