C H I
C H I
Chou-king, gives Fou hi, Chine nong, Hoang-ti, for the three Hoang, and that he takes Chao hao, Tchouene-hio, Tio, Yao, and Chune for the five Ti; but that we know not on what foundation he does this, ſince Confucius, in the Kia yu, diſtinguiſhes by the title of Ti, all the kings after Fou hi. The ſame thing is proved by ſome paſſages of Tſo-chi and of Liu pou-ouei; from whence they conclude, that Fou-hi, Chine-nong, and Hoang ti are not the three Hoang, and that there are no other Hoang but heaven, earth, and man.
Tchine-huene retrenches Hoang ti from the number of the Sane hoang, and puts in his place Niu-oua, whom he ranges between Fou-hi and Chine nong. Others ſtrike out Niu-oua, and put Tcho-yong in the place of Hoang-ti. Niu-oua was the ſiſter of Fou-hi, and Fou-hi, they ſay, reigned 115 years. At what age muſt this princeſs have mounted the throne, for they make her ſucceed her brother?
The famous Se ma-tſiene, to whom the Chineſe, from their high eſteem of him, have given the name of Tai ſſe-cong, or father of hiſtory, will have Hoang-ti, Tchouene-hio, Cao-ſine, Yao, and Chune to be the five Ti; and he gave theſe princes for their predeceſſors Soui-gine chi, Fou-hi, and Chine nong, who, according to him, were the three Hoang. This opinion, ſince his time, has been embraced by ſeveral other writers, who depended upon his authority more than upon proofs which he could not produce.
Confucius ſays in his Kia yu, that the princes who had governed the empire began at Fou hi to take the name of Ti or Emperor. The ſame philoſopher ſays further, in the treatiſe Hi-tſee, or commentary upon the Y-king, that anciently Fou hi governed China, that Chine nong ſucceeded him, that after them Hoang-ti, Yao, and Chune were ſeated on the throne. From ſo deciſive a teſtimony, Hou-ou-fang, and ſeveral others with him, have not doubted, that theſe five princes named by Confucius were the Ou-ti, or five emperors. As to the Sane hoang, they admitted Tiene hoang chi, Ti hoang chi, Gine-hoang chi, as three chiefs of the people who had governed the empire before Fou-hi.
As it is from Tao-ſſe, that the ſeveral authors we have now quoted, have borrowed their idea of this chimerical diviſion of the eight first Chineſe emperors, into three Hoang and five Ti, it is neceſſary to relate what theſe religious think themſelves. They have opinions peculiar to themſelves about theſe firſt ages of the monarchy. They believe, that at the firſt there were three Auguſti, Sane-hoang; then five emperors, Ou ti; next three kings, Sane-vang; and laſtly, five Pa, Ou-pa; that is to ſay, five chiefs of Regulos.
This order ſo regularly obſerved of three and then five, which is repeated twice, ſhews plainly, that all this has no foundation in truth, but that it is a ſyſtem invented at pleaſure. Wherefore Tou-chong-chu, who lived under the Hane, explained this in an allegorical manner. The three Hoang were, according to him, the three powers, (heaven, earth, and man); The five Ti were the five duties (the duties of king and ſubject, of father and children, of huſband and wife, of elder and younger brothers, of friends); the three Vang were the three lights, (ſun, moon, and ſtars); finally, the five Pa were the five mountains, four of which are ſituated at the four cardinal points of the empire, and the fifth at the centre. Thus Tong-tchong chu allegorized this this pretended ſucceſſion of kings. But Lopi, who relates this explanation, adds, it was not his own. This is a point of criticiſm of little importance to us; let them, if they pleaſe, aſcribe it to ſome other than Tong-tchong-chu; we have ſtill ground to ſay, that it came from ſome writer who lived in an age not far from that of Tong-tchong-chu. This is enough for our preſent purpoſe, ſince we ſee from hence the little regard they then paid to this diviſion, which they conſidered as chimerical. It would be in vain to attempt to reconcile all theſe contradictions. All theſe imaginary reigns are in the manner of the Tao-ſſe, who have darkened the origin of the Chineſe monarchy by their fables and mythology. The ten Ki or periods are of their inventing; they gave them between two and three millions of years duration. But before theſe ten periods, they place three dynaſties, viz. the dynaſty of Thiene-hoang-chi, that of Ti-hoang-chi, and finally, that of Gine hoang-chi. If we attend to the ſignification of theſe names, they muſt be interpreted thus: the Sovereign of heaven, the Sovereign of earth, the Sovereign of men. We ſee from hence, that the allegorical explanation of Tong-tchong chu, which made the three Hoang ſignify the three powers, that is, heaven, earth, and man, is not without probability.
Theſe three Hoang ſucceeded to Pouane-cou, otherwiſe Hoene tune, the chaos, the origin of the world, which ſeveral of the Tao ſſe take for the first man, or the firſt king who governed China.
The dynaſty of Thiene hoang-chi had thirteen kings, who reigned, ſay they, 18,000 years; then came the dynaſty of Ti-hoang chi, whoſe kings, to the number of eleven, make up a like duration of 18,000 years. Finally, to Ti-hoang-chi ſucceeded the Gine-hoang-chi, whoſe dynaſty, compoſed of nine kings, furniſhes a ſpace of 45,600 years. Theſe three ſums added, give us preciſely 81,600 years. But if we add to theſe three dynaſties, thoſe which are comprehended in each of the ten Ki, and which amount, according to ſome calculations, to more than 230; we ſhall find that the pretenſions of the Chineſe very much exceed thoſe of the Chaldeans and Egyptians. For if we believe the calculations of various authors, from Pouane-cou to the death of Confucius, which happened in the year 479 before J. C. there is elapſed 276,000 years, or 2,276,000, or 2,759,860, or even 3,276,000; or, finally, which is a great deal more, 96,961,740 years: for we find all these different calculations.
It is viſible enough, that theſe extravagant numbers can be nothing elſe but aſtronomical periods, contrived to give the conjunction of the planets in certain contellations, or calculations which have ſome relation to the ideas of the Tao ſſe, concerning the perpetual deſtructions and reproductions of worlds. In fact, ſome have endeavoured to make theſe numbers agree with the period of Tchao-cang-tſie, a famous philoſopher in the days of Song, who had undertaken to determine the period of the duration of the world; for the ſyſtem of the de-
