Chinese Thought; An Exposition of the Main Characteristic Features of the Chinese World-Conception (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1907 edition. Excerpt: ...therefore that the constellations among the starry heavens were mapped out without special reference to the ecliptic, and are older. The irregularity of the Chinese constellations along the ecliptic, accordingly, would go far to prove that their names must have been imported into China before the ecliptic had finally been regulated into twelve equal mansions, each of 30 degrees. Babylonian wisdom migrated in both directions, toward the east to China, and toward the west to Europe. It must have reached China at an early date in prehistoric times, and it has come down to us from the Greeks who in their turn received their information second hand through the Egyptians. At every stage in this continuous transfer of ideas, the mythological names were translated into those that would best correspond to them. Istar changed to Venus, or Virgo; Bel Marduk to Zeus and Jupiter, and among the Teutons to Thor or Donar, etc. During the Napoleonic expedition some interesting representations of the zodiac were discovered in the temple of the great Hathor at Dendera. They are not as old as was supposed in the first enthusiasm of their discovery for they were finished only under the first years of Nero; but they well represent the astronomical knowledge in Egypt which looks back upon a slow development for many centuries. We notice in the transition of the zodiac from Babylon to Egypt, and from Egypt to Greece, several changes of names which are still unexplained. Sirius is identified with Orion, and the Great Bear with Typhon, etc. The Hindu and the Arabian zodiacs are practically the same as ours, but the Chinese zodiac shows some deviations which, however, are too inconsiderable not to show plainly a common origin of the whole nomenclature. The Arabian magic...