Zhou Yi Jin Zhu Jin Yi -- Dao Dian Ji Shi Shu Xi.3

Author: Chen Guying, translated and annotated by Zhao Jianwei
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
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 of all classics" and bestowing upon it the highest reverence. Conversely, some considered it merely an ancient divination text, close to the superstitious nonsense of shamans, and deemed it insignificant. It was only after Confucius transmitted the Book of Changes and scholars from later generations added their forced interpretations that it gained the blind adherence and reverence of later generations. Moreover, since modern times, there have been many similar frivolous criticisms. It is undeniable that the I Ching was originally a scholarly work 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 Book of Changes became the foundation of Chinese humanistic culture. Since the Eastern Zhou period, it has been further studied and transmitted by Confucius, becoming the source of academic thought 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 charge of abandoning one's cultural roots.
The I Ching and the Three I Chings
When we mention the I Ching, we naturally think of the Book of Changes. Because after Confucius edited the Book of Songs and Book of Documents and standardized the Book of Rites and Book of Music, he included the Book of Changes as one of the "Six Classics." The classics are the great principles of heaven and earth and also the great pathways of human life. Calling the Book of Changes and similar texts 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 I Ching have debated the meaning behind the naming of the I Ching, leading to differences in the theory of the "Three I Chings."
The first theory, which belongs to the orthodox Confucian school of the Qin and Han dynasties, is based on the concept in the I Ching commentary Qian Zao Du (The Heavenly Pounding Measure). It holds that the I Ching encompasses three meanings:
(1) Yi () means simplicity and accessibility. The laws of heaven and earth are inherently simple and straightforward.
(2) Bian Yi () refers to the perpetual interaction and change of all things in heaven and earth and human affairs, but this change follows inevitable principles, not chaos.
(3) Bu Yi () means that although all things in heaven and earth and human affairs are in complex, interdependent changes, what changes are their phenomena, while what remains unchanging is the essence, which is inherently simple.
The second theory, which was commonly accepted by Confucian and Taoist scholars of the Qin and Han dynasties, is based on the Great Diviner chapter of the Rites of Zhou. It divides the I Ching thought from ancient times to the early Zhou dynasty into three systems:
(1) Lianshan Yi ().
(2) Guizang Yi ().
(3) Zhouyi ().
It is said that the I Ching of the time of Fuxi was Lianshan Yi, starting with the trigram Gen (), symbolizing "clouds rising from the mountains, continuous without end." The I Ching of the time of the Yellow Emperor was Guizang Yi, starting with the trigram Kun (), symbolizing "all things are stored within." This implies that human culture and civilization are centered on the earth. All things are born of the earth and return to it. The beginning of humanistic culture in the Zhou dynasty was embodied in the Book of Changes that has been passed down, starting with the trigrams Qian () and Kun (), representing the knowledge of "the relationship between heaven and humanity." However, Zheng Xuan, a great Confucian scholar of the Eastern Han dynasty, believed that the I Ching of the Xia dynasty was Lianshan Yi, and that of the Shang dynasty was Guizang Yi. Naturally, the I Ching of the Zhou dynasty was Zhouyi.
Another theory holds that the lineage name of Shennong, the mythical sage, was "Lianshan Shi" (), also known as "Lie Shan Shi" (). "Lianshan" is a phonetic variation of "Lie Shan." The lineage name of the Yellow Emperor was also "Guizang Shi." Thus, there are differences between these two theories. If one assumes that the I Ching of the Xia dynasty was Lianshan Yi and that of the Shang dynasty was Guizang Yi, and that it was only during the Zhou dynasty, through King Wen's organization, that the Zhouyi system was formed, then the (disagreement) between these two views would be negligible. However, from the perspective of textual scholars, both the I Ching commentary Qian Zao Du and the Great Diviner chapter of the Rites of Zhou are texts that raise doubts. Historically, textual scholars have believed that works like the I Ching commentary Qian Zao Du were forgeries created by people in the late Han or Wei-Jin periods, falsely claiming to be ancient transmissions. 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 Great Diviner chapter of the Rites of Zhou and instead adopted the more problematic theory of the I Ching commentary Qian Zao Du, considering "simplicity, change, and unchangeability" as the fundamental meaning of the I Ching. This became the basis for later Confucian interpretations of the I Ching, ignoring textual evidence and focusing solely on the internal meaning of the "Three I Chings theory" to explain the essentials of the I Ching.
Additionally, regarding the theory of the "Three I Chings" (Lianshan, Guizang, and Zhouyi), in the academic thought of Taoism after the Han and Wei dynasties, two concepts emerged:
(1) The Lianshan and Guizang systems of the I Ching were already lost.
(2) The I Ching of the Han and Wei dynasties, with its symbolic and numerical studies, was the legacy of Lianshan and Guizang. This is quite reasonable, and indeed, the essence of the Lianshan and Guizang I Ching studies became the backbone of Taoist academic thought after the Qin and Han dynasties. For example, the theory of the twelve divination cycles is based on the trigram Kun of Guizang. The theory of the rising qi starting from Zhongfu is based on the half-image of the trigram Gen.
