The Classic of Changes A New Translation of the I Ching as Interpreted by Wang Bi Translated by Richard John Lynn Columbia University Press New York Columbia University Press New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright 0 '994 Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data I citing. Lnglish The classic of changes : a new translation of the I Clung as interpreted by Wang Hi / translated by Richard John Lynn. p. cm. — (Translations from the Asian classics) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN o 131-08194-0 I. Lynn, Richard John. II. Wang, Mi, 116-249. III. Title.IV. Series. PL2478.D48 1994 I99'.;ii82—dcio 93~43999 CIP © (lasebound editions of (Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent ,uid durable acid-free paper, Printed in the United States of America c 10 987 6 J 4 3 a translations from the asian classics editorial board William Theodore de Bary, Chairman Paul Anderer Irene Bloom Donald Kiene George A. Saliba Hämo Shiranc David D. Wang Burton Watson Philip Yampolsky Contents A cknowledgments Introduction General Remarks on the Changes of the /./mi/, by Wang Mi Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One •17 Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Pari I wo 75 Providing the Sequence of the I lexagrams 103 The Hexagrams in Irregular Order Explaining the I rigrams 119 The Sixty-Four I lexagrams, with lexis and (iommentarics 127 Bibliography 553 Glossary 55y List of Proper Nouns 5yS Index 5Si Introduction The Classic of Changes (Yijing) or Changes ofthe Zhou (Zhouyi) was originally a divination manual, which later gradually acquired the status of a book of wisdom. It consists of sixty-four hexagrams (gua) and related texts. The hexagrams, formed by combinations of two trigrams (also gua), are composed of six lines (yao) arranged one atop the other in vertical sequence and read trom bottom to top. Each line is either solid (yang —) or broken (yin —). For example, Hexagram 59, Huan (Dispersion), is representee} with the hexagram O: First Yin, Second Yang, Third Yin, Fourth Yin, Fifth Yang, Top Yang—the bottom trigram being Kan == and the top trigram being Sun =.The combinations are determined by the numerical manipulation of divining sticks, originally yarrow stalks {Achillea millefolium, also known as milfoil) or, later, by the casting of coins. In the translation, each hexagram graph or schema appears at the head of the section devoted to the particular hexagram, immediately below the hexagram number. It is likely that, by the time the Changes was put together as a coherent text in the ninth century b.c., hexagram divination had already changed from a method of consulting and influencing gods, spirits, and ancestors—the "powerful dead"—to a method of penetrating moments of the cosmic order to learn how the Way or Dao is configured and what direction it takes at such moments and to determine what one's own place is and should be in the scheme of things. By doing so, one could avert wrong decisions, avoid failure, and escape misfortune and, on the other 1 i Introduction plex question. It was generally held throughout traditional Chinese society that Heaven was good and that human beings lived in a morally good universe—however it operated. Beyond that, it can only be said that a spectrum of opinion existed, at one end of which, the Dao—especially when it was understood as the manifestation of the will of Heaven—was seen as an unconscious and impersonal cosmic order that operated purely mechanistically, and, at the other, as something with a consciousness that heeded the plights of both humankind as a whole and the individual in particular and could answer collective and individual pleas for help and comfort. Although intellectual, elite culture tended to hold to the former view and popular culture favored the latter, much ambivalence concerning this issue can be found in the writings of many a sophisticated thinker. Each hexagram is accompanied by a hexagram name (guaming), a hexagram statement (guaci) or "Judgment" (tuan), and line statements (yaoci) for each of the six lines. The line statements have a sequential or associational organization based on the general topic given in the Judgment; each states a specific, differentiated instance or variation of the topic, which in complete line statements (many statements seem to be fragments) is followed by a charge or injunction that one should take some action or refrain from it and a final determination ("misfortune," "good fortune," etc.). The hexagrams, hexagram statements or Judgments, and line statements are the oldest pans of the Changes. The names and statements probably date from the ninth century b.c.—the hexagrams themselves may be much older—and constitute the first layer in what appears to be a three-layered text. The second layer consists of another two parts: commentary on the Judgments called Tuanzhuan and commentary on the abstract meanings or "Images" (xiang) of the Judgments and the line statements called Xiangzhuan. The Judgments have "Great Images" (Daxiang)—the abstract meanings of hexagrams as whole entities—and the line statements have "Little Images" (Xiao-xiang)—the abstract meanings of individual lines. The traditional format of the Changes divides the Tuanzhuan and the Xiangzhuan each into two sections; together, they form the first four of the so-called Ten Wings (Shiyi) of the exegetical material included in rhe CIn,dr nf CL------ \ 11 T0. W:--- Introduction individual Wings actually date from different periods, with some predating his time while others date from as late as the third century b.c. Only the Commentaries on the Judgments and Commentaries on the Images, which for the most part seem to date from the sixth or fifth century b.c., appear to have been the direct product of Confucius's school, if not the work of Confucius himself. The remaining Ten Wings consist of later materials, which may contain some reworking of earlier writings—even from before Confucius's time. These constitute the third layer of the Changes. The fifth of the Ten Wings comprises two fragments of an apparently lost commentary on the hexagrams as a whole called the Winyan (Commentary on the Words of the Text). Only those parts attached to the first two hexagrams—Qian (Pure Yang) and Kun (Pure Yin)—survived into the period of textual redaction, which began with the early Han era in the third century b.c. The Commentary on the Words of the Text actually seems to be a borderline text that contains elements of both the second and the third layers. It deals with the philosophical and ethical implications of the Judgments, line statements, and images—all very much in a Confucian vein. The sixth and seventh Wings are formed by the two sections of the so-called Commentary on the Appended Phrases (Xici ihuan) or Great Commentary (Da^huan). This commentary seems to consist of fragments of two different texts, one a general essay or group of essays dealing with the nature and meaning of the Changes in general and the other a collection of specific remarks about the Judgments and line statements of individual hexagrams (not all are discussed).1 The eighth of the Ten Wings, Explaining the Trigrams (Shuo gua), consists of remarks on the nature and meaning of the eight trigrams (oagua), the permutations of which form the sixty-four hexagrams. Much of this is couched in terms of yin-yang dualism and the theory of the wuxing (five elements) and so probably dates from the early Han era (third century b.c.). It is among the latest ot the exegetical materials included in the Changes. The ninth Wing is Providing the Sequence of the Hexagrams (Xugua), a collection of remarks on each of the hexagrams that attempts to justify their order in terms of various etvmological -„,4 _~»:---1----:J____:. r . - * - ■ ■ Introduction The tenth Wing, the Hexagrams in Irregular Order (Zagua), is a collection of brief remarks that attempts to define the meanings of individual hexagrams, often in terms of contrasting pairs—another late addition to the text of the Classic of Changes. Traditionally, the hexagrams are thought to have been developed by King Wen of the Zhou (reigned 1171-1122 b.c.) out of the eight trigrams invented by the legendary culture hero and sage Fu Xi of remotest antiquity. King Wen is also supposed to have composed the Judgments. The line statements are attributed to the Duke of Zhou (died 1094 b.c.). However, the assertion that historically identifiable sages are responsible for the origins of the hexagrams and the composition of the first layer of the material in the Classic of Changes has been questioned throughout the twentieth century, both in China and abroad, and more recent advances in archaeology, paleography, and textual studies, which compare the earliest textual layer of the Changes with roughly contemporary inscriptions on bone, shell, metal, and stone, as well as with other ancient writings that exhibit similar syntax and vocabularv, have thoroughlv discredited the myth of its sagely authorship. Modern scholarship has also discovered that the original meaning of the Judgments and line statements—as they were composed sometime probably during the two or three centuries preceding their compilation and final editing during the ninth century b.c.—is radically different from what the earliest layer of exegesis took it to be and that it often has very little to do with the values and ideals of Confucian morality and ethics. Either the writers of the Tuan^huan (Commentary on the Judgments) and the Xiangihuan (Commentary on the Images) were ignorant of this original meaning—concerned largely with the mechanics of divination and (often) its amoral consequences—or they knowingly suppressed it in order to replace it with a Confucian (or proto-Con-fucian) reading. However, with this first layer of exegesis, the collection of texts, which eventually developed into the Classic of Changes as we know it, was given a Confucian slant that shaped all subsequent interpretation—right up to modern times. This largely Confucian reading required a radical revision of syntax and the meaning of individual words—even the way the texts are divided into phrases and clauses. Therefore the original C fU<> ri-----:---.---------- 5 Introduction Qing dynasty (1644-1911) philological approaches to the Classic of Changes—and thus plays no part in this translation, either of the Classic of Changes itself or of the Wang Bi commentary.1 The Translation This work consists of an integral translation of Wang Bi's (226—249) Zhouyi ^hu (Commentary on the Changes of the Zhou), including Wang's interpretations of the sixty-four hexagrams (Judgments, line statements, Commentary on the Judgments, Commentary on the Images, and—for the first two hexagrams— the Commentary on the Words of the Text) and his treatise on the Changes, the Zhouyilueli (General Remarks on the Changes of the Zhou). The work also contains the commentaries of Wang's latter-day disciple, Han Kangbo (d. ca. 385), on those parts of the Changes not commented on by Wang himself: the Xici^huan (Commentary on the Appended Phrases), the Xugua (Providing the Sequence of the Hexagrams), the Zagua (The Hexagrams in Irregular Order), and the Shuogua (Explaining the Trigrams). Han was not an original thinker, but his remarks consistently seem to rerlect Wang's approach, and so, while in no way as vital and Interesting as Wang's own commentary, thev probablv are reasonably close to the kinds of things Wang himself might have said if he had chosen to comment on these parts of the Classic of Changes. All translations are based on texts included in Lou Yulie, ed., Wang Bijijiaoshi (Critical edition of the works ot Wang Bi with explanatory notes), 2 vols. (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1980). Some passages in Wang Bi's commentary are dense, cryptic, and difficult to understand. Also, Wang did not comment on a few passages in the Changes, and it is unclear how he might have read particular phrases and sentences. Where I was uncertain or Wang was silent, I referred to the commentary on the Changes written by Kong Yingda (574-648), the Zhouyi yhengyi (Correct meaning of the Changes of the Zhou), largely a subcom-mentary to Wang's Zhouyi {hu (which is also included in the Zhouyi yhengyi in its entirety). Kong's commentary is otten wordy and redundant, but he seems to have tried to read the Changes as he understood Wang to have read it, so his remarks 6 7 Introduction passages in the text on which he did not actually comment. References to and translated excerpts from Kong's Zhouyi {hengyi are included in endnotes, along with other explanatory materials. I have used the text of the Zhouyi {hengyi that is contained in the critical edition prepared by Ruan Yuan (1764-1849) of the Shisanjing {hushu (Commentaries and subcommentaries on the thirteen classics) (1815; reprint, Taibei: Yiwenyinshuguan, 1955). As this translation of the Classic of Changes is based exclusively on the Wang Bi/Han Kangbo commentary and the subcommentary of Kong Yingda, it is significantly different in many places from other translations, which for the most part are principally derived directly or indirectly from some combination of the commentaries of the Neo-Confucians Cheng Yi (1033-1107) and Zhu Xi (1130-1200). The most important of these are James Legge, The Yi King; or, Book of Changes (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882); Richard Wilhelm, / Ging: Das Buch der Wandlungen (Jena: Eugen Diederichs, 1924), translated into English by Cary F. Baynes as The I ChingorBook of Changes (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1950); and / Ching: The Booh of Change (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1968), translated by John Blofeld. Except for works that attempt to reconstruct the so-called original meaning of Zhouyi as a western Zhou document,5 most modern editions of the classic published in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, which often include translations or paraphrases into modern Chinese, also closely follow the commentaries of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi. Modern Japanese and Korean studies and translations of the classic do much the same thing. All this means that the contemporary reader of the Changes, regardless of the language in which it is read, will usually know it in some version largely shaped by Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi. Therefore where my Wang Bi version differs significantlv from the readings of Cheng and Zhu, I include appropriate references to and translated excerpts from their commentaries in the endnotes to the passages concerned so that the reader may compare the different readings. Cheng's commentary is called the Yichuan Yi{huan (Yichuan's Commentary on the Changes) and Zhu's is called the Zhouyi benyi (Original Meaning of the Changes of the Zhou). Both these commentaries are included in Li Guangdi Introduction Changes of the Zhou) (1715; reprint, Taibei: Chengwen, 1975); all references to Cheng's and Zhu's commentaries are to this edition. Wang Bi may be said to have written the first philosophical commentary on the Changes—that is, apart from those sections of the classic that are themselves commentaries. His approach synthesizes Confucian, Legalist, and Daoist views, with Confucian views predominant. His version of the Changes was extremely influential and became the orthodox interpretation during the course of the pre-Tang and Tang eras (fourth through tenth centuries a.d.) and was finally canonized in Kong Yingda's Zhouyi {hengyi. Although the commentaries of the later Neo-Confucians largely eclipsed Wang's interpretation, much of what he had to say was incorporated into what eventually became the official Neo-Confucian orthodox view of the Changes, and what they rejected also helped to shape that view. A comparison of Wang's commentary with those of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi reveals how carefully Cheng and Zhu must have read Wang's remarks and how his arguments tended to shape theirs, whether they agreed with him or not (the disagreements largely result from theij rejection of what they perceived to be elements of Legalism and Daoism in Wang's thought). The synthetic Neo-Confucian version of the Changes that emerged after the thirteenth century would have been very different if there had been no Wang Bi commentary first. A comparison of Wang's interpretation with those of Cheng and Zhu also helps to emancipate the Changes from the notion that it can only be understood and appreciated as a timeless book of wisdom that somehow came into existence and maintained itself outside history and that there is one perfect and unchanging meaning to be extracted from it, if we only knew how. The "book of wisdom" approach to the Changes in modern times is, of course, extremely prevalent, and, although we can credit it largely to the great popularity of the Wilhelm/Baynes version, which interprets the Changes in such terms and includes an enormously influential foreword by Carl Jung, it also derives from the fact that the Changes was canonized as one of the Confucian classics at the beginning of the tradition and that throughout the centuries commentators, Wang Bi among them, attempted to 8 9 Introduction In my view, however, there is no one single Classic of Changes but rather as many versions of it as there are different commentaries on it. The text of the classic is so dense and opaque in so many places that its meaning depends entirely on how any particular commentary interprets it. Some interpretations, especially those of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, have become standard and orthodox, but the authority they carry, it seems to me, was derived not from any so-called perfect reading of the text but from the fact that the Cheng-Zhu version of Neo-Confucianism became the cultural and intellectual orthodoxy of traditional China; thus their commentaries, including those on the Changes, had to be correct. My approach to the Changes is entirely different. The commentary of Wang Bi is the historical product of a certain time and place—as are those of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi or anyone else—a product that can tell us much about the development of Chinese intellectual thought during a particularly creative period of the tradition. It stands in great contrast to the later commentaries of the Song Neo-Confucians, the products of a different but equally creative age, and its presentation in the form of an integral English translation—with comparisons with the commentaries of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi—should, it is hoped, reveal how much variety and vitality traditional Chinese thought could achieve. In preparing this translation, I have tried—as much as it is within my capabilities—to be true to the literal meaning of the texts involved and to re-create the original tone of discourse that pervades them. Thus there has been no attempt to modernize what is being said, no effort to avoid offending contemporary sensibilities and values shaped by democracy, egalitarianism, individualism, feminism, or any other movement that might affect the way we think, feel, and express ourselves. There is much in the way Wang Bi and the other commentators cited here approached the Changes that can offend contemporary values and sensibilities, for what they said was the product of a culture that took for granted certain things that now largely do not go unquestioned: 1. Human society is by nature hierarchical. 