One
Overview
In the traditional cosmogony one precedes the pair: it is the state before the two arose. It carries the reading of origin rather than of primacy.
Meaning
One is the beginning and the undifferentiated — the number before division, associated with the origin of the counted series.
Traditional Interpretation
Sources describe the sequence as one generating two, two generating three, and three generating the myriad things — which makes one the source rather than merely the first.
Related Concepts
FAQ
What does one symbolize in Chinese tradition?
One is the beginning and the undifferentiated — the number before division, associated with the origin of the counted series. In the traditional cosmogony one precedes the pair: it is the state before the two arose. It carries the reading of origin rather than of primacy.
Why is one treated as significant?
The reading usually rests on sound and on cosmology rather than on quantity. One is the beginning and the undifferentiated — the number before division, associated with the origin of the counted series. The generative reading is the point: one is not the winner of a ranking, it is what the rest came out of.
How is one read in Chinese tradition?
Sources describe the sequence as one generating two, two generating three, and three generating the myriad things — which makes one the source rather than merely the first. It is grouped under Water (水) in the five-element system.
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