XIV INTRODUCTION. 



pure natural meaning, the two pillars proclaim the everlasting change and struggle bet ween 

 light and darkness, night and day, winter and summer, cold and heat, death and life, which 



forms the life and the law of the creation and the world 



But the two pillars do not allude only to the cosmogonic or physical dualism which forms 

 the universal and natural life, and which wrangles together as the everlasting universal and na- 

 tural law; hut, still more, to the ethic or moral dualism between good and evil, pure and un- 

 pure, true and false, right and wrong, Avhich constitutes the life of each individual and that 

 of all mankind." 



As a symbol of this eternal change we find the diagram, pourtraying the Tin and Tang, on 

 the diploma of the brotherhood in the province of Shantung. 



Tin and Tang united, formed Ilarmony ( x ) out of which were produced the three powers ( 2 ): 

 lleacen, Earth and Man. 



Everything concerning the knowledge of the celestial bodies was ranged under the power 

 Heaven. Water, fire, metals, winds, thunder, lightning, geography and all natural produc- 

 tions, constituted the seeond powei\ ifor^. 



The third power Man, the old philosophers looked upon as the only visible creature endowed 

 with intellect, and who was able to do actions worthy of praise or blame, of reward or punish- 

 ment, according as he was virtuous or depraved. ( 3 ) These three powers being produced by 

 one and the same breath possess, of course, the same nature, and are pervaded by one princi- 

 ple; or, as it is said in the 32d answer of the Catechism of the Hungleague: 



The three powers were established together, 



One principle is comnion to them. 

 In the same spirit is this old Chinese adage : 



Heaven is above, Earth is below, ■* 



Man was born between both; 



The three powers were established together, 



One principle is common to them. 



Oh, How great is Confucius! 



By the great virtue of his holy bonds 



The whole world folio wed his con version, 



And by all ages he is honoured. 

 This intimate union between Heaven, Earth and Man, was expressed by the symbol /\. Ac- 

 cording to the Shwoh-wan this symbol means : // three united in one". It is composed of the cha- 

 racter A , to enter, penetrateand — >, one, so that the symbol /\ signifies three united, pene- 

 trated, llended into one. Liu-shu- tsin g-hun says: /\ rneans intimate union, harmony, the first bles- 

 sing of Man, Heaven and Earth; it is the conjunction of the three powers because, when they 

 are united, they, together, rule, create and nourish all things. ( 4 ) 



0) ^TJ O H 7f 



( 3 ) Memoires concernant les Chinois, T. II, pp. 27—23. 

 (*) Memoires concernant les Chinois, I. 299. 



