From Evernote:

What is the meaning of being "big"?

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The Chinese way of thinking is very different from the West.

They use pictogram, and are mainly right-brained.  They would like to use a graphic word to represent a "mind-concept", and the mind-concept could be a basic building block of the thoughts. Or it could be an ideal, or a trend.

a mind-concept is not like a paradigm. It is just a concept, but the concept is usually not definable.  Tao( the way, or the truth) is the main mind-concept among the concepts in the Spring, Autumn & Warring States period(770-221BC)

Philosophers tended to corner a mind-concept, and then develop their explanation.  Once they found a new mind-concept, they would be very happy.

Big, or Bigness is a very simple mind-concept at the very beginning. However, this mind-concept has been extremely important in Chinese Culture.

Zhuang Zi had written an article in the very early stage of Chinese History. By that time, no one seems to aware the situations of human beings. They dont even have a concept about the "human being", and not to mention the concept of the earth, or the creator, etc. Zhuang Zi was a very imaginative philosopher. He wrote about a big bird in the article "The Flying" (refer to my bloc for the original text). The bird is so large, that it can fly from the Northen Unknown to the Southern Unknown. What is it like flying in such high places? No one had gone up such high places then. Zhuang Zi wished to use such impact to guide the thought into another mind-concept, the boundless infinity. In the boundless infinity, one could find absolute freedom.

However, people at that time simply cannot understand such advanced mind-concepts. Infinity and absolute freedom is too complicated for them. Instead, they had found only the concept of bigness is acceptable. Lao Zi said, Tao is Bigness. And many other writers wrote about bigness then. Some other "Zhuang Zi"(many other writers declared themselves were Zhuang Zi, but actually they were employed by the Han Rulers to use the name to promote Confucian doctrines)said, in front of Confucius, no one can claim the title of  bigness. (The Autumn Water, a faked work of Zhung Zi) . The thought of being big is very popular from that time on.  Lao Zi said, "the sky is big, the earth is big, and the man(the Emperor) is big. "

Being big had become an ideal then. the proverb " Be inclusive and be big"  ( You Rong Nai Da  )was impressive in the Chinese mind from then on. However, the more advanced mind-concept of infinity had been marginalized since then. It is another sad story of Gresham's Law, bad money drives out good.  "In search of bigness" has become a main concern of the rulers. They can never understand the thought of oneness, or the thought of infinity.

Being Big, is the comfort zone of the Chinese. It seems that being big is something to be proud of, and safe. And more importantly , it is compatible to Confucian doctrines.

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