Chapter 37: Fuxi — 伏羲 — The First of the Three August Ones
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A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
On the Matter of Fuxi — 伏羲 — The First of the Three August Ones
His name is Fuxi — 伏羲.
Fu — 伏 — means to lie down. To crouch. To hide. To submit. The character shows a person — 亻 — ren — and a dog — 犬 — quan — together. A person lying down. A person in concealment. A person waiting.
Xi — 羲 — has no clear meaning in modern Chinese. It is an ancient character. It appears almost nowhere except in his name. It is the name of a mythical emperor. It is the name of the sun driver Xi He — 羲和 — in some texts. It carries the weight of the ancient. The origin.
Together — 伏羲 — the Hidden One. The Crouching One. The One Who Waits in Concealment.
He is also called Fu Xi — 伏牺 — with a different second character. The character Xi — 牺 — means sacrificial animal. Some texts write his name this way. The meaning shifts. The sound does not.
He is also called Paoxi — 庖犧 — the Butcher Sacrificer. This is his name in the Book of Changes — 易經 — Yi Jing. Pao — 庖 — means kitchen. Butcher. Xi — 犧 — means sacrificial animal. Together: the one who butchers the sacrifice. The one who prepares the offering.
He is also called Mi Xi — 宓羲 — in some texts. Mi — 宓 — means quiet. Still. Peaceful.
He is the first of the Three August Ones — 三皇 — San Huang. He is the first ruler of humanity. He is the one who taught humanity to be human.
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On the oldest records of Fuxi.
The name Fuxi appears in the earliest Chinese texts.
The Zhuangzi — 莊子 — written by Zhuang Zhou — 莊周 — approximately 350 to 300 before the common era — mentions Fuxi in multiple chapters.
Chapter 9 states: In the age of Fuxi, the people tied knots in ropes to record events. They ate what they found. They wore what they found. They lived in peace with the birds and beasts. There was no distinction between the noble and the base. The people were simple. They did not know the difference between right and wrong. They lived in the age of virtue.
The Zhuangzi does not describe Fuxi as a god. It describes him as a ruler. A human ruler. The first ruler. The ruler of a time before civilization. A time of simplicity. A time of harmony.
Chapter 10 states: When the age of Fuxi began, the people began to be governed. They were not governed before. They lived in chaos. Fuxi brought order. He taught them to live in communities. He taught them to work together. He was the first to govern.
The text does not explain how Fuxi became ruler. It states that he was ruler. It states that he was first. The details of his rise are not recorded.
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On the second record. The Yijing — 易經 — the Book of Changes.
The Yijing — 易經 — the Book of Changes — contains the most important account of Fuxi.
The Xici — 繫辭 — the Commentary on the Appended Judgments — states: In ancient times, when Fuxi ruled the world, he looked up and observed the patterns in the heavens. He looked down and observed the forms on the earth. He observed the patterns of birds and beasts. He observed what was appropriate for the land. He observed what was appropriate for the people. He took these observations from near and far. He then created the Eight Trigrams — 八卦 — Bagua. He used them to communicate the virtues of the divine. He used them to classify the qualities of the ten thousand things.
This is the most famous account of Fuxi. He is the inventor of the Eight Trigrams. He is the origin of the Yijing. He is the one who first saw the patterns of the universe and recorded them.
The text continues: He knotted ropes to make nets. He used them for hunting and fishing. This he took from the trigram Li — 離.
Li — 離 — is the trigram of fire. Fire is bright. Fire illuminates. Fire distinguishes. The net distinguishes what is caught from what is free. The net is the application of Li.
He taught the people to hunt. He taught the people to fish. He taught the people to cook their food. Before Fuxi, the people ate raw meat. After Fuxi, they cooked. This is why his name in the Yijing is Paoxi — 庖犧 — the Butcher Sacrificer. He prepared the sacrifice. He cooked the meat. He gave civilization to the people.
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On the third record. The Huainanzi — 淮南子.
The Huainanzi — 淮南子 — compiled under Liu An — 劉安 — around 139 before the common era — records Fuxi as the first of the Three August Ones.
It states: In ancient times, Fuxi ruled. He observed the changes of Yin and Yang. He established the Eight Trigrams. He taught the people to cultivate the six domestic animals. He taught them to hunt. He taught them to fish. He taught them to pasture animals. He taught them to cook food. He established the first marriages. He established the first rites.
