A Dialectical Analysis of the Tripartite Qualities of 'Dao' in the Guanzi: Intricacy, Expansion, and Solidity

Chapter 8: "Grasping Qi as if it were Shen, all things are prepared." — The Supreme Realm of Grasping Qi

I. What Does "Grasping Qi" (抟氣) Mean$46

The character "Tuan" (抟) has two main meanings in pre-Qin classics:

First, "to gather, to condense." The Shuowen Jiezi states: "Tuan, round." It means to knead into a round shape, extending to mean gathering or condensing. "Grasping Qi" means to gather and condense Qi, preventing it from scattering.

Second, "to focus, to concentrate." It is a homophone for "Zhuan" (專). Laozi, Chapter Ten, states: "Concentrating Qi to achieve softness" (專氣致柔). The silk manuscript version reads "Grasping Qi to achieve softness" (抟氣致柔). "Grasping Qi" means to focus Qi, preventing it from scattering.

The two meanings are interconnected: gathering and condensing implies focus and non-scattering; focus and non-scattering implies gathering and condensing. "Grasping Qi" means to gather the entire body's Qi into one, focusing it without scattering, reaching an extremely subtle and refined state.

II. "As if it were Shen" (如神) — The Effect of Grasping Qi

"Ru Shen" (如神) means like Shen (spirit/numinous). "Shen" in pre-Qin thought does not merely refer to spirits and ghosts but to a state that is immeasurable and unpredictably variable.

I Ching, "Appended Phrases," Part I, states: "That which is beyond the measurement of Yin and Yang is called Shen." It also states: "Shen is that which subtly influences all things and articulates their meaning."

"As if it were Shen" means reaching a state of immeasurability and subtle influence over all things. When Qi is grasped to this point, one's cognitive ability, resonance ability, and action ability all reach levels beyond the ordinary—not because of gaining supernatural power, but because of fully developing human natural potential.

III. "All things are prepared" (萬物備存) — All Things Reside Within Oneself

"Wanwu bei cun" (萬物備存) means all things exist completely within oneself. This is an extremely bold proposition—how can one person contain all things$47

From the perspective of pre-Qin Qi theory, this is understandable. If all things are composed of Qi, and the cultivator, through grasping Qi, elevates their own Qi to an extremely subtle and refined state, then their Qi becomes unobstructed and connected with the Qi of all things. They do not physically contain all things but are connected with all things in terms of Qi.

Zhuangzi, "The Equality of Things" (齊物論), states: "Heaven and Earth were born with me, and the ten thousand things are one with me." This experience of unity with all things is another expression of "all things are prepared."

Guanzi, Xinshu Shang, states: "The Dao fills the world, is everywhere, and accessible to the people, yet the people cannot know it. When one word is understood, it ascends to Heaven, reaches the depths of Earth, and permeates the nine regions." "The Dao fills the world"—the Dao fills the space between Heaven and Earth, being everywhere. When the cultivator unites with the Dao, they unite with Heaven, Earth, and all things—hence "all things are prepared."

IV. "All Things Are Prepared" from an Ancient Cosmological Viewpoint

The cosmological view of ancient peoples was "harmony of Heaven and humanity" (天人合一)—man is a microcosm of Heaven and Earth, and Heaven and Earth are a macrocosm of man.

I Ching, "Appended Phrases," Part II, states: "In ancient times, when Bao Xi reigned over the world, he looked up to observe the patterns in Heaven, looked down to observe the laws on Earth, observed the patterns of birds and beasts and the suitability of the Earth's terrain. He took what was near from his own person and what was far from the myriad things. From this, he first created the Eight Trigrams, to connect the De of spirits and divinities and to categorize the natures of the myriad things."

"Took what was near from his own person, and what was far from the myriad things" (近取諸身，遠取諸物)—the method by which Fu Xi created the Eight Trigrams involved establishing correspondences between his own person and the myriad things. The prerequisite for this correspondence was: the human body is a microcosm of Heaven and Earth, and the human person contains all the information necessary to understand the myriad things.

Therefore, "All things are prepared" is not a modern physical proposition but an existential proposition in the sense of pre-Qin cosmology—man, as the essence of Heaven and Earth and the foremost of all things, originally possesses the complete potential to understand and resonate with all things. Grasping Qi as if it were Shen is merely the full development of this potential.