The Medieval Daoist Metaphor of the Cave
Cosmogony, Sacred Geography, and the Human Body
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6415073 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xiaoyu Zhang (0009-0003-2430-5001, École Pratique des Hautes Études), Zhang Xiaoyu (0000-0003-0540-2386, École Pratique des Hautes Études, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-14 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Annali di Ca’ Foscari Serie orientale (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1125-3789 • E-ISSN: 2385-3042 |
| Publisher | Edizioni Ca’ Foscari (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.30687/annor/2385-3042/2025/03/007 |
| OpenAlex | W7105689081 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 5 |
This article examines three aspects of medieval Daoist (from the third to the seventh centuries) theology and practice formed around the metaphor of the cave: the cosmogony represented by the concept of the Hollow Cave ( kongdong 空洞), the sacred geography embodied in the Grotto-Heavens ( dongtian 洞天), and the human body conceived through the Grotto-Chamber ( dongfang 洞房). The objective of this study is to explore how Daoism interpreted the general notion of the cave, and how Daoist conceptions extended beyond religious discourse to influence the broader intellectual context of medieval China
Cave · Context (archaeology · Cosmogony · Embodied cognition · Human body · Literal and figurative language · Metaphor · Chinese history and philosophy · Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond · Japanese History and Culture
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |