Section 56.1
The virtue of Heaven is to bestow;
the virtue of Earth is to transform;
the virtue of humankind is to be righteous.
Heaven’s qi is above;
Earth’s qi is below;
humankind’s qi is in their midst.
Spring gives birth and summer matures, and so the numerous things flourish;
autumn kills and winter reaps, and so the numerous things are stored away.
Therefore,
nothing is more refined than qi;
nothing is more rich than Earth;
nothing is more spiritlike than Heaven.
Of the living things born of the vital essence of Heaven and Earth, none is nobler than human beings. Human beings receive their destiny from Heaven, and therefore they surpass [the lesser creatures] that must fend for themselves.
Other living things suffer troubles and defects and cannot practice humaneness and righteousness. Human beings alone practice humaneness and righteousness.
Other living things suffer troubles and defects and cannot match Heaven and Earth. Human beings alone match Heaven and Earth.
Human beings have 360 joints that match Heaven’s numbers.
1 [They have] form, frame, bone, and flesh that match Earth’s substantiality.
Above they have ears and eyes, keen and clear, resembling the sun and moon.
In their bodies they have orifices and pores, veins and arteries, resembling the rivers and valleys.
In their hearts they have sorrow and joy, happiness, and anger, which are the same in kind as the spirit qi [of Heaven and Earth].
Observe the uniqueness of the human body. How surpassingly lofty a thing it is, and how similar in kind to Heaven!
[Other] things tangentially and meagerly partake of Heaven’s yin and yang and thereby survive, but human beings possess [Heaven’s] elaborations and patterns in all their brilliance. This is why as a general rule, the forms of other [living] things do not enable them to move about except in a crouched and creeping fashion.
2 Human beings alone stand erect, look straight forward, and assume an upright position. Thus
those who appropriate a bit of Heaven and Earth assume a non-erect posture;
those who appropriate much from Heaven and Earth assume an upright posture.
This example makes evident that human beings are distinct from other living things and that they join with Heaven and Earth. This is why with the human body,
the head, tilted and circular, resembles the appearance of Heaven;
the hair […]
3 resembles the stars and planets;
the ears and eyes, side and front, resemble the sun and the moon;
the nose and mouth, inhaling and exhaling, resemble the wind and qi;
the chest and middle, penetrating and knowing, resemble spirit illumination;
the abdomen and bladder, filling and emptying, resemble the numerous things.
The numerous things are nearest to Earth. Therefore, the portion of the body below the waist corresponds to Earth. As [the body] forms an image of Heaven and Earth, the waist is a sash [dividing the upper and lower parts].
What lies above the waist
4 is refined, numinous, noble, and majestic, illuminating the features of Heaven’s kind.
What lies below the waist is fertile, full, humble, and lowly, comparable to the richness of the soil.
The feet [side by side] form a square, resembling the Earth’s shape. Therefore on ceremonial occasions, when donning a sash or girdle, it must exactly match the waist, to divide [the lower body] from the heart. What is above the sash is entirely yang, and what is below the sash is entirely yin, each with its own function.
Yang is Heaven’s qi;
yin is Earth’s qi.
Therefore if the movements of yin and yang cause human beings to have an ailment in the foot and it rises [to become] numbness in the throat, the qi of Earth will rise to become clouds and rain, for where there is a resemblance, there is also a response.
The tallies of Heaven and Earth and the correlates of yin and yang always are established in the human body. The [term] “body” resembles [the term] “Heaven.” The numerology of the body and that of Heaven are mutually interwoven. Therefore [the body’s] destiny and that of Heaven are mutually linked. Heaven completes the human body with the number of days in a full year. Thus the body’s 360
5 lesser joints correspond to the number of days in a year, and the twelve larger joints match the number of months.
Inside the body are the five viscera corresponding to the number of the Five Phases;
outside the body are the four limbs corresponding to the number of the four seasons;
the alterations of wakefulness and slumber correspond to day and night;
the alterations of strength and weakness correspond to winter and summer;
and the alterations of sorrow and joy correspond to yin and yang.
Its mind has calculations and deliberations corresponding to degrees and numbers.
Its conduct has conventions and patterns corresponding to Heaven and Earth.
These things, whether obscure or obvious in the body, are innate to human beings. When human beings are compared and matched with Heaven and Earth, they are found to be a fitting match.
In what may be numbered, there is correspondence in number.
In what may not be numbered, there is correspondence in kind.
They all are appropriately identical and correspond to Heaven. This is why [one must]
set out in detail what possesses form to manifest what is formless;
grasp what may be numbered to manifest what may not be numbered.
[When] speaking of the Way in this manner, it is quite fitting that things respond to one another in accordance with their kind. This is just like the human body, which corresponds to Heaven in accordance with its regularities. [56/58/23–56/59/13]