C H I
C H I
Tſang-hie, who, according to your own teſtimony, did not flourish till the ninth period? However this may be, Sſee-hoan (ſay ſome romancers) knew to form letters the moment he was born. He was endowed with great wiſdom, &c. After he had received the Ho-tou, he viſited the ſouth, went upon mount Yang-yu, and ſtopped on the bank of the river Lo. A divine tortoiſe carrying blue letters upon his ſhell, delivered them to him: then Sſee-hoang penetrated all the changes of heaven and earth; above he obſerved the various configurations of the stars; below he examined all the marks he had ſeen upon the tortoiſe; he viewed the plumage of birds, he took notice of the mountains, and of the rivers which flow from them, and of all this he compoſed letters. Some very learned Chineſe think, that this was the ancient kind of writing named Ko-teou-chu, which continued (ſay they) to the reign of the emperor Suene-ouang, that is, to the year 827 before J. C.
But Cong-yng-ta very well obſerves, that though the external figures of the letters have changed ſeveral times in ſome things, the ſix rules on which Tſang-hie formed them, have never ſuffered any change.
Then (continues Lopi) there was a difference between the ſovereign and the ſubject, relation between the father and the ſon, diſtinction between the precious and the vile; laws appeared, rites and muſic reigned. Puniſhments were inflicted with vigour. Thus Sſee-hoang laid the foundations of good government, he appointed officers for each affair, the ſmalleſt did not eſcape him; and thus heaven and earth arrived at their full perfection.
They ſay nothing of the ſucceſſor of Sſee-hoang which has any relation to our ſubject; but they ſay, that, under the reign of Tchong-hoang-chi, the third king of this period, they ſtill uſed ſlender cords for writing.
From this prince we come at once to Hiene-yuene, the 12th in order of this period, becauſe nothing is ſaid of his predeceſſors.
We find a great many things under the reign of this prince, because he is the ſame with Hoang-ti, or at leaſt they have confounded theſe two princes together.
They aſcribe to Hiene-yuene the invention of cars. He joined two pieces of wood together, the one placed upright, and the other acroſs, to the honour of the Moſt High. It is from this he is called Hiene yuene. The piece of wood placed acroſs is called hiene, and that which is placed upright is called yuene. Hiene-yuene ſtruck copper money, and made uſe of the balance to determine the weight of things. By this means he ruled the world in peace. Ho ſignifies merchandiſe in general. Formerly they wrote ſimply hoa, which ſignifies exchange. Theſe merchandiſes (ſay they) conſiſted in metal, kine, in precious ſtones, yu, in ivory, tchi, in ſkins, pi, in coined money, tſuene, and in ſtuffs, pou, &c.
They then denominated money (as is done ſtill) by the name of the reigning family. That of Hiene-yuene was one inch ſeven lines, and weighed twelve tchu, [the tchu is the 20th part of a yo, and a yo weighs 1200 little grains of millet]. They then ingraved letters on their money (as in ſtill done at preſent). It is for this reaſon that ven tſee, letters, ſignifies alſo a piece of money, which is called likewiſe kini, and tſuene, and tao.
Tcho-jong (16th emperor of the 9th period) hearing, at Cane-tcheou, the ſinging of birds, compoſed a muſic of union, whoſe harmony penetrated everywhere, touched the intelligent ſpirit, and calmed the heart of man, in ſuch a manner, that the external ſenſes were ſound, the humours in equilibrio, and the life very long. He called this muſic Tſie ouene, that is to ſay, temperance, grace, and beauty.
But the deſign, and in ſome ſort the only aim of the ancient muſic of the Chineſe, according to their authors, was the harmony of the virtues, the moderation of the paſſions, elegance of manners, and, in a word, every thing that can contribute to the perfection of a good and wiſe government, &c. For they were perſuaded that muſic was capable of working all theſe miracles. It is difficult for us to believe them in this, eſpecially when we conſider the muſic which is at preſent uſed among them. But we appeal to the Greeks, who related as aſtoniſhing effects from this agreeable invention, whilſt the modern Greeks, like moſt part of the Orientals, have no muſic but a wretched and contemptible monotony.
The 17th king of the 9th period is named Hao-yng. In his time they cut down the branches of trees to kill beaſts with. Men were few. Nothing but vaſt foreſts were every where to be ſeen, and theſe frightful woods were filled with wild beaſts. How contradictory is this, and how incompatible with the times in which this prince is ſaid to have reigned!
The 18th king of the 9th period is called Yeou-tſao-chi. We have ſeen in the preceeding period, a prince of the ſame name. The Ouai-ki places this king at the beginning of the laſt ki, and gives him for ſucceſſor Soui-gine. At this rate, nine entire periods, or ki, muſt have elapſed before men knew how to build huts, or had the uſe of fire. Lopi follows another method: he has ranged Yeou-tſao-chi and Soui-gine in the preceeding period; and although the king we are now ſpeaking of bears the ſame name, he ſpeaks of him quite differently.
The 19th king of the 9th period is named Tchu-ſiang-chi.
They ſay, that he commanded Sſee-kouei to make a kind of guitar with five ſtrings named ſe, to remedy the diſorders of the univerſe, and preſerve every thing that had life.
The 20th king of the 9th period is named Yne-khang-chi.
In his time, the waters did not flow, the rivers did not purſue their uſual courſe, which occaſioned a great number of diſeaſes.
Yne-khang inſtituted the dances called Ta-vou (grand dances), with a view to preſerve health: for, as Lopi ſays, when the body is not in motion, the humours have not a free courſe; matter is amaſſed in ſome part, from whence come diſeaſes, which all proceed from ſome obſtruction.
The Chineſe alſo imagine, that a man's virtues may be known by his manner of touching the lute and drawing the bow, &c.
Thus the Chineſe make dances as well as muſic have a reference to good government; and the Liki ſay,
