The (), or The ''Book of Transformations'', is a 930 CE

Daoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

classic about " internal alchemy", psychological

subjectivity The distinction between subjectivity and objectivity is a basic idea of philosophy, particularly epistemology and metaphysics. Various understandings of this distinction have evolved through the work of countless philosophers over centuries. One b ...

, and

spiritual transformation Spiritual transformation involves a fundamental change in a person's sacred or spiritual life. Psychologists examine spiritual transformation within the context of an individual's ''meaning system'', Israela Silberman (2005)Religion as a meanin ...

. In the description of Poul Andersen,

The is a unique philosophical work of the period of the Five Dynasties, which syncretizes elements of Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian thought, and which has been noted in recent times for its scientific observations (for instance regarding optics and acoustics) and for its unusual emphasis on epistemological considerations. Its influence during the Song and subsequent dynasties was substantial, both within Taoist and Confucian metaphysics, and especially as foundation of alchemical thought.

Authors

Authorship of the is associated with three people. The

Southern Tang Southern Tang ( zh, c=南唐, p=Nán Táng) was a Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic state of China that existed during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Located in southern China, the Southern Tang proclaimed itself to be the successor ...

(937–975 CE) chancellor Song Qiqiu first published it under his name, but evidence suggests he plagiarized the from its primary author Tan Qiao , who later scholars confabulated with another roughly contemporaneous Daoist Tan Zixiao . Didier analyzes the authorship in detail, and believes "one reasonably can conclude only that while T'an Ch'iao wrote the essence of the text, Sung edited and also emended it, and in the process corrupted both the structure of and the ''apparent'' philosophy expressed through the work."

Song Qiqiu

Song Qiqiu (; 886–959 CE) was

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the Southern Tang kingdom, which was one of the Ten Kingdoms. He was born in Luling (present-day

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

), orphaned as a child, and self-educated. While serving as an official in the kingdom of Wu (907–937), he befriended Xu Zhigao , and helped him to establish the Southern Tang and become Emperor Liezu (r. 937–943). Song was appointed to various important administrative posts, including Chancellor on the Left. After the emperor died, Song retired to Mount Jiuhua and was called . Liezu's successor Emperor Yuanzong (r. 943–961) reappointed Song as chancellor and made him Duke of

Chu (state) Chu (, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was an Ancient Chinese states, ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BC. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou heartland and lasted ...

. In 958 CE, Song was accused of treason and exiled to Jiuhua, where he hanged himself. Song wrote a still-extant preface dated 930 CE and published the book under his name. Beginning in the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

some editions of the were titled the . Song Qiqiu's authorship was debunked in the 11th century. The Daoist priest Chen Jingyuan (ca. 1024–1094 CE) published the with his colophon dated 1060 CE, which records a story that Song stole the book from Tan Qiao. Chen heard this story from his master Zhang Wumeng (fl. ca. 960–1040), who heard it from his master Chen Tuan (871–989) who was a friend of Tan Qiao. This contemporary witness said Tan wrote the on Mount Zhongnan (

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

) and met Song Qiqiu while traveling through the capital

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

to nearby Mount Mao , which was the center of Shangqing School "Supreme Clarity" Daoism. Tan said, "The transformations of this book endlessly transform. I want you to preface it and pass it on to later generations." Song edited and published the book under his own name. He was posthumously called Choumiu "Disgraceful Error".

Tan Qiao

The was originally written by the Daoist Tan Qiao (; ca. 860 CE-ca. 940 CE), whom Anderson describes as a "shadowy figure". The 10th-century , by Shen Fen , has the earliest account of Tan Qiao. He was from

Quanzhou Quanzhou is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China, People's Republic of China. It is Fujian's largest most populous metropolitan region, wi ...

(in present-day

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

) and his

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

was . His father Tan Zhu , who was a director of the

Guozijian The Guozijian,Yuan, 194. sometimes translated as the Imperial College, Imperial Academy, Imperial University, National Academy, or National University, was the highest level academic and educational institution throughout most of imperial ...

