The idea of "Heaven and man are one" in ancient Chinese aesthetic thought and its positive meaning

Li Xiaomei PhD in Art History Postgraduate student, Department of Semiotics and General Theory of Art, Lomonosov Moscow State University 119991, Russia, Moskvskii oblast', g. Moskva,, ul. Ul. Leninskie Gory, 1 yokilixm1226@gmail.com

What is the idea of "Heaven and man are one"

The idea of "Heaven and man are one" goes back to ancient Chinese philosophical thought. "Man" here can be understood as a natural person, or as a human being, or as what Lao Tzu called the "Human Tao". "In the writings of ancient Chinese philosophers, it sometimes seemed that "heaven" refers to God, this point of view is relatively rare. Sometimes it seems that this refers to the material sky, directly opposite the "earth". Sometimes it seems that this refers to nature with intelligence and will" ^{[2, p.163]}. In the idea of "Heaven and man are one", "heaven" is "nature with reason and will". "Heaven is the embodiment of the highest reason, justice, and its function is to regulate order, punish and reward each person in accordance with his moral appearance" ^{[10, p.61]}. Lao Tzu generically called it the "Heavenly Tao". The unity of heaven and man is to destroy the duality of subject and object and, finally, to achieve the final ideal of harmony and unity between man and nature, and so that man and heaven can perceive together.

In Chinese medicine?

From the point of view of traditional Chinese medicine, the ancients discovered that there are many coincidences between the human body and the laws of nature. Dong Zhongshu in his essay "The Abundant Dew of the Chronicle of Chunqiu" he wrote: "People have three hundred and sixty bones, which exactly corresponds to the number of days in a year; people have bones, flesh and blood, like the earth and rivers; people have ears and eyes, like the sun and moon; human the bodies have acupuncture points and a pulse, like canyons and mountains."

Therefore, ancient Chinese medicine believed that the human body can be viewed as a "small universe" that conforms to the laws of nature. The natural person's own biological clock will depend on the ups and downs of natural tides.Traditional Chinese medicine pays attention to "yin and yang" and "Wu-xing (the Fifth element)", as well as "qi(?)" flowing in the human body. People should allow their own "qi" to function properly in the body so that their internal circulation conforms to the laws of circulation of the external environment. By doing this, you can establish a proper metabolism, feel full of energy, and some functions in the body will gradually improve.

In Chinese philosophy?

From the point of view of ancient philosophy, the earliest written evidence related to "Heaven and man are one" in China goes back to "Zhou and" ?" The Saint is unselfish. His actions obey the Tao and conform to the laws of nature; observe the laws of the action of the sun and moon and watch the four seasons change. When the time is bad, keep your head down, and when the time is good, work hard. Follow the laws of nature, do not violate the laws of nature and make appropriate adjustments when nature changes." The appearance of the phrase "Heaven and man are one" may have originated from the earliest in "Qi wu lun" Chuang Tzu says, "Heaven and earth were born with me, and all things are one with me." Chuang Tzu believes that man and nature are symbiotic, and the relationship between man and nature cannot be viewed in isolation and in opposition.

Tracing the origin, this idea was refined by Chuang Tzu from Taoist thought. In Taoist thought there is: "The Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two give birth to three, and three give birth to all beings" ^{[1, p.91]}. The basic idea, the "Tao" here is the "Heavenly Tao" proposed by Lao Tzu, which refers to the law of everything in the universe. Lao Tzu believes that the action of the "Heavenly Tao" is a direct interaction of two opposing forces, one "yin" and one "yang", and that all things are compatible and coexist. During the operation, a larger number of seats should provide fewer seats so that the strong become weaker and the weak become stronger in order to achieve balance. However, the "Human Tao", that is, the law of society, is the opposite. In society, rich people always deprive poor people of their capital and replenish their stocks. Lao Tzu believes that nature always treats all people and animals simply and fairly. Therefore, the "Heavenly Tao" is just and unselfish, therefore the "Human Tao" must correspond to the "Heavenly Tao".

Lao Tzu said in the Tao Te Ching: "The Tao has great power. It is vast and boundless, it is constantly flowing, it is flowing and expanding, and it is constantly expanding and returning to its source. Therefore, there are four powerful things in the world: Tao, heaven, earth, and man." Here Lao Tzu emphasized the status of a person. Lao Tzu believed that people have thoughts and consciousness, and they can recognize the existence of "Tao". The great philosopher Xunzi once said:"Animals can perceive, but they don't know that morality exists. People not only have qi, life and knowledge, but also understand morality. Therefore, man is the most precious being in the world"^{[1, p.53]}.

