An etymology of the ideograms Da Guo.28

[confucius]

Etymology of the ideograms Da Guo.28






The first ideogram used to illustrate hexagram twenty-eight is one on the most common and one of the simplest. It suggests a Human Being standing on his two feet with his arms spread apart to express the universal symbol for Great, Large, Big…

Being, from the onset, the representation of a thing (pictogram) instead of the representation of an idea has given this ideogram great abstraction values. It has the properties for depicting the Heavens, as the roof of life on Earth, as well as the spiritual Heaven. By adding a horizontal stroke on top of the ideogram Da, it becomes the highest possible limit.

This ideographic filiation will serve as the basis for the idea of Largesse, Generosity, concerning the notion of Yang and its association with Heaven. In the context of the Yi Jing, considering the ideogram Da (Great) as the primitive denomination of the idea of Yang is approved by its being depicted four times in that scope: Da You.14 (Great Accomplishment), Da Xu.26
(Taming by the Great), Da Guo.28 (Great Excess) and Da Chuang.34 (Great Strength)


The second ideogram is assembled using two groups. On the left is the general symbol to express Movement. On the right is a complex group whose etymological explanation is still controversial. Its canonical shape reminds us of the Shoulder Blades used during divination upon which the original formulas of the Yi Jing were written (that symbol has been used to name the counselor of Fu Xi, one named Nu Wa); but it most particularly describes the cupolic (cup-like) centers targeted for the incisions in divination. (We find elsewhere the idea of these Holes or Cracks on a smooth surface composed with this ideogram: that illustrating the ideogram Whirlpool or again the ideogram used to describe the Wok.

From these Cupolas destined to receive the branded bronze producing the Cracks (which occasionally broke through the bone) may come the predominant meaning of this group: To Go Beyond, To Go Through. All the other possibilities are drawn by this idea of Surpassing. It modern application confirms this: this group has been replaced by a character which means both Inch and Pulse, representing the concept of Rhythm, Measure…

Together, then, the idea proposed by the assembly of the ideograms Da Guo.28 means: The Great Overtakes The Measure, he does not dominate, he is excessive.

Excess and Taming are the only two notions of the Yi Jing that are described using their Yin attributes, as is the case at Xiao Xu.9 and Xiao Guo.62, as well as their Yang virtues, as is seen in Da Xu.26 and Da Guo.28.

Confucius
















28

 

[lightofreason]

From the universal perspective, and so from the unconscious seeding the associations of the ancient chinese in trying to describe the feelings of meaning, this covers expansive bonding (lake on top = intensity in expression) operating in a context of contractive binding (wind in bottom = cultivation) such that we have:

"with/from culivation comes intensity in expression"

As such this covers (a) excess and (b) going beyond the norm - going the extra distance for someone/something

The infrastructure is described by:

011110
100001
--------
111111 = 01, a seeding of singlmindedness, intense mediating dynamics etc

Note:

I have emphasised the passage from the unconsciousness of our species to the particular consciousness of the ancient chinese due to receiving a 'terse' post from Hilary re my being 'off topic' and her threats to remove me from the list - the combination of the general and particular is far more important than me or her and so I will continue adding the elements of the universal, unconscious, influences on the association of characters to the IC meaning until either she backs off or removes me - Confucious has been presenting reasonably good summaries and in one post has implicitly indicated finding no issue with my additions.

If all of the 'diviners' on the list find issue with the more philosophical/science aspects of the IC, since the list has in the past covered both, I find it sad to see the diviners trying to avoid what the IC is about - change.

The fact that the introduction of empirically-derived data is rejected/ignored out of threats to individuals vanity and feelings of adequacy is unfortunate.

Chris.