Below is an illustration that employs the timeless Taiji diagram as a playful yet profound key to unlocking the spatial and sequential arrangement of King Wen’s eight trigrams. Picture it as a celestial compass: the Kan trigram ushers in a crisp, pristine white, while the Li trigram debuts in a warm, earthy brown—both serving as […]
How Do the Taiji Diagram and the Sixty-Four Hexagrams Correspond? At the very core of the Taiji Sixty-Four Hexagrams Diagram lies a primordial circular blueprint—a pre-heaven round chart—that masterfully unifies all 64 hexagrams from the Book of Changes along with their 384 individual line representations. Each hexagram is rendered with meticulous order: a double dash […]
Understanding Zhou Dunyi’s “Exposition on the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate” How does one unravel the enigmatic tapestry of Zhou Dunyi’s “Exposition on the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate”? Penned during the illustrious Northern Song dynasty, this concise treatise—merely 249 characters in length—accompanies Zhou’s famed Tai Chi diagram. Originally adapted from a Daoist cultivation schematic, […]
What, pray tell, distinguishes the Tai Chi diagram rendered by Zhou Dunyi? This eminent Northern Song scholar, while expounding on the mysteries of the I Ching, introduced a striking diagram in his treatise Exposition on the Tai Chi Diagram. Later, the celebrated Zhu Xi refined and reimagined this design, ensuring its legacy through the ages. […]
How Is the Wuji Diagram Formed? Legend has it that the enigmatic Wuji Diagram was crafted by the illustrious Taoist sage Chen Tuan during the Song Dynasty—a figure whose very name evokes mystery and mastery. At its very base lies a circle symbolizing the “Mystic Portal of the Subtle Womb”. This is not a portal […]
What might this enigmatic title signify?Originally appearing in the ancient alchemical classic Zhouyi Cantong Qi, the “Three-Five Construct of Quintessence” was employed by Taoist practitioners to illustrate the intricate process by which elixirs—the legendary alchemical medicines—are formed. The cryptic adage “Three and Five combine into One, yielding the supreme essence of Heaven and Earth” encapsulates […]
What Exactly Is the Ancient Tai Chi Diagram? Behold the ancient Tai Chi diagram—also known as the “Fuxi Bagua Tai Chi Diagram” or, for those with a taste for mystic nomenclature, the “Cantongqi Tai Chi Diagram.” Legend has it that this exquisite schematic was originally sketched by erudite alchemists and Daoist adepts as they unraveled […]
How Should We Comprehend the “Three-in-One” Principle of Tai Chi? The ancient sages employed the notion of “containing three as one” to unravel the profound mysteries of Tai Chi. As chronicled in the venerable San Tong Li, it is stated: “Tai Chi is the primordial energy, and for the Tai Chi diagram, the ‘three’ signifies […]
What is “Tai Su”? Imagine if Tai Chi were the smooth, refined art of cosmic balance—now picture something even more ancient and unpolished, a sort of proto-matter that predates even Tai Chi’s elegant moves. That’s Tai Su. In Taoist thought, Tai Su represents the universe’s raw material at a stage so early it almost has […]
What Stage of Material Development Does “Taishi” Represent? Imagine the universe as an epic movie in production. In Taoist cosmogony, “Taishi” is like the first sketch on the storyboard—there’s a clear outline (the “form”) but no detailed picture (the “substance”) yet. This is the primordial phase that precedes the grand opening scene of Heaven and […]