I Ching and Chinese Literature (Series of Research on Chinese Academic Studies and Chinese Literature)

Author: Chen Liangyun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-11-01
Features: Chapter 4 "Things are mixed, hence the term 'literature' in Japanese" — The relationship between the literary concept and aesthetic consciousness nurtured by the Book of Changes is very close. However, in the era when the Book of Changes was compiled, no truly literary concept had yet emerged. The term "literature" first appeared in Analects·Advanced: "Literature: Ziyou, Zixia." Confucius listed "literature" alongside "moral conduct," "speech," and "political affairs," referring to the study of "humanities," specifically the study of historical documents. Confucius often discussed "wen" (culture or decoration). The Zuo Zhuan·Xiangong 25th Year quotes his words: "The Zhi says: 'Speech fulfills the mind, and culture fulfills speech.' Without speech, who will know the mind? Without culture in speech, it will not travel far. Jin was the hegemon, and Zheng people presented their cases, but without literary expression, nothing could be accomplished. Be cautious with your words!' The Zhi he referred to was an ancient book that has since been lost. The Zhi must have been produced after the Book of Changes, because in the Book of Changes, only one hexagram and line text mentions "speech" ('Speech is orderly' in the Gen 6th line of the fifth hexagram), and a thorough examination of the entire book reveals no instance of the character "wen." This shows that the ancestors of that time only had an instinctive, not a conscious, awareness of "culture fulfilling speech" (in the 64 distinct hexagrams, such as the Ben and Huan hexagrams, which actually imply adornment and literary expression, but are all implicit). It was the authors of the Commentaries on the Changes who brought many of the implicit literary elements in the Book of Changes to the surface and elevated them to a conceptual level. The concepts derived from the Commentaries on the Changes are more philosophical and psychological in nature and cannot be called purely literary concepts. However, ancient Chinese philosophy is indeed the close relative of literature, with a very close blood relationship. Although poetic creation may be inspired by external things ("external things move it"), it ultimately originates from the heart, and this is even more in harmony with the concepts and consciousness within the realm of psychology. Today, if we trace the origin of pure literary concepts only to the period of literary self-awareness in the Wei and Jin dynasties, we can only know the "what" but not the "why." If we trace it back to the Commentaries on the Changes and then delve deeper into the Book of Changes, we can roughly understand the origins and development of the many literary concepts that constitute Chinese literary theory.
One "Observation," "Feeling," "Emotion," and "Entering the Profound Meaning with the Spirit"
Whether it is ancient or modern, adults or children, their initial connection with the objective world occurs through the sense organs—eyes, ears, mouth, nose, skin, and so on—and among these, opening one's eyes to observe the world has the most direct effect. When the objective world's myriad things directly enter the sense organs, impressions and recognition of their individual attributes arise in the mind, giving rise to the initial abstraction (extracting from the actual object)—sensation. "Without sensation, we cannot know any form of the actual object, nor can we know any form of movement." First "observe," then "feel"—this is the inducement gene for any spiritual activity and subsequent spiritual creation. The origin of the Book of Changes lies first in "observation": "In ancient times, Paoxi, ruling the world, observed the images of the heavens above and the laws of the earth below, observed the patterns of birds and beasts and the suitability of the land." He used the word "observe" three times in a row. Through "taking the near from oneself and the far from things" in observing the world and its images, "he began to create the eight trigrams." It is clear that the ancient people had rich experiences of "observation." The 20th hexagram in the 64 distinct hexagrams is entirely dedicated to the methods and functions of "observation."
The image of the hexagram Guan (Observation) is composed of Kun (Earth) below and Xun (Wind) above. Kun undoubtedly represents the earth, and Xun can symbolize the flowing wind in the air or the tall trees standing high above the earth. The latter interpretation is more fitting for the ancient context, because to observe more and farther things, one had to climb high branches to gain a panoramic view. The fifth line, the highest, is a yang line, which can also symbolize a ruler sitting in the correct position above. The four lines below are all yin, belonging to the position of subjects. Thus, this hexagram can also be interpreted as a ruler surveying his subjects from a high position.
The hexagram text of Guan is: "Wash but do not offer sacrifices; with faith, nourish the spirit." It describes the main sacrificial person (or the ruler of a country) purifying themselves, concentrating their minds, and observing the "divine way of heaven" in a grand sacrificial ceremony. His reverent and trustworthy attitude also inspires those observing the ceremony. The hexagram text, in general, regards "observation" as a very sacred act. However, it is in the explanation of the six lines that "observation" is given various meanings in real life. From the method to the content of observation, it varies according to the changing positions of the lines:
The method of "observation":
- Initial six line: "Childlike observation" (immature and superficial observation, with a rough and superficial degree of observation).
- Second line: "Peeking observation" (like a woman secretly observing things from her room, though detailed, it cannot be comprehensive).
From the third to the ninth line:
- "Observing my life, advancing or retreating";
- "Observing the light of the state";
- "Observing my life";
- "Observing their life."
The objects and content of observation are greatly expanded, not only observing things but also observing people, reflecting on oneself, and examining others. Observing one's own living environment, as well as the state of the country and the conditions of the people. What is particularly meaningful is the "Observing my life" in the best position—it is a "great observation" that transcends personal living conditions and observes the broad reality of life. Wang Bi said: "Observing my life means observing the way of life. As the leader for all to observe, one should spread the light of culture far and wide. The influence from above to below is like the wind moving grass. If the people have faults, it is the fault of one person. When a gentleman's virtue is manifest, there will be no blame; to examine one's way, one must observe the people." (Quoted by Li Dingzuo in Comprehensive Interpretation of the Book of Changes). He elaborates on the idea of a high-ranking ruler of a country as the subject of "observation." Why can't we extend this further? For example, a literary figure or poet not only observes natural scenery and the immediate things that inspire emotion but also observes the state of the world, the people's livelihood, and the nation's affairs to gain insight into the real life and emotional states of ordinary people ("Observing my life," Yu Fan said: "Life refers to the people"). Only by deeply observing real life can one truly reflect or express it in writing. Whether a statesman or a literary figure, they must all "examine their way by observing the people!"
