Wen Zhe San Ji: Selected Works of Zhou Zhenfu

Author: Editor-in-Chief: Ji Xianlin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-10-01
Features: Excerpt: Zhu Junsheng explained the Three Yì from the Rites of Zhou. The Three Yì are the Xia Yì, which begins with the trigram Gen (Mountain), hence called Lianshan; the Shang Yì, which begins with the trigram Kun (Earth), as the earth contains all things, hence called Guizang. The Zhou Yì begins with the trigram Qian (Heaven), as all six lines of Qian are yang lines, covering all six lines with yang, hence called "Zhouyang" (meaning "all yang"). To call it Zhou Yì is incorrect. Regarding the Three Yì, he believed that "the character Yì in the Three Yì should be read as xì." Xì, pronounced like xì, refers to the yì shaman, who oversees oracle bone divination. According to Zhu Junsheng, "Yì" should be changed to "xì," referring to the male shaman. According to the Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Characters), "xì is a male shaman who performs rituals to worship deities. In males, it is called xì; in females, it is called wū." Thus, xì is a male shaman. The oracle bone diviners are overseen by the Grand Diviner, who does not fall under the jurisdiction of male shamans. Zhu Junsheng's theory is also unreliable.
A modern scholar, Wu Ruyin, in his Commentary on the Yì, stated: "Yì refers to the name of divination. In the Rites of Sacrifice, it is said, 'Yì holds the tortoise shell and faces south, while the (emperor) unrolls his robe and faces north.' Thus, Yì is the name of divination, and the officials were named after it. In the Records of the Grand Yüan, it is said, 'The (emperor) opens the book to Yì.' This means the (emperor) opens the book for divination. In the edict of Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty regarding Luntai, it is said, 'Yì, and the hexagram obtained is Daguò.' Yì means to divinate." Scholars explain Yì as simple, unchanging, and changing Yì, but none of these interpretations are correct."
Shang Binghe, in his Shang's Commentary on the Yì, quoted Wu Ruyin and added: "I argue that in the Rites of the Han Dynasty, it is said, 'One who thinks should not change.' Here, Yì also refers to divination. Simple, unchanging, and changing Yì are all uses of the Yì, but the original meaning of the character Yì is divination." According to Wu Ruyin, Yì originally referred to tortoise shell divination, and the officials were called Yì, as mentioned in the Rites of Sacrifice. Later, divination with stalks replaced tortoise shell divination, and the stalk divination was called Yì. The Yì in the Records of the Grand Yüan and the Rites of the Han Dynasty refers to stalk divination. However, tortoise shell divination does not seem to be called Yì, and this theory remains questionable.
For example, in the Rites of Zhou, under the Spring Officer section, it is said, "The Grand Diviner oversees the Three Auspicious Signs," referring to the patterns observed on tortoise shells, which is tortoise shell divination, called 'Three Auspicious Signs,' not 'Three Yì.' It also states that he 'oversees the Three Yì,' which is then called 'Three Yì.' Thus, the Grand Diviner oversees both tortoise shell divination and stalk divination. At that time, tortoise shell divination was highly valued, so he was called the 'Grand Diviner,' not the 'Grand Diviner of the Earth.' However, he was often involved in divination, so he was also called 'Yì,' referring to his oversight of the 'Three Yì.' If the officials overseeing the 'Three Yì' came first, why would the 'Three Yì' be named as they were?