A Research on the Occultism of Shuo Wen Jie Zi

• Main Authors: Ya-wen Chen, 陳雅雯
• Other Authors: Lin Jin-Chyuan
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/52215785566778497251

博士 === 國立成功大學 === 中國文學系碩博士班 === 97 === Based on cosmology or a system of interpretations of natural law, The Han occultism dominated the metaphysical thoughts of Han dynasty. Then there brought an effect forth in Han metaphysics, which, acknowledged by most of sinologists, was a connection of Wu Xing (The Five Elements), Chen Wei (occult arts), and Shu Shu (ancient Chinese science including occultism, divination, medical, practice, etc.). In the light of this, and of Shuo Wen Jie Zi being most impressed by Han occultism, I make an endeavor in my research, through Shuo Wen Jie Zi, the celebrated dictionary of Han characters, to present an alternative meaning and value of Han occultism. Therefore, this dissertation focuses on systematically combining three major merits in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, they are the study of the Chinese written characters, the study of Chinese classic cannons, and Han occultism respectively. My purpose is to show out clearly those imbedded and implicated in it, those we call them now whatever Chinese ancient occultisms or Chinese ancient sciences, including calendar, astronomy, astrology, cosmology, Yin Yang, Wu Xin, cosmology, and the principle of Yi (or Yi Jing). This dissertation is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter as a prelude, to introduce my research motive, then comes the second chapter as a strip of umbilical cord to let Shuo Wen Jie Zi commune with occultism. There follows in turn the third to the seventh chapter, I make them as a mature world of occultism abundant in exemplified Han characters with the function of explanation and interpretation. It is necessary for me to make a conclusion, so I put it in the last chapter, the eight. Outlines about each chapters as follows: Chapter 1 is of research motive and purpose, methodological, and of an introduction of other scholar’s researches. Chapter 2 consists in exploring the relation between Shuo Wen Jie Zi and Han occultism, and the influence the later imbued into the former. The definition and the category of Han occultism is managed here. Chapter 3 discusses the thought of Yi Jing in Shuo Wen Jie Zi. I try to depict here that all the etymological methodologies adopted by it is with the spirit of Yi Jing, such as Liu Sue ( the six categories of Chinese characters), sections and chapters, the numbers of words and traditionally recognized components of Chinese characters, and the arrangement of traditionally recognized components of Chinese characters, the law of San Cei( the thought about human how to response to and interact with nature) , the principle of Yi and the system of divination explicated and implicated in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, etc.. Chapter 4 examines the thought of Yin Yang and Wu Xin in Shuo Wen Jie Zi. An analysis is put forward to articulate the word examples which it took them as illustrations of the circulation of Yin Yang and Wu Xin. Myths and mythologiies written down in it will also be taken up seriously in this chapter. I deliberate in chapter 5 the questions of the thoughts of astrology and calendar in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, and pursue these sub-subjects of its word examples about astronomy, calendar, season and lunar terms, weighs and measures, music as well. I explore it in chapter 6 the practical arts of Han occultism and its thoughts suggested in Shuo Wen Jie Zi, these comprising pharmacology, and Taoist eroticism. A step more into the mystic of Shuo Wen Jie Zi, I expound on its point-views of sorcery, astronomy and astrology, then generalize its explanatory rules of occultism word examples. In the seventh chapter, I try my best to embody its occultism’s magnificent meanings from its background of creation and composition, and its orientation as a dictionary of Chinese characters. A synchronicity is proposed by me in the chapter of conclusion to help us see through the mystic of Shuo Wen Jie Zi, by this way we can find it clear and meaningful, not as opaque as random phenomena that originally appeared in the occultism system of Shuo Wen Jie Zi.