2. The state is the family writ large, and the family is the Introduction 4. The universe is dualistic by nature; everything in it has either a yin or a yang character and exhibits—or, more precisely should exhibit—either yin or yang behavior. 5. Human society—as a natural part of the universe—is also characterized by yin-yang dualism. Superiors are yang, and subordinates are yin, and they should fill their respective roles accordingly. Yang is the hard and strong, the assertive, the authority, the initiator, the male; yin is the soft and yielding, the submissive, the one subject to authority, the follower, the female. Political roles are conceived analogously: rulers are like fathers, the ruled masses like children; the sovereign is to his minister as a husband is to his wife; a senior official is to his subordinate as an older brother is to a younger brother; a subordinate should be submissive and loyal—that is, exhibit "female" behavior, and so on. Such assumptions are readily apparent throughout the commentaries; any translation that attempts an accurate reconstruction of the original tone and meaning could not possibly ignore or suppress them. For instance, when choosing equivalents in English, the use of gender-neutral terms tor such a patriarchal mode of discourse would be entirely out of place. How then should one read this translation of a Chinese classic and its commentaries, rooted as they are in value-laden assumptions that many may find, if not alien and offensive, at least out of date and superfluous? The work is so rich in meaning that it should be read on several levels. To get at this richness, I suggest that the reader accept the historical reality of the text's assumptions, let them intorm a historical appreciation or" traditional Chinese society, and then bracket or put them aside and allow the work to address the primary issues with which it is concerned: the interre'.atedness of personal character and destiny; how position defines scope ot action; how position and circumstances define appropriate modes of behavior; how the individual is always tied to others in a web of interconnected causes and effects; how one set of circumstances inevitably changes into another; and how change itself is the great constant—and flexile response to it the only key to happiness and success. There is a core of insights here concerning the structure of human relationships Introduction Introduction WangBi Wang Bi (226-249) lived at a time of great social and political uncertainty and military strife, marked by rebellion, usurpation, civil war, invasion, desperate economic conditions—all the elements that contribute to the precariousness of life. It was the beginning of that time of disunity in China between the great Han and Tang dynasties—initially, the period of the Three Kingdoms; later, the Six Dynasties Era or Southern and Northern Dynasties—a disunity that lasted nearly four centuries. Wang's own short lifetime coincided with the middle years of the Wei Kingdom (220-265), which had been founded on the chaos accompanying the disintegration of the Han dynasty. The Han general Cao Cao (155—220) usurped power in 220, and his eldest son, Cao Pi (187-226), became the first emperor of Wei. During its existence, the Wei had to share the territory of the once-unified empire with two rivals, the later Han state in Sichuan, which occupied the southwest, and the state of Wu, which controlled the southeast. Even within its own polity, the Wei was far from secure. The imperial Cao family was quickly losing power to another clan, the Sima, which was packing both civil and military offices with its own members. The Sima, led by Sima Yi (179-251), eventually carried out its own usurpation of power in 249, the year of Wang's death. It held de facto state power, the Wei emperors mere puppets, until 265, when Sima Yan (236-290) became the first emperor of the Jin dynasty (265-420). Before this, from 240 to 249, the imperial clansman Cao Shuang dominated the government, and it was under him that Wang Bi served his stint at court. Sima Yi murdered Cao Shuang in 249 and ordered the execution of most of Cao's coterie. As we see from a biography of Wang written by He Shao,4 Wang escaped execution, apparently not close enough to Cao and not a perceived political threat, only to die of disease later in the same year. Wang Bi was not only in the middle of all this political and military turmoil, he was also right at the center of the major intellectual currents of the day, a fact that is immediately obvious from a reading of He Shao's biographical essay: Wang Bi revealed his intelligence and wisdom even when still a child. By the time he was only about ten years [Daode jing], which he understood thoroughly and could discuss with ease. His father was Wang Ye, a Secretarial Court Gentleman [shangshu long]. At the time when Pei Hui was serving as Director of the Ministry of Personnel [libit long],* Wang Bi, who then had not yet been capped [i.e., had not yet reached the age of maturity at twenty sui (nineteen years)], went to pay him a visit. As soon as Pei saw him, he knew that this was an extraordinary person, so he asked him, "Nonbeing [wu] is, in truth, what the myriad things depend on for existence, yet the Sage [Confucius] was unwilling to talk about it, while Master Lao expounded upon it endlessly. Why is that?" Wang Bi replied, "The Sage embodied nonbeing, so he also knew that it could not be explained in words. Thus he did not talk about it. Master Lao, by contrast, operated on the level of being [you]. This is why he constantly discussed nonbeing; he had to, for what he said about it always fell short." Shortly after that he also came to the attention of Fujia.6 At this time, He Yan [190—249] was president of the Minjstry of Personnel [libu shangshu], and he too thought Wang Bi most remarkable. Sighing in admiration, he said, "As Zhongni [Confucius] put it, 'Those born after us shall be held in awe.' It is with such a person as this that one can discuss the relationship between Heaven and Mankind!" During the Zhengshi era [240-249], the position of Director of the Chancellery [huangmen shilang] became vacant a succession of times, and He Yan had managed to fill it with Jia Chong [217-282], Pei Xiu [224-271], and Zhu Zheng; now he also proposed Wang Bi for that orrice. However, it was then that Ding Mi and He Yan were vying for power [within the Cao Shuang clique], and. when Ding recommended Wang Li of Gao District to Cao Shuang, Cao appointed him to that position, in consequence of which he made Wang Bi a Court Gentleman [tailang]. WTien Wang Bi first took up his post and paid his ceremonial visit to Cao Shuang, he asked for a private interview. Cao dismissed his entourage, and Wang Bi discussed the Dao with him for an exceedingly long time, giving the impression that no other could equal him in Introduction Introduction It was at this time that Cao Shuang monopolized political power at court and formed a clique whose members recommended one another for office. Wang Bi, unconventional and brilliant, did not concern himself with high office and reputation. Shortly afterward, when Wang Li suddenly died of illness, Cao Shuang appointed Wang Chen to take Wang Li's place, and Wang Bi failed to find acceptance with him. This made He Yan sigh with regret. Not only was Wang Bi now limited to superficial duties at court, even before that, it had not been his forte to accomplish anything of merit, a goal to which he paid less and less attention. Liu Tao, a native of Huainan, was good at discussing the science of political strategies and alliances [{ongheng], for which he had quite a reputation at the time, but on every occasion when he debated these matters with Wang Bi, he was always defeated by him. The talent with which he was endowed by Heaven made Wang Bi an outstanding figure, and what it allowed him to achieve, no one could ever seize from him. By nature gentle and reasonable, Wang enjoyed parties and feasts, was well versed in the technical aspects of music, and excelled at pitching arrows into the pot.7 In his discussion of the Dao, he may not have been as good as He Yan was at forcing language to yield up meaning, but, in his handling of the natural [^zrarc], his unique insights often excelled anything He Yan could come up with. To some extent, he used the advantages with which he was blessed to make fun of other people, so he often incurred the enmity of the scholars and officials of his day. Wang Bi was, however, good friends with Zhong Hui,s who was an established expert in disputation, thanks to his well-trained mental discipline, but he was always vanquished by Wang's high-flying elan. It was He Yan's opinion that the sage is free of pleasure, anger, sadness, or happiness, and his discussion of this issue was meticulously argued. People such as Zhong Hui transmitted what he had to say, but Wang Bi took a different position from them and thought that what makes eral is his having the five emotions [happiness, anger, sadness, pleasure, and desire]. It is because his intelligence is superior that he can embody gentleness and amiability and, in so doing, identify with nonbeing. It is because he is the same as other people in having the five emotions that he is unable to respond to things free from either sadness or pleasure. Nevertheless, the emotions of the sage are such that he may respond to things but without becoming attached to them. Nowadays, because the sage is considered free of such attachment, one immediately thinks it can be said that he no longer responds to things. How very often this error occurs! When Wang Bi wrote his commentary to the Changes, Xun Rong, a native of Yingchuan, found fault with Wang's Dayanyi [Meaning of the great expansion],9 to which Wang made a general reply, drafting a note that teased him: Even though one may have intelligence sufficient to delve into the most profound and subtle things, such a person will still be unable to distance himself from the nature he has thanks to his natural endowment [pran faxing]. Whatever capacity Master Yan'= had, it was something already realized beforehand in Confucius, yet when Confucius met him, he could not but feel pleasure, and, when Confucius buried him, he could not but feel sadness. Moreover, we often belittle this Confucius, considering that he was someone who never succeeded at pursuing principle [U] via the path of the emotions [qing]. But nowadays we have come to realize that it is impossible to strip away the natu-ral. Your capacity, sir, is already fixed within your breast, yet here we are parted only about half a month or so, and you feel the pain of separation as much as all that! Tnus we know, when we compare Confucius to Master Yan. that he could not have surpassed him by very much! Wang Bi wrote a commentary to the Lao^i, for which he provided a general introduction [rAilue] marked by clear reasoning and systematic organization. He also wrote a Dao luelun [General discussion of the Dao] and a commentary to the Changes, both of which frequently exhibit lofty and beautiful language." Wang Ji [ca. 240-ca. 285] 14 Introduction mentary to the Lao{i, there was much that I became enlightened about!" However, Wang Bi was shallow in his personal behavior and obtuse concerning how others felt. At first, he was good friends with Wang Li and Xun Rong, yet when Wang Li stole his chance to be Director of the Chancellery, he came to hate him, and he did not manage to finish up with Xun Rong on good terms either. In the tenth year of the Zhengshi era [249], Cao Shuang was deposed, in consequence of which Wang Bi was dismissed from service at court. In the autumn of that year he fell prey to a pestilence and died, then twenty-three years of age. He had no son, so his line stopped with him. Concerning his death, when Prince Jing of the Jin dynasty [the posthumous title of Sima Shi (208-255)] heard of it, he sighed and moaned over it for days on end; regret at his passing was felt as keenly as this by those of the intelligentsia! Wang is commonly referred to, because of his famous commentary on the Laop and other discussions of the Dao, as a "Neo-Daoist" thinker, an adherent of the so-called xuanxue (studies of the mysterious) that so characterized intellectual thought during the Wei-Jin era, when so many sought to penetrate the realm of spontaneous creation and uncover the mysterious constants that ruled both the natural and human worlds. However, as we see from He Shao's biography, this does not appear entirely accurate. Whereas Wang certainly contributed to the development of the xuanxue tradition in a variety of ways, it is also readily apparent that he had an intense interest and commitment to Confucian values and principles. Note that he seems to have regarded Confucius, at least at times, as superior to Laozi, as Confucius had "embodied nonbeing" and Master Lao had not. By "non-being" (wu), Wang seems to have meant the undifferentiated unity of things ontologically prior to their phenomenal existence, the permanent—indescribable and unnameable—reality underlying the "being" {you) of the phenomenal universe.11 It requires a sage—Confucius, for example—to achieve a state of mind or spirit that allows the recovery of that sense of unity in the here and now—to obtain mystic insight into the equality of all things. If Wang had written onlv or orimarilv about surh 1 '5 Introduction he also had a great deal to say about the real sociopolitical world of statecraft and military strategy, of personal and public ethics and morality—all of which suggests that he was a multifaceted thinker about whom we should keep an open mind. Most germane to our purposes here, we should note that whereas his commentary to the Changes at times refer to nonbeing and other Daoist concepts—especially when he attempts to explain how ' and why change itself occurs—the text as a whole focuses on the phenomenon of human existence and is in the main a Confucian statement. WangBi's Approach to the Changes of the Zhou The best introduction to Wang's approach is his own Zhouyi lueli (General Remarks on the Changes of the Zhou), and anyone who consults his commentary is advised to read this essay first, for without a basic understanding of how Wang himself interpreted the classic, much of what he says in the commentary will not be immediately accessible. I shall attempt to summarize its main points here. In the first section, Clarifying the Judgments, Wang asserts that each hexagram is a unified entity and that its overall meaning or "controlling principle" is expressed in its name, which then is amplified in the hexagram Judgment. Moreover, the controlling principle usually resides in the master or ruler of the hexagram, one line that is sovereign over all the