The Huainanzi adds an element not present in earlier texts. Fuxi established marriage. Before Fuxi, there was no marriage. People coupled without ritual. Children did not know their fathers. Fuxi introduced the ceremony of marriage. He introduced the distinction between proper and improper unions. He established the family.
The text also records: Fuxi had the body of a human and the tail of a snake — 蛇尾 — she wei. He was one of the first to have this form. Nuwa — 女媧 — his sister and wife, had the same form.
This is the first record of Fuxi's physical form. He is not fully human. He is between human and divine. He has the upper body of a human. He has the lower body of a snake. He is a being of the boundary. He is the bridge between the time before humanity and the time of humanity.
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On his birth.
The accounts of his birth are recorded in later texts. The Song dynasty — 宋朝 — Song Chao — encyclopedia Taiping Yulan — 太平御覧 — Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era — preserves the earliest surviving account.
It states: In ancient times, there was a woman named Hua Xu — 華胥. She lived in the land of Hua Xu. She walked to the marsh of Leize — 雷澤 — Thunder Marsh. She stepped in the footprint of a great being. Her heart was moved. She became pregnant. She gave birth to Fuxi.
The footprint was left by the Thunder God — 雷神 — Lei Shen. Fuxi is therefore the son of the Thunder God. His father is not human. His mother is human. He is born of the union between heaven and earth.
Some accounts say his mother was pregnant for twelve years — 十二年 — shi er nian — before giving birth. Some accounts say she gave birth in Chengji — 成紀 — in present-day Gansu province — 甘肅省 — Gansu Sheng. The details differ across texts. The core account is consistent. His mother stepped in a divine footprint. She conceived. She gave birth to the first ruler of humanity.
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On his appearance.
All sources that describe his form agree on one element.
He had the upper body of a human — 人身 — ren shen — and the lower body of a snake — 蛇身 — she shen — or in some accounts a dragon — 龍身 — long shen.
In Han dynasty — 漢朝 — Han Chao — murals found in the Wuliang Temple — 武梁祠 — Wu Liang Ci — in Jiaxiang county — 嘉祥縣 — Jiaxiang Xian — Shandong province — 山東省 — Shandong Sheng — he and Nuwa are depicted with their serpentine tails intertwined.
He holds a square — 矩 — ju. Nuwa holds a compass — 圓規 — yuan gui. The square traces right angles — earth. The compass traces circles — heaven. Together they hold the instruments that measure the world. Fuxi measures the earth. Nuwa measures the sky. Between them, all things are measured.
He is sometimes depicted with a dragon's head — 龍頭 — longtou — in the earliest accounts. Later depictions show a human face with a snake's body. The dragon head is recorded in the Shanhaijing — 山海經 — the Classic of Mountains and Seas. The human face is recorded in the Han dynasty murals. Both forms are preserved. Both are recorded here.
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On the Eight Trigrams — 八卦 — Bagua.
The Eight Trigrams are the foundation of the Yijing — 易經. They are the first written record of the patterns of change. They are the first philosophy. They are the first science. They are the first divination. They are all of these because Fuxi created them.
The Xici — 繫辭 — the Commentary on the Appended Judgments — describes how he created them.
He looked up. He saw the patterns in the heavens. The sun. The moon. The stars. The movement of the clouds. The cycles of light and dark.
He looked down. He saw the forms on the earth. The mountains. The rivers. The plants. The animals. The patterns of growth and decay.
He observed the patterns of birds and beasts. The markings on their bodies. The colors. The shapes. The tracks they left in the mud.
He observed what was appropriate for the land. Which plants grew where. Which animals lived where. Which directions produced which conditions.
He observed what was appropriate for the people. How they lived. How they worked. How they organized themselves. How they cooperated.
He took these observations from near and far. He gathered them. He synthesized them. He saw the underlying patterns.
He drew the Eight Trigrams.
Each trigram is three lines. Each line is either solid ——— or broken — — —. Solid lines are Yang — 陽. Broken lines are Yin — 陰.
The eight trigrams are:
Qian — 乾 — Heaven — three solid lines. Pure Yang. Creativity. The father. The force of the universe.
Kun — 坤 — Earth — three broken lines. Pure Yin. Receptivity. The mother. The substance of the universe.
Zhen — 震 — Thunder — one solid line above two broken lines. Movement. Awakening. The eldest son.
Xun — 巽 — Wind — one broken line above two solid lines. Penetration. Following. The eldest daughter.
Kan — 坎 — Water — one solid line between two broken lines. Danger. Depth. The middle son.
