Divination and Correlative Thinking: Origins of an Aesthetic in the Book of Changes and Book of Songs

This article enquires into a transcultural aesthetic: bi-xing (inspired metaphor) in China and symbolic representation in the West, which share the common logic of correlative thinking. By examining its earliest provenance in the Zhouyi (Book of Changes) and Shijing(Book of Songs) in China's hi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophy and literature 2022-04, Vol.46 (1), p.120-136
Main Author: Gu, Ming Dong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aesthetics
Anthologies
Antiquity
Chinese literature
Exegesis & hermeneutics
Language
Linguistics
Metaphor
Poetics
Poetry
Songs
Symbolism
Theology
Traditions
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Summary:This article enquires into a transcultural aesthetic: bi-xing (inspired metaphor) in China and symbolic representation in the West, which share the common logic of correlative thinking. By examining its earliest provenance in the Zhouyi (Book of Changes) and Shijing(Book of Songs) in China's high antiquity in relation to divination, symbolization, and poetic creation in the West, it argues that this aesthetic arose from omen readings in divination, went through symbolism in linguistic representation, and became a poetic principle in aesthetic thought. It concludes that correlative thinking was an approach to knowledge production and conception in traditional thought across cultures.
ISSN:0190-0013
1086-329X
1086-329X
DOI:10.1353/phl.2022.0007