What is a yin-yang fish?

The fish of yin and yang refers to the middle part of the Taiji diagram, which is called "the first diagram of China". This well-known Taiji diagram is known as "Yin-Yang Fish Taiji Diagram" because its shape is like the combination of Yin and Yang fish. Everything is negative for yin and holds yang, and rushing to think that it is peace. -"Chapter 42 of Laozi" This is the best and most quintessential interpretation of Taiji diagram. Yin-yang fish exist widely, such as in the beams and columns of Dacheng Hall of Confucius Temple, Louguantai, Sanmao Palace, the marks of Baiyun Temple, the robes of Taoist priests, the divination booths of fortune tellers, the covers of books and periodicals on traditional Chinese medicine, qigong, martial arts and China culture, the emblem and emblem, the Korean flag, the Korean Air Force military emblem, the Mongolian national flag, the Mongolian military emblem, the Angolan Air Force military emblem, the Singapore Air Force machine emblem, the Bohr Medal of Honor and so on.

Tai Chi map is called "the first map of China". From the beams and columns of Dacheng Hall of Confucius Temple to the markers of Laozi Louguantai, Sanmao Palace and Baiyun Temple; From Taoist robes to divination booths of fortune tellers; From the covers and emblems of books and periodicals on Chinese medicine, Qigong, martial arts and China traditional culture, to the South Korean national flag pattern, the Singapore Air Force machine emblem, the Bohr Medal family emblem, and so on, Tai Chi pictures all leap to it. This well-known Taiji diagram is known as "Yin-Yang Fish Taiji Diagram" because its shape is like the combination of Yin and Yang fish.

Since "Taiji Diagram" has been popular for so long and so widely, naturally its origin and evolution have become the focus of people's interest. Before investigating its origin, we should make clear the relationship between the name and the figure of "Taiji Diagram". There are two situations here. One is the same name, but it refers to different graphics. Besides the Yin and Yang fish graphics, there are five layers of graphics (that is, Zhou Dunyi's Taiji), hollow circle graphics, black and white semicircle graphics, etc. (in fact, the last few graphics are called Taiji much earlier than the former); One is the same figure, but it has different names, such as the Yin-Yang fish Taiji diagram, which was called congenital diagram, river diagram, congenital natural river diagram, congenital natural diagram and ancient Taiji diagram in the early days. Five-level taiji diagram is also called "infinite diagram", "taiji diagram", "taiji diagram" and "dandao diagram" (of course, the two types of taiji diagrams are slightly different). In this paper, only the Taiji diagram of Yin and Yang fish (hereinafter referred to as "Taiji diagram") is investigated, and the textual research on the five-layer Taiji diagram will be written in another article.

In modern times, many people think that Tai Chi map originated from primitive times, and some even think that it is a gift from aliens to the people of the earth in the ancient times, or the only token left over from the last or even two or three times of civilization destruction before this human civilization. What is the basis for the evolution of Taiji diagram? Mr. Chen Lifu thinks: "The ancient Taiji maps unearthed in mainland China are three or four thousand years earlier than Zhouyi and Ganchishu. For example, the ancient Tai Chi picture of Shuanglong on the painted pottery pot with two ears (collected in the Swedish Far East Museum) unearthed in Taiji Jing, Yong Mo Yun, Shaanxi Province, was drawn by the center with a brush, which was 4, years earlier than that of Confucius. Many bronzes unearthed in Shang Dynasty and Western Zhou Dynasty also bear Tai Chi pictures of male and female Ssangyong intertwined. " ("Some Questions about Taiji Diagram") Mr. Chen directly called the diagram of Ssangyong intertwined as "Ssangyong Taiji Diagram". The winding diagram of Shuanglong is actually the "mating diagram of Fuxi Nuwa", the ancestor of China. In addition, some people think that Tai Chi pictures are derived from the symbols (such symbols are engraved on Neolithic pottery unearthed from Liuwan, Ledu, Minhe County, Qinghai Province, Shipengshan, Wengniute Banner, Liaoning Province, and Shixia Middle Site, Qujiang, Guangdong Province), Pisces patterns (painted pottery pots with fish patterns unearthed from Banpo site in Xi 'an, Shaanxi Province) and Shuangfeng patterns (such patterns are found in Neolithic bone carvings and pottery paintings and Hemudu culture).

are these figures the source of taiji diagrams? If only this kind of graphic pattern is concerned, it is obviously impossible to directly deduce the Taiji diagram. Because similar patterns have not evolved into Tai Chi pictures in other ethnic groups, such as the ancient Babylonian pattern of double snakes winding and mating, and the relics of ancient Greece, ancient India, Caucasus, Asia Minor and other places (silver ornaments, copper pots, vases, etc.) have ""patterns, but these ethnic groups have no Tai Chi pictures. As for the "vortex", it is absurd. "Vortex" is everywhere. If we can see the Taiji diagram from it, isn't it all over the world?

