Part VI: Technology Index¶
Purpose: Cross-reference by tool family. Which characters appear in which technological contexts. What operations each craft discovered. How to read each tool's documentation.
Thesis: The DDJ is a navigation system. Each craft has its entry point into the same geometry.
How to Use This Index¶
- Find your craft/technology below
- Note the key chapters and radical family
- Cross-reference with Parts I-V of the lexicon
- Connect text principles to your existing practice knowledge
The Technologies¶
1. Weaving (糸 Family)¶
Core principle: Perpendicularity creates stable fabric. Dimensions require continuous threading.
| Key Term | Character | What It Encodes |
|---|---|---|
| Warp | 經 | Vertical invariant (= 常) |
| Weft | 緯 | Horizontal variable (= 可) |
| Weave | 織 | Integration at perpendicular intersection |
| Maintain/Dimension | 維 | Continuous re-threading |
| Knot | 結 | P-position where flow becomes place |
Entry chapters: 25 (recursion cycle), 52 (母/子 relationship)
What the loom teaches: - Warp must be established before weft can operate - Fabric exists only at perpendicular crossing - Shuttle must arc (not push) through warp - 2π closure with every pass
Readable on the tool: Weave pattern, thread density, warp/weft ratio
2. Metallurgy (金 Family)¶
Core principle: Phase transformation through rate control. Property distribution across gradients.
| Key Term | Character | What It Encodes |
|---|---|---|
| Smelt/Refine | 煉 | Fire + select = separation |
| Cast | 鑄 | Metal + duration = permanent form |
| Forge | 鍛 | Metal + segment = iterative shaping |
| Quench | 淬 | Water + sudden = state lock |
| Steel | 鋼 | Metal + ridge = 剛 at right scale |
Entry chapters: 76 (剛/柔 distribution), 40 (反 as oscillation)
What the forge teaches: - Same boundary crossed at different rates → different results - Pure 剛 shatters, pure 柔 useless, gradient succeeds - The clay shapes how the operator applies - You can't force the hamon
Readable on the tool: Hamon, temper color, grain structure, edge geometry
3. Archery (弓 Family)¶
Core principle: Stored potential releases through center. Flexibility enables power.
| Key Term | Character | What It Encodes |
|---|---|---|
| Bow | 弓 | The curve that stores |
| Weak/Flexible | 弱 | Double bow = maintained potential |
| Taut | 張 | Bow + long = extended tension |
| Relax | 弛 | Bow + also = released tension |
| Mysterious | 玄 | Bowstring across void |
Entry chapters: 40 (弱者道之用), 77 (天之道 = bow)
What the bow teaches: - The string bridges the void without occupying it - Power comes from stored curvature, not linear force - Release happens through the center - 玄 = the operational paradox of connected-not-touching
Readable on the tool: Recurve profile, string tension, nock position, limb flex pattern
4. Hydraulics (氵 Family)¶
Core principle: Water finds the path without forcing. 無為 in physical form.
| Key Term | Character | What It Encodes |
|---|---|---|
| Govern/Channel | 治 | Water + platform = channeling |
| Flow | 流 | Water in continuous motion |
| Deep | 深 | Vertical extent in fluid |
| Clear | 清 | Transparent medium |
| Converge | 沖 | Water + center = concentrated flow |
Entry chapters: 8 (water as demonstration), 78 (water overcomes stone)
What water teaches: - Path of least resistance, not no-path - Goes around obstacles without force - Settles at lowest point (不爭) - Clarity comes from stillness
Readable on the tool: Channel gradients, valve positions, flow rates, sediment patterns
5. Agriculture (禾 Family)¶
Core principle: Harvest timing through π-operation. Cyclical completion.
| Key Term | Character | What It Encodes |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest-capacity | 利 | Grain + blade = scythe arc |
| Harmony | 和 | Grain + mouth = proper distribution |
| Autumn/Completion | 秋 | Grain + fire = harvest time |
| Plant | 種 | Grain + heavy = seed placement |
| Ripe | 熟 | Fire applied until done |
Entry chapters: 11 (有/無 relationship), 22 (曲則全)
What the field teaches: - Scythe arcs, doesn't push (π-operation) - Timing matters—too early fails, too late fails - You can't force ripeness - The field wins against linear effort
Readable on the tool: Scythe curve, sickle angle, seed drill spacing, harvest timing markers
6. Ceramics (土 Family)¶
Core principle: Void is function. Form enables emptiness.
| Key Term | Character | What It Encodes |
|---|---|---|
| Vessel | 器 | Four openings guarding emptiness |
| Earth/Ground | 土 | Substrate that receives |
| Knead | 埏 | Earth + extend = introducing void |
| Clay | 埴 | Earth + straight = malleable |
| Kiln | 窯 | Cave + fire = transformation chamber |
Entry chapters: 11 (wheel, pot, room), 28 (樸)
What ceramics teaches: - You use the emptiness, not the clay - Constraint (walls) enables function (holding) - Fire transforms substrate permanently - Firing timing determines result
Readable on the tool: Wall thickness, rim profile, glaze pattern, firing color
7. Carpentry (木 Family)¶
Core principle: Root/tip relationship. Uncarved contains all carvings.
| Key Term | Character | What It Encodes |
|---|---|---|
| Root/Base | 本 | Wood + line below = fundamental |
| Tip/End | 末 | Wood + line above = derivative |
| Uncarved block | 樸 | Wood + simple = undifferentiated potential |
| Structure | 構 | Wood + framework = assembly |
| Material | 材 | Wood + talent = usable substance |
Entry chapters: 28 (知其白守其黑), 32 (道常無名樸), 37 (樸)
What wood teaches: - Work with the grain, not against - Every carved form reduces possibility - Root supports tip (本/末 ordering) - Flexibility prevents breaking
Readable on the tool: Grain orientation, joint type, surface finish, wood selection
8. Optics (勺 Family)¶
Core principle: Curvature creates focus. Distributed field concentrates to point.
| Key Term | Character | What It Encodes |
|---|---|---|
| Target/Focus | 的 | Brightness + concave = focal point |
| Burn | 灼 | Fire + concave = concentrated heat |
| Pour/Consider | 酌 | Wine + concave = focused flow |
| Fishhook | 釣 | Metal + concave = curved to catch |
| Leopard | 豹 | Beast + concave = focused attention |
Entry chapters: (No direct chapter—technology discovered between characters)
What the mirror teaches: - G→P transformation through curvature - Focus is geometric, not intentional - Shape determines concentration - Purpose (目的) is optical, not abstract
Readable on the tool: Curvature radius, focal length, surface polish, reflection pattern
9. Cooking (火 Family)¶
Core principle: Transformation through heat. Timing determines outcome.
| Key Term | Character | What It Encodes |
|---|---|---|
| Cook/Mature | 熟 | Fire applied until done |
| Steam | 蒸 | Grass + fire + elevated = vapor rising |
| Roast | 烤 | Fire + consider = attention to heat |
| Boil | 沸 | Water + emerging = phase transition |
| Simmer | 燉 | Fire + village = slow sustained heat |
Entry chapters: 60 (治大國若烹小鮮 - governing like cooking small fish)
What cooking teaches: - Heat transforms irreversibly (some processes) - Rate of heating matters (煮 vs 炸) - You can't un-cook something - Small fish fall apart if disturbed too much
Readable on the tool: Char patterns, reduction marks, equipment wear, timing indicators
10. Navigation (舟 Family)¶
Core principle: Float with conditions. Read currents, don't fight them.
| Key Term | Character | What It Encodes |
|---|---|---|
| Boat | 舟 | The floating platform |
| Navigation | 航 | Boat + direction = directed floating |
| Ferry | 渡 | Water + degree = crossing |
| Helm | 舵 | Boat + it/extension = steering |
| Anchor | 錨 | Metal + seedling = planted stability |
Entry chapters: 80 (有舟輿無所乘之 - boats exist but no need to ride)
What boats teach: - You float or you sink (binary threshold) - Work with currents, not against - Small adjustments, large effects - The water does the carrying
Readable on the tool: Hull shape, keel depth, sail configuration, rudder size
Cross-Technology Patterns¶
The Same Principle in Different Substrates¶
| Principle | Weaving | Metal | Water | Wood |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perpendicularity | Warp⊥Weft | Edge⊥Force | Flow⊥Bank | Grain⊥Cut |
| Rate matters | Shuttle speed | Quench speed | Flow rate | Drying rate |
| 剛/柔 gradient | Tight/loose weave | Edge/spine | Channel/flood | Heartwood/sap |
| 無為 | Let shuttle pass | Let water quench | Let flow find | Let wood dry |
Universal Failure Modes¶
Every technology fails the same two ways:
| Failure | What It Looks Like |
|---|---|
| Pure 剛 | Brittle blade, rigid teaching, forced growth |
| Pure 柔 | Shapeless clay, formless instruction, unstructured space |
The solution is never "choose one." The solution is always "correct distribution."
Reading Your Tools¶
Every handmade tool carries documentation on its surface:
| What to Look For | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Wear patterns | How it was used |
| Repair history | What stressed it |
| Material choice | What was available/valued |
| Proportions | What trade-offs were made |
| Finish quality | How much attention was given |
Mass production broke this. A handmade tool teaches you how to use it. A mass-produced tool requires a manual.
The Navigation Principle¶
The DDJ is not a book to read linearly. It's an index.
If you work with X substrate, start with Y chapter.
The text points to where the knowledge lives—in the technologies themselves. The characters encode what the tools already knew.
Your craft is your entry point. The geometry is the same throughout.
Document created: 2025-11-27 Part VI of Structural Lexicon Dao De Jing structural translation project