Once upon a time there were two stars, sons of the Golden King of the Heavens. The one was named Tschen and the other Shen. One day they quarreled, and Tschen struck Shen a terrible blow.
Thereupon both stars made a vow that they would never again look upon each other. So Tschen only appears in the evening, and Shen only appears in the morning, and not until Tschen has disappeared is Shen again to be seen.
And that is why people say: “When two brothers do not live peaceably with one another they are like Tschen and Shen.
Credits
Richard Wilhelm was a German sinologist and theologian best known for bringing classical Chinese texts to Western readers in the early twentieth century. He is perhaps most celebrated for his landmark translation of the I Ching. This brief myth reflects his deep engagement with Chinese folk tradition and his gift for preserving the spare, resonant quality of the original oral sources.