However, judging from the ideas implied in these figures, it can't be said that it has nothing to do with Taiji. These figures are all formed by the intersection of two pairs, or a double dragon, a double snake, a double fish and a double phoenix, and even ""is formed by the intersection of two identical symbols, which is the product of reproductive worship in primitive society. Double patterns, or male and female (Fuxi, Nuwa), or male and female (Pisces, double snakes, double dragons, double birds); The intersection of pairwise reflects the primitive people's intuitive understanding of male and female intercourse. From bisexual genitalia, male and female, sun and moon and other human phenomena, biological phenomena and natural phenomena, the concept of "Yin and Yang" is gradually realized, as well as the ideas of androgyny, relative and intersection of Yin and Yang (treatment and unity), interaction of Yin and Yang, and mutual transformation of Yin and Yang, which determines that China traditional culture is Yin and Yang culture in a sense. Yin-Yang hexagrams and Yin-Yang hexagrams in the Book of Changes are the symbols of Yin-Yang thoughts (line symbols), and the black-and-white and end-to-end combination of Tai Chi pictures are the best illustrations (graphic symbols) of Yin-Yang's idea of treating unity, popularity and mutual interaction.

It can be seen that these patterns in primitive times are only the ideological origins of Taiji diagrams, and it is impossible to directly evolve them into Taiji diagrams. Where did Taiji diagrams come from? When and who made the earliest Tai Chi map? Let's take a look at the previous discussion first.

In the works of Song people, it is basically believed that the "congenital map" (which should include the "Yin-Yang fish map" or "Yin-Yang fish map") was handed down from Chen Tuan in the Five Dynasties and the early Song Dynasty. The most famous is Zhu Zhen's exposition: "Chen Tuan passed on the seeds and released them with congenital pictures, and passed them on to Mu Xiu, and Mu Xiu passed them on to Li Zhicai, and only then did he pass them on to Shao Yong." (

In fact, Chao Shuo, who was earlier than Zhu Zhen, has described the spread of the congenital map: "There is Mr. Chen Tuan Tu Nan, Mr. Xi Yi of Song Huashan, who taught the southern species to levy a monarch with Yi, and Ming Yi taught Wenyang Mu to join the army to learn from Bo Chang, while Su Shunqin Zi Mei also tried to learn martial arts from Bo Chang. Bo Chang gave Qingzhou Li Zhicai a good job, and he gave it to Mr. Yong Yaofu, Shao Kangjie, Henan. " (Song Shan Ji, Volume 18, The Story of the Wangs' Twin Songtang)

Let's take a look at what Shao Yong's contemporaries said. Brother Cheng, who has lived in the same lane with Shao Yong for more than 3 years, said: "The knowledge of Mr. Du is also passed down. Mr. Wang is what Li Tingzhi is and what Mu Bochang is. Pushing its source and stream is far from the end. " (Cheng Hao's "Epitaph of Mr. Shao Yaofu") Cheng Shi only pushed to Mu Xiu, and above Mu Xiu was omitted with a sentence "far-reaching".

Shao bowen, the son of Shao Yong, said, "My late monarch was easily educated by Li Zhicai, and his words stood out. Being a charming person, I studied under Wenyang Muxiu. I heard that my late master was eager to learn ... so I passed on his knowledge. ..... Bo Chang, "National History" has a biography, and his teacher is Chen Tuan. " (

This shows that the inheritance relationship mentioned by Zhu Zhen is basically credible. It is a pity that this "congenital map" has not been handed down with the above words, so that today people can't confirm whether it is a "fish map of Yin and Yang", a "sequence map of innate gossip orientation map" or something else.

