Review Asian 104
Review Questions for the Mid-Term Exam
(9th March 2015)
I. Review questions for short-answer questions
1. Briefly characterize the following terms:
a. Hexagram-The I Ching book consists of 64 hexagrams.[2] [3] A hexagram is a figure composed of six stacked horizontal lines (爻 yáo), where each line is either Yang (an unbroken, or solid line), or Yin (broken, an open line with a gap in the center). The hexagram lines are traditionally counted from the bottom up, so the lowest line is considered line one while the top line is line six. Hexagrams are formed by combining the original eight trigrams in different combinations. Each hexagram is accompanied with a description, often cryptic, akin to parables. Each line in every hexagram is also given a similar description.
b. yin-yang-In its broad sense, the term ‘yin-yang’ means the unity of two mutually-opposed but correlative and complementary forces existing within anything in the universe: the yang is considered to be the positive, active, and (manifestly) strong force, while the yin the negative, passive, yielding force. In a narrow sense, it means two complementary fluid-force elements within qi whose mix determines the existence of all things in the universe. The yin and yang are inter-dependent, inter-penetrating, inter-transformational, and harmoniously balanced; these features are represented by the dot at the heart of each half of the flowing circle in the yin-yang diagram: . In some conventional accounts, the yang is depicted in terms of the sun, light male, summer, dry, dominant, upper, active, etc., while the yin in terms of the moon, dark, female, winter, moist, receptive, submissive, lower, passive, etc.
c. yin-yang metaphysical vision-The yin-yang metaphysical vision concerning the relation between changing/becoming and unchanging/being, as delivered in the Yi-Jing (I Ching) text takes neither priority of changing/becoming over unchanging/being nor priority of unchanging/being over changing/becoming,
(9th March 2015)
I. Review questions for short-answer questions
1. Briefly characterize the following terms:
a. Hexagram-The I Ching book consists of 64 hexagrams.[2] [3] A hexagram is a figure composed of six stacked horizontal lines (爻 yáo), where each line is either Yang (an unbroken, or solid line), or Yin (broken, an open line with a gap in the center). The hexagram lines are traditionally counted from the bottom up, so the lowest line is considered line one while the top line is line six. Hexagrams are formed by combining the original eight trigrams in different combinations. Each hexagram is accompanied with a description, often cryptic, akin to parables. Each line in every hexagram is also given a similar description.
b. yin-yang-In its broad sense, the term ‘yin-yang’ means the unity of two mutually-opposed but correlative and complementary forces existing within anything in the universe: the yang is considered to be the positive, active, and (manifestly) strong force, while the yin the negative, passive, yielding force. In a narrow sense, it means two complementary fluid-force elements within qi whose mix determines the existence of all things in the universe. The yin and yang are inter-dependent, inter-penetrating, inter-transformational, and harmoniously balanced; these features are represented by the dot at the heart of each half of the flowing circle in the yin-yang diagram: . In some conventional accounts, the yang is depicted in terms of the sun, light male, summer, dry, dominant, upper, active, etc., while the yin in terms of the moon, dark, female, winter, moist, receptive, submissive, lower, passive, etc.
c. yin-yang metaphysical vision-The yin-yang metaphysical vision concerning the relation between changing/becoming and unchanging/being, as delivered in the Yi-Jing (I Ching) text takes neither priority of changing/becoming over unchanging/being nor priority of unchanging/being over changing/becoming,