"Imperial Academy" during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(618–907 CE), educated him in the

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...

classics and histories to prepare him for the

Imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

. Qiao was an excellent student but more interested in the Daoist classics, particularly the hagiographies of . Tan Qiao left home to study Daoism on Mount Zhongnan and never returned. After travelling through the

Sacred mountains of China The Sacred Mountains of China are divided into several groups. The ''Five Great Mountains'' () refers to five of the most renowned mountains in Chinese history, which have been the subjects of imperial pilgrimage by emperors throughout ages. The ...

, he lived for a decade on

Mount Song Mount Song (, "lofty mountain") is an isolated mountain range in north central China's Henan Province, along the southern bank of the Yellow River. It is known in literary and folk tradition as the central mountain of the Five Great Mountains of ...

(

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

), where Daoist priests taught him alchemical techniques of and , roughly corresponding with Western practices of

inedia Inedia (Latin for 'fasting') or breatharianism ( ) is the claimed ability for a person to live without consuming food, and in some cases water. It is a pseudoscientific practice, and several adherents of these practices have died from starvation ...

and breatharianism. "He wore furs in summer and thin garments in winter, and he would often lie about in the snow and rain, to all appearances dead". This compares with the Himalayan tradition of tummo, which is still practiced by the

Kagyu The ''Kagyu'' school, also transliterated as ''Kagyü'', or ''Kagyud'' (), which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools (''chos lugs'') of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. ...

school. Tan's father regularly sent him money and clothing, which he promptly spent on wine and gave away. Tan later went south to Mount Nanyue , or

Mount Heng (Hunan) Hengshan (), also known as Mount Heng, is a mountain in southcentral China's Hunan Province known as the southern mountain () of the Sacred Mountains of China, Five Great Mountains of China. Heng Shan is a mountain range long with 72 peaks an ...

, where he allegedly perfected the and could change shape, become invisible, and enter fire or water without being harmed (all Daoist metaphors for transcendence). Finally, he travelled to Mount Qingcheng (

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

), where he disappeared. Some sources confuse Tan Qiao with a more famous Daoist Tan Zixiao; both had the same

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicization, Sinicized ethnic groups in Greater China, Korea, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, ...

, both lived in the 10th century, and both traveled in southern China. This mistaken identification began with the edition in the 1607 CE

Daozang The Daozang ( zh, c=道藏, p=Dàozàng, w=Tao Tsang) is a large canon of Taoist writings, consisting of around 1,500 texts that were seen as continuing traditions first embodied by the '' Daodejing'', '' Zhuangzi'', and '' Liezi''. The canon was ...

supplement . Its preface notes that Tan Qiao's

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

( was . Lembert and Schenkel translate "The True Man of the Purple Sky"). Later

gazetteer A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or wikt:directory, directory used in conjunction with a map or atlas.Aurousseau, 61. It typically contains information concerning the geographical makeup, social statistics and physical features of a co ...

s and histories repeated this pseudonym, but Zixiao already referred to another Daoist named Tan.

Tan Zixiao

Tan Zixiao (; ca. 910 CE- ca. 995 CE) was a celebrated Daoist in the

Zhengyi Dao Zhengyi Dao (), also known as the Way of Orthodox Unity, Teaching of the Orthodox Unity, and Branch of the Orthodox Unity is a Chinese Taoist movement that traditionally refers to the same Taoist lineage as the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice and ...

"Orthodox/Correct Unity" School. Tan's earliest biography is found in the 12th-century by Ma Ling and

Lu You Lu You ( zh, s=陆游, t=陸游, first=t; 1125–1210) was a Chinese historian and List of Chinese language poets, poet of the Southern Song Dynasty (南宋). Career Early life and marriage Lu You was born on a boat floating in the Wei River e ...

. Tan Zixiao was from

(

), which was part of Min (Ten Kingdoms). He was a renowned Daoist priest () and shaman (), and served at the court of King Wang Chang (r. 935–939), who gave Tan the honorific title . After the fall of Min, Tan escaped to Mount Lu (

Jiangxi Province ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

) and established the Daoist . He supposedly possessed ancient talismans from

Zhang Daoling Zhang Daoling (, traditionally February 22, 34October 10, 156), birth name Zhang Ling (), courtesy name Fuhan (), was a Chinese Taoist religious leader who lived during the Eastern Han dynasty. He founded the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice ...

