What does heaven and earth mean (explanation and origin)

The word heaven and earth is not common in modern Chinese, but it appears many times in ancient documents. So, what exactly does heaven and earth mean? What is its origin and significance? This paper will discuss it from many aspects.

First, the origin of Tian Wa

The word "heaven and earth" first appeared in Zhou Li, and there is a saying: "The sacrifice of heaven and earth is also a big gift." This "Tianka Festival" refers to the ancient Tianka Festival, which is an ancient ceremony. According to research, the Heaven-Earth Festival can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty, but it has become a grand national ritual activity in the Zhou Dynasty.

Second, the significance of Tian Yu

The meaning of the word "heaven and earth" is not very clear, and its interpretation is different in different documents. In Zhou Li, Yi Tian is interpreted as "you sacrifice to heaven", that is to say, it is a ritual to worship the gods. In the Book of Rites, Yi Tian was interpreted as "divining the truth", which means a way of divination. In addition, in Zuo Zhuan, Yi Tian is also interpreted as "destiny", that is, the fate of a country is determined by divination.

Third, the operation steps of Yi Tian

Although the meaning of Tianhao is different, its operation steps are relatively fixed. Generally speaking, festivals are divided into three stages:

1. preparation stage: a series of preparations need to be made before the festival, including choosing dates, preparing sacrifices, choosing priests, etc.

2. Sacrifice stage: During the sacrifice stage, the priests will sacrifice to the gods in a certain ceremony and order, and pray and divination.

3. End stage: After the worship, the priest distributed the sacrifices to the people to show the gift of God. At the same time, there will be some activities related to sacrifices, such as music performances and dance performances.

Fourth, the modern significance of heaven and earth.

Although celestial sacrifice is no longer popular in modern society, the spirit it contains still has modern significance. Sacrifice to heaven and earth is a kind of awe and worship to the god of heaven and earth, and also an exploration and pursuit of mysterious power. This spirit can not only help us to know ourselves better, but also help us to know the world better.