Oriental Health Aesthetics: The Time of Professor Qiu Zhenglun’s Explanation of the Book of Changes(75）

Here, the masculine beauty is also manifested in its artistic expressions. For instance, in the Ding Hexagram (Cauldron) of the Book of Changes, we see the beauty of strength and vigor. In the Yu Hexagram (Contentment), it is written: “Thunder bursts from the earth, stirring it; the ancient kings used this to create music to honor virtue.” This hexagram features thunder and the Zhen (Arousing) trigram. The Book of Changes also describes the Qian Hexagram (Heaven) with the phrase “a soaring dragon in the sky,” both illustrating masculine beauty.

The vigor in poetry, such as Li Bai’s masculine spirit, is manifested through Taoist philosophy. In contrast, the masculine strength emphasized in Du Fu’s poetry, Yan Zhenqing’s calligraphy, and Han Yu’s prose belongs to the Confucian school. These are distinct: Taoist masculinity often arises from the inner self and the physical being, while Confucian masculinity stems from the social realm—not the individual, but society itself. Vigor in calligraphy, stone and brick carvings, ritual vessel inscriptions, the Zhang Qian Stele, Chen Zi’ang’s literary ideals, and the bold spirit of the Han and Wei dynasties all embody masculine beauty. The Qian Hexagram summarizes this as: “Heaven moves with vigor; the noble person strives ceaselessly to strengthen himself.” I won’t elaborate further on this.

Second, the feminine beauty. Feminine beauty gained prominence after the Song dynasty, when Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism converged. In the Kun Hexagram (Earth) of the Book of Changes, phrases like “bearing virtue and carrying all things,” “virtue that embraces the boundless,” and “the earth’s nature is receptive; the noble person bears all things with rich virtue” all describe feminine beauty. The Kun Hexagram also speaks of “containing and illuminating greatness,” “holding beauty within and preserving steadfastness,” and “embracing all things to transform them with radiance”—concrete expressions of feminine beauty. In the Book of Songs, lines such as “When I left here, willows shed tear; now I come back, snow bends the bough” reflect this quality.

In the Kun Hexagram, it is said: “The female horse belongs to the earth; she travels the earth without limit, gentle, smooth, and auspicious. The Earth (Kun) moves through gentleness, while Heaven (Qian) rests in stillness yet manifests virtue with strength.” I’ll briefly mention this: we should not think Kun is merely gentle and submissive. Its gentleness is in relation to Yang, to Heaven, and to Qian—it is yielding. Yet Kun must move to nurture children and cultivate all things. This movement is also strong—hence the greatness of motherhood.