, the founder of the Tianshi Dao "Way of Celestial Masters". Within this school, Tan Zixiao is considered the founder of the , which is an influential Daoist healing tradition that combines Tianshi

automatic writing Automatic writing, also called psychography, is a claimed psychic ability allowing a person to produce written words without consciously writing. Practitioners engage in automatic writing by holding a writing instrument and allowing alleged sp ...

talismans with shamanistic exorcisms. Reflecting the extent of Tan Zixiao's celebrity, Li Yu , the famous poet and last king of the Southern Tang (r. 961–975 CE), summoned the Daoist priest to court and lavished wealth and honors on him. Didier definitively establishes that Tan Qiao and Tan Zixiao were two different people, contrasting aspects in each man's period, region, and activities. He concludes that while Tan Qiao was "engaged in internally directed mystical alchemical pursuits in primarily the north between the years 860 and 940", Tan Zixiao "was active in the externally directed work of shamanic ritual manipulations exclusively in the southeast between approximately 910 and 995". Didier further differentiates activities and affiliations of the two Tans. Tan Qiao "was a wandering eccentric engaged in the internally directed pursuit of immortality or perfection who favored loneliness and remote mountain retreats to the political and economic activity pursued by" Tan Zixiao, who "was a professional institutionalized Taoist priest, that is, a priest engaged in externally directed shamanic or sorcerous methods of healing and liturgy for the sake of gaining emolument." In terms of affiliation with schools of religious Daoism, Tan Zixiao's activities derived primarily from the 2nd-century "Orthodox/Correct Unity" sect of the "Celestial Masters" movement, which emphasized communal rituals, registers, and talismans; Tan Qiao's heritage was more from the 5th-century southern Highest Clarity" tradition, which emphasized personal cultivation, meditation, and visualization.

Text

The received text contains 110 articles or sections () arranged in 6 chapters (), named after types of . Most articles begin with a parable or example and then elaborate upon it. Individual articles are identified by chapter and number, for instance 1.1 , 1.2 , 1.3 , 1.4 . Unlike this 1.1 with four

Chinese characters Chinese characters are logographs used Written Chinese, to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represe ...

, all the other 109 titles have two characters, which suggests textual corruption or alteration. The textual history of the was analyzed by Didier who differentiated two lines of transmission, the "secular" text originally published under the authorship of Song Qiqiu and the "Daoist" text written by Tan Qiao. The first transmission dates back to Song's 930 CE preface, which describes the as having 6 chapters and 110 articles. The second textual transmission dates back to Chen Jingyuan's 1060 CE edition of the credited to Tan Qiao. Didier concludes that in 14th-century China, the book "was widely known and read" and "two of what we might call cultures existed, the secular or external and the Taoist/alchemical or internal." The secular text, called the or , is related to the 1144–46 CE Daozang "Daoist Canon" edition of the . Texts in this lineage have 110 articles, beginning with 1.1 "Stele at the Palace of the Purple Ultimate". The Daoist text, called the or , is related to the 1457–1464 Daiwang (

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

) government-printed edition. Texts in this lineage have 109 articles, or 110 beginning with different 1.1 {{{zhp, p=Daohua, c=道化, tr=Way Transformations (also the chapter 1 title) or {{zhp, p=Shenhua, c=神化, tr=Spirit Transformations titles. Many {{tlit, zh, Huashu editions are currently available, and the {{tlit, zh, Daozang includes two versions (CT 1044 and 1478). Based on differences among {{tlit, zh, Huashu editions (variant characters, taboo usages, etc.) and a 1023–33 CE text called the {{zhp, p=Wuhua, c=五化, tr=Five Transformations credited to Tanzi "Master Tan", Didier suggests the original {{tlit, zh, Huashu had 5 chapters instead of 6.{{sfn, Didier, 1998, p=141-4 This {{tlit, zh, Wuhua closely resembles the {{tlit, zh, Huashu except that it begins "The Utmost Way has five transformations therein" and that the "Way Transformations" (chapter 1 in received texts) subsumes the 5 {{tlit, zh, Huashu chapters "Techniques, Potency, Humaneness, Food, and Frugality Transformations". His hypothesis that the original {{tlit, zh, Huashu text had a quinary instead of sexpartite structure, and that the first chapter was Tan's original preface, is strengthened by the importance of 5 among

numbers in Chinese culture Some numbers are believed by some to be auspicious or lucky (吉利, ) or inauspicious or unlucky (不吉, ) based on the Chinese language, Chinese word that the number sounds similar to. The numbers Chinese numerology#Six, 6 and Chinese numerolog ...

