INTRODUCTION. XXVH 



his head on the ground when wórshipping Shang-ti or God. Under the first dynasties the land 

 was divided into 9 equal portions (f^f 1 )} cultivated by 8 families, which gave to the empe- 

 ror the produce of the ninth, whilst the other portions were divided for their own use. Nine 

 of these squares were surrounded by a brook; 81 had a small canal, and 9 of these a larger 

 one. ( J ) China is still often designated by the name Kiu-chau, ,/the nine regions", because 

 it was the emperor Yu, the founder of the dynasty of Sia, who divided China into 9 parts 

 in the year B. C. 2197 ( 3 ). 



The imperial city of Peking has 9 gates; whilst the imperial palace is called K'm-chung ( 3 ), the 

 //nine-walled". The Emperor himself is called Kiu-wu-chi-tsun ( 4 ) //the venerable of the nine fifth." ( 5 ) 



There are 9 grades or degrees of rank, called Kiu-pin ( 6 ), as there are 9 grandees called 

 Km-lehing . ( 7 ) 



The astrologers, conjurors or magicians, writers, attorneys or sollicitors, mediators, envoys 

 or ambassadors, officials, husbandmen, military and literati ( 8 ) are the 9 professions. ( 9 ) 



Mnefold are the apertures of animal bodies, designated by the name Kiu-Mao. ( l0 ) There were 

 9 kinds of punishments, the Km-hing ( n ), and 9 oföcers who had the care of Government stores , 

 called Kiu-fti, the 9 offices. ( 12 ) 



In antiquity the Emperor made to dis tinguished personages the so-called //nine presents ( 13 )," 

 consisting of chariots , clothes , musical instruments , the permission to have a red-painted door , 

 the permission to have an elevated seat in one's hall, a body-guard of soldiers dressed in dra- 

 gon-embroidered clothes, bow and arrows, axe and hatched, black millet andfragrant wine. ( 14 ) 



In the great ceremony of ploughing, practised annually by the Emperor of China, the Em- 

 peror himselfs ploughs 3 furrows; the 3 princes each 5, and the 9 grandees each 9 furrows. ( l5 ) 



A common sentence on Chinese door-posts is the phrase San-to-hm-ju ( 16 ), //The three manys 

 and nine Wees." The 3 manys being many years of happiness and life and many sons. The 

 explication of the nine likes is found in the Shi-king where it is said : ( 17 ) 



z/May Heaven be yours and confirm you, and may there be nothing that does not prosper 

 r/to you. (May your happiness be) Wee a mountain, Wee a hill, Wee a field on an elevated plai:e, 



O Mémoires IX, 370 ( 2 ) Mémoires II, 168. ( 3 ) % S 



( 4 ) JL 3£. ^ J=|L ( 5 ) & e - The 5tli line of the 6 — 9 diagram given on page xxv. 



* m m< tt m. a *. * m- m m- *> % -m 



( I(l ) % j£ (") % JflJ ( 1S ) % Jfï. Dictionaries of Morrison, Williams, clc. 



m % $§, <») m «. * j§. m Wf- * p- % e. & v 



^ $k • ^C $Ü • ^ê ^ » Imperial Dictionary of Khang-hi. 

 (15) Mémoires c. 1. Chinois, T. 111, 500 k ff. 

 l 1G ) H ^ % #P ( 17 ) Pars II, Cap. I, ode 6. 



