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Hundun

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For the food "hundun", seeWonton.
The faceless Sovereign Jiang ( đế giang ) described in theShanhaijing
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Hundun(Chinese:Hỗn độn;pinyin:Hùndùn;Wade–Giles:Hun4-tun4;lit.'muddled confusion') is both a "legendary faceless being" inChinese mythologyand the "primordial and centralchaos"inChinese cosmogony,comparable with theworld egg.

Linguistics[edit]

HundunHỗn độnwas semantically extended from a mythic "primordial chaos; nebulous state of the universe before heaven and earth separated" to mean "unintelligible; chaotic; messy; mentally dense; innocent as a child".

Whilehùndùn"primordial chaos" is usually written asHỗn độnin contemporary vernacular, it is also written asHỗn độn—as in the Daoist classicZhuangzi—orHồn đôn—as in theZuozhuan.Hùn"chaos; muddled; confused" is written eitherhùn(Hỗn;'abundantly flowing', 'turbid water', 'torrent', 'mix up/in', 'confuse', 'thoughtless', 'senseless') orhún(Hồn;'sound of running water', 'muddy', 'muddled', 'confused', 'dull', 'stupid'). These two are interchangeable graphic variants read ashún(Hỗn;'muddy', 'dirty', 'filthy'[a]) andhùnHồn"nebulous; stupid" (hùndùnHỗn độn).Dùn( "dull; confused" ) is written as eitherdùn(Độn;'dull', 'confused', 'stupid') ordūn(Đôn;'thick', 'solid', 'generous', 'earnest', 'honest', 'sincere').

Isabelle Robinetoutlines the etymological origins ofhundun.

Semantically, the termhundunis related to several expressions, hardly translatable in Western languages, that indicate the void or a barren and primal immensity – for instance,hunlunHỗn luân,hundongHỗn động,kongdongLỗ trống,menghongMông hồng,orhongyuanHồng nguyên.It is also akin to the expression "something confused and yet complete" (hunchengHỗn thành) found in theDaode jing25, which denotes the state prior to the formation of the world where nothing is perceptible, but which nevertheless contains a cosmic seed. Similarly, the state ofhundunis likened to an egg; in this usage, the term alludes to a complete world round and closed in itself, which is a receptacle like a cavern (dongĐộng) or a gourd (huHồorhuluHồ Lư).[1]

A shrimpwonton

MostChinese charactersare written using "radicals"or" semantic elements "and"phoneticelements ".HùndùnHỗn độnis written with the "water radical"ThủyorThủyand phonetics ofkūnCônandtúnTruân.Hùndùn"primordial chaos" iscognatewithWonton(húntun,Hoành thánh) "wonton; dumpling soup" written with the "eat radical"Thực.Note that the Englishloanwordwontonis borrowed from theCantonesepronunciationwan4tan1.Mair suggests a fundamental connection betweenhundunandwonton:"The undifferentiated soup of primordial chaos. As it begins to differentiate, dumpling-blobs of matter coalesce.… With the evolution of human consciousness and reflectiveness, the soup was adopted as a suitable metaphor for chaos".[2]This last assertion appears unsupported however, since wonton soup is not attested in Chinese sources dating earlier than the Han dynasty,[3]although the linguistic connection of the soup to the larger concept certainly appears real.[3][4][5]

HundunHỗn độnhas a graphic varianthunlunHỗn luân(usinglúnLuân;'ripples', 'eddying water', 'sink down' see theLiezibelow), which etymologically connects to the mountain nameKunlunCôn Luân(differentiated with the "mountain radical"Sơn). Robinet says "Kunlun andhundunare the same closed center of the world. "[6]

Girardot quotes the Chinese philologist Lo MengciLa mộng sách,who says that reduplicated words likehundun"suggest cyclic movement and transformation", and speculates:[7]

Ritually mumbling the sounds ofhun-tunmight, therefore, be said to have a kind on incantatory significance that both phonetically and morphologically invokes the mythological and ontological idea of the Tao as thecreatio continuaprocess of infinitely repeated moments of change and new creation.

TheShuowen Jiezidoes not enterdunĐộn(which apparently lacked a pre-HanSeal script). It defineshunHỗnasfengliuPhong lưu"abundantly flow",hunHồnas the sound ofhunliuHỗn lưu"abundantly-flowing flow" or "seemingly impure",dunĐônas "anger, rage; scolding" or "who", andlunLuânas "ripples; eddies" or "sink into; disappear".

