i54 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. X. 



2. Jade Images and Symbols of the Deity Heaven 



There are three kinds of annular jade objects, called pi (Giles 

 No. 8958), yuan (No. 13757) an d huan (No. 5043). The former is a 

 disk with a round perforation in the centre, the two latter are rings. 

 The difference between the three is explained in the dictionary Erh ya: 

 "If the flesh (i. e. the jade substance) is double as wide as the 

 perforation (hao), it is called pi; if the perforation is double as wide as 

 the jade substance, it is the ring yiian; if the perforation and the jade 

 substance are equally wide, it is a ring of the kind huan." This is a 

 good point for guiding collectors in defining their specimens, although, 

 as measurements on actual specimens show, these definitions are by 

 no means exact, but to be taken cum grano salis. The Chinese, also, 

 determine these three groups from the general impression which they 

 receive from the relative proportions of the dimensions of the ring and 

 the perforation. 



The definition that the jade disk pi symbolizes Heaven, is first given 

 by Cheng K'ang-ch'eng of the second century a. d. in his commentary 

 to the Chou li (Biot, Vol. I, p. 434). The Shuo wen states only that pi 

 is an auspicious jade and a round implement; of dictionaries, the Yii 

 pien by Ku Ye-wang (523 A: d.) is the first to register the entry: 

 "an auspicious jade to symbolize Heaven." All Chinese archaeologists 

 of later times have adopted this explanation. A singular position 

 is taken by Pan Ku in his work Po hu Vung who says: "The pi is 

 round on the outside which symbolizes Heaven, and square inside 

 which symbolizes Earth." Thus, he is quoted in K'ang-hi's Diction- 

 ary, but this is only a clause culled from a longer exposition. If we turn 

 to the edition of the Po hu Vung in the Han Wei ts'ung shu, we find in 

 Ch. 3, p. 17 as follows: "The pi which is used in soliciting the services of 

 talented men is that kind of pi which is square in the centre and round 

 in the exterior. It symbolizes Earth, for the action of Earth is peace- 

 ful by producing all objects of wealth, and hence the pi is fitted to 

 enlist talent. The square centre is the square of the female power 

 (yin te fang) ; the round exterior is the female principle yin attached to 

 the male principle yang. The female power is flourishing in the in- 

 terior; hence its shape is found in the interior, and its seat is in the 

 centre. Therefore, this disk implies the shape of Heaven and Earth 

 and is employed in accordance with this. The interior square sym- 

 bolizes Earth, the exterior circle symbolizes Heaven." Also Li Shih- 

 chen, the author of the Pen ts'ao kang mu, speaks of such circular pi 

 with square central perforations; but, as far as I know, jade disks of 



