Tou (Emptiness as Form)

In the literature on rock aesthetics Mi Fu coined the term ‘Tou’ to describe the character of Taihu rocks – a character that with time became regarded as the most desired aesthetic quality in all collectible stones. Tou evoked the empty-full dichotomy that binds the world. It symbolised the play of void and form that pervades the universe. It evoked the space where form takes place. It is the Buddhist form as emptiness and emptiness as form.