I Ching: Modern Commentary and Translation

Author: Chen Guying / Zhao Jianwei
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-11-01
Features: The I Ching is the oldest classic in Chinese culture. Scholars from the orthodox schools throughout history have praised it in many different ways, generally holding it as the "supreme among all classics" and bestowing upon it the highest reverence. Conversely, some considered it merely an ancient divination text, close to the slanderous words of shamans, and deemed it contemptible. It was only after Confucius transmitted the Zhou Yi that scholars from later generations added their own forced interpretations, leading to blind adherence and reverence. Moreover, since modern times, there have been many similar frivolous criticisms. It is undeniable that the I Ching was originally an academic text on ancient divination, but by the time of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, King Wen of Zhou organized and annotated it, elevating it from the realm of divination to the academic field of "the relationship between heaven and humanity." Thus, the Yi Jian became the foundation of Chinese humanistic culture. Since the Eastern Zhou, through Confucius's research and transmission, it also became the source of academic thoughts in the Hundred Schools of Thought. This is an undeniable fact. Therefore, if one wishes to study Chinese culture—whether the Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, and the Hundred Schools of Thought of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, or the Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist schools that emerged after the Tang and Song dynasties—one must explore the I Ching to avoid the sin of forgetting one's roots.
The I Ching and the Three Yi
When we mention the I Ching, it is natural to think of the Zhou Yi book. Because after Confucius edited the Shijing and Shujing, and standardized the Liji and Yueji, he added the Zhou Yi as the sixth classic, collectively known as the "Six Classics." The I Ching is the great principle and great rule of heaven and earth, as well as the great path of human life. Calling the Zhou Yi and other books the "Six Classics" explains that these six books, as organized by Confucius, encompass all the great principles and rules of Chinese traditional culture in the realm of "the relationship between heaven and humanity." Since the Qin and Han dynasties, scholars of the Yi studies have debated the meaning behind the naming of the I Ching. This led to the emergence of differing views on the "Three Yi" theory.
The Three Yi According to Confucian Orthodoxy (Post-Qin and Han Dynasties)
According to the Yi Wei Qian Zao Du (Book of the Heavenly Pounding), a theory of the orthodox Confucian school after the Qin and Han dynasties, the concept of "Yi" includes three meanings:
(1) Yi (simplicity and ease). Because the laws of heaven and earth are inherently simple and straightforward.
(2) Bian Yi (changeability). It is believed that all things in heaven and earth, as well as human affairs, are in constant interaction and change, without end. However, this change follows a certain necessary principle and is not chaotic.
(3) Bu Yi (unchangeability). Although all things in heaven and earth, as well as human affairs, are constantly changing in a complex and interdependent manner, what changes are their phenomena. What remains unchanging is the essence, which is inherently simple and straightforward.
The Three Yi According to Confucian and Taoist Scholars (Post-Qin and Han Dynasties)
According to the Zhou Li Da Bu (Great Divination in the Zhou Li), the concept of the Three Yi refers to the academic thoughts of the I Ching from ancient times to the early Zhou dynasty, divided into three systems:
(1) Lianshan Yi (Mountain Contiguous Yi).
(2) Guizang Yi (Storage Contiguous Yi).
(3) Zhou Yi (Zhou Yi).
