INTRODUCTION". XV 



With the Egyptians the equilateral triangle was explained so that one side expressed thê 

 male deity, the other side the fetnale deity, and the base ,/ the crcated ." ( l ) 



If Avecall one side Male (Yang os Heaven), the other side Female (Yin or Earth), and the base 

 Man, we witl have the Chinese acceptation of the symbol /\ expressing Heaven, Earth and Man. 



Bachofen says: #onb becoraes three by its incorporation with the matter, by its nnion 

 with the matter — the two, — whose vivifying and moving principle, the vital spirit and vital 

 lire, it henceforth farms; the thees is the ereating and shaping power in the matter, the two 

 — the spirit, the Unity." ( 2 ) 



So, too, says the old Chinese philosopher Lao-tsze: //The Tao produced. one ; one produced hoo ; 

 two produced three ; three produced all beings", wliieh is explained in this way: that as long as the 

 Tao was eoncentrated in itself, One was not yet born; as soon, however, as the Tao had diffusecl 

 itselfin the universe to produce the creatures, One was born. This One divided itself in Ja» and 

 Yang who, united, foraaed ILarmomy» This Harmon// condeused itself and produced all things. ( 3 ) What 

 the Tao is Lao-tsze explains to us himself. He says: //If I were endowed with some prudence I 

 would walk in the great Tao." The great Tao is very even, but the people like the paths. 

 (Chap. LUI). The Tao may be looked upon as the mother of the universe. I don't know its 

 name; to qualify it, I call» it the Tao or the Road." (Chap. XXV) So the Tao may be called the 

 Road; but in it's most broad and extensive acceptation. (*) This Road was also taughfc by Con- 

 fucius who called it the right medium (Chung-yung). Ilis grandson Tsze-sze worked it out. 

 It illustrates the nature of human virtue, and describes the state of the truc and immaculate 

 man (Kiim-tsze) Avho always demeans himself correctly, without going to extremes. It says: 

 z/The sage keeps the true medium in all things; the fooi neglects ik" //O, how grand and 

 sublime is the true medium! but how few are there who know how to keep it long." The 

 philosophers exceed it, the fools don't reach it " 



Describing, further, how man ought to be, it is said: //The princely man, in dealing with others, 

 does not descend to anything low or improper. How unbending his valor! He stands in the 

 middle and leans not to either side. The princely man enters into no situation where hc is 

 not himself. If he holds a high situation he does not treat with contempt those below hini; 

 if he occupies an inferior station he uses no mean arts to gain the iavor of his superiors. He 

 corrects himself and blames no others; he feels no dissatisfaction. On the one hand he murinurs 

 not at Heaven; nor, on the other, does he feel resentment towards man. Hence the superior 

 man dwells at ease, entirely waiting the will of Heaven." (>) The whole doctrine of Conl'u: 

 tended to bring man back to the pure and undefiled state in which he livcd in antiquity. 



As a reasonable being and possessing the divine essence, man has various duties to f'ul.'il. 



( 1 ) Krause, Kunsturkunden , 1,1, pag. 455, Note a. 



( 2 ) Syrab. d. Freim. II, 326. 



( 3 ) Le livre de la voie et de la vertu. Traduit par St. Julien, pag. 15 8. 

 (') Le livre de la voie et de la vertu. Introduction , XIII — XIV. 



[ 5 ) Collie's Tour books, pp. 6—10. 



