고대 중국 神 개념의 변천 -自然神에서 생명력과 정신으로, 나아가 예술적 상상력으로-

Abstract

This article purports to explore the change and meaning of concept of shen(神) in ancient china. The original meaning of shen is the divinity and spirits of nature. The human self-divinization is based on the immanence of gods. And the meaning of shen changed from gods to vital forces or mind. These ideas were inseparably fused together by qi(氣)-monism in the Han dynasty. Huangdineijing(黃帝內經), as a medical canon is the representative literature replecting such trends. From late Han to Wei-Jin, these ideas have been interwoven with various theories of literature and fine art. The meaning of shen is aesthetic imagination in Wenxindiaolong(文心雕龍), a literature of literary criticism in this period. However the divine nature as the original meaning of shen did not disappear in the change of concept. In short, the cumulative change of meaning of shen reveal the important phases of ancient chinese thoughts.