Later, it was Yuan Jue of Yuan Dynasty who discussed the evolution of Yi Tu in detail. He said in the Preface for Xie Zhongzhi's Yi San Tu at the end of Song Dynasty; "Shangrao Mr. Xie escaped from Jian 'an Fanyang, and Wu Shengchan went to Yi and then made a plan." And Xie Zhongzhi got it from Peng Weng, and Peng Weng got it from Wu Yijun. Wu Yijun may be Bai Yuchan (Bai Yuchan RoadNo. Wuyi Weng). Yuan Jue added: "It was only in Jingzhou that Yuan Gai Daojie was influenced by Xue Weng, and it was easy to pass on. Yuan Nai awarded Yongjia Xue Jixuan ... Finally, Zhu Wengong's friend Cai Jitong, such as Jingzhou, re-entered the gorge, and only then did he get three pictures. ..... His grandson won't come back. ..... Today, Peng Weng suspects Cai's family. " (quoted from Hu Wei's Yi Tu Ming Bian, Volume III) According to Yuan Jue, the spread of Yi San Tu is roughly as follows:

Xue Weng-Yuan Gai-Xue Jixuan ... (the recluse of Shu)-Cai Jitong-Cai Kang ... Wu Yijun (Bai Yuchan)-Peng Weng

(that is, Peng Yi). Or what does Xie Zhongzhi's "Yi San Tu" look like? I can't see it today, and Yuan Jue didn't explain it at that time. Hu Wei speculated: "Therefore, there are three pictures obtained in the first season, one of which is the congenital Taiji picture. The second is to cover Nine palace map and the five elements of the map. "

Zhao in the early Ming dynasty? Qian (1351 ~ 1395) contained this picture in the Original Meaning of Six Books, and said, "This picture was handed down from the world to the recluse of Shu, but it was kept secret. Although Zhu Zi did not understand it, today it is Chen Bofu's." At that time, most people believed this statement, only Ji Pengshan expressed doubts. He said, "Zhu Xi and Cai Shi have no books to explain. Is there any reason to keep secrets from words?" (quoted from Yang Shiqiao's Book of Changes in the Ming Dynasty). Hu Wei not only agrees with Yuan Jue's statement, but also agrees with Zhu Zhen's statement, arguing that Chen Tuan granted seed release with the congenital map and spread it to Shao Yong and Shao Yong. "Those who were born with ancient changes can know it by knowing this map." It is concluded that this picture is from Chen Tuan, and it originated from the Participation Contract.

I think it is also worth analyzing that the Taiji diagram of Yin and Yang fish originated from the "Fire and Water Kuangkuo Diagram" or "Three to Five to Fine Diagram" in the Book of Changes. The last two pictures were handed down by Peng Xiao in the Five Dynasties to interpret the Zhouyi Shentongqi. However, after checking the orthodox Taoist scriptures, Peng Xiao did not have these two pictures in the Zhouyi Shentongqi, but only a "mirror picture". (Of course, it cannot be ruled out that other lost versions contain these two pictures. ) To say the least, even if Peng Xiao made these two pictures or even if they are in the "Participation Contract", it can't be concluded that they are the source of Tai Chi pictures. The reason is the same as above. From the graphics of these two pictures, you can't see the traces of Tai Chi pictures, but they have ideological origins. The first chapter of Shentongqi says: "The ridge is separated from the kuangkuo, and the hub is on the right axis." Special emphasis is placed on the separation, which is the sun and the moon, and the sun and the moon are "easy". There is yang in the yin, and there is yin in the yang. "Fire-water Kuang Kuo Tu" is the image expression of the two divinatory symbols of Kan (water) and Li (fire). Isn't this idea of the combination of yin and yang, the combination of yin and yang, the combination of yin and yang, and the change of yin and yang the basic idea of Taiji diagram? Judging from the genealogy described by Yuan Jue and others, Taiji Tudao is closely related. Bai Yuchan, the Wuyi monarch, is the fifth ancestor of the Southern Sect of Taoism, and the "hermit of Shu" may be a Taoist in Shu.

the ideological origin is not the same as the graphic origin. It seems that it is very difficult to examine what Tai Chi diagram comes from. Let's find out who made the earliest Taiji diagram.

First of all, we should set a standard for the graphics of Taiji diagram (because there is no standard, all the graphics of the primitive times mentioned above are called "Taiji diagram"). The real Taiji diagram should be a mutual correction pattern of Yin and Yang fish inside and a ring pattern of eight diagrams or sixty-four hexagrams outside. As for whether the "Dragon Map" and "Congenital Map" preached by Chen Tuan are such figures, it is impossible to verify them. Therefore, it is difficult to judge that Chen Tuan was the first person to make this picture. Whether the hermits of Xue Weng and Shu made this picture is also unknown. Searching the existing literature, we found that the earliest Tai Chi map was in Yi Xuan written by Zhang Xingcheng in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Zhang Xingcheng, whose date of birth and death is unknown, lived in the 12th century A.D. Shaoxing (113l～1137) was a scholar, and in the second year of Main Road (1166), he presented seven books of Yi Xue to the emperor, among which Yi Xuan contained this picture.

