对立与阴阳观念形成的知识线索

Opposites and Knowledge Clues Formed by the Idea of Yin-Yang

按照目前的通见,中国人有关阴阳的观念是形成于商周时期。然而,这种看法显然是存在问题的,因为它将中国人有关对立现象认识的实际生成时间大大延后了,并且也将这一认识的发展过程过于简单化了。人类的对立或二分观念早在采集的年代就已经产生或形成,可以这样说,对立观念是在人类童年期就已经建立起来的一种认识。新石器时期,对立观念已经在中国人的生活和生产中普遍显现,并且,当时的人们也已经开始通过图案来表达这一观念。到了周代的《易经》,图案始为符号所代替,同时借助符号来表达某种最初始的哲理。而在《易经》的卦象中其实包含有丰富的天象观察和天文知识,这也涉及太极图的产生。在此基础上,阴阳语词、概念及其思想也终于在西周末年出现了。至春秋时期,中国人围绕对立问题已经发展出十分丰富的概念群,并能够在这一问题上阐述相当完备且深刻的思想,进而达到一种形上思维的高度。而所有这一切无疑都是建立在知识活动的基础之上的,或者说与观念背后的知识线索密切相关。

According to the current view,Chinese idea of Yin and Yang was formed in the period of Shang and Zhou.However,this view delays the time when Chinese people formed the knowledge of the opposite phenomena,and also simplifies the developing process of this knowledge.Human ideas about opposition or the binary was formed at the age of gathering and picking.It can be said that the idea of opposition was a kind of knowledge established in the human childhood.In the period of New Stone Age,opposing ideas appeared generally in Chinese people's life and production,and they also started to express these ideas through pictures.In Book of Changes of Zhou dynasty,pictures began to be replaced by signs,and some primary wisdom was expressed in signs.In fact,the hexagrams in Book of Changes contained rich astronomical observations and astronomical knowledge,and this also involved the generation of Taiji diagram.On this basis,the words,concepts and ideas of Yin and Yang finally appeared in the late Western Zhou dynasty.Till the Spring and Autumn Period,Chinese people had developed very rich concept groups,and could express their quite complete and profound thoughts,which reached the top of metaphysical thinking.Accordingly,all this is definitely based on the knowledge activities,or is closely related to the knowledge clues behind these ideas and concepts.