Chapter 4: Examination of the Character "Yǔ" (Universe/Space)

Section 1: The Original Meaning of "Yǔ"

"When the Universe is Perfectly Settled, It Gives Rise to Heavenly Light." First, we must ask: how is the character Yǔ (宇) to be interpreted here$21

The original meaning of Yǔ is somewhat hinted at in the Shuowen Jiezi (a later text, but based on earlier principles). The character is composed of Miwu (宀, roof/covering) and Yú (于). Miwu is pictorial for a roof. The original meaning of Yǔ is a house, a roof, or eaves. Shijing, Bin Feng (Airs of Bin), Qi Yue (Seventh Month):

"In the seventh month, they are in the fields; in the eighth month, under the eaves (Yǔ); in the ninth month, inside the doors; in the tenth month, the crickets enter beneath my bed."

Here, Yǔ means eaves. The cricket moves inward from the eaves in the eighth month, into the house in the ninth, and beneath the bed in the tenth, gradually moving deeper inside.

However, the extended meanings of Yǔ go far beyond this. Slightly before this passage in Geng Sang Chu, Zhuangzi defines it:

"That which has substance but no fixed abode is Yǔ (space/universe); that which has length but no fixed origin is Zhōu (time/eternity)."

Here, Zhuangzi defines Yǔ as "that which has substance but no fixed abode." And Zhōu as "that which has length but no fixed origin." Yǔ corresponds to space, and Zhōu corresponds to time. This is the classic definition of the concept of "cosmos" (Yǔzhòu) in pre-Qin philosophy.

The question remains: Is the Yǔ in "Yǔ Tài Dìng Zhě" the same as the Yǔ in the cosmological definition$22

Section 2: The Yǔ in "Yǔ Tài Dìng Zhě" — The Inner Universe of the Mind

The interpretation of Yǔ in "Yǔ Tài Dìng Zhě" varies among scholars. However, judging by the context, this Yǔ refers to the inner space of human beings—the universe of the mind.

How do we know this$23 Because this sentence follows directly after the "Essentials of Nurturing Life" (Wèi Shēng Zhī Jīng). These "Essentials" all discuss inner cultivation techniques—embracing the One, maintaining stillness, being carefree, being unformed, becoming like a child—these are all operations on the level of the mind. "Yǔ Tài Dìng" must therefore be a description of the mental state.

Yǔ is the space of the mind. The human mind is like an inner universe. Guanzi, in Nei Ye (Inner Cultivation):

"The condition of the mind, when it is full and overflowing, generating and perfecting itself. The way it is lost is inevitably through joy, anger, desire, and profit. If one can abandon joy, anger, desire, and profit, the mind will then become balanced."

And again:

"The mind stores the mind; within the mind there is yet a mind. That mind of the mind speaks first through sound. Sound precedes form, and form precedes speech."

The "mind" discussed here in Guanzi is precisely an inner space, an inner universe. The "mind within the mind" (Xīn zhī zhōng yòu yǒu Xīn)—the depths of the mind contain a deeper mind. This corresponds exactly to the Yǔ in "Yǔ Tài Dìng Zhě."

In Zhuangzi, Ren Jian Shi (The World of Men), Confucius teaches Yan Hui the method of "Fasting of the Mind" (Xīn Zhāi):

"If you unify your will—listen not with your ears but with your mind; listen not with your mind but with your vital energy (Qì). The ears stop at listening; the mind stops at matching. Qì is that which is empty and awaits things. Only the Dao congregates in emptiness. Emptiness is the Fasting of the Mind."

This "emptiness" (Xū) of the "Fasting of the Mind" is the prerequisite condition for the "Settling" (Dìng) of "Yǔ Tài Dìng." The spatial realm of the mind (Yǔ) must attain a state of emptiness (Xū) as the basis for achieving "Tài Dìng."

Furthermore, Zhuangzi, Da Zong Shi (The Great and Complete Teacher), discusses the state of the True Person:

"The True People of antiquity did not resist scarcity, did not strongly complete things, and did not plan affairs. Thus, when they passed by, they did not regret; when they were appropriate, they did not take credit. Thus, when they climbed heights, they felt no fear; when they entered water, they were not wet; when they entered fire, they were not burned. This is how the knowledgeable ascend to and rely upon the Dao. The True People of antiquity dreamt not in sleep, worried not in waking, did not crave flavor in eating, and breathed deeply to their heels."

The reason the True Person can "climb heights without fear, enter water without wetting, and enter fire without burning" is precisely because his inner "Universe" (Yǔ) is "Perfectly Settled" (Tài Dìng). When the inner space is settled, all external dangers cannot shake him.

Section 3: The Ancient Origins of "Yǔ" — "Mi" (Roof) and "Yú" (At)

Examining the character Yǔ further from a philological perspective: Yǔ is composed of Miwu (宀, roof) and Yú (于). Miwu is pictorial for a covering, as noted. Yú functions as a phonetic component but also carries semantic weight.

In ancient Chinese, the character Yú often meant "to be at" or "to reside," indicating a place or location. The composition of Yǔ from Miwu and Yú suggests an original meaning of "the space within which one resides"—an inner space where one can dwell securely.

Extending this meaning to the mental level, Yǔ signifies the space where the spirit resides. When this space reaches a state of "Perfect Settling" (Tài Dìng), natural illumination will arise from it.

This is also connected to the dwelling concepts of ancient people. When ancestors lived in caves or nests, what they sought was merely a secure space. This secure space was their Yǔ. When the Yǔ was secure, people could live at ease, observe celestial phenomena, understand nature, and comprehend the Heavenly Dao. This is the experiential prototype of "When the Universe is Perfectly Settled, It Gives Rise to Heavenly Light."

Section 4: The Relationship between "Yǔ" and "Yù" (To Dwell/Entrust)

Yǔ is also related to Yù (寓), meaning to lodge or entrust. The chapter title Yù Yán (Allegorical Statements) in Zhuangzi deals with "entrusting words." Yù means entrustment.

Does Yǔ in "Yǔ Tài Dìng Zhě" also carry the meaning of "entrustment" (Yù)$24 If so, this sentence can be understood as: When the spirit, which is entrusted (Yù) to a place (Yǔ), reaches a state of perfect settling, natural light arises.

This corresponds to what Zhuangzi discusses in Da Zong Shi:

"To hide a boat in a ravine, to hide a mountain in a marsh—this is called secure. Yet at midnight, someone strong carries it off, and the ignorant do not know it. Hiding small things and large things according to their suitability still leaves room for escape. But to hide the world within the world without leaving room for escape—this is the ultimate nature of constancy."

Hiding the world within the world means entrusting one's spirit to the Heavenly Dao itself. When the spirit is no longer entrusted to finite things (boats, mountains) but to the infinite Heavenly Dao (the world hidden within the world), there is no possibility of loss. At this point, the place where the spirit is entrusted (Yǔ) achieves ultimate settling (Tài Dìng).