The Medieval Daoist Metaphor of the Cave: Cosmogony, Sacred Geography, and the Human Body
Abstract
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.
Submitted: Feb. 13, 2025 | Accepted: Aug. 5, 2025 | Published Nov. 14, 2025 | Language: en
Keywords Medieval Daoism • Cave • Human body • Cosmogony • Sacred geography • Metaphor
Copyright © 2025 Xiaoyu Zhang. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOr/2385-3042/2025/03/007