Zhu Derun (Chinese, 1294–1365)
Cosmic Circle, dated 1349
Yuan dynasty (1271-1368)
China
Handscroll; ink on paper; Image: 11 11/16 x 33 15/16 in. (29.7 x 86.2 cm)
Lent by Shanghai Museum

Primordial chaos is not square but round, not round but square. Before the appearance of heaven and earth there were no forms; yet forms existed. After the appearance of heaven and earth, forms existed but became undefined, their constant expansion and contraction, unfurling and furling, making them beyond measure. (Translated by James Cahill.)