《山海經》中的「山」與「海」不只是地理概念，更是世界邊界的象徵，代表已知與未知的分界。
In Shan Hai Jing, “mountains” and “seas” are not just geography—they mark the boundary between the known and the unknown.
在《山海經》的敘事結構中，「山」與「海」並非單純的自然景觀，而是構成世界秩序的兩大核心元素。「山經」所描繪的，是一個相對可理解與可探索的空間，山脈之間蘊藏資源、動植物與可辨識的地理秩序，而「海經」則將視角推向更遙遠與陌生的領域，描寫海外異國、奇異生物與難以理解的現象，這種結構實際上反映出古人對世界的分層認知。山，象徵穩定與秩序，是人類可以依附與理解的空間；海，則象徵變動與未知，是超出經驗範圍的領域。透過這樣的劃分，《山海經》建立了一種由中心向外擴展的世界觀，從熟悉的山川逐漸延伸至未知的邊界，形成一個既連續又分層的宇宙圖像。這種想像並非隨意，而是源自於實際經驗與有限認知的延伸，在交通與資訊受限的時代，遠方往往只能透過傳聞與想像來理解，因此越遠的地方，描述便越趨神異。於是，在「海」的範圍中，我們看到大量超現實的存在，例如異形生物與奇異國度，這些並非純粹幻想，而是對未知的敘事化表達。從文化角度來看，「山與海之間」其實是一條不斷被重寫的邊界，它既是地理的界線，也是心理與文化的界線，代表著人類對世界的認知範圍。當人類的知識擴展，這條界線也會隨之移動，但在《山海經》的時代，它仍然清晰地區分出秩序與混沌。這種邊界思維在後世依然存在，例如將未知之地視為異域或危險之地，都是類似的延續。在現代視角下，我們可以將「山與海」理解為一種認知模型，它提醒我們，人類對世界的理解永遠建立在有限經驗之上，而未知並非不存在，而是尚未被理解。《山海經》透過這種結構，使世界既有秩序，又保留未知的空間，讓探索與想像得以並存，這正是它歷久不衰的原因之一。
（下一集預告：003 神話還是歷史？）
English Version
In Shan Hai Jing, the concepts of “mountains” and “seas” extend far beyond physical geography and instead form the foundation of an ancient worldview. The “Classic of Mountains” represents a domain that is relatively structured and understandable, where landscapes, resources, and living beings follow a certain order that humans can observe and interpret. In contrast, the “Classic of Seas” shifts the narrative toward distant and unfamiliar territories filled with strange creatures, foreign lands, and phenomena that defy conventional logic. This division reflects a layered perception of reality, where the world is organized from the known to the unknown. Mountains symbolize stability, familiarity, and structure, while seas represent uncertainty, transformation, and the limits of human understanding. Through this framework, Shan Hai Jing constructs a vision of the world that expands outward from a central point, gradually moving from the familiar into increasingly abstract and imaginative realms. This is not merely fantasy but a reflection of how early societies processed limited information about distant places. In a time when travel and communication were restricted, knowledge of faraway regions often came through fragmented stories and secondhand accounts. As a result, the further a place was from the center, the more fantastical it became in description. The “seas” thus became a narrative space where the unknown could be explored symbolically. From a cultural perspective, the boundary between mountains and seas represents more than geography—it is a conceptual boundary that separates order from chaos, familiarity from strangeness. This boundary is not fixed but shifts as knowledge expands, making it a dynamic element of human perception. In modern terms, this can be understood as a cognitive model that illustrates how humans define and redefine the limits of their understanding. Shan Hai Jing captures this process by presenting a world that is both structured and open-ended, allowing imagination and exploration to coexist.
(Next Episode: Myth or History?)