Yi Xiang Yan - Yi Xiang and Its Extensions (Complete Three Volumes): Yi Xiang and Its Extensions

Author: Zhang Yansheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: This book aims to discuss the "images" (xiang) of the Yi and their various patterns of change from the perspective of "Xiang-Shu Yi Xue" (the study of images and numbers in the Yi). It seeks to provide learners with a preliminary understanding of the "principles" (li) of the Yi. Because mastering the "images" and their patterns allows learners to study and grasp the principles of the Yi independently, even without a skilled teacher's guidance. Otherwise, the highly connotative "pictographic" Chinese characters, which classify things according to Yi images and add multiple meanings to single characters based on their concrete forms, would make studying the Yi even more challenging. Moreover, the thought processes, methods, language, or dialects of ancient Chinese people differed greatly from those of modern people, making the study of the Yi even more difficult. In such cases, learners often rely on the hands-on guidance and transmission from skilled teachers. However, this method of direct teaching can sometimes lead students down extreme paths of study due to the teachers' biases in certain aspects of the Yi. As a result, it becomes difficult for learners to fully grasp the philosophical principle of the "corresponding unity" of the "yin and yang" as the essence of the way (Dao) in the vast and comprehensive Yi.