Everything Is Finally Laid Out in the Open真相大白

Today we'll talk about the character 相, which means prime minister in Chinese. It comes from the Chinese idiom 帝王将相, meaning emperors, kings, generals, and prime ministers. Actually, the character 相 has the same root as another character that is also pronounced as xiang, which comes from the word 大象, meaning elephant. Both of these homophones refer to the appearance or state of something. If you look at it, the top part of 相 resembles 兔, the character for rabbit, while the bottom part looks like 屎, the character for pig. An animal with big ears like a rabbit and tusks like a wild boar is the 相, elephant. Another homophone of 相, elephant, is 箱, box. Let's take the English word train. A train has 箱, carriages. Now if you slightly alter the word train, it becomes trunk, like the elephant's trunk. The trunk of an elephant is indeed long and hollow. It has a 箱 cavity, much like a train carriage. The rough surface of the elephant's trunk also resembles the bark of a tree, and a tree trunk itself is similar to a human torso. The torso is like a big box, 箱, with a chest cavity and an abdominal cavity housing a person's internal organs. So the word trunk encompasses meanings such as an elephant trunk, a tree trunk, a torso, a big box, and a suitcase. The baobab tree's trunk, for example, can store water and other materials, making it almost seem like a treasure chest, or 箱. Now of course, on the streets, there are also long and narrow alleys, or 箱. In mythology, immortals sometimes have a pouch, or 兜囊, which also holds various magical treasures to help subdue monsters. This is why the character 箱, meaning to assist, looks similar to the character 囊, meaning pouch, signifying the idea of assistance, or 相助. Turning now to the word trumpet, it actually comes from the same root as the word trunk, because the sound of an elephant, 箱, trumpet, is similar to the sound 箱 of the musical instrument, the trumpet. Trumpet can also refer to the trumpet of a blooming daffodil. After a daffodil blooms, its center resembles the bell of a trumpet. That's how the word trump came to also mean a horn. The fragrance of flowers is also referred to as 箱. The base of the elephant trunk is fixed inside its body, just as a flower is fixed at the calyx. The rest of the flower, or the trunk, is exposed. This way of securing something is referred to as 箱, which could mean setting, inlaying, or embedding something in place. As a result, dentures or dental implants are known as 箱牙. In traditional Chinese medicine, there is a concept of 芳香化拙, meaning to use fragrance to clear turbidity. 香, fragrance, is believed to dispel negative energy. That's why in ancient times, people would offer 香, incense, during ancestor worship while praying for blessings and good fortune, which is known as 香. Chinese furniture is often made of sandalwood, 檀香, and books are often tucked with 芸香, which is a type of aromatic herb to repel insects. When burning incense, or 香, one should pray to, or 象, the deity they believe in, explain in detail, 詳細, their daily actions, identify their own shortcomings, and then vow to improve. They also hope to receive assistance and blessings of the divine. They pray to become kinder people and to return to their true nature, ultimately returning to 天 乡, the heavenly homeland, the place where life originates, a true hometown, or 故乡, that is filled with auspiciousness, 香, and blessings. While lying down and watching the white clouds drifting by, people's 遐想, or daydreams, and 想法, or thoughts, are like those clouds, floating freely, 飛翔, or soaring without restraint. Angels, too, are free in heaven, enjoying innocence and happiness, which in Chinese is called 享乐天真. The angels also 享用, or savor, the fresh peaches and fruits of the heavens. Therefore, a grand meal in the human world can also be called a feast, or in Chinese, 享宴, and giving food to others is called 享. The character 向, meaning towards, in this context, indicates facing a particular person or direction. Military pay is also referred to as 享. The one who leads soldiers is the 将, or general, while the one who leads the ministers to assist the emperor is the 向, or prime minister. In the imperial court, there is a saying, 文东武西, which means civil officials are to the east, military officials to the west. The 将, military generals, stand in the west, while the 向, civil ministers, stand in the east. In Chinese culture, the west represents metal, one of the five elements, which corresponds to war and is associated with the lungs and the color white, symbolizing descent. Meanwhile, the east represents the element wood, which corresponds to growth and is associated with the liver and the color green, symbolizing ascent. In Chinese, when delicious food tastes good, we say that the food is 香. The act of enjoying food can be described as 吃得香 or eating with delight. There is also 香港 or Hong Kong. However, if people only pursue 享受, pleasure, and 享乐, enjoyment, seeking only 享福, comfort and ease without a willingness to give or to work hard, then the end is not far off. The two characters 末日, which means the end of the world, put together resemble the character 香, fragrance. In ancient times, the incense or 香 that people burned was very long, and some were as thick as pillars or 柱. Burning a single stick of incense could also be called burning a 柱, 香. Sometimes, each stick of incense would represent a wish or a task to be completed, known as a 象. The shape of the incense is similar to the trunk of an elephant or a 象. The shape is also long like a neck, which in Chinese can be called a 象. Above the neck is the face. The appearance of the face can be called the facial appearance, 相貌, or the looks, 长相. Art that focuses on the expression of the face is called a portrait, 肖像. Therefore, both 象 and 象 refer to the appearance or form of something, no matter whether it's something visible or something we feel or imagine. The bigger picture, the shape of the universe, and the changes in time and space may not be visible to our physical eyes, but we can actually quietly sense them with our hearts. Below the neck, or 象, is the chest, and that's where the heart is located. In ancient times, people often spoke of 心想, meaning to think with the heart. The things we think of have a 形象, or a form, and may even have a sound, or 想. As the saying goes, 象由心生, meaning one's appearance mirrors one's heart. A kind and good heart can make one's appearance, or 相貌, more beautiful. However, things that appear beautiful are not always truly good. Many can create false illusions, 假象. In the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, there are many beautiful demons, but despite warning the monk Tang Seng that the beautiful women they encounter are actually monsters, the protagonist, Sun Wukong, has fire eyes and golden pupils, known as 火眼金睛, and with them he can see through the beautiful demons' illusions. Tang Seng doesn't believe him because he cannot see their true forms. He cannot see their 象. Some demons in the novel even transform themselves into the likeness of the Buddha, making it difficult for the holy monk to distinguish between the real and the false. Fortunately, Sun Wukong is there to help. In the end, he helps Tang Seng realize the true nature, or 真相, of things, and guides the monk on his path to enlightenment. Let's look a little deeper at Sun Wukong's fire eyes and golden pupils, or 火眼金睛. The 金, gold, in this sentence corresponds to the West in the five elements, and is associated with the color white. There is a Chinese saying used when everything is finally laid out in the open, and that is 真相大白, literally meaning the truth in the big white.