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The term has three definitions. First, it describes two different dimensions of things: One is with form and the other without form. Second, it refers to two different stages or states of a thing during its generation, existence, and demise. You (有) refers to the state of a thing after it has come into being and before it dies out; wu (无) refers to the state of a thing before its birth and after its death. Third, you refers to any tangible or identifiable thing or the sum total of such things; wu refers to the original source or ontological existence, which is intangible and unidentifiable, and transcends all specific objects. With regard to the third definition, some philosophers consider wu to be the original source or ontological existence of the world, and you comes from wu; others believe that you is fundamentally significant, and dispute the notion that you owes its existence to wu. Despite their differences, you and wu are mutually dependent.
In its original meaning, dao (道) is the way or path taken by people. It has three extended meanings: 1) the general laws followed by things in different spheres, e.g. the natural order by which the sun, moon and stars move is called the way of heaven; the rules that govern human activities are the way of man; 2) the universal patterns followed by all things and beings; and 3) the original source or ontological existence of things, which transcends form and constitutes the basis for the birth and existence of all things, and for the activities of human beings. In their respective discussions of Dao, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism imbue it with very different connotations. While benevolence, righteousness, social norms, and music education form the basic content of the Confucian Dao, the Buddhist and Daoist Dao tends to emphasize kong (空 emptiness) and wu (无 void).
Qi (器) is a real object or a specific official, position, etc. A qi is something visible, or something one may describe in concrete terms. Every kind of qi has a specific form, function, or capability. Therefore there are clear distinctions between one qi and another. However, a common dao exists in different kinds of qi. The existence of a qi is based on dao. In terms of human affairs, an individual assumes a particular responsibility suited to his position； but he should go beyond his specific capabilities and strive to adhere to and obtain dao.
The term has three meanings. First, it indicates the original essence of all things. It is another name for dao (way). It is also referred to as taiyi (the supreme one). Second, it refers to the state of chaos before the separation of heaven and earth. The one was divided and transformed into heaven and earth. All things in heaven and on earth were produced from this Chaotic entity. Third, it indicates the unity of things, as opposed to “many” or “two.” The idea is to emphasize the unity among things which are different or opposite.
The term means the primal source from which all things originate, both animate and inanimate, including human beings. Yuan (元) manifests itself in different forms. In the Han Dynasty, it was considered a kind of primal physical material that both produced and made up the myriad things of the world. The Book of Changes divides yuan into two primal sources: the heavenly source which gives birth to the sun, moon, and stars, and the earthly source which creates all other things on earth. In The Spring and Autumn Annals, the term refers to the first year in its chronologies, symbolizing the start of a new historical period, and serving as the manifestation in the human world of the natural process in which things begin, end, and are replaced.
The term has two meanings. First, it refers to the state of one whole mass that existed before the universe took shape, often said to exist before qi (vital force) emerged. The multitude of organisms on earth all emanated from this state. Second, it refers to Chaos, king of the Central Region in a fable in Zhuangzi. According to the fable, Chaos had no eyes, nose, mouth or ears. Shu, king of the South Sea, and Hu, king of the North Sea, drilled seven apertures into Chaos and killed him. Zhuangzi （369？-286 BC）used this story to show the state of chaos of the world in which there is neither knowledge or wisdom, nor distinction between good and evil.
The term means what is formless or has no formal substance yet. It generally indicates the basis of physical things. The term “what is above form” comes from The Book of Changes and is used as the opposite of “what is under form.” “Form” indicates physical shape. “What is above form” refers to the state before a physical shape emerges, namely, formlessness. That which is formless is called “dao.”
The term means what has a form or what has a formal substance. It generally indicates existing and concrete things. The term “what is under form” comes from The Book of Changes. It is used as the opposite of “what is above form.”“Form” indicates physical shape. “What is under form” refers to the state after a physical shape has emerged, namely, physical existence. That which has a form is called “an object.” What is under form takes what is above form as the basis of its existence.
Wu (无) is regarded as the original source or ontological existence of the world in classical Chinese thinking. Laozi claimed that “you (有) is born out of wu.” This concept was further developed by He Yan（？-249）, Wang Bi（226-249）, and other thinkers of the Wei and Jin dynasties, who maintained that heaven, earth, and all things in the world originate from wu. No specific being, they argued, can be the original source or ontological existence of another being, much less of the world. The formation and existence of everything depend on wu, which is the fundamental source that transcends all tangible beings. Only an intangible and unidentifiable ontological existence gives countless specific beings their functions.
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