A Concise History of Chinese Philosophy (Vol. 1-4)

Author: Zhu Bokun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: As an I Ching scholar, Mr. Zhu Bokun inevitably discusses "Xiang Shu"; as a philosopher of history, Mr. Zhu also pays great attention to "Yi Li." Mr. Zhu's representative work, A History of I Ching Philosophy, systematically and deeply elaborates on the Xiang Shu and Yi Li of, particularly focusing on the philosophical research of the Yi Li school and the Xiang Shu school. Xiang Shu and Yi Li are the two major elements constituting the I Ching, and also the two major schools for studying it. have distinct attitudes and annotation methods in their research on the I Ching, which can generally be divided into the Xiang Shu and Yi Li schools. The General Catalogue of the Four Treasuries classifies I Ching studies into two schools and six sects. The two schools refer to the Xiang Shu school and the Yi Li school, while the six sects refer to the divination sect, auspiciousness sect, creation sect, Lao-Zhuang sect, Confucianism sect, and historical events sect. The six sects can actually be attributed to the two schools: the divination, auspiciousness, and creation sects belong to the Xiang Shu school, while the Lao-Zhuang, Confucianism, and historical events sects belong to the Yi Li school. Academia generally categorizes the I Ching schools that interpret the I Ching through abstract and general meanings as the Yi Li school, while those that interpret it through concrete imagery as the Xiang Shu school. Throughout the development of I Ching history, the mutual criticism between the two schools has never ceased. In contemporary academia, research on the Yi Li school is relatively in-depth and fair; however, research on the Xiang Shu school is insufficient and lacks fairness. Because the Xiang Shu school, while interpreting the I Ching, involves astronomy, calendar, music theory, ethics, philosophy, medicine, and divination, its system becomes extremely complex, which also increases the difficulty of understanding it. Over time, the Xiang Shu school has been shrouded in a mysterious veil and subjected to unfair treatment. In modern academia, one can say that the attitude toward the Xiang Shu school is still not entirely fair. Some believe that Xiang Shu is synonymous with divination techniques, such as fortune-telling and divination, and should be classified as "feudal superstition"; others argue that the Xiang Shu school is not a legitimate part of I Ching studies and has no connection with philosophy. Around the connotations, attributes, evolution, status, and role of "Xiang Shu," academia has debated extensively, leading to frequent misconceptions. What exactly is "Xiang Shu"? What is the relationship between "Xiang Shu" and "Yi Li"? Are the Xiang Shu school and the Yi Li school completely opposed? To resolve these issues that still perplex academia, one must objectively review the entire history of I Ching studies. Mr. Zhu's A History of I Ching Philosophy sets a good example for us. Reading the discussions on "Xiang Shu" by Yi Li scholars in A History of I Ching Philosophy is meaningful for correcting biases against Xiang Shu scholars and clarifying misunderstandings about the Xiang Shu school. In A History of I Ching Philosophy, when discussing the characteristics of the I Ching Transmissions, it states: "The I Ching Transmissions have two sets of languages: one for divination and one for philosophy." "From the perspective of I Ching history, there are two tendencies in interpreting the I Ching Transmissions. One tendency leans toward interpreting the philosophical issues from the perspective of divination methods, later known as the Xiang Shu school. The other tendency emphasizes interpreting the divination methods from the perspective of philosophical reasoning." (Vol. 55, p. 55, Huaxia Publishing House, 1995) During the Western Han period, the Xiang Shu school of interpreting the I Ching emerged, represented by official I Ching studies led by Meng Xi and Jing Fang. This school of I Ching, known as Xiang Shu studies by Song Dynasty scholars, has three characteristics: First, it explains the I Ching texts using odd and even numbers and the symbolic imagery of the Eight Trigrams; second, it explains the principles of the I Ching through the Guan Qi theory; third, it uses the I Ching to discuss the changes of yin and yang and disasters. (Vol. 114) During the Wei-Jin period, the Yi Li school of interpreting the I Ching emerged, turning toward the path of interpreting the I Ching through Lao-Zhuang metaphysics, becoming a major school in the history of I Ching studies. Wang Bi was the founder of this school. (Vol. 246) Starting from Wang Bi, the Yi Li school inherited the tradition of interpreting the I Ching from the classical text school, focusing primarily on Yi Li in its interpretations, explaining the I Ching through the perspectives of the I Ching Transmissions, and excluding the learning style of the vernacular text school, which did not discuss mutual bodies, Guan Qi, Guan transformation, or Na Jia. In my understanding, the Xiang Shu school and the Yi Li school are not entirely opposed; they simply have different tendencies in interpreting the I Ching. The Xiang Shu school takes Xiang Shu as the foundation, interpreting the I Ching and discussing Yi Li through Xiang Shu; the Yi Li school takes Yi Li as the foundation, interpreting the I Ching and discussing Xiang Shu through Yi Li. A History of I Ching Philosophy, in its four volumes, systematically discusses the I Ching philosophy of the Yi Li school and the Xiang Shu school from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, with particularly detailed elaborations on the "Xiang Shu" views of the Yi Li school.