The great philosopher Xunzi said: "Animals can perceive, but they do not know that there is morality. People not only have qi, life and knowledge, but also understand morality. Therefore, man is the most precious being in the world" ^{[14, p.127]}.

So, immanently, people have a higher consciousness and morality than other animals and plants in order to achieve the unity of man and neba.

Lao Tzu said that "The Heavenly Tao is just, and it often favors and rewards good people." only by mastering the "good" will he be able to appreciate the true meaning of the "Heavenly Dao". A "good person", that is, a moral person, his behavior follows the laws of the "Heavenly Tao", can treat everything with tolerance, resolve resentment in his heart and deal with everything fairly. Such people can be protected by the "Heavenly Dao" to get more luck and opportunities. Therefore, if a person wants to achieve a state of "unity between heaven and man", he must restrain his morality and do good deeds.

This idea is also key in the works of Leo Tolstoy. Many of Leo Tolstoy's works, such as The Cossacks and Childhood, express moral ideals and the harmonious beauty of human nature, naturalness and social unity. In the treatise "on life" he wrote that man is a part of nature, and nature is a part of man ^{[17, p.45]}.

In Chinese aesthetics?

The idea of "Heaven and man are one" penetrated into the aesthetic and artistic spheres and influenced the formation of the Chinese aesthetic spirit. In terms of aesthetics, there are many differences between Chinese and European. For example, European aesthetics, also known as sensualism, is a branch of philosophy that studies the emotional experience of a person. The definition of Chinese aesthetics is more like a "philosophy of life". Chinese aesthetics is to "transcend" sensitivity " and strive to understand life immanently. It is not about recognizing beauty in the 'empirical' world, but about experiencing beauty in the 'transcendental' world"^{[3, p.2]}. Compared to the "external beauty" of the European world of aesthetic research and experience, Chinese aesthetics values the "inner (in the heart)" more.

For example, in painting, European artists like to draw in nature. "Chinese artists do not paint a landscape from nature, but always create a generalized collective image of nature in silence, in their studio after a long stay in the open air"^{[11, p.5]}. Chinese artists experience feelings within nature, and not as outside observers of nature. This difference in the creative process is the interpretation by the Chinese artist of the idea "Heaven and man are one".

In classical Chinese aesthetic thought, people believe that a person is a "disciple" of nature, and if a person obeys the laws of nature, he can be merged with nature. Everything in the world is constantly changing and being created. People must integrate into the rheology of the world and merge with the world in order to experience the true beauty of life.Thus, the artist's creative process is "the process by which people integrate nature into their state of mind in order to create"^{[6, p.125]}. "In fact, the Tao with its related concepts of the unity of "spirit and matter", the eternal flow of all things, the reciprocity of opposites became the foundation on which the Chinese erected their art and their theories of art " ^{[8, p.38]}.

This ancient and harmonious idea of the unity of heaven and man in aesthetics is not unique. In ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece, the aesthetic thought of that time also advocated "harmony". One of the evidences that our ancestors thought about this is the "Book of the Dead" of ancient Egyptian mythology. In the book, the dead will compare themselves to animals. This kind of animal worship reflects the harmony between people, animals and nature. The goddess Maat in the ancient Egyptian religion demanded that people observe the order of the universe, the order of nature and the order of human society. People always take as a basis the orderly changes of nature and maintain balance and harmony between man and nature from beginning to end ^{[15, pp.143-144]}.

In Greek mythology and philosophy, there is a world order, a world whole, which, unlike Chaos, is not only ordered, but also beautiful because of the harmony that reigns in it"^{[16, p. 288]}. For example, the Pythagorean school believes that "everything is a number," and beauty is harmony. Harmony can be achieved if opposing factors can be combined, and the uncoordinated can be turned into coordination, such as music. In astronomy, music, geometry and arithmetic, the Pythagoreans saw common numerical proportions, harmonic relations, the knowledge of which, according to them, is the knowledge of the essence and structure of the universe ^{[5, p.51]}. They believe that a certain proportion of quantity can lead to wonderful effects, such as the "golden ratio" of architecture. This principle of "number and harmony" is also applicable to the whole of nature. They discovered that cosmic celestial bodies rotating at a certain distance can create a kind of harmonious music^{[18, p.33]}. The great ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus believed that the world is united by confrontation. He advocated war and believed that confrontation promotes harmony ^{[19, pp.57-58]}. This idea is similar to the ancient Chinese idea that the two forces "Yin" and "Yang" are opposed to each other, interact and compensate for each other.

1. The embodiment of the idea of "Heaven and man are one" in classical Chinese works of art

The traditional Chinese idea of "Heaven and man are one" says that life, the universe and beauty are one, and they are all a complex consisting of different elements, not one. Therefore, ancient Chinese aesthetics often linked beauty and kindness, and also drew attention to the "interweaving of feelings and images", that is, the integration of landscapes and people's moods. Such thoughts flowed into artistic activity and aesthetics, forcing ancient Chinese works of art to focus on the expression of the inner spirit of the subject and emphasize the power of spiritual perception of the subject. The idea of the unity of heaven and man is embodied in many ancient Chinese works of art.

"In classical Chinese art, works of art are not only the embodiment of the artist's personality, but also the embodiment of the principles of the universe" ^{[7, p.11]}. The Chinese painting "Travelers among Mountains and Rivers" by the artist of the Northern Song Dynasty Fan Kuang is the artist's life experiences. The artist lives in seclusion in the mountains all year round, feeling the wind and rain in the mountains and enjoying the beauty of the four seasons. In this picture we see that the artist is not a contemplator of nature, but draws the world of life that he "experiences" from a special point of view.

This painting seems to depict landscapes, but it contains a philosophy of life. The artist used the "lubai" parts as intervals, so that the painting consisted of three parts. The lower part seems to be depicted from the point of view of a person looking down. This person is looking down at dense strange rocks that seem to block the road ahead. The middle part seems to be depicted from the point of view of a person looking up. We see a gentle slope. There is a road on a gentle slope. On the way there are several people and donkeys carrying goods. It seems that a monk is vaguely visible in the forest. The upper part, which accounts for about 2/3 of the picture, is a huge, towering, stable mountain. From this corner of the mountain, it seems that the artist is looking up at it. Three perspectives of looking down, looking forward and looking up appear in Chinese painting simultaneously. The artist allowed three perspectives to appear in a Chinese painting at the same time, without feeling dissonance.

The three parts depicted from these three points of view represent the artist's perception of life, that is, three levels of life. In the first level, people can only see the stones in front of them, the dilemmas and failures facing them, and it seems that there is no way out. On the second level, people are like travelers riding donkeys carrying heavy loads to deliver goods, as if they have forgotten about the beautiful scenery around them. Or, like a monk in the forest, he goes step by step to a Taoist temple in search of the Tao. The third level is that towering mountain. At this time, people hear the roar of waterfalls in the mountains and see birds flying in the sky. Surrounded by clouds and fog, people and mountains are united. Man feels the supreme will of heaven, and man resonates with nature. In the magnificent nature, in the vast universe, at this time, people's own little joys and sorrows are no longer important. From the "little self" to the "big nature", from the limited to the infinite - this is the artist's artistic expression of the idea of the unity of heaven and man.

2.        The positive meaning of the idea "Heaven and man are one"

In a narrow sense, thanks to the idea of "Heaven and man are one", ancient Chinese works of art often focus on a common aesthetic and spirit, rather than destroying the whole due to the depiction of certain details. In the process of drawing, artists often do it in one go, they can not only pay attention to understanding the general artistic concept, but can also express the charm of natural landscapes. Such paintings are even more majestic, giving the viewer a noble spiritual feeling. Chinese art advocates the coexistence of various factors and reasonable coexistence as a kind of rich beauty. Based on this general beauty, let the part resonate with the whole, so that the content and form of the work of art can be organically combined, and the work of art itself can be more harmonious.

"I think that the idea of "Heaven and man are one" is the oldest and most important statement of ancient Chinese culture"^{[13, p.93]}. As Mr. Qian Mu said, "The word "tianxia" is comprehensive and broad, and its meaning is. It unites human cultures all over the world into one whole, all ethnic groups peacefully coexist, and humanistic nature adapts to each other. Other conclusions can also be drawn from this meaning"^{[13, p.94]}. The traditional spirit of Chinese culture is the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancient Chinese. Since ancient times, the ancient Chinese could notice that man is part of nature and part of the world. A person should not violate nature, a person should be integrated with nature. Mr. Qian Mu believes that all people in the world are members of the earthly civilization, and people should be supported by the idea of "Heaven and man are one", that is, cultures of different countries and nationalities on earth should peacefully coexist, cooperate with each other and, finally, integrate into a single whole. People from all over the world work together to achieve the goal of mutual integration and harmonious development of world cultures.

In a broad sense, the 21st century is the era of information globalization. thanks to economic and trade exchanges between different countries, various countries continue to carry out in-depth exchanges in the field of culture. Generally speaking, the positive meaning of this idea lies in adhering to the idea of "Heaven and man are one", let the people of the whole world communicate peacefully and amicably, and let the cultures of different countries and nationalities develop in harmony, which will contribute to the development and progress of society. This is the positive meaning of the idea "Heaven and man are one", which has influenced Chinese politics and life from ancient times to the present day and can be applied to today's society.