Yi Xuan is also called Yi Yuan. There are two existing versions, one is the edition of Letter Sea compiled by Qing Ganlong and Li Diaoyuan, and the other is the first edition of Series Integration, which was edited and published in 1935.

Mr. Guo He, a modern man, published

Yi Xian Tu-Hun Tian Xiang, which was not created by Zhang Xing, in the 4th issue of Zhouyi Research in 1995. There are four reasons: (1) Zhang Xing Cheng's "Tai Chi view is a concrete six hexagrams, which is physical." "It is different from the cosmology in which Zhu Xi and Cai Yuanding later took the' empty person in the middle' in the ring of" Congenital Map "as Tai Chi". (2) Hong Mai didn't mention it and Zhu Xi didn't comment. (3) Shao Yong didn't talk about the sky with the technique of "Huntian". (4) Yi Xuan is annotated Tai Xuan. "How can there be a diagram of this binary symbol system in the book used to explain Tai Xuan, a ternary symbol system?" I think these points are very debatable.

firstly, neither the metaphysical nor the metaphysical taiji concept is directly related to the taiji diagram of Yin and Yang fish. Guo said, "Zhang Xingcheng would not have this diagram of Yi Congenital Diagram-Hun Tianxiang" if he did not take the imaginary part in the congenital diagram as taiji. I really don't know what's the relationship between the two. The middle of the taiji diagram of Yin and Yang fish is not a virtual place, but a real place (composed of black and white). For example, according to Guo's statement, it is just "physical". Isn't it more natural and reasonable to evolve the "physical" figure from the taiji view of "physical"? (Of course, it is not so simple, which will be analyzed in detail below.) On the contrary, the so-called "metaphysical" Taiji concept of "the middle is empty" can only derive the hollow circle Taiji diagram, but it is difficult to derive the "metaphysical" Taiji diagram of "the interaction between Yin and Yang fish".

Secondly, Hong Mai, who is in charge of national history books, said that if he saw the Taiji diagram of Yin and Yang fish, he would not use a black-and-white semicircle to represent the two instruments ("Sixty-four hexagrams are born from the two instrument diagrams"). This speculation is unconvincing. No matter whether Hong Mai sees the Yin-Yang fish diagram or not, there is no reason to force him not to use the black-and-white semicircle Tai Chi diagram. He can prefer the black-and-white semicircle diagram instead of the Yin-Yang fish diagram. In fact, at that time, most people preferred the black-and-white semicircle Tai Chi diagram, because it simply and vividly expressed the principle of Tai Chi giving birth to two instruments (which is no less than the Yin-Yang fish diagram). For example, Zhu Xi commented: "Guishan takes a piece of paper, draws a circle, and paints half of it with ink. Cloud: This is Yi. This is excellent! "Yi" is just a yin and a yang, making many things. " ("Zhuzi Language" Volume 65) "The left side of the picture belongs to Yang, and the right side belongs to Yin". Besides, no matter how "knowledgeable" Zhu Fuzi is, there may be something he hasn't seen. It is untenable to use this as an argument.

In fact, in the fourth year of Shaoxi (1193), Zhu Xi asked Cai Yuanding to go to Shu to look for Yi Tu. After Cai obtained three pictures from the hermit of Shu, he may have shown them to Zhu Xi, because in the second year of Qingyuan (1196), Zhu Xi said in a letter to Cai Jitong: "The pictures of grinding cliffs and carving rivers, Luo and nature mentioned the day before yesterday are suitable for Gan Jun's description of the new camp in the Gezaoshan. Innate' must be engraved and printed, which is good. ..... The three pictures must be sealed, which is ancient, so it is easy to send someone to Bomo. " (The Sequel of Zhu Wen's Official Documents, Volume II, Answering Cai Ji's General Book, Sixty and Sixty-one) The "congenital" picture mentioned here is probably this "congenital Taiji picture" (the yin-yang fish picture with sixty-four hexagrams on it). However, in the following year (in 1197, the third year of Qingyuan), there were only two pictures engraved on Gezao Mountain: "River Map" and "Luoshu". Why didn't you finally carve the "congenital map"? I think there may be two reasons: First, it is more difficult to grind the rock and engrave it, because this picture is covered with sixty-four hexagrams (this is certain, as to whether it is a "Yin-Yang fish" picture or a square picture of sixty-four hexagrams), it is more difficult to engrave these complicated hexagrams, so Zhu Xi imagined "engraving hexagrams and printing them". Second, it is not important to compare with the two maps of He and Luo. According to Hu Wei's speculation, this picture "out of Xi Yi, originated in Bo Yang, if it is not the root of the story, it will be the number of five out of fifty."