The Sun and the Solar God: An Exploration of the Concept of Taiyi 太一, the Great One, in Chu 楚 Textual Sources

Abstract The compound Taiyi 太一, meaning “Great One,” appears in numerous texts from the pre-imperial and early imperial Chinese tradition. The features ascribed to it in the various textual sources are diverse and often contradictory, suggesting that the term may have undergone both regional and diachronic variations in significance. This study examines Taiyi as a name associated with a celestial body and its corresponding deity relative to the literary tradition of the state of Chu 楚 during the Warring States period and to the early imperial literature compiled under the cultural influence of Chu: it advances the hypothesis that, in this context, Taiyi represents an alternative name for the sun and its god. This hypothesis is supported by an extensive analysis of both transmitted sources and manuscripts unearthed in the area corresponding to the former state of Chu. To substantiate the proposed correspondence between Taiyi and the sun, this paper outlines the connection between the star and the number one, a constituent of the Taiyi compound, based on an examination of the philosophical-literary tradition, as well as astro-calendrical accounts. Moreover, an investigation of texts such as the Chuci 楚辭, the Huainanzi 淮南子, the Taiyi sheng shui 太一生水, and several others demonstrates that narratives on Taiyi in Chu and Chu-influenced writings are closely aligned with astronomical treatises on the sun and records of rituals held in its honor.