Englishchaosis a better translation ofhundunin the classical sense ofChaosorKhaosinGreek mythologymeaning "gaping void; formless primordial space preceding creation of the universe" than in the common sense of "disorder; confusion". The latter meaning ofhundunis synonymous with Chineseluàn(Loạn;'chaos', 'revolt', 'indiscriminate', 'random', 'arbitrary'). Theirlinguistic compoundhùnluàn(Hỗn loạnlit. "chaos-chaos", meaning "chaos; disorder; confusion) exemplifies the" synonym compound "category in Chinesemorphology.

Early textual usages[edit]

In the Chinese written record,hundunfirst appears in classics dating from theWarring States period.The following summary divides them into Confucianist, Daoist, and other categories, and presents them in roughly chronological order, with the caveat that many early textual dates are uncertain.

Confucian texts[edit]

Hundunonly occurs in one Confucian classic, theZuo zhuancommentary to theSpring and Autumn Annals.Most early Confucianist ancient texts (Lunyu,Book of Documents,I Ching,etc.) do not usehun,with four exceptions. One, theMengzi,useshunin its original meaning "sound of flowing water". Mencius explains why Confucius praised water, "There is a spring of water; how it gushes out!".[8]The other three usehunas what Girardot calls "a term of opprobrium and condemnation related to the suppression of the" barbarians "or the" legendary rebels "."[9]

TheShijing(237) mentions HunyiHỗn di"ancientHunnitribe inTuran".WhenKing Wen of Zhouopened up the roads, "The hordes of the Keun [sic] disappeared, Startled and panting".[10]TheChunqiumentions the LuhunLục hồntribe of theRongNhungpeople, "the Jung of Luh-hwăn"[11]TheZuozhuancommentary to theChunqiunotes they were originally from westernGansuand forced into northernHenan.

AnotherZuozhuancontext refers to HundunHồn đônas a worthless son of theYellow Emperor,one of the mythicalSixiongBốn hung"Four Fiends" banished byShun.

The ancient emperor Hung [Hwang-te] had a descendant devoid of ability [and virtue]. He hid righteousness from himself, and was a villain at heart; he delighted in the practice of the worst vices; he was shameless and vile, obstinate, stupid, and unfriendly, cultivating only the intimacy of such as himself. All the people under heaven called him Chaos.… When Shun became Yaou's minister, he received the nobles from the four quarters of the empire, and banished these four wicked ones, Chaos, Monster, Block, and Glutton, casting them out into the four distant regions, to meet the spite of the sprites and evil things.[12]

The other "fiends" are QiongqiCùng Kỳ,TaowuĐào Ngột,andTaotieThao Thiết.Legge notes this passage "is worthy of careful study in many respects."

Girardot contrasts these rare Confucian usages ofhundunpejoratively suggesting the forces thwarting civilization, "the" birds and beasts, "barbarian tribes, banished ministers, and legendary rebels)" with the common Daoist usages in a "paradise lost theme".[13]

Taoist texts[edit]

Hunduncommonly occurs in classics of philosophical Taoism. TheDaodejingdoes not mentionhundunbut uses bothhungraphic variants. One section useshunHồn"bemuddle": "The sage is self-effacing in his dealings with all under heaven, and bemuddles his mind for the sake of all under heaven".[14]Three other sections usehun(Hỗn;'bound together', 'muddled', 'featureless'):

  • "These three cannot be fully fathomed, Therefore, They are bound together to make unity".[15]
  • "plain, as an unhewn log, muddled, as turbid waters, expansive, as a broad valley"[16]
  • "There was something featureless yet complete, born before heaven and earth"[17]

TheZhuangzi(ca. 3rd-2nd centuries BCE) has a famous parable involving emperorsHundunHỗn độn,Shu(Thúc;'a fish name', 'abrupt', 'quick'), andHu(Chợt;'ignore', 'neglect', 'sudden').[18]Girardot citesMarcel Graneton Shu and Hu synonymously meaning "suddenness; quickness" and "etymologically appear to be linked to the images of lightning and thunder, or analogously, flaming arrows."[19]The "Heavenly Questions"chapter of theChu Ciuses Shu and Hu as one name: "Where are the hornless dragons which carry bears on their backs for sport? Where is the great serpent with nine heads and where is the Shu-Hu?"[20]

