PURPLE FORBIDDEN CITY 5& 



Seasons must be understood not merely four divisions of 

 the time of the year, but four special though secondary 

 principles, or rather four specialized forms of the Ultimate 

 Principle each of which has a certain predominance in nature 

 during one of the periods called Spring, Summer, Autumn, 

 Winter. 



A transcendental union and coagulation now takes place, 

 of the ULTIMATE PRINCIPLE, TWO ESSENCES, FIVE. 

 ELEMENTS. 



The Positive Essence becomes the Masculine Power, 

 The Negative Essence becomes the Feminine Power — con- 

 ceived in which character the former constitutes the 

 HEAVENLY MODE OR PRINCIPLE, the latter con- 

 stitutes the EARTHLY MODE OR PRINCIPLE. 



By mutual reaction, the two produce all things in the 

 visible, palpable world; and the double work of evolution 

 and dissolution goes on without end. 



In the course of the process of universal production, man 

 is constituted of the finer portions of the elements at work, 

 and is the most intelligent of all things; the unintelligent, 

 zoological world, being included in the term things. It is at 

 this stage that the mental, as different from the material 

 world manifests itself in the form of a distinct existence. 

 As we believe that mind and matter have the same common 

 origin in the incomprehensible workings of the Author of 

 existence, so the Chinese believe that mind and matter have 

 the same common origin in the transcendent operations of 

 the Ultimate Principle, the T'ai Chi. 



Man's Hsing or Nature, as allotted to him in the course 

 of these operations, is perfectly good. Its qualities as ex- 

 hibited in active relation to the world are classified under 

 five heads, as the FIVE VIRTUES % «\ These are 



JEN fc, I «, LI a, CHIH g , HSIN m . 



JEN (BENEVOLENCE). I (UPRIGHTNESS OF 

 MIND). LI (PROPRIETY IN DEMEANOUR). CHIH 

 (KNOWLEDGE OR ENLIGHTENMENT). HSIN (GOOD 

 FAITH, TRUTH). 



As in the region of ontology and cosmogony the Two 

 Essences and the Five Elements are the sources of all things; 

 so, man having been constituted as a separate existence — in 

 the region of psychology and sociology, the Two Essences 

 and Five Virtues are the sources of all affairs. Mental and 

 material existences, originate in the Two Essences and the 

 Ultimate Principle their one root, in all things and in all 

 acts the Ultimate Principle operates as the Two Essences. 