. Take for instance the {{tlit, zh, Huashu articles {{zhp, p= Wuxing, c=五行, tr=Five Phases/Elements (4.2) and {{zhp, p=Wuchang, c=五常, tr=Five Constant {{bracket, Virtues (3.1).

Title

The textual theme and namesake is {{zhp, p=hua, c= 化, tr=transform, change, convert, turn into; (physically) melt, dissolve; digest; incinerate; (individually) change into; metamorphose; take the form of; disguise oneself; (Buddhism) reincarnate; (euphemism) die; pass away. {{tlit, zh, Wenlin interprets this Chinese character, "{{lang, zh, 化 {{tlit, zh, huà depicts a person and a person upside-down. The left side is {{lang, zh, 亻 ({{lang, zh, 人 {{tlit, zh, rén) 'person'. The right side {{lang, zh, 匕 was originally {{lang, zh, 人 upside-down. A person who flips, changes." The closest synonym is {{zhp, p=bian, c= 變, tr=change, change into, become; transform; adapt; perform (magic, etc.), and their compound is {{zhp, p= bianhua, c=變化, tr=change; vary, variation; metamorphose; transmute. Two other common {{tlit, zh, hua-compounds are {{zhp, p=huaxue, c=化學, l=transformation study, tr=chemistry and {{zhp, p=wenhua, c=文化, l=literacy transformation, tr=culture; civilization. {{tlit, zh, Hua "transformations" are a key topic in the Daoist {{tlit, zh, Zhuangzi. For instance,

Victor H. Mair Victor Henry Mair (; born March 25, 1943) is an American Sinology, sinologist currently serving as a professor of Chinese language, Chinese at the University of Pennsylvania. Among other accomplishments, Mair has edited the standard ''Columbia His ...

translates it as "evolution" in this context.

Nuncle Scattered and Nuncle Slippery were observing the mounds of the Earl of Darkness in the emptiness of K'unlun where the Yellow Emperor rested. Suddenly a willow began to sprout from Nuncle Slippery's left elbow. He looked startled, as though he resented it."Do you resent it?" asked Nuncle Scattered. "No," said Nuncle Slippery. "Why should I resent it? Our lives are just a borrowed pretext. That which we borrow to maintain our lives is merely so much dust. Life and death alternate like day and night. As you and I were observing evolution, it caught up with me. So why should I resent it?{{r, Mair1994_169

James D. Sellmann elucidates the Daoist significance of {{tlit, zh, hua.

There is no conclusion, no end, no finish for the {{tlit, zh, Zhuangzi. Things transpose, and keep on changing. Therefore, the compassionate meaning and empathic understanding of "transformation" as it is mentioned in the context of the {{tlit, zh, Zhuangzi encompasses each and every thing – in the natural world and the human world. From this perspective, transformation entails a magnitude of meaning, or "spiritual" dimension (in the sense of "high spirits" or "laughter"). Transformation is not just change of form and shape ({{tlit, zh, bian {{lang, zh, 變) or a change of things and situations ({{tlit, zh, yi {{lang, zh, 易), but it also entails a complete renewal of the experience of life's meaning ({{tlit, zh, hua {{lang, zh, 化). {{tlit, zh, Hua provides a way to move through various shapes or bodily forms within a species and across species to merge with each unique perspective, and to experience a mystical continuity with the particulars of nature. In chapter two of the {{tlit, zh, Zhuangzi, the mystical experience is described in these terms; "heaven and earth were born together with me, and the myriad things and I are one" (5/2/52-53). The way {{tlit, zh, hua is played out in the {{tlit, zh, Zhuangzi is very telling, especially in the context of elaborating on the mystical experience.{{r, Sellmann1998_170