The emperor of the South Sea was called Shu [Brief], the emperor of the North Sea was called Hu [Sudden], and the emperor of the central region was called Hun-tun [Chaos]. Shu and Hu from time to time came together for a meeting in the territory of Hun-tun, and Hun-tun treated them very generously. Shu and Hu discussed how they could repay his kindness. "All men," they said, "have seven openings so they can see, hear, eat, and breathe. But Hun-tun alone doesn't have any. Let's trying boring him some!" Every day they bored another hole, and on the seventh day Hun-tun died.[21]

Compare Watson's renderings of the three characters with otherZhuangzitranslators.

Two otherZhuangzicontexts usehundun.Chapter 11 has an allegory aboutHong MengHồng Mông"Big Concealment" or "Silly Goose", who "was amusing himself by slapping his thighs and hopping around like a sparrow", which Girardot interprets as shamanic dancing comparable with theShanhaijingbelow. Hong Meng poetically reduplicateshunhun-dundun(Hỗn hỗn độn độn;'dark and undifferentiated chaos') in describing Daoist "mind-nourishment" meditation.[23]

"You have only to rest in inaction and things will transform themselves. Smash your form and body, spit out hearing and eyesight, forget you are a thing among other things, and you may join in great unity with the deep and boundless. Undo the mind, slough off spirit, be blank and soulless, and the ten thousand things one by one will return to the root – return to the root and not know why. Dark and undifferentiated chaos – to the end of life none will depart from it. But if you try to know it, you have already departed from it. Do not ask what its name is, do not try to observe its form. Things will live naturally and of themselves."[24]

Chapter 12 tells a story about the Confucian discipleZigongbecoming dumbfounded after meeting a Daoist sage. He reported back to Confucius, who denigratedHundun Shi zhi shuHỗn độn thị chi thuật"the arts of Mr. Chaos [Hundun]":

"He is one of those bogus practitioners of the arts of Mr. Chaos. He knows the first thing but doesn't understand the second. He looks after what is on the inside but doesn't look after what is on the outside. A man of true brightness and purity who can enter into simplicity, who can return to the primitive through inaction, give body to his inborn nature, and embrace his spirit, and in this way wander through the everyday world – if you had met one like that, you would have had real cause for astonishment. As for the arts of Mr. Chaos, you and I need not bother to find out about them."[25]

TheHuainanzihas one occurrence ofhundunHỗn độnin a cosmological description.

Heaven and earth were perfectly joined [tung-t'ungĐộng cùng], all was chaotically unformed [hun-tun wei p'uHỗn độn vì phác]; and things were complete [ch'engThành] yet not created. This is called [the time or condition] of the Great One. [t'ai-iQuá một]. All came from this unity which gave to each thing its differences: the birds, fish, and beasts. This is called the lot [or division,fenPhân] of things.[26]

Three otherHuainanzichapters usehun,for example, the compoundhunhun cangcang(Hồn hồn bạc phơ;'pure and unformed', 'vast and hazy')

The world was a unity without division into classes nor separation into orders (lit: a disorganised mass): the unaffectedness and homeliness of the natural heart had not, as yet, been corrupted: the spirit of the age was a unity, and all creation was in great affluence. Hence, if a man with the knowledge of I [NghệA mythical person of great powers] appeared, the world had no use for him.[27]

TheLieziuseshunlunHỗn độnforhundun,which is described as the confused state in whichqiKhí"pneuma; breath",XingHình"form; shape", andzhiChất"matter; substance" have begun to exist but are still merged as one.

There was a Primal Simplicity, there was a Primal Commencement, there were Primal Beginnings, there was a Primal Material. The Primal Simplicity preceded the appearance of the breath. The Primal Beginnings were the breath beginning to assume shape. The Primal Material was the breath when it began to assume substance. Breath, shape and substance were complete, but things were not yet separated from each other; hence the name "Confusion." "Confusion" means the myriad things were confounded and not yet separated from each other.[28]

Other texts[edit]

TheShanhaijingcollection of early myths and legends useshundunHồn đônas an adjective to describe ashenThần"spirit; god" onTianShanThiên Sơn"Heaven Mountain".