others. Rulership differs from hexagram to hexagram, but we can know what kind of rulership is involved by referring to the Judgments. He also notes that some hexagrams are exceptions :o this general rule, as their meaning derives from the relationship between the constituent trigrams. The next section. Clarifying How the Lines Are Commensurate with Change, Wang states a basic principle: change occurs because of the interaction between the innate tendency of things and their countertendencies to behave in ways opposed to their natures. "Things" include individual human beings, and the lines of a hexagram represent—either directly or through analogy—different kinds of people in different positions and different situations. In fact. Wane often describes the action and i6 Introduction 17 Introduction particular set of circumstances. Some lines respond to each other and resonate together—signifying harmonious relationships— and some lines repel and clash—signifying opposition and divergence of interests—and this resonance or clash produces movement and change. By understanding this principle, one can know the innate tendencies of things—"how things are going"— and, by adjusting one's behavior accordingly, success can be had. The third section, Clarifying How the Hexagrams Correspond to Change and Make the Lines Commensurate with It, explains how certain hexagrams signify moments of either obstruction or facility- and thus serve as indicators that one should either refrain from action or engage in it. It is also here that Wang sets out his scheme of yin and yang lines, yin and yang positions, congruent and incongruent relationships between pairs of lines, and the mechanics of resonance and discord. Yin lines are soft and weak; yang lines are hard and strong. The positions of a hexagram are calculated from bottom to top. The odd number places—first (bottom), third, and fifth—are strong yang positions, and the even number places—second, fourth, and sixth (top)—are weak yin positions.'5 Yin and yang lines form resonate pairs; yin and yin or yang and yang lines form discordant pairs: the unlike attract; the like repel. Proper resonate relationships can take place between lines of the lower and upper trigrams—one with four, two with five, three with six—but each must pair with its opposite: yin with yang or yang with yin. Secondary harmonious relationships can also occur between contiguous lines when "yang rides atop yin" or "yin carries yang" but never when the reverse occurs, for this is an unnatural, discordant relationship—as, for example, when a superior supports or "carries" his subordinate. The sixty-four combinations of yin and yang lines and yin and yang positions schematically represent all the major kinds of situations found in life. One must know how to cast the hexagrams and how to understand the texts of the Changes, for if one can determine which situation prevails at any given moment, what one's place is in that moment and situation, and how one relates to the other major players involved, as Wang puts it, "change will yield its all." The fourth section, Clarifying the Images, deals with the images formed by the hexagrams, expressed by the Judgments and line statement nnrl ^mnlifiorl rU& "nT~,-~—"---1 "Little Images" commentaries. Here Wang argues that the images of the Changes should be understood as vehicles of abstract meaning and not be taken literally or as. symbolic representations of numbers. In doing so, he breaks completely with the earlier Han era xiangshu (image and number) approach to the Changes, in which interpreters combined and recombined standardized images, using various arcane mathematical operations, to generate new trigrams and hexagram relationships out of original hexagrams. By freeing the Changes from such calculations and from confusion with cosmological and calendrical considerations, Wang Bi allowed it, aided by his commentary, to become a literary text rich in metaphysical, political, and personal significance. He, more than anyone else in the commentary tradition, made it into the classic of philosophy that so attracted the attention of the Song era (960-1279) Neo-Confucians and continues to this day to fascinate readers in both East and West.'4 The fifth section, Considering the Line Positions, reiterates and expands on things said in the third section. As first (bottom) and sixth (top) lines are at the beginning and end points, respectively, of hexagrams (and thus signify the beginning and ending of the situation involved), they are at the junctures of what precedes and what follows a given situation, and so "neither of these positions has a constant status." The other four line positions are either yang and "noble" (three and five) or yin and "humble" (two and four). Yang lines "should" be in yang positions, and yin lines "should" be in yin positions, for this results in hexagrams that generally indicate facility and harmony. Lines "out of position" (yin in yang positions, yang in yin positions) result in hexagrams that generally indicate obstruction and disharmony. The sixth section, entitled simply General Remarks, Part Two, and the seventh section, Cursory Remarks on Some Hexagrams, expand on things said in earlier sections and illustrate the principles and issues raised by rererence to specific hexagrams. One principle of understanding the Changes, which is often cited in Wang's commentary but is not discussed in his General Remarks, is the special role of the middle positions in trigrams— positions two and five. These middle positions indicate "cen-trality"' and "the Mean" ([hong)—the territory of proper and balanced behavior and action. The middle position in the lower iS Introduction yang position (five), so, very often, regardless of other considerations, the line in the fifth position—whether yin or yang— turns out to be the ruler of the hexagram as a whole, for it is the "most noble" place, the "exalted position." Another assumption underlying Wang's approach to the Changes is, of course, that the casting of hexagrams is an absolutely sure and accurate method of determining the character of moments of time. This is alluded to throughout his General Remarks and in many places in the commentary, but it is an issue that he never goes into in any detail—he probably did not think it was necessary, since he could not have conceived of anyone challenging its validity. This is true of all traditional commentators on the Changes: the way the yarrow stalks or coins fall—the particular configuration that results—is indicative of the shape of that particular moment. This supposes that everything that occurs in a given moment is interrelated and that all such events somehow share in the same basic character. In other words, as far as the Changes is concerned, the casting of stalks or coins, when properly done, is the key indicator of the shape of moments of time—which restates, in very simple terms, the way C. G. Jung explained how the casting of hexagrams is supposed to "work."" Jung states that his explanation, based on his theory of synchronicity, "never entered a Chinese mind" and that the Chinese instead thought that it was "spiritual agencies" (shen) that "make the yarrow stalks give a meaningful answer." I do not think this was always necessarily so, for it brings us back to a consideration of whether people in the Chinese tradition, especially those of Wang's own day, thought Heaven operated impersonally and objectively or consciously and in sympathy with humankind. Wang himself, from various things said in the commentary and in the General Remarks, seems to have been ambivalent about this—as were so many before and after him. My general impression of what he may have believed is that the Dao for him was largely impersonal; it had to be because it operated on such a grand scale. Whether or not he thought gods or other "spiritual agencies" had anything to do with how the yarrow stalks behaved is an impossible question to answer with any certainty. My impression is that he did not think so and would have said instead, if he had been asked, something to the effect that the varrow stalks mamf*»cr»^ tt.~,i,;~~.- ~c ,l„ r\~~ 19 Introduction How to Cast a Hexagram the yarrow stalk method Various methods of yarrow (milfoil) stalk {Achillea millefolium) divination had been developed since the Han era—all apparently based on the brief description provided in section nine of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One, and commented upon by Wang Bi and Han Kangbo. The reasons for various steps in the process are given there."1 Extant written versions of these methods were critiqued in the twelfth century by Zhu Xi, who then wrote his own account of what he thought the correct method should be.'7 Zhu's composite or reformed method became the standard way of yarrow stalk divination for the rest of the traditional era and is still the one most generallv used todav. The casting of a hexagram requires fifty stalks, manipulated in four stages or operations. These four operations are repeated three times to form a line (one operation set), and, since there are six lines, six operation sets are required for the whole process. However, before these operations begin, one stalk is set aside, which leaves forty-nine. To complete the first set: operation one: Take up the forty-nine stalks, and divide them randomly into two bunches, placing them down one beside the other. operation two: Take one stalk from the right-hand bunch, and place it between the ring ringer and little finger of the left hand. operation three: Grasp the left-hand bunch in the left hand, and, with the right hand, take bundles of four stalks from it until four or fewer stalks remain. Set this remainder aside. Then count off the stalks from the right-hand bunch by fours until four or fewer stalks remain, and set this remainder aside as well. operation four: Place the remainder from the left-hand bunch between the ring finger and the middle finger and the remainder from the right-hand bunch between the middle finger and the index finger of the left hand. The sum of all the stalks now held in the left hand is either 9 Or ? feirher r + A + A nr 7 + 1 + i nr I 4- ■> 4- t or r 4- 10 2 I Introduction ring finger and little finger—is disregarded in counting up the stalks, so the sum is adjusted to either 8 or 4. The result 4 is a single unit and has the numerical value of 3. The result 8 is a double unit and has the numerical value of 2. Therefore if the sum of the first counting is 9, it counts as 2, and if the sum is 5, it counts as 3. This completes the first set, and the stalks that make up the sum are now set aside. The second and third sets are identical, the third being performed with the stalks left over after the second set has been completed: operation one: Take up the remaining stalks, and randomly divide them into two bunches, placing the bunches next to each other. operation two: Take one stalk from the right-hand bunch, and place it between the ring finger and little finger of the left hand. operation three: Grasp the left-hand bunch in the left hand, and. with the right hand, take bundles of four stalks from it, until four or fewer stalks remain. Set this remainder aside. Then count orf the stalks from the right-hand bunch by fours, until four or fewer remain, and set this remainder aside as well.. operation four: Place the remainder from the left-hand bunch between the ring finger and the middle finger and the remainder from the right-hand bunch between the middle finger and the index finger of the left hand. This time, the sum of the stalks is either 8 or 4 (either 1 + 4 + 3, or i + 3 + 4, or 1 + 1 + 2, or 1 + 2 + 1); again, an 8 has the value of 2, and a 4 has the value of 3. It is from the sum of the three values that result from the three sets of operations that a line is formed. If the first set results in a 5 (which becomes a 4, with a value of 3) and the second and third sets each result in a 4 (value 3), the sum value is 9, which defines an "old" yang line—one that is about to change into a yin line and so warrants separate consideration when the hexagram is interpreted. If the first set results in a 9 (which becomes an 8, with a value of 2) and the second and third sets each Introduction "old" yin line—one that is about to change into a yang line and, again, warrants separate consideration when the hexagram is interpreted.'8 The other possible sum values arrived at by adding the results of the three sets will either be 7 or 8. Sevens result from the following combinations: 9 (i.e., 8, value 2) + 8 (value 2) + 4 (value 3); 5 (i.e., 4, value 3) + 8 (value 2) + 8 (value 2); 9 (i.e., 8, value 2) + 4 (value 3) + 8 (value 2). Eights result from these combinations: 9 (i.e., 8, value 2) + 4 (value 3) + 4 (value 3) ; 5 (i.e., 4, value 3) + 4 (value 3) + 8 (value 2); 5 (i.e., 4, value 3) + 8 (value 2) + 4 (value 3). A 7 is a "young" yang line, and an 8 is a "young" yin line. Both these are "at rest" and not about to change, thus they are disregarded when the individual lines of a hexagram are interpreted. One repeats this procedure six times (6X3 sets) to form a hexagram, working from the first line at the bottom to the sixth line at the top. When a hexagram consists entirely of "new" lines, one should only consult the Judgment, the Commentary on the Judgments, and the Commentary on the Images. However, if there are one or more "old" lines in the hexagram, one should consult the Line Statements and the Commentary on the Images for such lines. Also, one must consider the "new" hexagram that results from the movement or change of the "old" lines and should consult its Judgment, Commentary on the Judgments, and Commentary on the Images. For example, in casting Hexagram 56. Mingyi (Suppression ot the Light) ti. if one were to come up with an "old" yang for the third line, it would mean that this line was about to change into a "new" yin—which would result in Hexagram 24, Fu (Return) If.'9 the coin method Given the great complexity of the yarrow stalk method, it was inevitable that some other simpler and easier method or' casting a hexagram would develop. Of uncertain time and authorship, such a method did, in fact, come into being—the coin method. This may have had origins in popular culture, for it involves the manipulation of coin money—hardly something that one would expect to come out of an elite literati culture. Traditional Chinese coins were made of bronze, had holes in the middle (so rhf»V rnulrl k*» crnmrt »^-r~.-U—\---1 -- :----- Introduction them down together; each throw forms a hexagram line. The inscribed side of a coin is yin —, with a value of 2, and the reverse side is yang —, with a value of 3. If all three coins turn up yang, the sum value is 9, which defines an "old" yang line; if all are yin, the sum value is 6, which defines an "old" yin line. One yang and two yin result in a 7, a "young" yang line; two yin and one yang result in an 8, a "young" yin line. From this point on, one proceeds as for the yarrow stalk method. notes 1. An alternate tradition has the Commentary on the Appended Phrases as the fifth and sixth of the Ten Wings. Richard Wilhelm's translation, for instance, follows this order. 2. The great pioneer in recovering the original meaning of the earliest layers of the Changes is Gao Heng, whose Zhouyi gujing jinrhu (Modern annotations to the ancient classic, the Changes of the Zhou) was first published in 1934. Two recent works in English revise Gao's findings, summarize and develop more up-to-date Chinese scholarship, and make new advances of their own: Edward Shaughnessy, The Composition of the Zhouyi. and Richard Kunst. The Original "Yijing": A Text, Phonetic Transcription, Translation, and Indexes, with Sample Glosses. 3. See note 2 above. 4. He Shao, a prolific essayist on the people and events of his own times, was the son of He Zeng (199-278), high official under both the Wei (220-265) an£l Western Jin (265-317) courts. This notice on Wang Bi is appended to the biography of Zhong Hui (225-264) in the Wei{hi (Chronicles of the Wei) section of the Sanguoihi (Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms; see Lou, Wang Bijijiaoshi, 2: 639-644). Most of the information provided by He Shao's biography is also found in Liu \iqing's (403-444) Shishuo xinyu, divided among a number of entries, otten in passages worded differently from those in He Shao's biography of Wang. Liu's work also contains a few other details concerning Wang's life. See Richard Mather's translation of Liu's work. Shih-shuo Hsin-yii, "Biographical Notices," p. 593, and index, p. 722. 5. Pei Hui was the father of Pei Kai (23--291), who also rose to high office. Hui gained a reputation for his expertise in the Laori and the Classic of Changes. 6. Fu Jia (205-255) was a member of He Yan's circle of friends dedicated to "pure conversation" (qingtan) but broke with He and joined the Sima narrv in ? rhn<: avni^inc fvomrinn Ho nnrnnrcH one nr rheessavs 23 Introduction 7. Tou hu (pitch [arrows] into the pot) was an elegant game played at formal or ritual feasts. 