Meaning of number 鈥9鈥 reflected in Temple of Heaven
cctv.com 04-09-2004 16:13
9 is an ordinary number, but for the ancient Chinese philosophers, it has rich connotations. People can find interesting answers from ancient architecture of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
The Temple of Heaven was an architecture of complex for the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties to pray in spring for a good harvest and offer sacrifices to heaven in winter.
There is a sacrificial altar called Circular Mound Altar in the Temple of Heaven.The number 鈥9鈥 can be found here and there in the architecture. For example, each of the three tiers of the staircases made of white marbles has nine steps. When you walk up the Circular Mound Altar, along the steps, you鈥檒l find a round stone slab at the center of the altar, which is also the only round stone in the altar. It鈥檚 called Taiji Stone, or the Stone of Heaven Center.
Looking around the Taiji Stone, the first circle around the Circle of Mound Altar consists of nine fan锛峴haped stones锛 for the second circle, 18 stones锛 third circle, 27 stones and so on. All of these round stones slabs for every circle is the multiple of 鈥9鈥 .
The number 鈥9鈥 has a special philosophical meaning, because the heaven is 鈥淵ang鈥 or masculine while the earth is 鈥淵in鈥 or feminine. 鈥淵ang鈥 is represented by an odd number of the figures from 1 to 9. It implies reverence for heaven which is most lofty. Therefore, number 鈥渘ine鈥 has a deep philosophical meaning. It hints something rational. And emperors who called himself the son of heaven would naturally offer sacrifices to heaven and communicate with heaven in a world composed of the nines.
Therefore some people said that the Circular Mound Altar include endless numbers. For instance, the area of the up tiers of the Circular Mound Altar is 9 鈥淶hang鈥 in diameter. The total number of the diameters of the three tiers of the Circular Mound Altar is 45 鈥淶hang鈥, which not only is the multiple of 9, but also symbolizes the supreme position of the emperor and the heaven.
In the remote historical periods, there are also sacrificial buildings like the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Archeologists once found sacrificial altar in the ruins of Hongshan culture. The altar was built by ancient men with stones. So the origin of building an altar to offer sacrifices to heaven and the introduction of its philosophical meaning can date back more than five to six thousand years.
Every year on the winter solstice, the emperor would hold grand rituals to offer sacrifices to heaven. The Temple of Heaven was once a mysterious place for such ritual ceremonies. The philosophical meaning of number 9 in ancient China was reflected in the figurative architecture. It shows the understanding and worship of ancient Chinese people for heaven and nature. Here the ancient culture and the ancient architecture were combined into one.
Editor:Wang Ping Source:CCTV.com