The Definition of Yi
Some scholars, focusing on the animals mentioned in the I Ching, such as dragons, horses, elephants, and deer, and citing the explanation in the Commentary on the Changes that Fuxi created the trigrams by "observing distant things," believed that the original Yi () was a 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 the 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, "Shun" was a candlestick, and "Yu" was an insect before World War II—such claims are frivolous and malicious, not worthy of a laugh from the discerning, and are ultimately insignificant.
So, what is the meaning of the character Yi in the I Ching? According to the tradition of Taoist scholars of the I Ching, the definition "the sun and moon are called Yi" (), as stated in Wei Boyang's Can Tong Qi (The Harmony of the Three), is the most reasonable. The character Yi is a pictograph of the sun above and the moon below. The essence of the academic thought of the I Ching is to explain the great laws of change within the solar system of the sun and moon, encompassing life and things in heaven and earth. Modern research on oracle bone inscriptions has indeed confirmed the existence of the pictograph of the sun and moon as Yi. This further supports the traditional Taoist view and Wei Boyang's definition of "the sun and moon are called Yi."
Currently, the academic thought of the I Ching is gradually becoming popular 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 undermining the dignity of our cultural tradition.
The Three Saints Who Transformed the I Ching
This is the recognized view of the authors of the I Ching from the Qin and Han dynasties, who believed that the ancient tradition of the I Ching was established by three sages. This is also a crucial point that modern students of the I Ching must understand. After the Qin and Han dynasties, Confucian scholars collectively agreed that Fuxi, our ancient ancestor, was the one who first created the trigrams, King Wen of Zhou was the one who elaborated them into hexagrams, and Confucius was the one who elucidated the essence of the I Ching. Therefore, the "Three Saints Who Transformed the I Ching" refers to Fuxi, the creator of the trigrams; King Wen, the elaborator of the hexagrams; and Confucius, the transmitter of the essence. In fact, King Wen elaborated the hexagrams and wrote the Hexagram Texts, while his son, the Duke of Zhou, further expanded upon King Wen's thoughts, composing the Line Texts. Why is the Duke of Zhou not mentioned among the three sages? According to Han Confucian interpretations, based on ancient patriarchal customs where sons followed their fathers, the Duke of Zhou was not separately included among the three sages.
Whether this resolution is fair and reasonable is difficult to determine. It is certain that Fuxi was the one who first created the trigrams. After King Wen elaborated the hexagrams and the Duke of Zhou expanded upon them, to dismiss the Duke of Zhou's contributions to cultural and academic thought would likely cause Confucius distress in his dreams. At the same time, it would be inappropriate to casually overlook the character "transformation" () in "the Three Saints Who Transformed the I Ching." The ancient character "" also means "to have once been." Thus, "the Three Saints Who Transformed the I Ching" refers to the fact that the I Ching was refined and developed by three sages. Starting with Fuxi's creation of the trigrams, it was only through the research and writings of King Wen, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius that the academic system of the Book of Changes was established. Therefore, it is clear that "the Three Saints Who Transformed the I Ching" strictly refers to the Book of Changes. If it refers to all systems of the I Ching, forcing Fuxi into the group of three sages seems a bit strained.
Related to this is the issue of "King Wen Elaborating the I Ching" and the repeated elaboration into sixty-four hexagrams. Fuxi's creation of the trigrams is an undisputed fact. The elaboration of the trigrams into sixty-four hexagrams, however, has four different theories:
(1) Some believe that the sixty-four hexagrams were also arranged by Fuxi.
(2) Others believe that the sixty-four hexagrams were elaborated by King Wen.
(3) Some believe that the repetition of the trigrams into sixty-four hexagrams was done by Shennong.
(4) Others believe that the repeated elaboration was done by Yu the Great. Scholars who support the first theory include Wang Bi (Fusi). Those who support the second include Sima Qian. Those who support the third include Zheng Xuan. Those who support the fourth 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 as the one who repeated the hexagrams, this is likely based on the interpretation of the character "elaborate" () in "King Wen Elaborating the I Ching." In reality, this character "elaborate" cannot be rigidly interpreted as "elaborating the sixty-four hexagrams." It can only refer to the sequence and method of arranging the sixty-four hexagrams in the Book of Changes, as well as the interpretation of the hexagrams and line texts in the Book of Changes. This is undeniable and is indeed the work of King Wen. As for the original sequence and structure of the hexagrams created by Fuxi, why did the Lianshan Yi arrange them starting with the trigram Gen, and why did the Guizang Yi arrange them starting with the trigram Kun? These are all questions worth studying. Wang Bi's theory, which holds that the repeated elaboration of the sixty-four hexagrams was still the work of Fuxi, is the most reasonable.