‘十’字에 관하여 - 十干의 ‘十’에 주목하여

Abstract

This article studies on the Chinese letter ten(十) on its shape, meaning, and furthermore on Chinese presentation on their culture inheritance. The Chinese letter ten(十) has not only the simple meaning of counting number, but also has the metaphysical and philosophical conception such as perfectness, equilibrium, The great ultimate goal, The great way, non-being, emptiness. Man is always imperfect, not like as Heaven. Chinese had been anxious for the unity of man with heaven, furthermore the interaction between man and Heaven. This anxiousness had been presented on their culture inheritance. The sunbeam pattern presented by the Chinese letter ten(十) can be understood as the Chinese anxiousness for the unity and interaction with Heaven. In the Chinese ancient ages. especially in Yin(殷) period, the Yin people understood the shape of ten(十) as the shape of cosmos, and they considered it the most important countable number. Some scholar insist on the sunbeam pattern had been migrated from West Asia in 3000 B.C. to India, China and ancient Korea. And it influenced on their culture inheritance in physical and metaphysical conception.