8. Zhong Hui (225-264) was the editor of the Siben lun (Treatise on the four basic relations between talent [cat] and human nature [xing]) and a strict Confucian who was opposed to the subversive (as seen by the Sima forces) Daoist-based "pure conversation" (qingtan) circle. He was an ally of the Sima parry at the Wei court, but when the Sima usurped power in 264, Zhong attempted a countercoup against his own troops, which had joined the revolt, and was killed. 9. Part of this work seems to have been incorporated into Han Kangbo's commentary on section nine of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One; see note 36 there. 10. Master Yan, Yanzi (also called Yan Hui or Yan Yuan), was supposedly the most virtuous of Confucius'sdisciples. SeeLunyu(Analects) 11:18. 11. For a discussion of extant, reconstructed, and lost works of Wang Bi, see Lou, J'iaoshi shuoming (Collation and annotation: An exDlanatory note), in Wang Bijijiaoshi, pp. 11—17. 12. See Bodde, "Harmony and Conflict," in Essays on Chinese Civilization, pp. 275-276. 13. The first (bottom) and sixth (top) positions are problematic. Wang tells us in the fifth section of the General Remarks that there do not seem to be hard and fast rules for these positions—yin or yang lines might both be suitable for either. 14-See Smith et al., Sung Dynasty Uses. pp. 18-19 and 22—25. 15. See Jung's foreword to the Cary Baynes English version of Richard Wilhelm s translation. The I Ching or Book of Changes, pp. xxiii-xxv. 16. See note 36 of that section. 17. Smith et al., Sung Dynasty Uses, pp. 188-189. 18. I avoid the term moving line to designate "old" yin and vang lines that are about to change into their opposites. because this term is used a number of times elsewhere in the translation to refer to any hexagram line (yao)—the attribute moving meaning "alive" or "numinous." Cr". section ten in the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Pan Two. The Wilhelm/ Baynes translation of the Changes does, however, use moving .'ir.e to designate an "old" yin or yang line; see The I Ching or Book of Changes, pp. 722-~23. 19. Derivation ot a second "new" hexagram from the "old" yin and 'old" yang lines of a first hexagram is not mentioned in Wang Bi's writings on the Changes, so the method described here may not have been part of how he approached the Changes. However, as this became the standard way ot interpreting hexagrams from Zhu Xi's time on, I include it here. See Smith et al.. Sung Dynasty Uses, pp. 176—177. General Remarks on the Changes of the Zhou [Zhouyi lueli], by Wang Bi Clarifying the Judgments [Ming tuan] What is a Judgment? It discusses the body or substance of a hexagram as a whole and clarifies what the controlling principle is from which it evolves. The many cannot govern the many; that which governs the many is the most solitary [the One]. Activity cannot govern activity; that which controls all activity that occurs in the world, thanks to constancy, is the One.1 Therefore for all the many to manage to exist, their controlling principle must reach back to the One, and for all activities to manage to function, their source cannot but be the One. No thing ever behaves haphazardly but necessarily follows its own principle. To unite things, there is a fundamental regulator; to integrate them, there is a primordial generator. Therefore things are complex but not chaotic, multitudinous but not confused. This is why when the six lines of a hexagram intermingle, one can pick out one of them and use it to clarify what is happening, and as the hard ones and the soft ones supersede one another, one can establish which one is the master and use it to determine how all are ordered. This is why for mixed matters the calculation [{huan] of the virtues and the determination of the rights and wrongs involved could never be complete with- r»nr tV denPllds Otl tile nliraSeS. that the petty and the great are brought to light, and it is by addressing change that good fortune and misfortune are clarified. Therefore concepts of either pettiness or greatness arc inherent to the hexagrams, and the states of good fortune and misfortune are revealed in the phrases. As for regret, remorse, and "no blame." they follow the same routine. Good fortune, misfortune, remorse and regret, "small fault," and "no blame" all are produced by change, but since affairs include both the petty and the great, the text later addresses the differences among these five in turn.} The means to make one anxious about regret and remorse depend on the subtle, intermediate stages \}ic\. \\ie means "small matters." Wang Bi states [in section three of his General Remarks]: "Once one encounters occasions where one should be anxious about remorse and regret, even small matters must not be treated lightly." Thus, remorse and regret are addressed to small faults.'} T he means to arouse one so to have "no blame" depends on remorse. {The reason one suffers no blame is that he is good at repairing mis takes.} Arouse means "to move." Thus to he moved so as to be without blame is inherent in the remorse one feels lor one's mistakes. This is why there arc hexagrams thai deal with decrease and those that deal with growth [of the Dao], and why there are appended phrases that impart a sense of danger and those that impart a sense of case. {When this Dao shines brightly, it is said to be growing large, and when the Dao of the noble man is dwindling, it is said to be decreasing. If a hexagram is tending toward Peace [Tai, Hexagram I I ]. its phrases impart a sense of ease, but if a hexa gram is tending toward Obstruction and Stagnation [Pi, Hexagram 12], its phrases impart a sense of danger.} The phrases, in fact, in each case indicate the direction taken. 4. The Changes is a paradigm of Heaven and Earth, {[The sages] made the Changes in order to provide a paradigm of Heaven and Earth.}, and so it shows how one can (ill in and pull together the Dao of I leaven and Earth. Looking up, we use it [the Changes] to observe the configurations of Heaven, and, looking d< >wn, we use it to examine the patterns of Earth. Thus we understand the reasons underlying what is hidden and what is clear. We trace things back to their origins then turn hack to their ends. Thus we understand the axiom of life and death. {The hidden and the Commentary, Part One S3 Commentary, Part One end.} With the consolidation of material force into essence [jingqi], a person comes into being, but with the dissipation of one's spirit [youhun], change comes about. {When material force consolidates into essence, it meshes together, and with this coalescence, a person is formed. When such coalescence reaches its end, disintegration occurs, and with the dissipation of one's spirit, change occurs. "With the dissipation of one's spirit" is another way of saying "when it disintegrates."} It is due to this that we understand the true state of gods and spirits.8 {If one thoroughly comprehends the principle underlying coalescence and dissipation, he will be able to understand the Dao of change and transformation, and nothing that is hidden will remain outside his grasp.} As [a sage] resembles I leaven and Earth, he does not go against them. {It is because his virtue is united with Heaven and Earth that the text says: "resembles them."} As his knowledge is complete in respect to the myriad things and as his Dao brings help to all under Heaven, he commits no transgression. {It is because his knowledge comprehensively covers the myriad things that his Dao brings help to all under Heaven.} Such a one extends himself in all directions yet docs not allow himself to be swept away. {Responding to change, he engages in exhaustive exploration but does not get swept away by illicit behavior.} As he rejoices in I leaven and understands Its decrees, he will be free from anxiety. {As such a one complies with Heaven's transformations, the text says: "He rejoices."} As he is content in his land and is genuine about benevolence, he can be loving. {Being content in one's land and being genuine about benevolence [ren] are innate tendencies [qing] of the myriad things. If things are allowed to comply with their innate tendencies, then the good effects of benevolence will abundantly grow.9} He perfectly emulates the transformations of Heaven and Earth and so docs not transgress them. {Being a perfect model means to model oneself on Heaven and Earth in such a way that one totally encompasses their principles.} He follows every twist and turn of the myriad things and so deals with them without omission. {As for following every twist and turn in this way, if one were to respond to things by keeping up with their changes and not being tied to them as they are found in particular places, he tA/miM inAoaA nrm/ail nvpr thpm'l Hp hns A thorough PTaSO of tile fails to understand.} Thus the numinous is not restricted to place, and change is without substance. {Everything up to this point is addressed to how the numinous behaves. Regarding things in terms of either place or substance [ti] means to be tied to things that have concrete form [x/ng tl,c passage and Han's commentary both may be deliberately ambiguous here: the sages invest the Changes with their numinous power, which itself is one with the numinous power of I leaven and Farth, and other, later sages unite their numinous power with the power of the classic and, through it, with the powers themselves of I leaven and Earth. 12. Kong Yingda's subcommentary makes this difficult and cryptic passage readily intelligible. My translation follows his remarks. Sec Zhouyi \hengyi, 7: 1 ib-i2a. i}. Lan{i, section 1, p. 1. This interpretation follows Wang Hi's own punctuation of the text of the LaO{imA his commentary. However, beginning with Wang Anshi (1021-1086), many editors and commentators have punctuated the text differently, which some modern translators prefer to follow, Wing-tsit Chan, for instance: "Let there always be non-being, so we may sec their subtlety." Sec Source Book, p. 139. 14. Laori, section 34, p. 89. 15. There is no explicit subject here; I have supplied "things" because the context seems to justify it. Kong Yingda construes it differently: "It is because the sage is able to be thoroughly commensurate with change, to embody transformation and keep in step with change, that his virtue increases and undergoes renewal day after day." Sec Zhouyi ^hengyi, 7: 13b. 16. We should note that the compound xuanming, a common term in Daoist writings, is probably best translated as "the Noumenon." See Chan, Source Book, p. 788. 17. Kong Yingda says that this alludes to the Great Teacher (Da {ongshi) chapter of the Zhuangii, where Yan Hui is supposed to have achieved union 7» Commentary, Part One translatesyirkao\ this also follows Kong's commentary; see Zhouyi{hengyi, 7: 14a. 18. This essentially naturalistic interpretation by I Ian Kangbo stands in contrast with later Nco-Confucian commentaries that cast things here in terms of the moral nature and just behavior that men arc endowed with and should aspire to, as in the following statement by Yu Yan (1258-1314): "Man's nature, being formed perfectly and naturally by I leaven, is something that is good throughout, and if one additionally makes the effort to nourish and cultivate it, it will be sustained. If so, then there will be nothing that one sets out to do that will not be the Dao, nothing that one sels -mi in do that will not be just | vi, thai is, "fitting"]." See Zhouyi jhe^hong, 14: 2a. 19. "Mysteries" translates j-c, following Kong Yingda's subcommentary; sec Zhouyi fhengyt, 7: 16a. Although most later commentators interpret re in this way, Zhu Xi rejects this and instead glosses it as "confusion," thai is, the sages had the means to perceive what occasions of seeming chaos or confusion in the world meant its origin and causes as well as how to rectify it. See Zhouyi ^he^hong, 14: 2b—3a. 20. "Images" here arc the actual graphic representations of thctrigrams and, compounding them, the hexagrams. 21. Or, following Zhu Xi, "the most confused/complex things." See note 19 above. 22. Sec section eight of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two. 23. Sec Hexagram 61, Zhongfu (Inner Trust), Second Yang. 24. This paraphrases a passage in the following paragraph. 25. This quotes a passage in section three; sec note 7 above. 26. I he "door hinge and crossbow trigger" reference is explained in the following paragraph. 27. Sec Hexagram 13, Tongren (Fellowship), fifth Yang. 28. See Hexagram 15, Qian (Modesty), Third Yang. 29. See Hexagram 1, Qian (Pure Yang), Top Yang. 30. See I lexagram 60, Jie (Control), First Yang. 31. Sec Hexagram 40, Xie (Release), Third Yin; the expression "attracts robbers to him" also occurs in Hexagram 5, Xu (Waiting), Third Yang. ^ 32. "Think to" translates si, which is the way most commentators take-it; however, the Qing era philologist and commentator on the Confucian classics, Yu Yuc (1821 1907), thinks that si here should be read as a homonym si, a function word meaning "here" or "then." If ibis is correct, then the line should read: "If one is a petty man yet rides in the rig of a noble man, then robbers will rob him." The same possibility exists for the next sentence. See Yu, Qunjingpingyi, 192A: 15c. 33. This sentence, placed here at the beginning of section nine by (Iheng 72 Commentary, Part One 34. The five odd numbers arc one, three, five, seven, and nine, and the five even numbers are two, four, six, eight, and ten. 35. Kong Yingda's subcommentary reads: "It is this way: Heaven's one and Earth's six combine to form water; Earth's two and I leaven's seven combine to form fire; Heaven's three and Earth's eight combine to form wood; Earth's four and Heaven's nine combine to form metal; and Heaven's five and Earth's ten combine to form Earth." Sec Zhouyi ihengyi, 7: 22a. This appears to be a reference to the way numbers and the five elements combine in the Hetu (Yellow River chart); see note 52 below. See Zhouyi lhe\hong, 21: 28b~3oa. 36. This passage may be a fragment of what was once an independent essay by Wang entitled Dayanyi (Meaning of the great expansion); see the section on Wang Bi in the introduction and note 9 there. The number fifty here is explained in various ways. The I Ian commentator Jing Fang (77-37 b.c.) says of it: "Thisfifty refers to the ten heavenly stems, the twelve earthly branches, and the twenty-eight constellations." See ZhouyiJingshi {hangju, 3: 16a. Ma Rong (79-16(1 a.d.), a later Han commentator, says that this fifty refers to the Taiji (Supreme Ultimate), the two modes (i.e., yin and yang), the sun and the moon, the four seasons, the five elements, the twelve months, and the twenty-four subseasons (each of the four seasons has six such subseasons). See Zhouyi Mashi^huan, 3: 62b. Zheng Xuan (127-200 a.d.), probably the most prominent of the Han commentators, thinks that the number fifty is the sum total of the numbers of I leaven and Earth minus the five elements—since they arc already contained within I leaven and Earth. See Zhouyi Zheng{hu, 7: 89. A much later view, that of Zhu Xi, is that the number fifty is simply the product of the number five of Heaven and the number ten of Earth. See Zhouyi {he^hong, 14: 11a. 37. This paragraph originally came at the head of section nine but was moved to its present position by Cheng Yi. See note 33 above. }8. As there arc two intercalary months for every five years, so there should be two bundles of stalks placed among the five fingers of the hand— each bundle between a different pair of fingers (the final pair of "fingers" being the index finger and the thumb). 39. For the mechanics of counting the yarrow stalks, sec I low to Cast a I Icxagram, the Yarrow Stalk Method, in the introduction. These sums work only when old yang and old yin lines arc involved. Kong Yingda comments here: "For a Qian hexagram that consists of old yang lines, one line results in 36 stalks, so six lines all together result in 216 stalks----For a Kun hexagram that consists of old yin lines, one line results in 24 stalks, so six lines all together result in 144 stalks." See Zhouyi \hengyi, 7: 22a. That is, when an old yang line is formed, it requires 13 stalks (5 + 4 + 4 = 13), which, subtracted from 49 (the total number of stalks used), results in a remainder of 36, which, multiplied by 6 (lines), equals 216. When an old Commentary, Part One the total number of stalks required to produce these 192 yang lines equals 6,912. Likewise, one yin line requires 24 stalks, and 24 times 192 equals 4,608. The sum of 6,912 and 4,608 is 11,520. 41. Apparently the counting-off by fours of both groups of stalks is considered the third operation, and the placing of both remainders between the fingers is considered the fourth operation, rather than the counting off and the placing for the one group being the third and the counting off and the placing for the other being the fourth—as Wilhclm understands it. Sec The I Ching, pp. 312-313. Zhu Xi and other commentators also understand it in the same way as Han Kangbo (see Zhouyi ^he^hong, 14: 15a), so Wilhclm's interpretation seems to be without textual support. 42. If each cycle of four operations is defined as a change, then to determine one line requires three such changes. As there arc six lines, it takes eighteen changes to complete one hexagram. 