Understanding the Ancient Chinese Sense of Time

What is the Chinese sense of time? When people in the West think of the passage of time, they often think of linear progress – things move from past to present to future. To the Chinese, things may be seen differently, as cyclical progress, or a series of circles. There are so many different aspects to this concept that it can be difficult to define, but worth exploring.

Chinese tradition around the passage of time go back as far as ancient philosophy. One of the most important philosophies is Confucianism, and it is believed to shape much of the Chinese worldview. According to Confucianism, time is not linear, but instead a cycle – a repeating pattern of elemental sequence. Thus, the years may be divided into seasons and those seasons have specific ordering – summer follows spring, and winter follows autumn.

The Chinese calendar is also used to denote time, and it is another example of a cyclical approach to time. The calendar follows a cycle of 12 months in which each month has either 30 or 29 days. This cycle may then be further divided into shorter periods, with each period having five or six days consisting of unique characteristics.
偉宗 勞 @ Unsplash

The Chinese often view time in a long-term view – favouring larger trends over modest changes. This means that on the whole, they may not necessarily think of the immediate future but instead are focused on how circumstances will end up in the long run.

Another aspect of Chinese sense of time is the concept of destiny. People in Chinese culture may believe in some kind of fate or predetermined path that is meant for a person. With this in mind, Chinese people may value the current moment and make decisions that are geared towards the future. Thus, their view of time is based on destiny and the idea that certain events have a certain amount of predetermined outcome.

The Chinese also have a very particular way of viewing the concept of death. In the West, people often think of death as an end, something irreversible and the ultimate conclusion of life. To many in the Chinese culture, however, death is seen in a different way – as a form of ascension, or a journey to a higher plane of existence.
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So, how can one understand the Ancient Chinese Sense of Time? Ultimately, it comes down to gaining a better understanding of their worldview and the culture’s history. From understanding their ancient philosophy to the nuances of their calendar, there is much to explore in the Chinese sense of time.