Daoist Chinese Dictionary of Terms

[宁]

Hi there everybody

 

The main idea is to have some terms, their Chinese characters, and their general meaning.

I'm pretty sure this basic knowledge can't do harm,

and could lead to interesting and more accurate understanding.

 

Thank you all

 

 

For all the passionate researchers out there,

 

Picard out

 

Edited October 27, 2009 by Little1

[erdweir]

Good Idea

I have actually been thinking about this too, but I was thinking more along the lines of how we needed a Taoist Wiki. The Taobums is great, there is allot of knowledge here, but what if we organized it, compiled it and made it really accessible? Made articles about teachers, schools, traditions, concepts, practices, books, history, etc. perhaps I am dreaming, but there is software for creating your own Wiki out there. We just have to decide to do it.

[Stigweard]

Edited May 14, 2009 by Stigweard

[宁]

[Deepbluesea]

This is fantastic! Thanks!

[Fire Dragon]

Good Idea

I have actually been thinking about this too, but I was thinking more along the lines of how we needed a Taoist Wiki. The Taobums is great, there is allot of knowledge here, but what if we organized it, compiled it and made it really accessible? Made articles about teachers, schools, traditions, concepts, practices, books, history, etc. perhaps I am dreaming, but there is software for creating your own Wiki out there. We just have to decide to do it.

 

 

 

 

I was talking about a similar idea a year or so ago, but did not get much response by then. I think this kind of tao wiki idea might be a wery beneficial project for all of us interested in taoism!

 

F D

[宁]

bump

Edited May 15, 2009 by Little1

[宁]

[Stigweard]

Lookie what me found

 

You beat me to it!

 

[Stigweard]

[宁]

精 jing

 

氣 Qi

 

神 Shen

 

靈 Ling

 

無極 WuJi

 

 

炁 prenatal Qi

[Stigweard]

[宁]

Hi Stig,

 

yes, i guess each of them deserve a larger exploration of implications. I just look at the way some of the daoist concepts as are translated from Chinese into English

when translated into English, it's like they loose their meaning...

 

Translating Xing ( 性 ）as "Nature"...

 

Also, the translation of Shen (神) as "Spirit" ... they all loose their meaning, because we have a different mindframe in the West about these concepts...

 

And Xing as 形 。。。

 

My point is, there are different meanings. Fiew of the researchers that i've met or read from, are concerned with establishing clear separations between these Eastern and Western sets of meanings.

 

 

hence the importance of this thread, no?

 

I'd surely like to see some more knowledge-able guys and girls stepping in for comments.

[YMWong]

氣 Qi

 

神 Shen

 

Since Longmen seems to be in fashion these days on this board, here is what its founder had to say about 'shen', 'qi' and their relationship:

 

http://www.qiuchuji.org/index2.php?type=showtopic&id=23

 

夫神為子，氣為母，氣經目為淚，經鼻為膿，經舌為津，經外為汗，經內為血，經骨為髓，經腎為精。

氣全則生，氣亡則死，氣盛則壯，氣衰則老。

常使氣不散，則如子之有母；氣散則如子喪父母，何恃何怙？

 

roughly

 

'Shen' is the son, 'qi' is the mother, 'qi' passing by the eyes it is the tears, passing by the nose it is the mucus, passing by the tongue it is the saliva, passing outside it is the sweat, passing inside it is the blood, passing by the bones it is the marrow, passing by the kidneys it is 'jing' (sperm/essence)

When 'qi' is complete there is life, when 'qi' is depleted there is death, when 'qi' is abundant there is strength, when 'qi' is weak there is old age

Always preserving 'qi' without loosing it, it is like a son having a mother, loosing 'qi' it is like a son loosing his father and mother, what can he relies on ?

 

 

YM

Edited May 18, 2009 by YMWong

[宁]

anybody called for a dictionary?

[gendao]

Excellent work, guys!

(woman=太太)

Just a minor correction here though - taitai = specifically wife, not just a woman. Ergo, a Chinese wife is revered as a "great great."

 

And interesting how jing is basically like seeds, with the youthful vigor of new sprouts. To me, this implies that whereas qi is generic and universal, jing is unique to each person and imbued with their personal ID. Similar to how blood is universal and thus transferable, but semen (containing one's unique DNA) is not. So, qi is more like a life-sustaining fluid, whereas jing contains one's encoded blueprint.

 

Here's a small glossary of Chinese alchemical terminology (but only in pinyin). These are some other words we could try breaking down too.

[steve]

Edited June 15, 2009 by xuesheng

[宁]

[宁]

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