43. "Synchronize himself with things" translates chou^uo, literally, "host toasts guest (chou); guest returns toast ({«o)." By extension, chou\uo came to mean "harmonious relations," "relate harmoniously with," "be in step with things," etc. I lowcver, Willard J. Peterson translates chou\uo here as "recompense (such as those who sacrifice to divinities are thought to receive]." See "Making Connections," p. 105. 44. "Render service to the numinous" translates you shen. This follows the readings of most commentators who regard you as indicative and transitive and the phrase to mean "assist spiritual forces" or "assist the gods." Peterson translates^;// shen nsyotuhen: "can be given a helping numinous quality [such as those who are protected by divinities arc thought to receive]." See "Making Connections," p. 105. 45. Much effort has been made on the part of various commentators to interpret the expression canwu, which commonly means "to intersperse (in-tcrspcrsion)," "to shuffle together (shuffling)," or "to throw things together for the sake of comparing them," as .tan 117/ ("by threes and fives") and to relate these threes and fives to the actual numbers that occur in the course of yarrow stalk manipulation, the specific operations, the number sequences, etc. Both types of interpretation are provided by (he commentaries in the Zhouyi ihe^hong, and even Zhu Xi seems to have been of two minds about it. See Zhouyi jhe^hong, 14: 18b 19a. 46. "What does it do?" translates he weqheye. This also could be construed as "Why did they [the sages] make it?" The commentary of Han Kangbo and the subcommentary of Kong Yingda (Zhouyi ihengyi, 7: 26b) support the former interpretation, but remarks by Zhu Xi seem to suggest that he understands it in terms of the latter. Sec Zhouyi ^he\hong, 14: 22a. 47. Zhu Xi interprets this line differently; he thinks that the sages used the Changes to purify their own minds. See Zhouyi \he^hong, 14: 22b and 23b. Kong Yingda's subcommentary expands upon Han's remark: "The 74 Commentary, Part One but when evil is clone, misfortune results. This means tlicy cleansed the heart and mind bent on evil." Sec Zhouyi {hrngyi, 7: 27a. Also note that Zhu Xi, as well as most Nco-Confucians of his day and later, interpret this entire passage in terms of the sages rather than the Dao of the Changes or the Changes itself. See Zhouyi {he^hong, 14: 22»-23b. 48. Sec section five earlier. 49. Kong Yingda's comment on this passage is worth quoting: "If we look at the hexagrams in terms of the yarrow stalks, we understand that the hexagrams provide images of matters that will occur in the future____If we look at the yarrow stalks in terms of the hexagrams, then what is accumulated by the yarrow stalks provides images of matters that have already happened." See Zhouyi fhengyi, 7: 27b. 50. "Who had divine martial power and yet did not indulge in killing" translates shenwu er busha {he, which Peterson renders as "and were numinous and martial but did not kill." He adds the note: "I speculate that the words 'but did not kill' are an allusion to the Changes being a divination technique which is not dependent on sacrificial victims, such as were cm-ployed in Shang times." See "Making Connections," p. 109 and p. 109 n. 59. 51. "Ins and outs" translates churu, which is likely to have the same basic meaning here as wanglai, "alternation," literally, "going back and forth" or "coming and going," i.e., the alternation of yin and yang that underlies change. 52. The Yellow River chart (Heiu) is supposed to have been inscribed on the back of a dragon-horse (tongnia) that emerged from the Yellow River at the time of the mythical sage-king Fu Xi, who modeled the eight trigrams on it. The Luo River diagram (Luoshu) was the design on the back of the spirit-tortoise (shengui) that appeared when the later sage-king Yu was controlling the flood and that Yu used as a model for the ninefold division of ancient China. lor more about these legends and their later reception, see Smith et al., Sung Dynasty Uses, pp. 175-176. 53. Sec Hexagram 14, Dayou (Great Holdings), Top Yang. 54. Sec section two of Wang Ri's General Remarks, as well as note 5 there. 55. Ibis quotes section two of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part I"wo. 56. Kong Yingda comments: "This sentence sums up the beauty of how 'the sages established images in order to express their ideas exhaustively' and 'attached phrases ... in order to exhaust what they had to say.' [By doing so) one may say that they transformed the hearts and minds of the common people, who then with such hearts and minds spontaneously fell into delighted compliance, as if it had been drumming and dancing." See Zhouyi ihengyi, 7: 31a. Commentary on the Appended Phrases [Xici zhuan], Part Two 1. When the eight trigrams formed ranks, the [basic] images were present there within them. (They provide all the [basic] im ages in the world.1} And so, when they [the sages] doubled these, the lines were present there within them. {Although the eight trigrams provide all the principles of the world, they do not extend to cover all the change connected with them. This is why they [the sage] doubled them so they could provide images for all the activi ties involved. They used comparisons with analogous things so they could clarify what was appropriate for bringing order to disorder. They observed how correspondences took place so they could bring to light the merit that results from achieving synchronicity. As a con sequence, the way concepts are contained in individual lines and the way they are contained in whole hexagrams differ. This is why the text says: "The lines were present there within them."} When they let the hard and the soft [i.e., the strong and the weak, the yang and yin trigrams] displace each other, change was present there within them. When they attached phrases to the lines and made them injunctions, the ways the lines move were present there within them. {"The hard and the soft displace each other"— this is equivalent to "the eight trigrams activate each other."2 This means either obstruction and stagnation or ease and success. They [the sages] attached phrases to them so as to make judgments about good fortune or misfortune. This is comparable to how the move ment of the six hexagram lines is always in step with the moments ~f 3 Tkr, rr,.,.----;____1____I :., .U„ ...... tl__U_____^.r, r„t 76 Commentary, Part Two stay in step with moments of time is to be seen in the line phrases. Mr. Wang's General Remarks deal with all this in detail.} Good fortune, misfortune, regret, and remorse are all generated from the way the lines move. {Only with this movement does indication of good fortune and misfortune appear.} The hard and the soft constitute the fixed bases, {The "fixed bases" are equivalent to the trigrams.} and change and consummation are represented by those entities that are in step with the moment. {"Those entities that are in step with the moment" are equivalent to the trigram lines.} Thanks to constancy, either good fortune Or misfortune prevails. {Constancy means the correct and unified, the One. No act ever stays completely clear of entanglement. One may sacrifice oneself to good fortune yet in doing so never stay free of misfortune. It takes someone who makes perfect use of change, as it governs how things come together and go smoothly, to avoid becoming entangled in good fortune and misfortune, for who else could ever achieve real constancy! The Laozi says: "A prince or noble who obtains the One uses it to provide constancy for the entire world."4 Although the myriad ways that things undergo change are all different, it is possible to control them all by cleaving to the One.} Thanks to constancy, the Dao of Heaven and Earth reveals itself. {How clear Heaven and Earth are. for of the myriad things, not one of them fails to sustain the constancy they [Heaven and Earth] provide and. in so doing, [the things] perfectly fulfill their functions.} Thanks to constancy, the Dao of the sun and the moon makes them bright. All the activity that takes place in the world, thanks to constancy, is the expression of the One. Qian being unyielding shows us how easy it is; Kun being yielding shows us how simple it is. {"Unyielding" refers to the hard aspect of the one, and "yielding" refers to the soft aspect of the other. As Qian and Kun both constantly keep their single virtues intact, things draw on both to achieve existence. Thus the one is easy, the other simple.} The lines reproduce how particular things act, and the images provide likenesses of particular things.' As the lines and images move within the hexagrams, {This refers to the mantic signs or numbers that show themselves in the hexagrams.} so do good fortune and misfortune appear outside them. {This refers to the failure and success that one experiences in matters.} Meritorious I 77 Commentary, Part Two vealed in change."} and the innate tendencies of the sages are revealed in the attached phrases. {Each of the attached phrases indicates the direction a sage would take. This is why the text says "innate tendencies."} The great virtue of 1 leaven and Earth is called "generation." {It gives life but makes no purposeful effort to do so. Thus it is able to bring about life constantly. This is why the text refers to it in terms of its "great virtue."} The great treasure of the sage is called his "position." {If something is of no use, there is nothing about it to treasure, but if it does have a use, there is something about it to treasure. Nothing is more marvelous than the Dao when it comes to being of no use and as such being always sufficient unto itself, and nothing is greater than position when it comes to being of use and as such augmenting the Dao. This is why the text says: "The great treasure of the sage is called his 'position.' "} The means by which such a one preserves this position we call "benevolence"; the means by which he gathers people to him we call "resources." {Resources are the means by which one provides for the subsis tence of things.} The regulation of resources, the rectification of pronouncements, and his preventing the people from doing wrong we call "righteousness." 2. When in ancient times Lord Bao Xi' ruled the world as sovereign, he looked upward and observed the images in heaven and looked downward and observed the models that the earth provided. I le observed the patterns on birds and beasts and what things were suitable for the land. {When the sage made the Changes, there was no great thing he did not explore to the utmost and no small thing he did not thoroughly investigate. For great things he took images from Heaven and Earth and for small things he ob served the markings on birds and beasts and what things were suitable for the land.} Nearby, adopting them from his own person, and afar, adopting them from other things, he thereupon made the eight trigrams in order to become thoroughly conversant with the virtues inherent in the numinous and the bright and to classify the myriad things in terms of their true, innate natures. He tied cords together and made various kinds of snare nets for catching animals and fish. He probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Li [Cohesion].7 {Here Li means "cling to." 78 79 Commentary, Part Two After Lord Bao Xi perished, Lord Shcn Nong8 applied himself to things. He hewed wood and made a plowshare and bent wood and made a plow handle. The benefit of plowing and hoeing he taught to the world. He probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Yi [Increase].9 {By creating implements he brought about abundance and in so doing increased the myriad things.} He had midday become market time, had the people of the world gather, had the goods of the world brought together, had these exchanged, had them then retire to their homes, and enabled each one to get what he should. I Ic probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Shihe [Bite Together].10 {Shihe means "come or bring together." It refers to how he gathered the people of the marketplace, to how he had them come together from all different directions, and to his establishment of laws that governed the assemblage of goods. This is the basic concept inherent in S/i/he.} After Lord Shcn Nong perished, the Lord Yellow Emperor, Lord Yao, and Lord Shun applied themselves to things. They allowed things to undergo the free flow of change and so spared the common folk from weariness and sloth. {As they allowed things to undergo the free flow of change, they made the use of these implements a delight, so the common folk did not become apathetic about them."} With their numinous powers they transformed things and had the common folk adapt to them. As for [the Dao of] change, when one process of it reaches its limit, a change from one state to another occurs. As such, change achieves free flow, and with this free flow, it lasts forever. {If change is allowed to flow freely, it will never be exhausted. This is why it can last forever.} This is why "Heaven will help him as a matter of course; this is good fortune, and nothing will be to his disadvantage."" The Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun let their robes hang loosely down, yet the world was well governed. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagrams Qian and Kun. {By letting their robes hang down, they distinguished noble from base. This involves the concept that Qian is noble and Kun humble.13} They hollowed out some tree trunks to make boats and whittled down others to make paddles. The benefit of boats and paddles was such that one could cross over to where it had been Commentary, Part Two this from the hexagram lluan |Dispersion).'4 {Huan means to bring about a thoroughgoing dispersal by taking advantage of the principle involved.IS} They domesticated the ox and harnessed the horse to conveyances. This allowed heavy loads to be pulled and faraway places to be reached and so benefited the entire world. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Sui [Following].1'' {Sui means "to follow or be made to follow an appropriate course." By domesticating the ox and harnessing the horse to conveyances, one has them follow in the direction one would go, so in each case one gets what is appropriate.} They had gates doubled and had watchmen's clappers struck and so made provision against robbers. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Yu [Contentment].'7 {This takes up the idea of being prepared beforehand."'} They cut tree trunks to make pestles and hollowed out the ground to make mortars. The benefit of pestles and mortars was such that the myriad folk used them to get relief from want. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Xiaoguo [Minor Superiority].'9 {This refers to providing succor through the use of things that have minor functions.} They strung pieces of wood to make bows and whittled others to make arrows. The benefit of bows and arrows was such that they dominated the world. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Kui [Contrariety].10 {Kui means "recalci trance." When people are recalcitrant, strife arises. The use of bows and arrows provides the means to gain dominance over recalci trance and strife.} In remote antiquity, caves were dwellings and the open country was a place to stay. The sages of later ages had these exchanged for proper houses, putting a ridgepole at the top and rafters below in order to protect against the wind and the rain. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Da^huang [Great Strength].1' {Proper houses are stronger and greater than cave dwellings, this is why they constructed proper houses, and they got the idea for this from Dazhuang.]1) In antiquity, for burying the dead, people wrapped them thickly with firewood and buried them out in the wilds, where 8o 8l Commentary, Part Two Commentary, Part Two I m of later ages had this exchanged for inner and outer coffins. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Daguo [Major Superiority].1' {This takes up the idea of the coffins being exceedingly thick.} In remote antiquity, people knotted cords to keep things in order. The sages of later ages had these exchanged for written tallies, and by means of these all the various officials were kept in order, and the myriad folk were supervised. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Kuai [Resolution].14 {Kuai means "to decide." Written tallies were the means by which they decided and passed judgment on the myriad affairs.} 3. This is why the Changes as such consist of images. The term image means "the making of semblances," and the Judgments deal with their materials. {Material here means "the virtue inherent in the material." The Judgments address themselves to the material out of which the hexagrams are formed in order to deal comprehensively with the concepts involved.} The lines as such reproduce every action that takes place in the world, and this is why "good fortune" and "misfortune" come about and "regret" and "remorse" appear. 4. The yang trigrams have more yin than yang lines, and the yin trigrams have more yang than yin lines.