This 10th-century {{tlit, zh, Huashu "Book of Transformations", written by Tan Qiao and edited by Song Qiqiu, should be distinguished from a similarly titled 13th-century Daoist text — the {{zhp, p=Wendi huashu, c=文帝化書, tr=Book on the Transformations of Lord Wen or {{zhp, p=Zitong dijun huashu, c=梓潼帝君化書, tr=Book of Transformations of the Divine Lord of Zitong.{{r, trKleeman1994 It was supposedly revealed in

in 1181 and 1194 CE, and details the transformations of Wenchang {{lang, zh, 文昌, patron deity of the literary arts, also known as Zitong dijun {{lang, zh, 梓潼帝君. The English title of the {{tlit, zh, Huashu is usually "Book of Transformations" or "Book of Transformation", but it is also translated "Book of Alternations"{{sfn, Moeller, 2004, p=151 and "Scripture of Changes" — not to be confused with the {{tlit, zh, Yijing".{{r, LembertSchenkel2002_213 "Book of Transformations" is used in titles of books about the {{tlit, zh,

Yijing The ''I Ching'' or ''Yijing'' ( ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The ''I Ching'' was originally a divination manual in ...

{{r, Govinda1981 and magic,{{r, Green2001 and "Book of Transformation" in one by the

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

.{{r, Lama2001

While generations of Chinese literati have studied the {{tlit, zh, Huashu as a philosophical text, notably in terms of

Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, which originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) i ...

, Western scholars are only beginning to appreciate it. Alexander Wylie first described the book, "The {{lang, zh, 化書 {{tlit, zh, Hwa shoo or "Book of Transformation," written by {{lang, zh, 譚峭 T'an Seaou in the early part of the 10th century, is an ethical treatise, strongly impregnated with Taouist {{sic tendencies".{{r, Wylie1901_1589 The earliest European-language translation of the {{tlit, zh, Huashu was in German. Alfred Forke discussed Tan Qiao's philosophy and translated over 20 articles.{{r, Forke1934_33849

Joseph Needham Noel Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham (; 9 December 1900 – 24 March 1995) was a British biochemist, historian of science and sinologist known for his scientific research and writing on the history of Chinese science and technology, initia ...

and others studying the

history of science and technology in China Ancient Han Chinese, Chinese scientists and engineers made significant scientific innovations, findings and technological advances across various scientific disciplines including the natural sciences, engineering, medicine, military technology ...

have rediscovered the {{tlit, zh, Huashu, which Needham called "a work of much importance".{{sfn, Needham, 1956, p=444{{efn, name=subs, Note that Needham's unusual system of romanization is changed to

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

, and substitutions are in square brackets. For instance, substituting {{bracket, Tan Qiao for "Than Chhiao". Evaluating Chinese proto-scientific texts from the Tang and

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

dynasties, Needham cites {{zhp, p=Xingying, c=形影, tr=Objects and Images (1.7),

Of all these books, the most original from the point of view of the philosophy of science is probably the {{tlit, zh, Hua Shu. {{bracket, Tan Qiao (if he was really its author) developed a special kind of subjective realism, in which he emphasized that though the external world was real, our knowledge of it was so deeply affected by subjective factors that its full reality could not be said to have been seized (this, of course, is an attempt to express his point of view in modern terms). First he considers an infinite regress of images of an object in oppositely placed plane mirrors. The form and colour of the object ({{bracket, {{tlit, zh, xing {{lang, zh, 形) is perfectly retained in each of the successive images ({{tlit, zh, ying {{lang, zh, 影). Since it can exist without them, it is not alone and in itself complete ({{bracket, {{tlit, zh, shi {{lang, zh, 實), but since they perfectly reproduce its form and colour, they are not in themselves empty ({{bracket, {{tlit, zh, xu {{lang, zh, 虛); or, as might be said in modern terms, it is not fully real, but they are not fully unreal. Now that which is neither real nor not-real, concludes {{bracket, Tan Qiao, is akin to the Tao.{{sfn, Needham, 1956, p=450{{efn, name=subs

Moeller notes Tan's room of parallel

mirror images A mirror image (in a plane mirror) is a reflected duplication of an object that appears almost identical, but is reversed in the direction perpendicular to the mirror surface. As an optical effect, it results from specular reflection off from ...

