Book of Changes (New Edition)

Author: (Five Dynasties) Tan Qiao, compiled by Ding Zhengyan and Li Si
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: The old name of the book was "Qiqiuzi," written by Song Qiqiu during the Southern Tang Dynasty. This claim is mentioned in Zhang Lei's postscript to Song Qiqiu's "Huashu," Ma Ling's "History of the Southern Tang," and Hu Gongwu's "Shu Qizhu Jushi" from the early Song Dynasty. However, Chen Bo of the same era believed otherwise. The "Huashu" is divided into six parts, each part forming a volume: Daohua (Dao Transformation), Shuhua (Technique Transformation), Dehua (Virtue Transformation), Renhua (Benevolence Transformation), Shihua (Food Transformation), and Jianhua (Frugality Transformation). Each part is further divided into several chapters, totaling 111 chapters. It primarily employs Daoist philosophical thought and Confucian ethical concepts, using analogies and comparisons to explain the ideas of cultivating the self and achieving immortality, explore the causes of social chaos and order, and point out the path to a peaceful and well-governed world.
The "Huashu" discusses "Daohua" based on the principle of "oneness," "Shuhua" based on emptiness, "Dehua" based on non-action, "Renhua" based on morality and benevolence, "Shihua" based on the idea that excessive taxation leads to famine, and "Jianhua" based on the third treasure of frugality. Each part often begins with examples of natural phenomena, such as snakes transforming into turtles or sparrows into clams, analyzing the philosophy behind them to illustrate the ways of transcending life and death and cultivating oneself to govern the world. This is the essence of the saying, "A noble person embodies things to understand the self, embodies the self to understand the Dao."
The two volumes of "Daohua" and "Shuhua" primarily discuss the path to entering and exiting the realm of gods and spirits, focusing on metaphysics and natural philosophy. The four volumes of "Dehua," "Renhua," "Shihua," and "Jianhua" primarily discuss the principles of self-cultivation and governing the world, belonging to political philosophy, ethics, and self-improvement perspectives.
Named "Huashu," the book argues for the transformation of all things, believing that the continuous process of change is like an endless ring, all stemming from the Dao and embodied in emptiness. It cites examples such as an old ginkgo tree transforming into a winged immortal, rotten wheat transforming into a butterfly, a virtuous woman transforming into a stone, and earthworms transforming into lilies—showing that both the sentient and the insentient can transform into one another. The key to cultivating the self lies in having no fixed aspirations and no preconceived notions of aligning with the Dao, using the spirit to guide the body. Forget the body to nourish the qi, forget the qi to nourish the spirit, and forget the spirit to nourish emptiness.
One has and one does not, one is born and one dies, one has emotions and one does not—both the real and the unreal can align with the Dao. Thus, one gains the threads of heaven and earth, understands the chambers of yin and yang, transcends the five elements, sheds the three lights, summons yin and yang, and commands the five elements—eventually even reconstructing heaven and earth and re-creating the sun and moon, transforming all things.
Regarding the governance of emperors, it emphasizes morality, benevolence, righteousness, and propriety as the foundation, believing that the five constant virtues all stem from one source. An emperor with extraordinary wisdom may rule without subordinates, but if rewards and punishments are misused, evil paths will arise. If there are distinctions of closeness and distance, petty people will infiltrate. Only by practicing benevolence and righteousness in moderation can one avoid harm and danger.
It holds that the essence of serving the people lies in their fundamental needs, with food being the foundation of the five constant virtues. Upholding frugality and equal distribution of food will bring harmony among the people, and benevolence and righteousness will naturally arise, leading to self-governance. It fiercely criticizes rulers who cause famine, calling such actions extreme injustice and impropriety. It states that the greatest virtue is frugality, which is the key to saving the world and the ideal form of governance.
The descriptions of the transformation of things in the "Huashu" provide a philosophical basis for the Daoist internal alchemy theory of reverse transformation. It holds an important position in the history of Chinese thought and the development of internal alchemy theory. Later, Daoism listed it as an important textbook, comparable to the "Four True Classics."