There is a god here who looks like a yellow sack. He is scarlet like cinnabar fire. He has six feet and four wings. He is Muddle Thick. He has no face and no eyes. He knows how to sing and dance. He is in truth the great god Long River.[29]

In the above passage, hồn đôn is translated as "Muddle Thick", and the name of the godĐế giang(Di-Jiang) is translated as "great god Long River".Toshihiko Izutsu[30]suggests that singing and dancing here and inZhuangzirefers to shamanic trance-inducing ceremonies, "the monster is said to be a bird, which is most probably an indication that the shamanistic dancing here in question was some kind of feather dance in which the shaman was ritually ornamented with a feathered headdress."

TheShen yi jingThần dị kinh"Classic of Divine Wonders" records a later variation of Hundun mythology. It describes him as a divine dog who lived on Mt. Kunlun, the mythical mountain at the center of the world.

It has eyes but can't see, walks without moving; and has two ears but can't hear. It has the knowledge of a man yet its belly is without the five internal organs and, although having a rectum, it doesn't evacuate food. It punches virtuous men and stays with the non-virtuous. It is called. Hun-tun.

Quoting theZuo zhuan,Hun-tun was Meng-shih's untalented son. He always gnaws his tail, going round and round. Everyone ridiculed him.[31]

A poem in theTang dynastycollectionHanshanrefers to theZhuangzimyth and reminisces aboutHundun.

How pleasant were our bodies in the days of Chaos, Needing neither to eat or piss! Who came along with his drill And bored us full of these nine holes? Morning after morning we must dress and eat; Year after year, fret over taxes. A thousand of us scrambling for a penny, We knock our heads together and yell for dear life.[32]

Note the addition of two holes (anus and penis) to the original seven (eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth).

Interpretations[edit]

Hundunmyths have a complex history, with many variations on the "primordial chaos" theme and associations with other legends.

The sociologist and historianWolfram Eberhardanalyzed the range of varioushundunmyths.[33]He treated it as aWorld eggmythic "chain" from the southern Liao culture, which originated in theSichuanandHubeiregion.

  1. Hunduncreation myths involving humanity being born from a "thunder-egg" or lump of flesh, the son of an emperor, theThunder godrepresented as a dog with bat wings, localized with theMiao peopleandTai peoples.
  2. The animal Lei[b]"is a creature like a lump, without head, eyes, hands, or feet. At midnight it produces noises like thunder."[3]
  3. The hundun dumplings,etymologically connected with "round", "unorganized; chaotic", and perhaps the "round mountain" Kunlun.
  4. The world-system huntianHồn thiênin ancientChinese astronomyconceptualized the universe as a round egg and the earth as a yolk swimming within it.
  5. The sack and the shooting of the godconnects sack-like descriptions ofhundun,perhaps with "sack" denoting "testicles", legends aboutShang DynastykingWu Yiwho lost a game of chess with the god Heaven and suspended a sack filled with blood and shot arrows at it, and later traditions of shooting at human dolls.
  6. PanguBàn Cổis the mythological creator of the universe, also supposedly shaped like a sack, connected with dog mythologies, and who grew into a giant in order to separate Heaven and Earth.
  7. Heaven and earth as marital partnerswithin the world-egg refers to the theme ofSky fatherand EarthMother goddess.
  8. ZhongliTrọng lê / dung lêis identified withZhu RongChúc Dung"god of fire", which is a mythology from the southern stateChu,with variations appearing as two gods Zhong and Li.
  9. ZhongliTrọng lêclan, which has variant writings, originated in theBa (state),near present-dayAnhui.
  10. The brother-sister marriageis a complex of myths explaining the origins or mankind (or certain families), and their first child is usually a lump of flesh, which falls into pieces and populates the world. In later mythology, the brotherFu Xiand sisterNüwa,who lived on Mt. Kunlun, exemplify this marriage.

Norman J. Girardot, professor of Chinese religion atLehigh University,has written articles and a definitive book onhundun.He summarizes this mythology as follows.

