Archive: Glossar | no2DO | Fachbegriffe des I Ging

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Sh Si Sm Sp St Su Sy

Shen

In the context of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shén refers to the human mind or human psyche; Shen refers to the fundamental force or instance within a person that is responsible for life, and in order to promote life to its full potential, the mind must grow and be cultivated.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shen
Citations: Shen

shoshin

Shoshin or “beginner’s mind” is a concept from Zen Buddhism and refers to an attitude of openness, enthusiasm, and lack of preconceptions, similar to that of a beginner. The practice of Shoshin serves as a counter to the hubris and closed-mindedness often associated with considering oneself an expert.
Shoshin also acts as an antidote to the “Einstellung effect”, which is a predisposition to solve a particular problem in a specific way, even if better or more appropriate methods exist. It is the negative effect of previous experience when approaching new problems.

Shujing

The “Book of Documents” or “Classic of History” (Shūjīng, Shu Jing, formerly: Shu King; also known as Shàngshū) is one of the Five Classics of ancient Chinese literature. The compendium itself contains, among other, texts that were written 1000 years before the Book of Documents was elevated to the status of a “classic”. Most of the chapters, however, date from later times. Due to its heterogeneity, Shūjīng has long been the focus of great philosophical debates.

Signifier

The signifier refers to the expressive side of a linguistic sign – that is, its material or perceptible form, such as a sound, a written character, or a symbol. The signifier points to a meaning, known as the signified, which is the content or concept being referred to. Both the signifier and the signified must be distinguished from the real object, which is the actual thing in the world.

Example: The signifier “tree” (the word) refers to the signified “tree” – that is, the concept or mental image of something “tree-like”. But it does not refer to any specific tree in physical reality.

In everyday communication, signifier and signified often appear to be firmly connected. However, linguistics (e.g., in the work of Ferdinand de Saussure) shows that this connection is not natural, but arbitrary and based on cultural conventions. A signifier gains its meaning not through similarity to the signified, but through its position within the system of other signifiers.

Function in Lacan’s theory: In the psychoanalytic theory of Jacques Lacan, the signifier becomes a fundamental element of the unconscious. The meaning of a single signifier is never fixed, but always in motion – it unfolds through its relation to other signifiers, in what Lacan calls the chain of signifiers.

Small Intestine (SI)

In no2DO trigram Li, the fire, is associated with the functional circuit small intestine (SI), The small intestine is considered the alchemist of the inner being, the instance that is able to distinguish the important from the unimportant. This is not only about digestive processes and energy production, but also about the clarification of facts, relationships and feelings, i.e. about issues of mental health. The small intestine nourishes our heart (HT) and protects it from all that is unimportant and disturbing.

Spleen (SP)

In no2DO trigram Kun, the earth, is associated with the functional circuit spleen (SP). The functional circuit spleen is about making that what comes from outside, foreign influences and food, one’s own, to incorporate it. Foreign matter is converted into the body’s own substrate, it is distributed and stored. When our stores are filled and the distribution of nourishing substances is ensured, we feel well supplied and in balance.

Stone Classics

The Stone Classics are a collection of stone carved books on various Confucian classics.

The stelae that were elaborated over an eight year period (AD 175 to 183) during Han dynasty (BC 206 to AD 200) contained 200,000 characters across 46 stelae. They covered the seven classics recognized at the time: the Book of Changes, Book of Documents, Book of Songs, Book of Rites, Spring and Autumn Annals, Classic of Filial Piety and Analects. Each stelae was about 2.5 meters high and 1 meter wide.
The Stone Classics of Han dynasty were mostly destroyed in the fighting following the collapse of the Han dynasty in 207, and only a few fragments have survived. They were the first of several enterprises through history that tried to provide correct and authoritative versions of the classics texts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiping_Stone_Classics
http://www.chinaknowledge.de/Literature/Terms/shijing_stone.html

sublime

Central notion of the traditional interpretation of the I Ching. Meaning: origin, beginning, the starting point of all things, the creative impulse, that is: Qian.
Often symbolized as rain

success

Central notion of the traditional interpretation of the I Ching. Meaning: fertilization, things that simply land at one’s lap without voluntary accomplishment; the receptive, feminine principle, Kun.
Also represented as clouds.

Sun, the Wind / Tree

Modern Interpretation: Assertiveness; thinking, planning, acting; mental skills, insight

Sun, the Wind / Tree, stands for a lively, pushing growth from within. Like the landscape’s greening in the spring: self confident, powerful, without hesitation. Strategical, relentless, unstoppable. Like the wind: passing through every opening, into every corner.

Phase Element: Wood
Functional Circuit: Liver (LIV)

sunyata

Śūnyatā. The Buddhist teaching of the emptiness of things.

superior man

Central notion of the traditional interpretation of the I Ching. Meaning: an ideal personality with good character that strives towards a life in harmony with circumstances and time quality, without losing sight of his own objectives.
German: “der Edle”

Symbolization

Symbolization refers to the psychological process by which inner experiences – such as a feeling, a memory, or a mental image – are translated into language.

According to psychoanalytic theory, it is only through symbolization that something emotionally significant becomes graspable, communicable, and workable. What we can put into words can be reflected upon, shared with others, and integrated. Without symbolization, experiences often remain diffuse, overwhelming, or incomprehensible – and they continue to affect us without being named. For example, an unconscious feeling of fear or loss may manifest itself in physical symptoms or repetitive behaviors until it is symbolized.

Language, in this context, is not just a label applied after the fact – it is the very medium through which psychic reality takes shape.

Function in Lacan‘s theory: For Jacques Lacan, symbolization is a central element in the formation of the subject. The subject enters the order of the Symbolic – that is, language, law, and meaning – through the act of symbolization. Only what has been symbolized can be psychically processed.

The unconscious, according to Lacan, is structured like a language – it consists of signifiers, linguistic-like units that form chains and networks. In this sense, symbolization means that something initially experienced as bodily or affective – raw and unformed – is transferred into a field mediated by language, where it can be thought, interpreted, and processed.

“The Real can only be inscribed in the Symbolic if it is symbolized.”
(paraphrased from Lacan, Seminars XI and XIII)

What cannot be symbolized – perhaps because it was experienced too early, too overwhelming, or not yet linguistically accessible – remains within the subject as a symptom or a gap. Symbolization is therefore not only a linguistic act, but also an ethical and therapeutic one: it creates structure, makes meaning possible . and forms the basis of any psychic integration.

systematized combinatorial system

A systematized (objectifying) combinatorial system is an oracle that provides a fixed set of rules to establishes the relationships between individual elements of the divination. In astrology, for instance, these elements include the signs of the zodiac, planetary constellations, and houses. The underlying set of rules enables the rational understanding of the “random“ initial situation, such as the time of birth in astrology, while still allowing for interpretation. This flexibility ensures that systematic conclusions can be applied to to the questioner‘s individual situation.