*1 What is the reason for this? The yang trigrams are odd in number, and the yin trigrams are even in number.2'1 {As the few are patriarchs of the many, so the One is he to whom the masses gravitate. Yang trigrams have two yin lines, thus the one odd one is the sovereign of it. Yin hexagrams have two yang lines, thus the one even one is the master of it.} As for their virtues and actions, what are these? {The following passage distinguishes the virtues and actions of the yang trigrams from those of the yin trigrams.} The yang trigrams consist of one sovereign and two subjects; this denotes the Dao of the noble man. The yin trigrams consist of two sovereigns and one subject; this denotes the Dao of the petty man. {Yang represents the Dao of the sovereign, and yin represents the Dao of the subject. The sovereign, through taking no purposeful action, maintains unified control over the masses. This nonpurposeful action as such is a manifestation of the One. The subject, by engaging himself in mat- drawn with a single stroke in order to show that the Dao of the sovereign must be one, and yin lines are drawn with two strokes in order to show that the substance of the subject must involve duality. This is how the yin and yang numbers provide a way to distinguish between sovereign and subject. If the sovereign is represented by a single-stroke line, this then is the virtue of the sovereign, but if a two-stroke line occupies the position of sovereign, this does not represent the Dao of the sovereign. This is why a yang trigram is referred to as "the Dao of the noble man" and a yin trigram is referred to as "the Dao of the petty man."} 5. The Changes say: "You pace back and forth in consternation, and friends follow your thoughts."27 {All the activity that takes place in the world must revert back to the One. A person who has to resort to thought to seek friends is still incapable of the One, but when he elicits a response in others with the One. they will come to him without thinking.} The Master [Confucius] said: "What does the world have to think and deliberate about? As all in the world ultimately comes to the same end, though the roads to it are different, so there is an ultimate congruence in thought, though there might be hundreds of ways to deliberate about it. So what does the world have to think and deliberate about?" {If few are involved, it will mean success, but if many are involved, then it will mean perplexity. Although the roads to it differ, where they all go to is the same place. Although deliberations may take hundreds of different forms, what they all ultimately reach admits no division. If indeed one knows what the essential is—that it is not to be found in wide searching but something strung together by the One —then, without any deliberating, he will get it completely.} When the sun goes, then the moon comes, and when the moon goes, then the sun comes. The sun and the moon drive each other on, and brightness is generated in this process. When the cold goes, then the heat comes, and when the heat goes, then the cold comes. The cold and the heat drive each other on, and the yearly seasons come into being in this process. What has gone is a contraction, and what is to come is an expansion. Contraction and expansion impel each other on, and benefits arc generated in this process. The contraction of the measuring worm is done in order to 82 Commentary, Part Two come about by entrance into the numinous [ru shen], which, once had, allows one to extend their application to the utmost. {Perfect concepts means "the profound subtlety of the principles of things." The numinous, being utterly still, does not act, but when it responds to something, that response is perfect and thoroughgoing. Thus one is able to take advantage of all the subtle secrets that underlie the world and gain unified and complete control over their applications.} The use of these applications comes about by making one's person secure, which allows for the subsequent exaltation of his virtue. {The Dao governing how to make use of applications means that one first makes one's position secure and only after that takes action. Perfect concepts derive from "entrance into the numinous, which, once had, allows one to extend their application to the utmost." The use of these applications derives from "making one's person secure, which allows for the subsequent exaltation of his virtue." As principles must derive from their progenitor, so each and every matter springs from the root. If one returns to the root of things, he will find quiescence there and discover all the world's principles available to him. However, if he enslaves his capacity for thought and deliberation just so he can seek ways to put things to use and if he disregards the need to make his person secure just so he can sacrifice himself to achievement and fine reputation, then the more the spurious arises, the more principles will be lost, and the finer his reputation grows, the more obvious his entanglements will become.} To go beyond this is something that no one has ever known how to do, for to plumb the numinous to the utmost and to understand transformation represent the very acme of virtue. The Changes say: "This one suffers Impasse on rocks, so he tries to hold on to the puncture vine for support, and then he enters his home but does not see his wife. This means misfortune."28 The Master said: "If it is not something by which one should be brought to grief yet one is brought to grief by it, one's name will surely be disgraced. If it is not something to hold on to for support yet one holds on to it, one's person will surely be put in danger. Not only disgraced but also in danger: the time of such a person's death will soon arrive, so how could he ever manage to see his wife!" The Changes say: "The duke uses this opportunity to shoot 83 Commentary, Part Two bows and arrows arc the instruments, and he who docs the shooting is a man. The noble man lays up a store of instruments in his own person and waits for the proper moment and then acts, so how could there ever be anything to his disadvantage! Here one acts without impediment; it is due to this that when one goes out, he obtains his catch. What this means is that one should act only after having first developed his instruments." {The gua [in "one acts without gua (impediment)] means "being tied up." The noble man waits for the right moment and only then acts. Thus he never has any trouble with impediments.} The Master said: "The petty man is not ashamed of being unkind, nor is he afraid of being unjust. If he does not see an advantage in something, he docs not act, and, if he is not threatened by force, he is not chastised. Tor small matters one chastises him, so that for great matters he takes warning. This is how the petty man prospers. The Changes say: 'Made to wear whole foot shackles, his toes are destroyed, but he will be without blame.''0 This is what is meant here." As for goodness, if one docs not accumulate it, there will not be enough of it to make a name for oneself, and, as for evil, if one does not accumulate it, there will not be enough of it to destroy one's life. The petty man takes small goodness to be of no advantage and so does not do it, and he takes small evil to he of no harm, so he docs not forsake it. This is why evil accumulates to the point where one can no longer keep it hidden and crimes become so great that one can no longer be exonerated. The Changes say: "Made to bear a cangue, his ears are destroyed, and this means misfortune."'1 The Master said: "To get into danger is a matter of thinking one's position secure; to become ruined is a matter of thinking one's continuance protected; to fall into disorder is a matter of thinking one's order enduring. Therefore the noble man when secure does not forget danger, when enjoying continuance does not forget ruin, when maintaining order does not forget disorder. I his is the way his person is kept secure and his state remains protected. The Changes nay: ''This might be lost, this might be lost, so tie it to a healthy, flourishing mulberry.' ",: The Master said: "If one's virtue be meager but position noble, 84 Commentary, Part Two *5 Commentary, Part Two not be outstripped. The Changes say: 'The Caldron breaks its legs and overturns all its pottage, so its form is drenched, which means misfortune.'" This speaks of someone who is unequal to his responsibilities." The Master said: "To understand incipience [ji], is this not a matter of the numinous! The noble man is not fawning toward what is above and is not contemptuous of what is below. Is this not to understand incipience! {What is above [prior to] physical form is equivalent to the Dao. and what is below [subsequent to] physical form is equivalent to concrete objects [the phenomenal world]." If one is not in silent, passive communion with the Dao but instead consciously makes demands upon it, he will never be free of fawning. If one does not detach himself from the material world but instead maintains close relations with it, he will never avoid contempt. One who is touched by neither fawning nor contempt, is this not one who has plumbed principle to its depths!35} As for incipience itself, it is the infmitesimally small beginning of action, the point at which the precognition of good fortune can occur. {Incipience is the point at which something leaves nonbeing and enters being. As it is still in the realm of principle, it lacks any phenomenal aspect, so one cannot pin it down by name, cannot perceive it by shape. It is the numinous alone that, not hurrying in the least but with all possible speed, allows perfect access to it [incipience] by just responding. Thus it is so bright and lucid that it can cast a mysterious light that finds a mirror in the prephenomenal. 'A tree as large as a man's embrace begins with the tiniest of shoots,'36 so the manifestation of good fortune and misfortune begins with the most subtle of mantic signs. Thus they are the vehicles for the precognition of good fortune.} The noble man acts upon something as soon as he becomes aware of its incipience and does not wait for the day to run its course. The Changes say: 'Harder than rock, he docs not let the day run its course. Constancy means good fortune.'" As hard as rock in the face of it, Why would he ever need to let the day run its course, For he can perceive the way things will break. {Since he determines how things will be right at their start, he The noble man grasps the infinitcsimally small and what is manifestly obvious. He understands the soft as well as the hard. So the myriad folk look to him." { This is an example of "to understand incipience, is this not a matter of the numinous!"} The Master said: "The scion of the Yan clan [Yan Hui] is just about perfect!'8 Whenever he had a misdeed, he never failed to realize it, and, realizing it, never committed it again." {When it was still in the realm of principle, it remained dark and hidden from him, but when it took shape, he realized what it was. Master Yan's capacity was such that he failed when it came to incipiency. This is why he had misdeeds. However, he was successful when it came to handling things the second time around. This is a matter of returning after not having gone far. so once he understood, he never committed them again.} I he Changes say: 'I his one returns before having gone far, so there will be no regret here, which means fundamental good fortune.{The terms Good fortune and misfortune relate to images of success and failure. The fact that one obtains the first line [of hi (Return). Hexagram 24] here indicates that, in regard to principle, the situation is not fully developed and has not yet reached its mature form, and this is why one obtains the "this one returns before having gone far." The good fortune that comes of shunning misfortune allows one to avoid "regret here" and finally obtain "fundamental good fortune." Zhi ["here"; literally, "god of the earth," i.e.. "great"] means "great."40} "Heaven and Earth mesh together, and the myriad things develop and reach perfect maturity; male and female blend essences together, and the myriad creatures are formed and come to life. The Changes say: 'If three people travel together, one person will be lost, but when one person travels, lie will find liis companion.N' This refers to the achievement of perfect unity." {Only after perfect unity has been achieved will transformation fulfill itself.} 1 he Master said: "The noble man acts only after he has made his person secure, speaks only after he has calmed his heart and mind, makes requests only after making his relationships firm. The noble man cultivates these three matters and so succeeds 8(5 Commentary, Part Two «7 Commentary, Part Two people will not join in; if one speaks out of anxiety, the people will not respond; if one has not established relationships and yet makes requests, then the people will not join with him. Since no one will join in with him, those who would harm him will surely draw near. The Changes say: 'This one brings Increase to no one, so there are those who strike at him. There is no consistency in the way he sets his heart and mind, so lie shall have misfortune.' "4J {If one empties oneself of self and preserves his sincerity, this will succeed in keeping the common folk free of defiance, but if one vexes them with his demands, this will succeed in making them uncompliant.} 6. The Master said: "Qian and Kun, do they not constitute the two-leaved gate into the Changes} Qian is a purely yang thing, and Kun is a purely yin thing. The hard and the soft exist as hexagrams only after yin and yang have combined their virtues, for it is in this way that the numbers of Heaven and Earth become embodied in them {Zhuan [enumeration or calculation] here means "numbers."43} and so perfectly realize their numinous, bright virtues. The names for them may be heterogeneous, but they stay in bounds. {As they cover all the way that change operates, their names have to be heterogeneous, but each one takes its place in order and does not transgress upon the scope of another, and this is even more true for the phrases that follow the hexagram lines.} However, in examining the categories involved, do we not find ideas associated with an age in decline?"44 {It was only after they became concerned about calamities that the sages made the Changes. With an age in decline, failure and success become all the more obvious, and it was by means of the phrases that follow the hexagram lines that they [the sages] clarified failure and success. Could this be the reason why we understand that they [the Changes] imply an age in decline?)i [examine] means something similar to kao [ponder, consider].} The Changes make evident both that which has already happened and scrutinizes what is yet to come, thus subtlety comes to light, revealing what is hidden. {For the Changes, nothing of the past remains unexposed, and nothing of the future escapes scrutiny. It is through the Changes that subtlety comes to light and the hidden becomes exposed. Chan [expose, reveal] here means "bring things and rectification of language, form decisive phrases. Thus they arc perfect and complete. {The way the elucidations interpret the lines and the hexagrams allows each hexagram to suit its name. They differentiate and clarify things in terms of principle and category; this is why they are called "decisive phrases."} The way they [the hexagrams] are named involves insignificant things, but the analogies so derived concern matters of great importance. {They rely on the images to bring the concepts to light and use the insignificant to serve as metaphors for the great.} The meanings are far-reaching, and the phrasing elegant. The language twists and turns but hits the mark. {Change and transformation lack any consistency, so no definite paradigms can be made for them. This is why the text says: "The language twists and turns but hits the mark."} The things and events dealt with are obviously set forth, but hidden implications are involved. {Things and events are obvious, but the principles involved are subtle.} One uses the concept of the two to assist the common folk in the way they behave and to clarify the retribution and reward involved with failure and success.4' {77ie two refers to failure and success. It is by using the concepts of failure and success that one may comprehensively assist the common folk in the way they behave. 1111 is. it "clarifies the retribution and reward involved with failure and sue cess." The way that this retribution and reward works is that when one is able to seize the right moment for something, he will enjoy good fortune, but if he goes against the principle involved, he will suffer misfortune.} 7. The rise of the Changes, was it not in middle antiquity?4'' Did not the makers of the Changes become concerned about calamities? {If they had not become concerned about calamities, then it would have been sufficient for them to deal with things through nonpurposeful action.} Thus, Lit [Treading, Hexagram 10] is the foundation of virtue. {A foundation is where one plants one's feet.} Qian [Modesty, Hexagram 15] is how virtue provides a handle to things. Fu [Return, Hexagram 24] is the root of virtue. {Action originates in repose, and speech begins from silence. Return signifies the beginning to which each thing reverts. Thus it is virtue in its aspect of root or origin.} Heng [Perseverance, Hexagram 32] provides virtue with steadfastness. {Steadfastness XX 89 Commentary, Part Two proliferates. {One who is able to bring increase to things is someone whose virtue is broad and great.} Kun [Impasse, I lexagram 47] is the criterion for distinguishing virtue. {The more impasse is encountered, the more virtue is apparent.} Jing [The Well, I lexagram 48] is the ground from which virtue springs. {Where a well is located does not change, so it is an image for being able to abide in one's proper place.} Sun [Compliance, Hexagram 57] is the controller of virtue. {Compliance is the way to issue commands and to clarify controls.} Lii [Treading, Hexagram 10] demonstrates how by practicing harmony one reaches goals. {To practice harmony yet fail to reach the goal is a matter of just following where things lead one, but Lii means to practice harmony and yet manage to reach the goal. Thus it constitutes a way upon which one may tread.} "Modesty provides nobility and so allows one's radiance to shine."47 Fu [Return] demonstrates how distinctions among things should be made while they are still small. {If one makes distinctions while things are still at the subtle stage, one will return "after not having gone far."48} Heng [Perseverance, Hexagram 32] demonstrates how, faced with the complexity of things, one yet does not give way to cynicism. {"Faced with the complexity of things, one yet does not give way to cynicism": this is how one is able to practice perseverance.} Sun [Diminution, Hexagram 41] demonstrates how things can first be difficult and easy later. {One leads a frugal existence in order to cultivate the self. Thus at first things are difficult. However, it is due to having cultivated the self that one stays free of calamities. Thus things are easy later.} Yi [Increase, Hexagram 42] demonstrates how one brings about growth and opulence while avoiding any contrivance to do so. {This involves procedures that are promoted to bring increase to things. This is why the text says "one brings about growth and opulence." One promotes what has to be done in accordance with things themselves and avoids any artificial contrivance.} Kun [Impasse, Hexagram 47] demonstrates how one who suffers tribulation still stays in complete control of himself. {One may find himself in poverty and misery but does not compromise his commitment to the Dao.} Jing [The Well, Hexagram 48] demonstrates how one stays in one's place and yet can transfer what one has to others. Commentary, Part Two it can transfer its benefactions elsewhere.} Sun [Compliance, Hexagram 57] demonstrates how one can weigh things while yet remaining in obscurity. {One weighs and promulgates orders and commands, yet the common folk do not know where they come from.} Lii [Treading, Hexagram 10] provides the means to make one's actions harmonious. Qian [Modesty, Hexagram 15] provides the means by which decorum exercises its control. Fu [Return, Hexagram 24] provides the means to know oneself. {This means to seek for it [the cause of failure or success]49 within oneself.} Heng [Perseverance, Hexagram 32] provides the means to keep one's virtue one. {This means to keep virtue whole and intact.} Sun [Diminution, Hexagram 41] provides the means to keep harm at a distance. {As this does not go beyond the cultivation of one's own person, one can use it to do nothing more than keep harm at a distance.} Yi [Increase, Hexagram 42] provides the means to promote benefits. Kun [Impasse, Hexagram 47] provides the means to keep resentments few. {One may have encountered impasse but is not swept away by it. neither does he hold resentment against things.} Jing [The Well, Hexagram 48] provides the means to distinguish what righteousness really is. {Do good to others but have no selfish motives. This is the way righteousness works.} Sun [Compliance, Hexagram 57J provides the means to practice improvisations. {7b improvise means "to violate accepted ways of doing things and yet stay in harmony with the Dao." One can only practice improvisation by staying in accord with the principle of compliance.} 8. As a book, the Changes is something that cannot be kept at a distance. {One should act only after he has drawn comparisons and discussed what is involved, so the Changes cannot be kept at a distance.50} As a manifestation of the Dao the Changes involves frequent shifts. Change and action never stand still but keep flowing all through the six vacancies. {"The six vacancies" are the six line positions.} Rising and falling without any consistency, the hard and the soft lines change one into the other, something for which it is impossible to make definitive laws, {That is, one cannot establish constant rules for it.} since they arc doing nothing but keeping pace with change. {In dealing with change and action, 90 9' Commentary, Part Two One uses the Changes as the standard to determine whether one should go forth or withdraw. The hexagrams make one feel caution about being abroad or staying in.'1 {This clarifies the standards for going forth and withdrawing so that one can understand the admonitions connected with being abroad and staying in. "Going forth" and "withdrawing" are like "acting" and "retiring." "Being abroad" and "staying in" are like "becoming prominent" and "going into seclusion." In Dun [Withdrawal, Hexagram 33], "a time when one distances himself from events" is taken to mean "good fortune." In Feng [Abundance. Hexagram 55], "secluded withdrawal" is taken to mean the "utmost misfortune." In Jian [Gradual Advance, Hexagram 53] "lofty prominence" is taken to mean "a fine thing." In Mingyi [Suppression of the Light. Hexagram 36] "living in obscurity" is taken to mean "it is advantageous to persevere." These are examples of admonitions connected with being abroad and staying in.} They also cast light on calamities as well as the incidents that underlie them. Incidents here means "the causes or reasons involved." Let them [the hexagrams] be there not as a teacher or guardian but rather as if it were one's parents who had drawn near! {"The noble man when secure does not forget danger, when enjoying continuance does not forget ruin."52 and "makes earnest efforts throughout the day."53 thus one cannot afford to become slack.} At first one follows their phrases and then appraises their prescriptions. After that one will find that the hexagrams do contain a constant law. {If one is able to follow their phrases and so get the measure of their concepts, if one is able to appreciate how they trace beginnings and sum up endings, then one will understand that "they are doing nothing but keeping pace with change" and that this is their "constant law." One who understands how change operates will retain its essentials. This is why the text says: "But if one is not such a person, the Dao will not operate in vain."} But if one is not such a person, the Dao will not operate in vain. 9. As a book, the Changes takes the plumbing of beginnings and the summing up of endings as its material. {Material here means "embodiment" [of change, i.e., the hexagrams]. A hexagram unites a concept as it progresses from its beginning to its end point.} The way the six lines mix in together is due to the fact that they are nothing other than momentary things. {Each line depends on Commentary, Part Two roots and branches [i.e., causes and effects, origins and endings]. I he phrases attached to the first lines draw comparisons with things, about which the ending ones formulate conclusions. {Events begin in subtlety and later develop into the obvious. First lines, as the beginnings of calculations, draw comparisons and discuss the first stages involved. Thus they are difficult to understand. Top lines are the endings of hexagrams, where the events involved have all matured and become obvious. Thus they are easy to understand.} As for complicated matters, the calculation" of the virtues and the determination of the rights and wrongs involved could not be complete without the middle lines. Ah! If one actually were to sum up the chances for survival or destruction and good fortune or bad in this way, he could, even without stirring, understand what they will be! One who has such understanding has but to look at the hexagram Judgments to have his thought cover more than half of what is involved! {TheJudgments focus on the unifying principles that establish the images and discuss the concepts connected with the middle lines. It is by means of their tight grip that they preserve wide ranging meanings, and it is by means of their simplicity that they bring together all the different aspects of things. When one calculates the virtues of complicated matters, it is by means of the One that one can string them together [i.e., discern the unity in them]. Things of the phenomenal world have for their progenitor the Dao. and what all such things revert back to is the One. The more complicated things are. the more prone one is to become bogged down in concrete objects [the phenomenal world], but the tighter the grip that one has on the principles involved, the closer one will shift toward the Dao. In the way they deal with concepts, the Judgments depend on the One, and in the way it functions, the One is identical to the Dao. It is in what is prior to physical form that one can discern the Dao. so is it not indeed appropriate that the Judgments provide one with more than a fifty percent advantage!} The second and the fourth lines involve the same kind of merit {Their yin merit is identical.} but differ as to position, {There is the difference between inner and outer trigrams.} so the respective good of each is not the same. Second lines usually concern honor, {Second lines occupy positions of harmony and centrality. 92 Commentary, Part Two positions are immediately next to the rulers of the hexagrams [the fifth lines].} Thus for the most part they involve fear. In terms of its Dao, the soft or yielding does not find it beneficial to be distant. Its main tenet is to remain "without blame," and its function is to be soft or yielding and be centrally placed. {That fourth lines often involve fear is because they are near to the rulers. In terms of its Dao, the soft or yielding has to provide aid and assistance. Thus there is no benefit for it to be distant. Second lines are able to be "without blame" by being soft or yielding and being centrally placed.} The third and the fifth lines involve the same kind of merit {Their yang merit is identical.} but differ as to position. {There is the difference between nobility and servility.} Third lines usually concern misfortune, while fifth lines usually concern achievement, this because of the different levels involved, the one lofty and noble and the other lowly and servile. To be soft and yielding here surely involves danger, whereas to be strong and hard surely means success. {The third and the fifth being yang positions are not for the soft and yielding [yin lines], so if they locate themselves there, it will mean danger. But if instead these positions are occupied by the hard and strong [yang lines], they will be up to the responsibilities inherent in them. What imbues the hard and the strong with nobility is the way they ward off depravity and preserve sincerity, how they act in such a way that they never violate their moral integrity. What imbues the soft and yielding with nobility is the way they embrace things widely and sustain a position of cen-trality, how they submit to others in such a way that they never lose their perseverance. If one uses his hardness and strength to engage in criminality, this is not the true Dao of the hard and the strong. If one uses his softness and submissiveness to engage in ignoble servility, this is not the true Dao of the soft and the yielding.} 10. As a book, the Changes is something which is broad and great, complete in every way. There is the Dao of Heaven in it, the Dao of Man in it, and the Dao of Earth in it. It brings these three powers together and then doubles them. This is the reason for there being six lines. What these six embody are nothing other than the Dao of the three powers. {What Explaining the Trigrams [Shuo gua] has to say about this is indeed complete!} 93 Commentary, Part Two sist of different classes, we refer to them as "things." {Classes mean categories. Qian [Pure Yang. Hexagram I] is a yang thing. Kun [Pure Yin, Hexagram 2] is a yin thing. The moving lines belong to either the yin or the yang category; it is in consequence of this that they acquire hard or soft functions. This is why the text says: "Since the moving lines consist of different classes, we refer to them as 'things.' "} Since these things mix in together, we refer to these as "patterns." {The hard and the soft intermingle just as black [the color of Heaven] and yellow [the color of Earth] form combinations.} When these patterns involve discrepancies, fortune is at issue there." 11. The rise of the Changes, was it not just at the end of the Yin [Shang] era when the virtue of the Zhou had begun to flourish, just at the time when the incident between King Wen and King Zhou was taking place?'" {It was due to King Wen's flourishing virtue that he suffered such hardship and distress and yet was able to make the Dao prevail. Thus the text here praises the virtue of King Wen in order to clarify the Dao of change.} This is why King Wen's phrases [i.e., the Judgments] arc concerned with danger. {It was King Wen's experience with King Zhou that imbued his Judgments with danger.} Being conscious of danger allows one to find peace and security, but to be easy brings about downfall. {Easy here means "easygoing, careless."} The Dao involved here is so very great that its sustenance of everything never fails. It instills a sense of fearful caution about things from beginning to end, and its essential purpose is to permit people to be "without blame." This is what the Dao of the Changes means. {When patterns involve discrepancies, fortune becomes at issue there. Consequently, one who would have his continuance preserved shall perish, but one who remains mindful of the possibility of perishing shall survive, and one who would maintain his control over things shall end in chaos, but one who remains mindful of danger shall find security. By having "a sense of fearful caution about things from beginning to end," one is always brought back to where he is "without blame." The dynamics that give rise to security and danger are embodied in the sum and substance of the lines and images.} 12. Qian is the strongest thing in the entire world, so it should always be easy to put its virtue into practice. Thus one knows 94 Commentary, Part Two put its virtue into practice. Thus one knows whether or not there are going to be obstacles.'7 The one is able to delight hearts and minds, and the other is able to refine the concerns of the feudal lords.'8 {Feudal lords are proprietary masters who exercise power. This means: "The one is able to delight the hearts and minds of the myriad folk, and the other is able to refine the sense of responsibility of those in power."} The Dao of change is what determines all the good fortune and misfortune that take place in the world; it is that which allows the world to realize all its unceasing and untiring efforts. Therefore, as speech and deed are subject to change and transformation, auspicious endeavors result in blessings, matters rendered into images provide understanding of concrete things, and the practice of divination allows one to know the future. {The fact that speech and deed are subject to change and transformation means that if one engages in auspicious activities, he will reap a reward of blessings; if he observes the way matters are rendered into images, he will know the methods of constructing concrete objects; and if he savors the practice of divination, he will witness experiences that are about to happen in the future.} I leaven and Earth established the positions of things, and the sages fully realized the potential inherent in them. {The sages availed themselves of the Tightness of Heaven and Earth and so had each of the myriad things realize its potentiality.} Whether consulting with men or consulting with spirits, they allowed the ordinary folk to share in these resources. {"Consulting with men" is equivalent to discussing things with the mass of people in order to determine the chances for failure and success. "Consulting with spirits" is equivalent to resorting to divination in order to examine the possibilities for good fortune and misfortune. Without enslaving their capacity for thought and deliberation, failure and success thus came to light by themselves, and. without belaboring their capacity for study and examination, good fortune and misfortune made themselves known. They [the sages] categorized the innate tendencies of the myriad things and thoroughly explored the reasons that underlie the most obscure and most profound of things. This is why. as the ordinary folk were allowed to share in these resources, they "delighted in being their [the sages'] advocates and never tired of 95 Commentary, Part Two selves to us in terms of the innate tendencies of things. {The phrases60 used involve either danger or ease, and in each case they get at the true innate tendency involved.