The Book of Changes's hexagram Guan evolves from observing things to "observing my life," marking a great leap in the ancestors' understanding of the world. The Tuan Zhuan author's words are quite grand: "Great observation is above, following the principle of Kun and Xun, with the middle and upright to observe the world." (This has already been discussed in the previous chapter, so it will not be elaborated here). Here, it does not mention "observing the humanities to transform the world," but the idea of "observing from below and transforming" is already implied.
The character and meaning of "observation" were very early introduced into the field of literary and artistic activities. The Zuo Zhuan·Xiangong 28th Year records that Zhao Meng, at the banquet of Zheng Bo in the, asked Zheng officials Zhan, Bo You, and others to recite poems, saying: "I also observe the aspirations of these seven officials." This is known as the "reciting poetry to observe aspirations" theory in the early history of Chinese poetics, with the same pioneering significance as "reciting poetry to express aspirations." Confucius said that the Book of Songs "can be observed" was already a later remark.
As for "observation" as part of literary creation: "When climbing the mountain, emotions fill the mountain; when viewing the sea, thoughts overflow the sea" (The Art of Prose and Poetry·Spiritual Thought). "Observation" and "feeling" are inseparable for a literary figure. "Feeling," in the Book of Changes, is still written as "Xian," and the character "feeling" with the "heart" component appeared later. In the 305 poems of the Book of Songs, it appears only once, in the last section of Zhao Nan·Wild Boar with Dead Pheasant: "Slowly, slowly, oh, do not move my skirt, do not make the dragon bark!" The Mao Commentary explains "feeling" as "moving" (read as han in the sense of shaking), referring to an external action. The woman is saying to her lover: "Slow down, gently, don't move my skirt rashly, or you'll make the dog bark." Thus, from the perspective of textual analysis, at that time, "feeling" had not yet been clearly understood as a psychological experience. It may not have been until "Xian" was added with the "heart" component that "feeling" was explicitly defined as a psychological activity. This should have occurred during the formation of the Commentaries on the Changes, when the "Ten Wings" appeared with numerous instances of "feeling," all in line with the definition of the character in the Shuowen Jiezi ("Moving the heart"). Although the Book of Changes does not directly state "moving the heart," the authors of the Tuan and Xiang discovered a typical hexagram that embodies "moving the heart"—the first hexagram in the lower part, Xian.
The image of the hexagram Xian (Salutation) is composed of Gen (Mountain) below and Dui (Lake) above. Visually, it is "a mountain above a lake." The hexagram text contains no descriptive words, only a short phrase "Take a wife, auspicious," indicating the hexagram's meaning, with no emotional tone. Without the input of the yin-yang concept, without the Shuogua Zhuan explaining "Gen, after three searches, finds a male, so it is called the Young Male" and "Dui, after three searches, finds a female, so it is called the Young Female," it would be difficult to solve the mystery of the hexagram text "taking a wife, auspicious" being auspicious for marriage. Fortunately, the line text author, "taking the near from oneself," created the image of the lines, and from the initial line to the sixth line, the line texts can be seen as the process of a young man and a young woman (led by the young man) approaching each other, mutually sensing, and falling in love, culminating in a complete physical contact process:
- "Xian its zuǐ" (Salutation its thumb): The young man's spring passion awakens, and his big toe jumps, "his intention is outward" (as per the Xiang Zhuan).
- "Xian its pi" (Salutation its calf): The movement of the thumb spreads to the calf, he is about to set off.
- "Xian its gu" (Salutation its thigh): The thigh moves, "holding its following," he goes wherever he wants, clearly heading to the lover's residence or the prearranged rendezvous.
- "Chongchong coming and going, friends follow your thoughts," the lovers meet, exchanging glances, tenderly confessing their affection.
- "Xian its wei" (Salutation its back): "Wei" refers to the back. This line can be interpreted in two ways: either the woman turns her back out of shyness toward the man, or the mutual response has reached their backs, and they are embracing, both hands caressing each other's backs.
- "Xian its fu jia she" (Salutation its cheek and tongue): The lovers passionately kiss, kissing each other's cheeks and then mouth to mouth, their emotions so intense that they are on the verge of love.
Thus, the six line texts complete the description of men and women sensing and falling in love, and the meaning of "feeling" is expressed very concretely.
The Tuan Zhuan says: "Xian, feeling; the soft is above and the hard is below, the two qi resonate to be together. Stopping at joy, the male submits to the female, hence it is auspicious, beneficial and virtuous, taking a wife is auspicious." Dui is the hexagram of yin, and Gen is the hexagram of yang, so it is "soft above and hard below." The yang qi rises, and the yin qi descends, meeting, so they can "resonate to be together," and the male is proactive ("male submits to the female"). Mutual feeling between men and women "stops at joy," "joy" is a state of emotion, precisely the result of "moving the heart." "Observing what is felt, the emotions of heaven and earth and all things can be seen." Thus, human emotions and thoughts all arise from the process of people and things resonating with each other. In Wang Bi's words: "The emotions of heaven and earth and all things are seen in what is felt. In the way of feeling, one cannot feel what is not of the same kind." Those who can feel are "responding to things," and "responding to things" then have emotions; those who cannot feel are "not responding to things," and "not responding to things" then have no emotions.