  1. Thehun-tuntheme in early Taoism represents an ensemble of mythic elements coming from different cultural and religious situations.
  2. The symbolic coherence of thehun-tuntheme in the Taoist texts basically reflects a creative reworking of a limited set of interrelated mythological typologies: especially the cosmic egg-gourd, the animal ancestor-cosmic giant, and primordial couple mythologies. The last two of these typologies are especially, although not exclusively, linked to what may be called the deluge cycle of mythology found primarily in southern local cultures.
  3. While there may also be a cultural connection between the southern deluge cycle and the cosmogonic scenario of the cosmic egg (i.e., via the "thunder-egg," "origin of ancestors [culture hero] from egg or gourd," and "origin of agriculture and mankind from gourd" myths), the fundamental linkage for all these typologies is the early Taoist, innovative perception of a shared symbolic intention that accounts for, and supports, a particular cosmogonic, metaphysical, and mystical vision of creation and life.[34]

Interpretations ofHundunhave expanded from "primordial chaos" into other realms. For instance, it is a keyword inNeidan"Chineseinternal alchemy".[6]explains that "Alchemists begin their work by" opening "or" boring "hundun;in other words, they begin from the Origin, infusing its transcendent element of precosmic light into the cosmos in order to reshape it. "

In popular culture[edit]

In the 2013 filmPacific Rim,the secondkaijuto make landfall was named Hundun, though only a brief glimpse of it is seen and it doesn't have a major role in the plot. However, concept art of the film does show it with a rounded body akin to the mythological Hundun.

In theMarvel Cinematic UniversemovieShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,the characterMorris(vocal effects provided byDee Bradley Baker) is a Hundun and acts as a companion ofTrevor Slatteryat the time when he was ajesterforWenwu.As Morris enteredTa Loin a car withShang-Chi,Xialing,Katy,and Trevor Slattery, he appeared excited to see other Hunduns and they waved their wings at each other.[35]

A Hundun is featured as an optionalfinal Bossin the video gameSpelunky 2.In the game, Hundun takes the form of a large egg with two legs, two wings, a snake head, a bird head, and a large eye in the center of the egg. Hundun's interpretation in Spelunky 2 is comparable to a world egg, as his body contains the final and largest world of the game.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^SeeMandarin slanghúndàn(Hỗn đản;Tên khốn;'filthy egg'), meaning bastard or scumbag
  2. ^The character forleicombines thedog radicalKhuyểnwith alei(Lôi;'thunder') phonetic

References[edit]

  1. ^Robinet (2007),p. 524.
  2. ^Mair (1998),p. 386.
  3. ^abcEberhard (1968),p. 440.
  4. ^Anderson (1988),p. 156.
  5. ^Girardot (1983),pp. 29–38.
  6. ^abRobinet (2007),p. 525.
  7. ^Girardot (1983),p. 25.
  8. ^Legge (1872),p. 324, vol. 2.
  9. ^Girardot (1983),p. 119.
  10. ^Legge (1872),p. 441, vol. 5.
  11. ^Legge (1872),pp. 293, 667, vol. 5.
  12. ^Legge (1872),p. 283, vol. 5.
  13. ^Girardot (1983),p. 129.
  14. ^Mair (1990),p. 17, section 49.
  15. ^Mair (1990),p. 74, section 14.
  16. ^Mair (1990),p. 76, section 15.
  17. ^Mair (1990),p. 90, section 25.
  18. ^Yu 1981.
  19. ^Girardot (1983),p. 89.
  20. ^Hawkes (1985),p. 128.
  21. ^Watson (1968),p. 97, ch. 7.
  22. ^Mair (1998),p.[page needed].
  23. ^Girardot (1983),p. 110.
  24. ^Watson (1968),p. 122.
  25. ^Watson (1968),p. 136, ch. 12.
  26. ^Girardot (1983),p. 134, ch. 14.
  27. ^Morgan (1934),p. 46, ch. 2.
  28. ^Graham (1990),p. 18-19, ch. 1.
  29. ^Birrell (2000),p. 226, ch. 2.
  30. ^Izutsu (1967),p. 19, vol. 2; cited inGirardot (1983),p. 82.
  31. ^Girardot (1983),p. 188.
  32. ^Watson (1970),p. 77, ch. 78.
  33. ^Eberhard (1968),pp. 438–446.
  34. ^Girardot (1983),p. 209.
  35. ^Brown, Tracy (12 November 2021)."Breaking down the real and mythical inspirations behind 'Shang-Chi's' mystical creatures".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved5 December2021.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

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