What is the meaning of nine in Chinese tradition?

The Cultural Meaning of the Number Word "Nine"

In addition to the number and order of things expressed by other number words, "nine" often means "more". In the Qing Dynasty, Wang Zhong said in his book Shu Xue? Interpretation of the three nine" said: "Where one or two can not be exhausted, then about the three, to see its more, three can not be exhausted, then about the nine, to see its very much." Suwen? The "Three Parts and Nine Husbands" says, "The number of heaven and earth begins with one, and ends with nine." That "nine" is the highest number, more than nine, we have to enter one, and back to "one". Therefore, from ancient times to the present, commonly used "nine" means "more".

For example: "Nine Harmonies": this is the historical record of the story of Duke Huan of Qi, "nine" does not mean nine times, but many times; "Nine curves of the Yellow River" does not mean that the Yellow River has nine curves, but that the Yellow River has nine curves, but that the Yellow River has nine curves. Not that the Yellow River has nine bends, but many bends; "Nine" in "Nine Deaths and One Life" does not mean nine deaths, but many trials and tribulations; "Nine Oxen and One Hair" in "Nine Oxen and One Hair" does not mean nine deaths, but many trials and tribulations; "Nine" in "Nine Oxen and One Hair" does not mean nine deaths, but many trials and tribulations. The word "nine" in "nine oxen and one hair" does not mean that there are nine oxen, but that there are many of them. The "nine" in the ancient saying, "The sky is nine heavens, the earth is nine continents, the moon travels nine paths, and the sun has nine lights," also means many.

"Nine" from "more" and derived from "high", "deep" and other meanings. For example: "nine nights", "nine heavens", "heavy night nine", "nine springs" in the "nine", etc.

"Nine" means more than one, and the multiplication of "nine" often means more than one. For example: "eighteen martial arts", "eighteen rolls on the ground", "eighteen changes in women", "eighteen layers of hell", "thirty-six stratagems", "eighteen layers of hell", "eighteen layers of hell", "eighteen layers of hell", "eighteen layers of hell", "eighteen layers of hell". The "Thirty-six Stratagems", "Seventy-two Rows", "Seventy-two Changes", "Nine Hundred and Eighty-one Difficulties", "360 rows", "9,000 years old (a powerful minister under one person and above ten thousand people)", and "one heel 108,000 miles" all have number words that also mean "many".

"Nine" is the highest number, but also with "long" harmonic, so since ancient times for people to love. Successive emperors love "nine", they wear nine dragon robe, make nine dragon wall, want to make it the world forever, therefore, the world-famous Palace (Forbidden City) has become a kingdom of nine. The three halls (Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Peace, Hall of Baohe) are nine feet high; the Palace of the Palace, the Hall and the large and small gates on the golden-colored door nails, are nine rows of horizontal, vertical nine rows, a **** nine nine eighty-one; the number of steps is also a multiple of nine or nine; the Forbidden City, the Palace of the total number of houses for nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine (and a half); Altar of Heaven, the Summer Palace and other emperors, the building also much to the "nine" as the base.

"Historical Records? Wudi Ji" said "Yu collected nine herds of gold, casting nine tripods, like nine continents." The "Nine Cauldrons" became the most important national treasure in the legend, and left the idiom of "One Word, Nine Cauldrons" to show the weight of the words. Within the central ruling group, there were "nine ministers", i.e., nine official positions, from the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, and so on from generation to generation. In spite of this revered "nine", the throne did not have a long reign, but only the use of "nine" and "long" of the harmonics to express "long live! "Longing for" longevity "of a desire only.

China's folk "nine" is also very favorite, which is manifested in everything with "nine" as a unit of measurement, "counting nine" is an example of the Southern Liang Dynasty, "Jingchu years and times" records The Southern Liang Dynasty's "Jing Chou Years and Seasons" recorded: "The winter solstice is commonly used to count the number of days and the nine hundred and eighty-one days for the cold years." Since then, the "nine nine songs" began to circulate in the folk, these "nine nine songs" cleverly use some of the ecological phenomena and weather signs in nature, reflecting the change of the pattern of climate change in the winter nine nine. By the Ming Dynasty, there was a "painting nine", the Qing Dynasty, and developed into "writing nine", whether it is "counting", "painting" or writing, are all "counting", "painting" or "writing". Whether it is "counting", "drawing" or "writing", all of them use "nine" as the standard number to outline the weather changes in winter. (From "Learning Chinese" by Zhao Yupin)

/200406/ca522845.htm