"is obviously indebted to an earlier Buddhist example."{{sfn, Moeller, 2004, p=152 The Huayan patriarch

Fazang Fazang (; 643–712) was a Sogdian- Chinese Buddhist scholar, translator, and religious leader of the Tang dynasty. He was the third patriarch of the Huayan school of East Asian Buddhism, a key figure at the Chinese Imperial Court, and an inf ...

used an illuminated statue of the Buddha inside a room of mirroring mirrors to illustrate Indra's net to Empress

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...

. Needham additionally cites a zoological example of subjectivity from {{zhp, p=Xiaoji, c=梟雞, tr=Owls and Hens (1.9) – written eight centuries before

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

made the primary/secondary quality distinction.{{sfn, Needham, 1956, p=450 "For the owl, {{bracket, Tan Qiao says, the night is bright and the day dark; for the hen the converse is true, as for ourselves. Which of the two, he asks, in good Taoist style, is to be considered 'normal' and which 'abnormal'?" Needham refers to {{zhp, p=Shehu, c=射虎, tr=Shooting Tigers (1.11), which relates optical illusions with Daoist

philosophy of perception The philosophy of perception is concerned with the nature of Perception, perceptual experience and the status of sense data, perceptual data, in particular how they relate to beliefs about, or knowledge of, the world.cf. http://plato.stanford.ed ...

.{{sfn, Needham, 1956, p=451 "A man may shoot at a striped stone, he says, under the impression that it is a tiger, or at a ripple on the water, under the impression that it is a crocodile. Moreover, even if these animals are really there, his attention may be so concentrated on them that he will simply not see the stones or the water beside them." The {{tlit, zh, Huashu article {{zhp, p=Sijing, c=四鏡, tr=Four Lenses (1.10), with the earliest known reference to the basic types of simple lenses, metaphorically illustrates

relativism Relativism is a family of philosophical views which deny claims to absolute objectivity within a particular domain and assert that valuations in that domain are relative to the perspective of an observer or the context in which they are assess ...

and, in modern terms,

subjective idealism Subjective idealism, or empirical idealism or immaterialism, is a form of philosophical monism that holds that only minds and mental contents exist. It entails and is generally identified or associated with immaterialism, the doctrine that m ...

I have always by me four lenses. The first is called {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, gui {{lang, zh, 璧 (the 'sceptre', a diverging bi-concave lens). The second is called {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, zhu {{lang, zh, 珠 (the 'pearl', biconvex). The third is called {{bracket, '{{tlit, zh, zhi {{lang, zh, 砥 (the 'whetstone', plano-concave). The fourth is called {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, yu {{lang, zh, 盂 (the 'bowl', plano-convex). With {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, gui the object is larger (than the image). With {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, zhu the object is smaller (than the image). With {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, zhi the image appears upright. With {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, yu the image appears inverted. When one looks at shapes or human forms through such instruments, one realizes that there is no such thing as (absolute) large or small, short or long, beautiful or ugly, desirable or hateful.{{efn, name=subs

Needham notes that Giambattista della Porta's 1593 ''De refraction, optics parte'' was the first European treatment of these fundamental lens types. {{zhp, p=Dahan, c=大含, tr=Great Containment (1.24) discusses how sound originates from disturbances in {{zhp, p= qi, c=氣, tr=air; vapor; pneuma; energy; vital force, a theory that Needham calls "far more advanced than the Pythagorean conception of sounds as a stuff composed of numbers."{{sfn, Needham, Wang, Robinson, 1962, p=207

The void ({{bracket, {{tlit, zh, xu {{lang, zh, 虛) is transformed into (magical) power ({{tlit, zh, shen {{lang, zh, 神). (Magical) power is transformed into {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, qi . {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, Qi is transformed into material things ({{bracket, {{tlit, zh, xing {{lang, zh, 形). Material things and {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, qi ride on one another ({{bracket, {{tlit, zh, xing qi xiang cheng {{lang, zh, 形氣相乘), and thus sound is formed. It is not the ear which listens to sound but sound which of itself makes its way into the ear. It is not the valley which of itself gives out echoing sound, but sound of itself fills up the entire valley.
An ear is a small hollow ({{bracket, {{tlit, zh, qiao {{lang, zh, 竅) and a valley is a large hollow. Mountains and marshes are a 'small valley' and Heaven and Earth are a 'large valley'. (Theoretically speaking, then) if one hollow gives out sound ten thousand hollows will all give out sound; if sound can be heard in one valley it should be heard in all the ten thousand valleys. Sound leads (back again) to {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, qi ; {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, qi leads (back again) to (magical) power ({{tlit, zh, shen {{lang, zh, 神); (magical) power leads (back again) to the void. (But) the void has in it (the potentiality for) power. The power has in it (the potentiality for) {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, qi . {{bracket, {{tlit, zh, Qi has in it (the potentiality for) sound. One leads (back again) to the other, which has (a potentiality for) the former within itself. (If this reversion and production were to be prolonged) even the tiny noises of mosquitoes and flies would be able to reach everywhere.Tr. {{harvnb, Needham, Wang, Robinson, 1962, pp=207–8.

