This term aims to explain how human culture arose. It stands in contrast to what is known as “heaven’s ways” or “earth’s ways,” the former referring to laws governing the movement and change of heavenly bodies and weather, while the latter to that of topographic features and directions of mountains and rivers. Since humans came into being with their spiritual pursuits and thoughts, human culture has thrived and prospered. Human culture, as encapsulated in this term, is taken to mean education in etiquette and music, laws and regulations, and especially outcomes of creative endeavor such as art, literature, and philosophy. A close inquiry into these origins can help to clarify the essential character of art and literature, and enable us to better grasp the laws of their development. However, dispute remains as to the precise meaning of the term. The most influential view was raised by Liu Xie (465?-520? or 532?) of the Southern Dynasties. He held that human culture had its origins in taiji, namely the supreme ultimate. But scholars continued to argue about the exact meaning of taiji. So the origin of human culture should perhaps be interpreted more broadly as the sum total of feelings and thoughts of our prehistoric ancestors who grappled with their existence between heaven and earth. Such feelings and thoughts were primitive and related closely to the natural world, so it can be safely said that those earliest inhabitants of the earth understood the universe and life in a more original way than people of today.

It is a law of heaven that the hard and soft interweave; it is a rule of humans that they should observe the rites and conduct themselves with restraint. By observing the movement of the constellations, we can learn about the change of seasons; by observing development of human culture, we can enlighten the people and build a civilized society. The Book of Changes

Whatever is must have come from what is not. Thus the supreme ultimate morphs into two opposites: yin and yang. The supreme ultimate is only a makeshift name. In fact, there is no way to name it appropriately. Han Kangbo: Annotations on The Book of Changes

Human culture originated from a chaotic vitality, which had existed before heaven and earth became divided. Manifestation of a divination in The Book of Changes was the earliest elaboration on this mysterious and abstruse message. Liu Xie: The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons.