The report of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out: “Promote Chinese culture and build a spiritual home for the Chinese nation.”
The outstanding traditional culture of the Chinese nation is vast, both in its depth and breadth. So, what are the excellent cultural spirits pursued and admired by both the members of this great family of the Chinese nation, whether within or outside the Party; whether belonging to this nation or another; whether domestic or overseas Chinese? I believe these quintessential cultural elements are concentrated in the “Five Classics” and “Four Books,” among other classic works. And the Book of Changes, or the Yi Jing, stands out as a gem among these classic works.
Now, what exactly is the Yi Jing? Why does it hold such immense mystery that people have been continuously pursuing, studying, and exploring it for over seven thousand years?
To explain the Yi Jing, we must first unveil its mysterious veil. In the TV series “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” there is a scene where Zhuge Liang borrows the east wind. Standing on the altar, Zhuge Liang holds the Seven-Star Sword, chanting incantations, and ultimately, with the power of “God,” summons the southeast wind. In fact, this scene adds a layer of mystical aura to Zhuge Liang’s use of the Yi Jing to predict outcomes. It is widely acknowledged that Zhuge Liang was a profound scholar in the study of the “Book of Changes” and “Qi Men Dun Jia,” an adept in military strategy. In fact, Zhuge Liang employed the predictive methods of the “Book of Changes” to foresee the imminent occurrence of a southeast wind, otherwise he would not have dared to stake his own life on it.
In the past, the common people had scant knowledge of cultural matters, merely hearing about the “Book of Changes” orally without understanding its textual language. Because many had not read the “Book of Changes” and were unaware of its essence, coupled with its fundamental composition of hexagrams, which possess a prophetic function akin to divination, the “Book of Changes” was shrouded in mystery. Some even categorized it as part of “occult culture,” leading to misconceptions in people’s understanding of it.
In modern times, for various reasons, the “Book of Changes” has been deemed as one of the “Four Olds,” associated with feudal superstition and idealism, thus becoming a banned book subject to criticism. The genuine theories within the “Book of Changes” have been distorted, and its true essence obscured. The motto of Tsinghua University:
“Striving tirelessly for self-improvement,”
“Virtue’s depth carries the world.”
During the Republic of China period, Mr. Liang Qichao, when teaching at Tsinghua University, delivered a speech titled “On Gentlemen” to the students of Tsinghua at that time. In his speech, he hoped that Tsinghua students could inherit the traditional virtues of China, and he cited phrases such as “striving tirelessly for self-improvement” and “virtue’s depth carries the world” from the Book of Changes to inspire Tsinghua students. Later, Tsinghua people wrote “striving tirelessly for self-improvement, virtue’s depth carries the world” into the school regulations, and these two famous phrases became the motto of Tsinghua.
“The heavens are vigorous; the gentleman strives tirelessly for self-improvement.
The earth is tranquil; the gentleman carries the world with virtue.”
These are the two most typical, core, and revered maxims distilled by Confucius after his in-depth study of the Qian Gua and Kun Gua in the Book of Changes. They represent the essence of the entire Book of Changes, conveying the greatest “universal values” and serving as the worldview and methodology for people to understand and transform the world.
As traditional culture continues to flourish, many families now have the Book of Changes in their bookshelves. Many people no longer consider the Book of Changes as “feudal superstition” but as a must-read book. However, they still find it “difficult to understand.” The profound lectures delivered by Professor Zeng Shiqiang have caused quite a stir in society, reigniting a fervent interest in the study of the Book of Changes. To facilitate everyone’s comprehension and understanding of the Book of Changes, let me first delve into its three major components, enabling a comprehensive acquaintance with this ancient masterpiece.
First Lecture: The Three Major Components of the Book of Changes
The Records of the Grand Historian, in its section on Arts and Letters, states: “The Way of the Changes is profound; men have furthered it in three holy ages, and it has experienced three ancient epochs.” In essence, what we refer to today as the Book of Changes was collaboratively crafted by three illustrious sages throughout three distinct epochs in the history of the Chinese nation. It comprises three major parts: the “Yi” (Changes), the “Jing” (Classic), and the “Zhuan” (Commentary). In terms of chronological span, the “Yi” emerged in the remote antiquity, during the Neolithic era of Fuxi, Shennong, and Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan; the “Jing” flourished in the medieval period, encompassing the times of the Five Emperors, as well as the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties; while the “Zhuan” was written in the recent antiquity, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, when Confucius lived. The process of establishment, evolution, and refinement of the Book of Changes spanned over five millennia, not to mention the myriad advancements made by numerous scholars in the field of Yixue in the over two millennia following Confucius. Any scripture is an amalgamation not of one individual’s genius but of an epoch, a collective endeavor of a group of people. The same holds true for the “Book of Changes,” known as the Yi Jing. It traces its origins back to the ancient sage Fu Xi, who laid the foundation of “change” through the Taiji diagram, the concept of Yin and Yang, and the eight trigrams. Transitioning into antiquity, the noble Zhou Wenwang extrapolated these principles, culminating in what we now recognize as the “Classic of Changes” or Zhou Yi. Progressing into the medieval era, the venerable Confucius further enriched this legacy with his elucidations, resulting in the “Commentary on the Classic of Changes” or Yi Zhuan. Spanning epochs—ancient, medieval, and modern—the Yi Jing, the Classic, and its Commentary, established by these three illustrious sages, epitomize the essence of what we study today as the Yi Jing. Beyond shaping the civilization and progress of China, the Yi Jing stands as an unparalleled contributor to global civilization and development.
I. On the Genesis of “Change” by Fu Xi:
1. The Concept of “Change”:
In antiquity, humanity’s comprehension of the cosmos revolved primarily around the sun and moon, shaping their worldview. The Shuowen dictionary elucidates: “‘The Secretarial Writings’ expound, ‘The sun and moon represent change, symbolizing Yin and Yang.'” Some also posit, “The sun and moon embody change, the interplay of rigidity and flexibility.” Etymologically, the character for “change” juxtaposes the sun above, representing the Yang, and the moon below, representing the Yin. Thus, “change” embodies the harmonious union of Yin and Yang—a manifestation of the Yin-Yang paradigm. “The paramount essence of ‘Yi’ lies in its mutability. Much like the celestial dance where day transitions to night, revealing the radiant sun followed by the gentle glow of the moon, Yi embodies the perpetual interplay between yang and yin.
In the Book of Changes, Yi emanates from the Taiji diagram, comprising of yang lines represented as ‘—’ and yin lines as ‘–‘, along with the arrangement and combination of the eight trigrams, ultimately culminating in sixty-four hexagrams.
What precisely is the ‘Taiji diagram’? It is synonymous with the ‘Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate.’ The term ‘Supreme Ultimate’ denotes the primordial state where yin embraces yang and yang embraces yin, before their distinct separation, before the birth of heaven and earth. According to the ancient sage Fuxi, prior to the differentiation of heaven and earth, the cosmos existed in a state of undifferentiated yin and yang, symbolized by the ‘Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate,’ where the concept of extremities had yet to be delineated.”
