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中英文之美（6）——东西方哲学里的混沌初开 幼学琼林：混沌初开，乾坤始奠。这是无极、太极到阴阳的过程。气之轻清上浮者为天，气之重浊下凝者为地，这是讲阴阳转化的过程。 很玄妙吧？如果你再延伸开去，自然可以联系到易经，以及中国古代哲学的种种。  再看一段英文：Before this world came into existence, there was in its place a confused mass of shapeless elements called Chaos（混沌）. These elements becoming at length consolidated( by what means does not appear), resolved themselves into two widely different substance, the lighter portion of which, soaring on high, formed the sky or firmament, and constituted itself into a vast, overarching vault, which protected the firm and solid mass beneath.  如果不是历史记载，这些提出天地形成理论的古代哲人并没有见过面，你简直会觉得他们开过国际会议，研讨过天地玄黄，最后达成了学术上的高度一致。 当然，区别在于，中国人一直在阴阳无极的理论里找到满满的自豪和玄妙，西方人一直在the lighter 和the firm and solid mass的疑问里探求。西方的古代哲学里开出里科学的花，而中国古代的哲学里开出了卜筮的花。 到目前，混沌、阴阳、五行依然成为中华民族五千年文化源远流长的渊薮，虽然在谈论科学的时候，我们会换用另一套话语。 宇宙到底怎么开始的？到现在为止，最具生命力的理论是大爆炸理论。但我们在不谈论科学的时候，仍然会认为我们的阴阳理论才是最具生命力的哲学，最然我们从科学上无法证明，但我们可以从文化上自信。 那我们来说说中国古代哲学里的阴阳： The word yang originally meant sunshine, or what pertains to sunshine and light; that of yin meant the absence of sunshine, i.e., shadow or darkness. In later development, the yang and yin came to be regarded as two cosmic principles or forces, respectively representing masculinity, activity, heat, brightness, dryness, hardness, etc, for the Yang and femininity, passivity, cold, darkness, wetness, softness, etc., for the Yin. Through the interaction of these two primary principles, all phenomena of the universe are produced. This concept has remained dominant in Chinese cosmological speculation down to recent times. 我们不能不承认古代哲人的伟大，但如果以为哲学仅仅如此，就很难有更伟大的哲学出现。而且你会发现，越到上古时代，东西方哲学越加相近。因为，当时的哲学都靠原始思维来发展。 譬如，我们古代哲学认为：The numbers for Heaven and the numbers for Earth correspond with and complement one another. 这就和古希腊哲学中的毕达哥拉斯惊人地相似，Pythagoreans 认为，the four elements of Greek philosophy, namely, Fire, Water, Earth and Air, are derived, though indirectly, from numbers. In the religion of the primitive Chinese, it was possible to conceive of a father god and a mother goddess who actually gave birth to the world of things.  这是中国原始宗教对阴阳的认识。如果我们还不能超越阴阳，停留在原始思维中而不能自拔，还有救吗？ 
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