Images of the Cosmic Body before the Yellow Emperor

Based on Han Dynasty cosmology as expressed in the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon (Huangdi neijing), Nathen Sivin and others confirm that the human body was envisioned as a microcosmos, influenced by the same forces that made up evolving conceptions of the cosmos and the spiritual agencies constituting it. Charlotte Furth postulated that illustrations of the body, which she called the Yellow Emperor’s body, were, in fact, androgynous. Body diagrams on newly discovered pre-Han bamboo divination manuals are likewise not obviously outwardly gendered. However, when we analyze the cosmic forces influencing particular facets of the body, we find a subtle gendered identity. Whereas the imperial era cosmic body reflects facets of Yin and Yang (front-back/inner-outer), the pre-imperial diagrams distinguished “female” and “male” temporal and spatial factors. This talk will focus on pre-Han gendered images of the human body.