Li — 離 — Fire — one broken line between two solid lines. Clarity. Brightness. The middle daughter.
Gen — 艮 — Mountain — one solid line above two broken lines. Stillness. Resting. The youngest son.
Dui — 兌 — Lake — one broken line above two solid lines. Joy. Openness. The youngest daughter.
These eight trigrams contain all the patterns of change. They are the mother of the ten thousand things. They are the origin of the Yijing. They are the origin of Chinese philosophy. They are the origin of Chinese cosmology. They are the origin of Chinese divination. All of it came from Fuxi.
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On the invention of the trigrams.
The Xici records the moment of invention.
It states: Fuxi drew the trigrams. He drew them to communicate the virtues of the divine. He drew them to classify the qualities of the ten thousand things.
He drew them to communicate. The trigrams are language. They are the first language. Before the trigrams, there was no writing. There was no way to record patterns. There was no way to transmit knowledge. Fuxi drew the trigrams. Writing began.
He drew them to classify. The trigrams are categories. They are the first categories. Before the trigrams, there was no way to organize knowledge. There was no way to see the underlying patterns. Fuxi drew the trigrams. Science began.
He drew them to divine. The trigrams are oracles. They are the first oracles. Before the trigrams, there was no way to consult the divine. There was no way to know the will of heaven. Fuxi drew the trigrams. Divination began.
He drew them to govern. The trigrams are the basis of order. They are the first constitution. Before the trigrams, there was no way to organize society. There was no way to establish laws. Fuxi drew the trigrams. Government began.
All of it began with Fuxi.
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On the invention of the nets.
The Xici records the second invention.
It states: Fuxi knotted ropes to make nets. He used them for hunting and fishing.
Before Fuxi, the people hunted with their hands. They fished with their hands. They caught what they could catch. They could not catch enough. They were often hungry.
Fuxi observed the spider. The spider weaves a web. The web catches insects. The spider does not hunt. The web hunts.
Fuxi knotted ropes. He made the first net. He taught the people to use it. They caught more fish. They caught more game. They had enough to eat.
The net is the first tool. Before the net, there were no tools. There were only hands. Fuxi gave humanity the first tool. He gave them the means to catch more than they could catch with their hands. He gave them surplus. Surplus is the beginning of civilization.
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On the invention of cooking.
The Xici records the third invention.
It states: Fuxi taught the people to cook food.
Before Fuxi, the people ate raw meat. They ate raw fish. They ate raw plants. They did not know how to use fire for food.
Fuxi taught them to use fire. He taught them to roast meat. He taught them to boil fish. He taught them to cook plants.
Cooked food is easier to digest. Cooked food provides more nutrition. Cooked food kills parasites. Cooked food lasts longer. Cooked food tastes better.
The people who ate cooked food were healthier. They lived longer. They had more children. They became stronger. They became the ancestors of the Chinese people.
This is why Fuxi's name in the Yijing is Paoxi — 庖犧 — the Butcher Sacrificer. He prepared the sacrifice. He cooked the meat. He gave the people the gift of fire for food.
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On the invention of marriage.
The Huainanzi — 淮南子 — records the fourth invention.
It states: Fuxi established the first marriages.
Before Fuxi, there was no marriage. People coupled without ritual. Children did not know their fathers. There was no distinction between proper and improper unions. There was no family.
Fuxi observed the patterns of animals. He observed that some animals mate for life. He observed that some animals raise their young together. He observed that some animals have stable families.
He established the ceremony of marriage. He taught the people to marry. He taught them to stay with one partner. He taught them to raise their children together.
He established the distinction between proper and improper unions. He established the rules of exogamy. He taught that a man should not marry his mother. He taught that a brother should not marry his sister. He established the family as the basic unit of society.
Some accounts say he married his sister Nuwa. The texts do not agree on this. Some accounts say they were the first couple. Some accounts say they were brother and sister who married to repopulate the earth after a flood. The accounts are recorded in the chapter on Nuwa. Both are preserved here.
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On the invention of the calendar.
Some texts credit Fuxi with the invention of the calendar.
He observed the movement of the sun. He observed the phases of the moon. He observed the rising of the stars. He divided the year into seasons. He divided the seasons into months. He divided the months into days.
He taught the people when to plant. He taught them when to harvest. He taught them when to hunt. He taught them when to fish.
The calendar is the first science. It is the first prediction. It is the first control over nature. Fuxi gave the people the calendar. He gave them the power to plan. He gave them the power to prepare.
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On the invention of music.
Some texts credit Fuxi with the invention of music.
He listened to the wind. He listened to the birds. He listened to the water. He heard the patterns in sound.
He made the first musical instrument. He made the zither — 琴 — qin. He made it from the wood of the wutong tree — 梧桐 — wutong. He strung it with silk threads. He played it.
The music harmonized the Qi. The music calmed the people. The music aligned them with the seasons. The music brought order to the state.
Music became the basis of government. A ruler who played good music governed well. A ruler who played bad music governed poorly. This teaching began with Fuxi.
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On the invention of writing.
The earliest texts do not credit Fuxi with writing. They credit Cangjie — 倉頡 — the four-eyed scribe. Writing came later.
But some later texts credit Fuxi with the first form of writing. They say the trigrams are the first writing. They say the lines of the trigrams are the first characters. They say the trigrams are the mother of all characters.
This is recorded here. The disagreement is noted. The majority of texts credit Cangjie with writing. The minority credit Fuxi with the trigrams as the origin of writing. Both are preserved.
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On the marriage of Fuxi and Nuwa.
The flood account is recorded in the chapter on Nuwa.
It states: A great flood destroyed all of humanity. Two people survived. Fuxi and his sister Nuwa. They were alone in the world. They wished to marry. But they were siblings. They sought a sign from heaven.
They climbed two separate mountains. They lit fires. They agreed: if the smoke from both fires joined together in the sky, it would mean heaven approved.
The smoke joined.
They married.
Nuwa gave birth to a ball of flesh. Fuxi cut it into pieces. He scattered the pieces into the wind. The pieces that landed on the ground became human beings.
Humanity was repopulated.
Fuxi and Nuwa became the ancestors of all people. They became the mother and father of the Chinese people. They are the first couple. They are the origin of the family. They are the origin of the state. They are the origin of civilization.
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On his reign.
The texts record that Fuxi reigned for 115 years — 一百一十五年 — yi bai yi shi wu nian.
Some texts say 116 years. Some say 110 years. The number differs across texts. The length of his reign is long. He ruled for more than a century. He established the institutions that would last for millennia.
During his reign, the people lived in peace. There was no war. There was no crime. There was no theft. The people were simple. They were honest. They were content.
During his reign, the world was in harmony. The seasons came in their proper order. The rains came at the proper times. The crops grew abundantly. The animals were plentiful. The people did not suffer.
This was the age of virtue. This was the age before the decline. This was the age that all later ages looked back to with longing. This was the age of Fuxi.
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On his tomb.
His tomb is said to be in Huaiyang — 淮陽 — in Henan province — 河南省 — Henan Sheng.
The Taihao Mausoleum — 太昊陵 — Taihao Ling — is the largest tomb complex in China dedicated to a single mythical figure. It covers over 870 acres — 八百七十英畝 — ba bai qi shi ying mu. It was first built during the Western Han dynasty — 西漢 — Xi Han — approximately 200 before the common era. It has been rebuilt and expanded by every dynasty since.
The tomb receives pilgrims to this day. They come to honor the first ruler. They come to honor the inventor of the trigrams. They come to honor the ancestor of the Chinese people. They come to honor Fuxi.
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On his birthday.
His birthday is observed on the eighteenth day of the second lunar month — 二月十八 — er yue shi ba.
On this day, ceremonies are held at the Taihao Mausoleum. Officials in traditional robes perform the rites. Offerings are made. Incense is burned. Prayers are spoken. The people gather to honor the first ruler.
In some regions, the third day of the third lunar month — 三月初三 — san yue chu san — is also observed as his birthday. The accounts differ. Both days are recorded here.
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On what he represents.
He represents the beginning of civilization.
Before Fuxi, there was no order. There was no writing. There was no calendar. There was no marriage. There was no family. There was no cooking. There was no hunting with tools. There was no fishing with nets. There was no government. There was no law. There was no civilization.
After Fuxi, there was all of these things.
He is not a god. He is a human. He is the first human to govern. He is the first human to teach. He is the first human to create. He is the first human to give humanity the tools to be human.
He stands at the boundary between the divine and the human. He has the body of a snake. He is the son of a god. But he is human. He is what humans can become when they learn. He is what humans can achieve when they observe. He is what humans can create when they imitate the patterns of the universe.
He is the first teacher. He is the first ruler. He is the first ancestor. He is the beginning.
END OF CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN