Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

C H I
( i8<5 ) C H I
The 9*h, the dynafty of Ki-kia'Chi *.
The ioth, the dyr.alty of Hi-ouei-chi *.
The 11th', the dynafty o? Yeou-tfao-chi.
The 12th, the dynahy of Soui gine.
The 13'th and laft, the dynafty of Yong-tching-chi.
Of thefe feven kings, or. founders- of dynafties, which
remain to be coRfidered to complete the number of dy-
nafties included in this eighth period, nothing is faid of
thofe marked * that has any relation to our fubjefh
As to Yeou-tfao-chi, founder of the eleventh dynafty,
whofe reign, fay they, lafted more than 300 years, and
whofe family, they add, continued more than 100 ge¬
nerations during the fpace of 12 or 18,000 years : here
is'what’we find recorded.
Bane-1fee fays, that, in the firft ages of the world, a-
nimals multiplied very faft ; and that men being but few,
they Could not fubdue the beafts and ferpents.
Yene-tfee lays alfo, that the anc:ents, either perched
on trees, or ftretched in hollow caves, poffelfed the uni-
verfe,- (Tiene-hia, that is to fay, China). Thefe good
kings (continues he) breathed nothing but charity with¬
out any, lhadow of hatred. They gave much, and took
nothing. The people did not go to pay their court to
them, but all the world fubmitted to thfjr virtues.
Lopi and Ouai-ki fay almoft in the fame words, that,
in the moft remote antiquity, men fheltered themfelves
in the hollows of rocks, that they dwelt in deferts,' and
lived in fociety with all the other creatures. They had
no thought of doing any injury to the'beads, and tire
beafts did not think of hurting them. But in the fuc-
cCeding ages they became too wife, which made the ani¬
mals rebel; armed with claws, teeth, horns, and venom,
they affauked man, and man was not able to refill them.
Yeou tfao reigned then. He was the'firft who built
houfes of wood, in the form of birds nefts; he perfua-
•ded men to retire into them to avoid the wild beafts.
They did not know as yet how to cultivate the earth,
they lived on herbs and fruits. They drank the blood
■of animals, they devoured their fkfh quite raw, they
fwallowe’d the hair and the feathers. This is what they
fay of Yeou-tfao chi: after him comes Soui gine, founder
-of the~i2th dynafty. 4
Soui-gine chi is efteemed the inventor of (ire.
On the fummit.of the mountain Pou-tcheou, fays an
author, are to be feen the walls of Juftice. The fun
and the moon cannot approach them; there is no diffe¬
rence of feafons there, nor viciffuudes of days and nights.
This is the kingdom of light on the confines of Si-
ouang taou. A faint (a great man) went to make a tour
beyond the bounds of the fun and moon: he beheld a
tree, and upon that tree a bird, who made fire come out
of it by; picking it. He was furprifed at this ; he took a
branch of this tree, and from thence ftruck fire ; from
whence they called this great perfonage Soui-gine.
Other authors fay alfo, that Soui-gine made fire with
a certain kind- of wood, and taught men to drefs their
vi&uals. By this means all difeafes, and all diforders of
the ftomach and bowels were prevented. In this he
followed the djrefHon of heaven, i and from thence was
named Soui-gine.
They fay further, that, in the days of Soui-gine,
there was much water upon the earth, and that this
prince taught men the art of fifhing. He muft, of con-
fequence, have invented nets or lines, which invention
is after this aferibed to Fou-hi.
One Long-ma, or Dragon-horie, brought him a kind
of table, and the tortoife letters. Soui-gine is the firft:
to whom they apply this event, hut the fame thing will
be faid in the feque! of feveral others.
Soui-gine was the firft who gave names to plants and
animals; and thefe names (fay they) were fo expreffive,
the# the nature of every thing was known by its name.
Fie invented weights and meafures for the regulation of
commerce, which had been unknown before him.
Anciently (fays an author) men married at fifty, and
women at thirty years of age: Soui-gine fhortened this
period, and appointed that young men fhonld marry at
thirty, and girls at twenty.
Laftly, the Liki fays, that it was Soui-gine who firft
taught men urbanity and politenefs.
It now remains to fpeak of Yong-tching-chi* the
founder of the thirteenth and laft dynafty-of this period.
In his time, they ufed (lender cords on which they
tied various knots, and this ferved them inftead of wri¬
ting. But, after the invention of letters, how could they
return again to the ufe'of thefe cords, which is-fo limi¬
ted and imperfed ? This evidently implies a contra-
diction ?
We Come now to the ninth Ki or period, named
Chene-tong. This ninth period will bring us down to
the times ofFouhi. It comprehends twenty-one kings,
whofe names are as follow :
1. Sfe hoang, or Tfan hie,
2. Pe-hoang-chi,
3. Tchong hoang-chi,
4. Tai-ting-chi,
5. Kouene liene,
6. Tene-chi,
7. Tai chi,
8. Tching hoei-clii,
9. Li lou, or Hoei-chi,
10. Sohoang chi,
11. Nuei-touane chi,
Liu-pou-ouei fays plainly, that Sfe-hoang made letters.
This Sfe-hoang, is called alfo Tfang hie. Some hifto-
rians place him under Hoang-ti, whofe minifter they
make him; while others make him a fovereign prince,
and much anterior to Hoang-ti.
The firft inventor of letters was Tfang-hie, then the
king Vou-hoai made them be engraved on the coin, and
Fou-hi ufed them in the public ads for the government
of the empire. But obferve, that thefe three emperors
were even before Chini-nong ; how can it be faid then,
that letters were not invented till under Hoang-ti ? Such
is the reafoning of Lopi, who was quite confounded with
thefe fabulous times.
To this criticifra it may be anfwered. You have told
us, that letters had been invented in the reign of Soui-
gine, the 12th king of the eighth period; how then can
you pretend to give the honour of this invention to
12. Hiene-yuene,
13. He fou, -r
14. Kai-tiene,
15. Tfune liu chi,
16. Tcho jong,
17. Hao-yng,
18. Yeou tfao-chi,
19. Tchu-fiang-chi,
20^ Yne khang-chi,
21. Vou hoai-chi.