The Chinese graph for he (和), commonly translated as “harmony,” itself is very revealing of the term’s roles within the historical, social and philosophical contexts of the Confucian and Taoist traditions. Through its diverse uses in certain classical texts of Chinese thought, the multi-faceted nature of this concept can be more fully appreciated and its relevance to daily living made evident. It will be seen that he exists in both the realms of the human community and the natural order and is to be sought out by and within the former. As he is also seen by some traditions as the foundational and sustaining element of the universe, the term he is able at any given time to fill the role of the origin and that of the end or goal of all things.
The graph for he (和) is composed of two radicals, he (禾) “grain” and kou (口) “mouth.”*1 This composition evokes perhaps a meaning akin to “food” or “the act of eating”, but it is this interpretation of the graph that points to the meaning of “harmony” commonly assigned to it. He (禾) “grain” can also be interpreted as “rice,” the successful production of which implies a well-functioning society. In order to properly construct the complex irrigation system necessary to sustain good rice production, members of the community have to be willing to work in “harmony” with one another. Without this harmony and the ability to work together, the well-being and future prosperity of the community is jeopardized.*2 When there is harmony in rice-production, the subsequent consumption of rice and prosperity become indicative of a harmonious community.
Another sense of this harmony shines through in the culinary etymology of the term, being the art of mixing two or more food items together in such a way that each serves to mutually benefit the whole while maintaining its own particular identity. The harmony created in this interaction of several parts is an order, which in turn enhances the contribution made by each ingredient. In the Analects, this sense of harmony, with its emphasis on particularity, is celebrated as the highest cultural achievement.*3 This particularity in combination with other ingredients can be seen in Kaou-Yaou’s definition of the nine virtues in The Counsels of Kaou-Yaou from The Books of Yu section of the Shoo King, where most of the “virtues” consist of a combination of two qualities, sometimes opposites such as in “mildness combined with firmness,” which serve as complements to each other in practice.
The family is used as a model for this kind of harmony as its members give themselves most completely to the family unit they are a part of in a total expression of personal integrity, thereby creating an environment where personal realization can take place. This occurs through interactions governed by the customs (“ritual propriety”) appropriate to the situation and the familial roles at play, such as that of a father in relation to his son or a granddaughter to her grandmother.*4 As is explained in the Analects 1.12, “Achieving harmony (he 和) is the most valuable function of observing ritual propriety. In the ways of the Former Kings, this achievement of harmony...was a guiding standard in all things great and small.”*5 The pursuit of harmony through ritual propriety extends far beyond the realm of family, however, permeating into all aspects of communal life. Along with the high value placed on familial piety, ancestor reverence, authoritative conduct, ritualized roles, relationships and practices are all methods for achieving and maintaining communal harmony (he 和).*6
He exists outside of human society as well, and can be found in the order of nature. In the Book of Changes and the commentary on Ch’ien, the Creative (Heaven), it says “The way of ch’ien is change and transformation. Each thing thereby achieves its true nature and destiny and assures that it is in accord with great harmony.” Harmony, therefore, as that upon which “true nature” and destiny rely, holds a place of great importance in the natural order. Furthermore, in the commentary on K’un, the Receptive (Earth), it is said of K’un, “The ten thousand things all receive life from it when it is in harmonious union with Heaven...[K’un] encompasses all things and...each individual thing achieves perfect success.” In the twenty-first chapter of the Zhuangzi text, within the domain of Taoist philosophy, the interaction of the yin and yang forces of Heaven and Earth is said to establish he in such a way that “it gives birth to things.”*7 The forty-second chapter of the Laozi states that “everything is embedded in yin and embraces yang; through chong qi [vital energy] it reaches he.” Therefore it is through yinyang’s function as qi and the interaction of yin and yang that everything comes into being. As Zhuangzi states in chapter thirty-one, “When the qi of yin and yang are not in harmony, and cold and heat come in untimely ways, all things will be harmed.” On the other hand, he claims in chapter twenty-one that “when the two have successful intercourse and achieve harmony, all things will be produced.” This same principle is used to explain the beginning of human life. When qi, defined as flowing, vivacious energy, set itself in motion at the dawn of time, that which was clear and light rose to become Heaven while that which was heavy fell to become Earth. When these two qi interacted and attained to he, human life began.
While the term he (和) is so often translated as the same word, “harmony,” the term has a great diversity of possible applications depending on the context in which it is used and what it describes. Whether seen as the founding principle of the natural world, that of human life or as its goal, nevertheless, the term is used by so many different voices and schools of thought to convey a common notion of a sort of balance that does exist in the natural order to some extent and both could and should be brought into existence in the communal and familial sphere.
Footnotes:
*1 “The 214 Radicals.” http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/radicals.html
*2 “Dao und die Zehntausend Dinge: Dao De Jing Nr. 42.” http://www.teeweg.de/de/literatur/daodejing/dao%2042.html
*3 Ames, Roger T. and Henry Rosemont JR. “The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation.” New York: Ballantine Books, 1998. P. 56
*4 Ibid. P. 57
*5 Ibid. p. 74
*6 Ibid. p. 30
*7 Wang, Robin R. “Yinyang.” http://www.iep.utm.edu/y/yinyang.htm
Works Cited:
- “The 214 Radicals.” http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/radicals.html
- “Dao und die Zehntausend Dinge: Dao De Jing Nr. 42.” http://www.teeweg.de/de/literatur/daodejing/dao%2042.html
- Ames, Roger T. and Henry Rosemont JR. “The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation.” New York: Ballantine Books, 1998.
- Wang, Robin R. “Yinyang.” http://www.iep.utm.edu/y/yinyang.htm
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