Section 1: Master Laozi: The Cosmology of "Interacting Qi Harmonizes Them" (冲气以为和)

Daoism is a core developer of Pre-Qin theories of qi. Master Laozi's Daodejing provides a cosmological framework for qi.

Daodejing, Chapter 42:

"The Dao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; Three gives birth to the myriad things. The myriad things carry Yin and embrace Yang; the interacting qi harmonizes them."

This passage is one of the most famous cosmological outlines in Chinese philosophy. Let us inquire into each phrase.

"The Dao gives birth to One" – What is "One"$11 Commentators throughout history have offered various interpretations, but if placed within the context of Pre-Qin theories of qi, the most reasonable understanding of "One" is "primordial qi" (元气)—the unified, undifferentiated original qi of the universe. This "One" is not the number "1" in a mathematical sense but signifies "wholeness and unity": the unified state before the differentiation of all things.

"One gives birth to Two" – What is "Two"$12 Yin and Yang. The unified primordial qi differentiates into two opposing yet complementary forces or tendencies.

"Two gives birth to Three" – What is "Three"$13 The key here lies in "the interacting qi harmonizes them" (冲气以为和). "Chong" (冲) means vigorous interaction. Yin and Yang interact and stimulate each other, producing a third state—"He" (和), harmony. "Three" is the qi of harmony produced by the interaction of Yin and Yang.

"Three gives birth to the myriad things" – Under the joint action of Yin, Yang, and the qi of harmony, all things are generated.

"The myriad things carry Yin and embrace Yang; the interacting qi harmonizes them"—the state of existence of all things is to carry Yin, embrace Yang, and maintain their own harmonious unity through the vigorous interaction of qi.

What are the physical implications of this cosmological model$14

It describes an evolutionary process from a unified state to a differentiated state and then to a complex state. The original unified "qi" (One) differentiates into two basic opposing forces (Two). The interaction of these two forces produces a new dynamic balance (Three), from which the diversity of all things emerges (myriad things).

If we temporarily set aside specific material carriers and focus solely on this mode of thinking—from uniformity to symmetry breaking, from symmetry breaking to interaction, from interaction to the emergence of complex systems—it shares a profound structural isomorphism with the basic logic of the universe's evolution after the Big Bang as described by modern cosmology.

Of course, we are not suggesting that Master Laozi "predicted" modern physics. What we are saying is: Master Laozi's theory of qi has a physical mode of thinking—it focuses on the process of generation from simplicity to complexity, from unity to multiplicity, and "qi" is the unified medium and driving force of this process.

Even more worthy of reflection is the word "He" (和) in "interacting qi harmonizes them." "He" is not static balance but dynamic coordination—Yin and Yang constantly interact and clash, maintaining a flowing stability amidst conflict. This is precisely the simple expression of "dynamic equilibrium" or "dissipative structure" in modern physics.