A few words about the character 生(sheng1)

[ChiDragon]

The character 生(sheng1), by itself, with its basic meanings can be translated into English including all these words:

Give birth to; begot, born, produce; generate, engender, mothered; fathered; to live; to grow; alive; life; living;

 

However, these meanings, alone, cannot be used to translate or interpret the Tao Te Ching. This character has many different meanings when compound with a different character. When interpreting the classic text, the interpreter must understand the context before an interpretation can be made.

 

Here are some of the compound characters may be helpful for interpreting the Tao Te Ching.

1. 生 存 shēng cún : to exist; to survive

2. 生 成 shēng chéng : fully developed; ripen; matured

3. 生 育 shēng yù : to bear; to give birth

4. 生 產 shēng chǎn : to produce; manufacture

5. 產 生 chǎn shēng : to come into being; to produce; to cause; to bring about; to generate; to yield; to engender

6. 出 生 chū shēng : to be born;

7. 一 生 yì shēng : all one's life; throughout one's life

8. 化 生 hua4 sheng1: evolved into being

 

For example: 太一生水

太一化生為水

Great One evolved into water.

Edited June 20, 2011 by ChiDragon

[Harmonious Emptiness]

[ChiDragon]

Is there a major connection between Sheng (verb) and Shen (noun) in terms of usage or construction of the symbol? I think I've seen Sheng used in place of Shen before when discussing Jing/Chi/Shen.

生(sheng1) and 神(Shen2), I can't think of a major connection between the two terms.

[Stigweard]

Possibly the most pertinent one that you missed is 養生 yǎngshēng -- nourishing life -- which is the original term for what has become modernised as "qigong".

 

[dawei]

For example: 太一生水

太一化生為水

Great One evolved into water.

Your trying to explain the thoughts another starts (me) and then change your translation every other day, and now your at "evolved"?

 

You have not defined what the "Great One" is here; but once it evolves it ceases since it has changed to another thing; then how can it be referenced later in the text? This is rhetorical, no need to answer. It's not easy to get the meaning in english but it's easy to go astray. At least "produces" is better since one knows the original (or origin) did not cease.

[ChiDragon]

Translation:

太一生水

Great One engenders water

 

Interpretation:

太一化生為水

Great One evolved into water.

 

Its hard for me to communicate to you if you do not really know the language thoroughly. You need to an open mind to see what I saying without any preconceived idea. If you do not wish to discuss with an open mind, then I just stay out.

Edited June 21, 2011 by ChiDragon

[dawei]

Translation:

太一生水

Great One engenders water

 

Interpretation:

太一化生為水

Great One evolved into water.

 

Its hard for me to communicate to you if you do not really know the language thoroughly. You need to an open mind to see what I saying without any preconceived idea. If you do not wish to discuss with an open mind, then I just stay out.

your the one correcting people's translations and calling your own the "proper translation" over and over again. Where is the open mind, may I ask? Too funny double standard. I guess we are all here for you? Thanks for the games on the high horse.

 

BTW: You don't have to try and translate every single text offered. You should know something about the text instead of changing your thought every day and pronouncing it as final... again and again and again. An open mind means you are open to another's translation instead of forcing your own to everyone's acceptance. You have already shown you are not open to another's; you prefer to always correct another. Don't you get it?

[ChiDragon]

your the one correcting people's translations and calling your own the "proper translation" over and over again. Where is the open mind, may I ask? Too funny double standard. I guess we are all here for you? Thanks for the games on the high horse.

 

BTW: You don't have to try and translate every single text offered. You should know something about the text instead of changing your thought every day and pronouncing it as final... again and again and again. An open mind means you are open to another's translation instead of forcing your own to everyone's acceptance. You have already shown you are not open to another's; you prefer to always correct another. Don't you get it?

I believe that I had been given my justification for all my reasoning. However, the main issue had been ignored every time. In return, there was no rebuttal on the issue rather the messenger was being attacked. All this time, our efforts had been wasted on personal issues other than concentrating on the subject was being discussed. Therefore, I have no further interest in the subject and I rest my case.

 

Peace...

[de_paradise]

Dunno if this interest you, but the word 生 is derived from 土, earth, with another horizontal level, and the vertical bit cotinuing up, meaning to break through the earth. Like a seed sprout breaks through the earth. Then the other bit, like a comma, is where the newborn meets the sun, and forms growth or branch to the outside world.

 

I was just wandering around and met my friend who is a Taoist preist and he was explaining word origins to another guy, and I asked him this word.

[dawei]

Dunno if this interest you, but the word 生 is derived from 土, earth, with another horizontal level, and the vertical bit cotinuing up, meaning to break through the earth. Like a seed sprout breaks through the earth. Then the other bit, like a comma, is where the newborn meets the sun, and forms growth or branch to the outside world.

 

I was just wandering around and met my friend who is a Taoist preist and he was explaining word origins to another guy, and I asked him this word.

Sheng ALWAYS reflected breaking up through the earth, going back to the Oracle bones. You can see that it was the Seal Character where they began to look similar; this was when the characters were standardized in the unified Qin Dynasty.

 

MODERN >>>> SEAL >>>> BRONZE >>>> ORACLE

生 >> >> >>

 

As a radical:

http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/sinograms.html?r=%E5%9C%9F

 

 

MODERN >>>> SEAL >>>> BRONZE >>>> ORACLE

土 >> >> >>

 

As a radical:

http://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/sinograms.html?r=%E5%9C%9F

[Simple_Jack]

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Edited February 5, 2014 by Simple_Jack

[dawei]

What about Hsiang Sheng (mutual arising in Chinese?)

This is 相生 from the third line of DDJ2, which is provided in the post as:

 

 

The key to this relationship is called hsiang sheng, mutual arising or inseparability. As Lao-tzu puts it:

 

When everyone knows beauty as beautiful, there is already ugliness;

 

When everyone knows good as goodness, there is already evil.

 

“To be” and “not to be” arise mutually;

 

Difficulty and easy are mutually realized;

 

Long and short are mutually contrasted;

 

High and low are mutually posited......

 

Before and after are in mutual sequence."

 

And this is from DDJ42: I like the use of 'arise' here more than produce or give birth to:

 

"(From) Tao arises One; from One arises Two; from Two arises Three; and from Three arise the ten thousand things.”

 

I might prefer "[via] Tao ... I tend to stick to Tao as the process and not a thing from which other things come. If One arises via Tao, then One and Tao are not the same, which I hold to... but glad you shared this. Thanks.

Edited June 21, 2011 by dawei

[Marblehead]

Interesting discussion Y'all. Y'all are over my head but I enjoy the info being presented. Thanks.

[ChiDragon]

Possibly the most pertinent one that you missed is 養生 yǎngshēng -- nourishing life -- which is the original term for what has become modernised as "qigong".

 

Stigweard...

Besides 養生 yǎngshēng , there are also

養精 yǎng jing1

養氣 yǎng qi4: here is where the qigong comes from

養神 yǎng shen2: here is where meditation comes from

 

養魚 yǎng yu2

養牛 yǎng niu2

Edited June 21, 2011 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

What about Hsiang Sheng (mutual arising in Chinese?)

Hsiang Sheng(相生): It implies that one must be the dependent of the other in order to survive(生). For example, Yang must be existed to have Yin and vice versa. If there was no sunlight(Yang), then, there is no shadow(Yin). Another example, male and female or man and wife are said to be mutual dependent of each other.