Several other {{tlit, zh, Huashu articles mention this Daoist transformational series between {{zhp, p=xu, c= 虚, tr=emptiness; void, {{zhp, p= shen, c= 神, tr=spirit; god, {{zhp, p=qi, c= 氣, and {{zhp, p=xing, c= 形, tr=form; shape; material things. They are said to be reversible back to emptiness (1.1), to exist everywhere (1.3), to all be one (1.16), to all contain each other (2.19), to transform from life to death and back to emptiness (1.20), and, adding a transformation from {{tlit, zh, xing to {{zhp, p=jing, c=精, tr=essence (cf. the Three Treasures), to underlie all human problems (1.15). Other scholars quote the {{tlit, zh, Huashu from Needham. Galeotti, Menconi, and Fronzoni suggest "surprising references to the

butterfly effect In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. The term is closely associated w ...

" in "Great Containment" (1.24).{{r, GaleottiETAL2003_90 Davies compares

Francis Crick Francis Harry Compton Crick (8 June 1916 – 28 July 2004) was an English molecular biologist, biophysicist, and neuroscientist. He, James Watson, Rosalind Franklin, and Maurice Wilkins played crucial roles in deciphering the Nucleic acid doub ...

's '' The Astonishing Hypothesis'' with "Shooting Tigers" (1.11) that uses "optical illusions and human inattention to press the view that we pick out certain elements of reality to form our world-picture."{{r, Davies2003_4 The {{tlit, zh, Huashu has untold significance to the histories of philosophy and science. One final example mentions

classical conditioning Classical conditioning (also respondent conditioning and Pavlovian conditioning) is a behavioral procedure in which a biologically potent Stimulus (physiology), stimulus (e.g. food, a puff of air on the eye, a potential rival) is paired with a n ...

a millennium before

Ivan Pavlov Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (, ; 27 February 1936) was a Russian and Soviet experimental neurologist and physiologist known for his discovery of classical conditioning through his experiments with dogs. Pavlov also conducted significant research on ...

discovered it. {{zhp, p=Geng Xin, c=庚辛, tr=The Geng and Xin {{bracket, Families (5.10) recounts how two neighbors, figuratively named after the 7th and 8th

Celestial stem The ten Heavenly Stems (or Celestial Stems) are a system of ordinals indigenous to China and used throughout East Asia, first attested during the Shang dynasty as the names of the ten days of the week. They were also used in Shang-era ritual ...

s, used different materials to construct fish ponds.

The Geng's fish pond had a bamboo railing that made a {{tlit, zh, ce-ce {{lang, zh, 策策 sound when leaned upon, and the Xin's had a wooden one that made a {{tlit, zh, tang-tang {{lang, zh, 堂堂 sound. Both families fed their fish daily and the fish learned to leap out of the water when they heard these sounds. But even if they were not being fed, the fish leapt whenever they heard these respective sounds. Thus, the Geng's fish could be called with {{tlit, zh, ce-ce and the Xin's fish with {{tlit, zh, tang-tang, which is a Food Transformation. {{bracket, {{lang, zh, 庚氏穴池，构竹为凭槛，登之者其声“策策”焉。辛氏穴池，构木为凭槛，登之者其“堂堂”焉。二氏俱牧鱼于池中，每凭槛投饥，鱼必踊跃而出。他日但闻“策策”“堂堂”之声，不投饵亦踊跃而出，则是庚氏之鱼可名“策策”，辛氏之鱼可名“堂堂”，食之化也。

The {{tlit, zh, Huashu, unlike most other Daoist classics, is not available in English translation, with the unpublished exceptions of a MA thesis and a PhD dissertation.