It is said that the Yi of Fuxi's era was the Lianshan Yi, symbolized by the Gen Gua (Mountain Gua), representing "clouds rising from the mountain, continuous without end." The Yi of the Yellow Emperor's era was the Guizang Yi, symbolized by the Kun Gua (Earth Gua), representing "all things are stored within." This means that human culture and civilization are centered on the earth. All things are born from the earth and ultimately return to it. The beginning of Zhou humanistic culture was the Zhou Yi that has been passed down to us, starting with the Qian and Kun gua, symbolizing the knowledge between heaven and earth, as well as "the relationship between heaven and humanity." However, Zheng Xuan, a great Confucian scholar of the Eastern Han dynasty, believed that the Yi of the Xia dynasty was the Lianshan Yi, and the Yi of the Yin dynasty was the Guizang Yi. Of course, the Yi of the Zhou dynasty was the Zhou Yi. Another theory holds that the lineage name of Shennong was "Lianshan Shi" or "Lie Shan Shi," and the "Lianshan" was a phonetic variation of "Lie Shan." The Yellow Emperor's lineage was also named "Guizang Shi." Thus, there are differences between these two views. If one believes that the Yi of the Xia dynasty was the Lianshan Yi, and the Yi of the Yin dynasty was the Guizang Yi, and that it was only through King Wen's organization in the Zhou dynasty that the Zhou Yi system was formed, then the between these two opinions would be negligible. However, from the perspective of textual research scholars, both the Yi Wei Qian Zao Du and the Zhou Li Da Bu contain questionable elements. Historically, textual research scholars have believed that books like the Yi Wei Qian Zao Du were forgeries created by people in the late Han or Wei-Jin periods, falsely claiming ancient lineage. This view is not entirely unreasonable and is indeed worth studying and considering. However, scholars after the Han and Wei dynasties rigidly rejected the concept of the Zhou Li Da Bu and instead adopted the more problematic Yi Wei Qian Zao Du, considering "simplicity, changeability, and unchangeability" as the divine and unalterable essence of the Yi studies. This became the basis for later Confucian interpretations of the Yi. It ignores textual research and only takes the inner meaning of the "Three Yi" principles to explain the essence of the Yi studies.
Additionally, regarding the theory of the "Lianshan, Guizang, and Zhou Yi," in the Han and Wei dynasties, there were two prevailing Taoist views:
(1) Believing that the Lianshan and Guizang systems of Yi studies had long been lost.
(2) Believing that the Xiang and Shu Yi studies of the Han and Wei dynasties were the remnants of the Lianshan and Guizang systems, which was quite reasonable. Moreover, the essence of the Lianshan and Guizang Yi studies had indeed become the backbone of Taoist academic thought after the Qin and Han dynasties. For example, the theory of the twelve Bi gua is based on the Kun Gua of the Guizang system. The theory of the Zhongfu Gua is based on the half-image of the Gen Gua.
The Meaning of "Yi"
Some scholars, focusing on the animals mentioned in the I Ching, such as dragons, horses, elephants, tuan, and deer, and citing the explanation in the Xisi Zhuan that Fu Xi had "taken inspiration from various things" when drawing the gua, believed that the original "Yi" character was derived from the pictograph of a flying bird. However, this theory did not gain much attention. In modern times, some scholars proposed that "Yi" was a simplified form of a lizard. Lizards are creatures whose colors change constantly depending on their surroundings. When they attach themselves to an object, their color changes to match that object. Since the I Ching explains the inevitable changes in things in heaven and earth, it adopted the lizard as a symbol, much like the dragons and elephants in the scriptures. However, it could not be called the "Lizard Classic," so it was named "Yi." This theory was strongly advocated by the Japanese scholar Nakamura. This is akin to saying that "Yao" was an incense burner and "Shun" was a candlestick, or that "Yu" was an insect—such claims are frivolous and malicious, worthy of ridicule and not worth taking seriously.
So, what is the meaning of the "Yi" character in the I Ching? According to the tradition of Taoist Yi scholars, as highlighted in Wei Boyang's Can Tong Qi, the definition "the sun and moon are called Yi" is the most reasonable. The character "Yi" is a pictograph of the sun above and the moon below. The essence of the academic thoughts of the I Ching is to explain the great laws governing the changes of life and things within the sun-moon system in heaven and earth. Modern research on oracle bone inscriptions has indeed confirmed the existence of the pictograph of the sun above and the moon below as "Yi." This further supports the accuracy of the Taoist tradition and Wei Boyang's definition of "the sun and moon are called Yi."