References

{{notelist {{reflist, 25em, refs= Kurz, Johannes L. 2006/2007. "A Note on the Dates for the Revelation of the Correct Rites of the Celestial Heart ''Tianxin zhengfa''", ''Southeast Asia'' 7.1:105–112. {{cite book , last=Giles , first=Herbert Allen , author-link=Herbert Giles , date=1898 , title=A Chinese Biographical Dictionary , publisher=Kelly & Walsh , a
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Lembert, Alexandra and Elmar Schenkel. 2002. ''The Golden Egg: Alchemy in Art and Literature''. Galda & Wilch. p. 213. {{cite book , translator-last=Mair , translator-first=Victor H. , translator-link=Victor H. Mair , date=1994 , title=Wandering on the Way: Early Taoist Tales and Parables of Chuang Tzu , publisher=Bantam Books , page=169 Sellmann, James D. 1998. "Transformational Humor in the ''Zhuangzi''," in ''Wandering at Ease in the Zhuangzi'', ed. by Roger T. Ames, State University of New York Press, p. 170 (163–174). Tr. Kleeman, Terry F. 1994. ''A God's Own Tale: The Book of Transformations of Wenchang, the Divine Lord of Zitong''. State University of New York Press. Green, Marian. 2001. ''Practical Magic: A Book of Transformations, Spells and Mind Magic''. Lorenz.

. 2001. ''Dalai Lama's Book of Transformation''. Thorsons. Govinda, Anagarika. 1981. ''The Inner Structure of the I Ching, the Book of Transformations''. Weatherill. Wylie, Alexander. 1901.
Notes on Chinese Literature: With Introductory Remarks on the Progressive Advancement of the Art
'. American Presbyterian Mission Press. pp. 158-9. Forke, Alfred. 1934. ''Geschichte der mittelalterlichen chinesischen Philosophie''. De Gruyter. pp. 338-49. Galeotti, Laura, Giulia Menconi, and Leone Fronzoni. 2003. "Measure of Diffusion Entropy of Weak Turbulence," in ''Determinism, Holism, and Complexity'', Benci, Vieri, ed., 87–94, Springer. p. 90. Davies, E. Brian. 2003. ''Science in the Looking Glass: What Do Scientists Really Know?''. Oxford University Press. p. 4. * {{cite encyclopedia , last=Anderson , first=Poul , date=2008 , chapter=''Huashu'' 化書 Book of Transformation , editor-last=Pregadio , editor-first=Fabrizio , editor-link=Fabrizio Pregadio , encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Taoism , series=Two volumes , publisher=Routledge , pages=517–518 , isbn=9780700712007 * {{cite journal , last=Didier , first=John , date=1998 , title=Messrs. T'an, Chancellor Sung, and the ''Book of Transformation'' (''Hua shu''): Texts and the Transformations of Traditions , journal=Asia Major , series=3rd series , volume=11 , pages=99–151 , url=http://www.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/~asiamajor/pdf/1998a/pp.pdf *{{in lang, zh Ding Zhenyan 丁禎彥 and Li Sizhen 李似珍, eds. 1996. ''Huashu'' 化書. Zhonghua shuju. * {{cite book , last=Moeller , first=Hans-Georg , date=2004 , title=Daoism Explained: From the Dream of the Butterfly to the Fishnet Allegory , publisher=Open Court * {{cite book , last=Needham , first=Joseph , author-link=Joseph Needham , date=1956 , title= Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 2, History of Scientific Thought , publisher=

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

, isbn=9780521058001 * {{cite book , last1=Needham , first1=Joseph , author1-link=Joseph Needham , last2=Wang , first2=Ling , last3=Robinson , first3=Kenneth Girdwood , display-authors=1 , date=1962 , title= Science and Civilisation in China, Volume 4, Physics and Physical Technology, Part 1. Physics , edition=2nd , publisher=

, isbn=9780521058025

External links

''The Book of Transformation''
Taoist Culture & Information Centre *{{in lang, zh}
化书
''Huashu'' in simplified characters, The Online School of Peking University Taoist philosophy Philosophy books Taoist texts