Currently, the academic thoughts of the I Ching are gradually becoming popular in Western countries, particularly in Europe and America. We must accurately name and explain our national and ancestral culture without blindly following others or being vague and confused, thereby damaging the dignity of our cultural tradition.
The Three Saints Who Transformed the Yi
This is the widely accepted view among scholars after the Qin and Han dynasties that the Yi studies were shaped by three sages. This is also a crucial point that beginners in Yi studies must understand. After the Qin and Han dynasties, Confucian scholars collectively believed that Fu Xi was the one who first drew the eight trigrams, King Wen of Zhou was the one who elaborated them, and Confucius was the one who promoted the essence of the Yi. Therefore, the "Three Saints Who Transformed the Yi" refers to Fu Xi (the drawer of the trigrams), King Wen of Zhou (the elaborator of the trigrams), and Confucius (the promoter of the Yi). In fact, King Wen of Zhou elaborated the trigrams and wrote the Gua Ci (Hexagram Annotations). His son, the Duke of Zhou, further expanded upon his father's thoughts, writing the Yao Ci (Line Annotations). Yet, the Duke of Zhou is not mentioned among the three saints. According to Han Confucian interpretations, based on ancient patriarchal traditions where sons followed their fathers, the Duke of Zhou was not separately included among the three saints.
Whether this resolution is fair and reasonable is difficult to determine. It is undeniable that Fu Xi was the one who first drew the trigrams. After King Wen of Zhou elaborated the trigrams, the Duke of Zhou expanded upon his father's ideas, and Confucius promoted the essence of the Yi, it would be difficult for Confucius to be at peace if he were to deny the Duke of Zhou's contributions to cultural and academic achievements. At the same time, it would also be inappropriate to casually dismiss the "transformation" () in the phrase "Three Saints Who Transformed the Yi." The ancient character "" also means "to have once done something." Therefore, "the Three Saints Who Transformed the Yi" refers to the Yi studies being refined and promoted by three sages. Starting with Fu Xi's drawing of the eight trigrams, it was only through the research and writings of King Wen of Zhou, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius that the academic system of the Zhou Yi was established. Thus, it can be understood that "the Three Saints Who Transformed the Yi" strictly refers to the Zhou Yi book. If it refers to all Yi systems, it would be somewhat forced to include Fu Xi among the three saints.
Related to this is the issue of "King Wen Elaborating the Yi" and the repeated elaboration of the sixty-four trigrams. Fu Xi drawing the trigrams is a universally accepted fact. The transformation of the eight trigrams into sixty-four trigrams has four main theories:
(1) Believing that the sixty-four trigrams were also arranged by Fu Xi.
(2) Some believe that the sixty-four trigrams were also elaborated by King Wen of Zhou.
(3) Some believe that the sixty-four trigrams were formed by repeated arrangements from the eight trigrams, attributed to Shennong.
(4) Some believe that the one who repeated the arrangement was the Xia Emperor Yu. Scholars who support the first theory include Wang Bi (Fusi). Those who support the second theory include Sima Qian. Those who support the third theory include Zheng Xuan. Those who support the fourth theory include Sun Sheng.
It is indeed difficult, if not impossible, to determine which of these four theories is correct through textual research. As for identifying King Wen of Zhou as the one who repeated the trigrams, it is likely based on the interpretation of the character "" (elaborate) in "King Wen Elaborating the Yi." In reality, this "" does not necessarily mean "elaborating the sixty-four trigrams." It can only refer to the order and method of arranging the sixty-four trigrams in the Zhou Yi book, as well as the interpretation of the hexagrams and line annotations in the Zhou Yi. This is undeniable and is indeed a masterpiece of King Wen of Zhou. As for the original order and arrangement of the trigrams drawn by Fu Xi, why the Lianshan Yi arranged the trigrams starting with the Gen Gua, and why the Guizang Yi arranged them starting with the Kun Gua"—these are all questions worth studying. Wang Bi's theory that the one who repeated the arrangement of the sixty-four trigrams was still Fu Xi is the most reasonable.