} The hard and soft lines intermingle and take up positions, thus allowing good fortune and bad to be seen. Change and action speak to us in terms of the expression "advantageous." {When change occurs, be thoroughly commensu rate with it, for this will exhaust the advantage in it.} Good fortune and misfortune shift from one to the other in accordance with the innate tendencies involved. {There is nothing fixed about good fortune and misfortune, as they are only the results of how men act. If the tendency is to stay in accord with principle, this will result in a disposal toward good fortune, but if the tendency is to go against the Dao. this will result in a fall into misfortune. This is why the text says: "Good fortune and misfortune shift from one to the other in accordance with the innate tendencies involved."} Therefore, it is when the covetous and the hateful make their attacks that good fortune and misfortune are produced. {If things go along smoothly together without any differentiation, what good fortune or misfor tune could possibly occur? "It is only after the covetous and the hateful make their attacks" that discord and accord differentiate from each other, and this is why the text says: "Good fortune and misfor tune are produced."} It is when the distant and the contiguous try to seize each other that regret and remorse arc produced. {"Seize each other" is like saying "make each the possession of the other." Only after lines that are distant and lines that are contiguous try to seize and possess each other do "regret" and "remorse" come into being.} It is when true innate tendencies and spurious counter-tendencies work their influence that advantage and harm are produced. {If things respond to true innate tendencies, "advantage" will obtain, but if things respond to spurious counter tendencies, "harm" will prevail.} For all the tendencies inherent in change, whenever the contiguous do not serve each other's interests, this is termed "misfortune." {"The contiguous" is equiva lent to "lines that form contiguous pairs." The tendencies inherent in change are such that when hard and soft lines stroke each other, it indicates a state in which change and action are in step, but "when ever the contiguous do not serve each other's interests," there is j6_ Commentary, Part Two mutual accord exists but results in "misfortune" indicate an inherent untimeliness. If one examines all such occasions in terms of the matters that comprise them, what they mean will become readily apparent.} Even when something might have caused harm [but did not], this is still an occasion for remorse and regret. {If one does not set himself up in opposition to things and, as a consequence, manages perfectly to fulfill the Dao of compliance, how then could there ever be anything that might harm him? [If. however, one does not manage to do this,]61 even though he is able to extricate himself from such situations, he is sure to experience "remorse" and "regret." "Might have" expresses the idea that harm could potentially have happened.} The words of someone who is about to revolt have a sense of shame about them; the words of someone who entertains doubts in his innermost mind tend to prevaricate; the words of a good person are few; the words of an impatient and impetuous person are many; the words of someone who tries to slander good people tend to vacillate; and the words of someone who has neglected his duty or lost his integrity tend to be devious. NOTES 1. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Han Kangbo. 2. Sec section one of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One. 3. Cf. "The movement of the six hexagram lines embodies the Dao of the three ultimates," section two of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One. 4. Luoji, section 39, p. 106. Constancy (\hen) here is usually glossed as "correct" ({heng), or, more precisely, as "the provider of correctness," "the rectifier," i.e., the sovereign or true ruler. 5. Kong Yingda comments: "Here we have an explanation of what the term 'line* means. It says that the lines reproduce the change and actions that particular things undergo, and [for the images]... it says that they provide likenesses of the appearance and shape of particular things." See Zhouyi {hengyi, 8: 3b. It also may be possible to translate the text here as: "The lines reproduce the action of the one \Qian, Pure Yang, Heaven], and 97 Commentary, Part Two 6. Bao Xi (or I'll Xi) is the mythological emperor of remote antiquity who, in addition to having invented the trigrams, is also supposed to have taught humans how to domesticate animals. Sec the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One, note 53. 7. I lexagram 30, J.i (Cohesion) =§§, consists of Ingram I.i doubled and is supposed to resemble the pattern in the mesh of nets. 8. Shen Nong, literally "Divine Husbandman," is said to have taught humans agriculture. 9. Hexagram 42, Yi (Increase) O, consists of trigrams Z/icn (Quake) below and Sun (Compliance) above. The two top unbroken lines arc supposed to represent the hands grasping the plow handle, the three middle broken lines the curve of the extended handle, and the one unbroken line at the bottom the plowshare itself. The top part penetrates the earth, and the bottom part moves through it. 10. Hexagram 21, Shihe (Bite Together) =f, consists of the trigrams Zhen (Quake) below, which here seems to signify the bustle of the marketplace), and Li (Cohesion), representing the sun, above. 11. "They allowed things to undergo the free flow of change" translates long qi nian. However, perhaps hian here might also be translated as "develop": "They allowed these things [the implements invented by Bao Xi and Shen Nong] to develop to the full extent of their potentiality." 12. Sec I lexagram 14, Dayou (Great I loldings), Top Yang. 13. Kong Yingda is more specific: "Hitherto people clothed themselves in skins that were cut in a short and meager fashion. Now people wore garments woven from silk, hemp, and cotton cloth that were cut in a long and generous fashion. This is why the text says: 'Let their robes hang down.' . . . Clothing distinguishes the noble from the base. Qian and Kun refer to the fact that those above and those below arc different in substance. This is why the text says: 'They probably got the idea for this from the hexagrams Qian and Kun.' " See Zhouyi thengyi, 8: fib. There arc two implications here: (1) Yao and Shun, in contrast to an earlier primitive, coarse age, represent an age of culture and refinement, a noble age. (2) The truly noble can wear long robes, because they do not rush around in purposeful action, and it is this that distinguishes them from the mean and vulgar, who, in effect, have to "roll up their sleeves" to gel things done. This second implication usually figures in later commentaiics on ibis passage. Zhu Xi, for instance, says of it: "Qian and Kun undergo change and transformation, but they do not engage in purposeful action." See Zhouyi fhefhong, 1 y. 8b. 14. Hexagram 59, Huan (Dispersion) H, consists of trigrams Kan (Sink I lole), representing water, below and Sun (Compliance), representing wood and wind, above. 15. Kong Yingda likens this to how "oars take advantage of water in 9» Commentary, Part Two is supposed to convey the image of oxen and horses willingly submitting to human commands in front (above) to pull loads and passengers behind (below) and, by so submitting, pleasing those in command. 17. Hexagram id, Yu (Contentment) if, consists of trigrams ATu/i (Pure Yin), signifying the Earth and also "Closed Door," below and 7,hen (Quake), signifying thunder, above. Zhen as thunder is supposed to suggest the sound of the watchman's clapper outside (above), and the "Closed Door" is supposed to suggest the secure household behind doubled doors inside (below). 18. The graphs for Yu (Contentment) and another character yu (beforehand) are often written for each other; this is the basis for i lan's comment here. 19.1 lexagram 62, Xiaoguo (Minor Superiority) if, consists of trigrams Gen (Restraint), meaning "mountain," below and Zhen (Quake), "thunder," above. This suggests the movement of the pestle and the stillness of the mortar. 20. Hexagram 38, Km(Contrariety) Sf, consists of trigrams Dm'(Joy) below and Li (Cohesion), "sun, fire," above. Fire is something that provokes fear (domination), and this provides the protection those below need to (eel happy and secure. 11. Hexagram 34, Dazhuang (Great Strength) =i, consists of trigrams Qian (Pure Yang), "Heaven" and "the hard," below and Zhen (Quake), "thunder," "movement," above. Above wind and rain move, and below the hard (sturdy) house endures. 22. The da in Dazhuang means "great," and the zhuang means "strong." I Jan has simply taken the literal meaning of the two characters to explain how the sages got the idea of proper houses from the hexagram. 2). I lexagram 28, Daguo (Major Superiority) if, consists of trigrams Sun (Compliance), "wood," below and Dui (Joy), "lake or marsh," above. The four unbroken lines in the middle and the top and bottom broken lines arc supposed to suggest the hard (solid) coffins surrounded by soft (loose) earth. 24. Hexagram 43, AW (Resolution) II, consists of trigrams Qian (Pure Yang), "Heaven," "the hard," below and A/i (Joy), "lake or marsh," above. It is because Am supplies the phonetic element in shut (ordcr)AAuo (speak) that it is associated with speech and communication—as well as with writing (shu). Qian suggests the hard and durable nature of a physical tally and the trust that it signifies. 25. The yang trigrams are Zhen ==, Kan S3, and Gen ==; the yin trigrams are Sun ==, Z/'hh, and Dui as. Of course, Qian, which consists entirely of yang lines, and Kun, which consists entirely of yin lines, are not included in this consideration: Qian is a yang trigram, and Kun is a yin trigram. 26. Since a broken or yin line consists of two strokes and an unbroken line of one stroke, all the yang trigrams consist of five strokes, and five is an odd, yang number. All the yin trigrams consist of four strokes, and four is .111 even, yin number. _99_ Commentary, Part Two 27. Sec Hexagram 31, Xian (Reciprocity), Fourth Yang. 28. See Hexagram 47, Kun (Impasse), Third Yin. 29. Sec Hexagram 41, Xie (Release), Top Yin. 30. Sec Hexagram 21, Shihe (Mite Together), First Yang. 31. See Hexagram 21, Shihe (Bite Together). Top Yang. 32. See Hexagram 12, Pi (Obstruction), Fifth Yang. 33. Sec f lexagram ^o, Ding (The Caldron), Fourth Yang; see also notes 13 and 14 there for alternate interpretations of Fourth Yang. 34. This paraphrases section twelve of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One. 35. Kong Yingda's remarks on this passage simply expand upon I lan's commentary and arc in complete agreement with it. I lowever, later commentators, notably Zhu Xi, do not interpret "the above" (shang) as equivalent to the Dao and "the below" (xia) as equivalent to the phenomenal world but, respectively, as "superiors" and "subordinates, inferiors": "In relations with one's superiors, it is best to be reverential and modest. I low-ever, if one is reverential, this is dose lo fawning. In relations with one's inferiors, it is best to be amiable and cordial. However, if one is amiable, this is close to contempt. As reverence and fawning, on the one hand, and amiability and contempt, on the other, arc so close to each oilier, ii only takes the slightest thing to have the one degenerate into the other." See Zhouyi ihezhong, 15: 21b. This slight difference is the incipient difference between them, and it takes the noble man to understand thai difference, i.e., "to understand incipience." 36. Laofi, section 64, p. 166. 37. See Hexagram 16, Yu (Contentment), Second Yin. "Harder than rock" translates jieyu ]. 8. Only after things have been domesticated can nourishment be had. 'This is why Daxu is followed by Yi (Nourishment, Hexagram 27]. Yi here means "yang" |to nourish]. If there is no nourishment, there can be no action. This is why Yi is followed by Daguo [Major Superiority, Hexagram 28]. {If nourishment does not occur, one will be incapable of action, but if nourishment reaches superior proportions, one will be amply prepared for it.} One cannot stay forever in a state of superiority. This is why Daguo is followed by [Xi|Kan [(Constant) Sink Hole, I lexagram 29]. Kan here indicates a pit. {One whose superiority knows no limits will encounter a pitfall.} Once so entrapped, there is sure to be something to catch hold of. This is why Kan is followed by Li [Cohesion, Hexagram jo], /./here means "//" [clinging]. io<5 Providing the Sequence {When something reaches its ultimate point, it undergoes change, so when such entrapment reaches its limit, it is converted into something to which one can cling.} Part Two i. Only after there were Heaven and Earth were there the myriad things. Only after there were the myriad things were there male and female. Only after there were male and female were there husband and wife. Only after there were husband and wife were there father and child. Only after there were father and child were there sovereign and minister. Only after there wore sovereign and minister were there superiors and subordinates. Only after there were superiors and subordinates did propriety and righteousness have a medium in which to operate. {This ad dresses the concept underlying Xian [Reciprocity. Hexagram 31 ]. In general, what Providing the Sequence of the Hexagrams brings to light does not extend to the arcane source of the Changes, for it merely follows the sequence of the hexagrams and relies on the sequence to clarify what the hexagrams mean. Xian [Reciprocity ^] consists of a soft trigram above and a hard trigram below. "The two kinds of material force [qi] stimulate and respond and so join together."9 Of all the images of husband and wife, none is more beautiful than this! Nothing in the Dao of human relationships is greater than the relationship between husband and wife. It is due to it that we have the earnestness and civility between father and son [and in the other relationships]. As this profoundly states the concept underlying Xian, it elevates the relationship between husband and wife to progenitor of all human relationships, and so one does not attach these remarks to Li [Cohesion]. Earlier Confucians regarded the text from Qian [Pure Yang, Hexagram I ] to Li [Cohesion, Hexagram 30] as the first half of the Classic of Changes and to be concerned with the Dao of Heaven and that from Xian [Reciprocity. Hexagram 3 I] to Weiji [Ferrying Incomplete. Hexagram 64] as the second half and to be concerned with the Dao of Mankind. In the Changes, the six lines form the hexagrams in such a way that the three powers [Heaven, Earth, and Man] all have to be complete in them. These replicate change and transformation by intricately weaving Heaven and Man together.10 so how could it be possible to shunt apart the Dao of Heaven and the affairs of mankind to a first and a second half of the 107 Providing the Sequence work! To do so is to safeguard what the text says to the neglect, of seeking what it means, an error that put them far wide of the mark!} 1 he Dao of husband and wife cannot fail to be long enduring. This is why Xian is followed by Heng [Perseverance, I lexagram 32]. Heng here means "long enduring." 2. 1 lungs cannot long abide where they are located. This is why Heng is followed by Dun [Withdrawal, I lexagram \ \\. Dun here means "retreat." {In the Dao of husband and wife, persever ance is esteemed, but a creature cannot exercise such persever ance about the place in which to abide, for its suitability goes up and down with worldly conditions; there are times when one should withdraw.} Things cannot be in withdrawal forever. {Withdrawal is the means by which the noble man distances himself from petty men. Only by withdrawing will he later prevail, so how could he remain in such a state forever! If he were to do so. petty men would thrive and superior men would daily diminish in number.} This is why Dun is followed by Da\huang [Great Strength, I lexagram 34]. {With the waxing of yang. there is a waning of yin. Here we have the ascendancy of the Dao of the nobleman } Things cannot remain strong forever. This is why Da\huang is followed by fin [Advance, I lexagram 35]. {Jin means "to advance using soft mcth ods."} Jin here means "to advance." {Although this is "advance using soft methods." the main thing is that this is still "advance."} Going forward is sure to involve getting wounded. This is why Jin is followed by Mingyi [Suppression of the Light, I lexagram 36]. {When the sun reaches mid sky. it starts its decline, and it is at full strength when it suffers eclipse.} Yi'here means "wounding." When one is wounded abroad, he is sure to return to his own home. This is why Mingyi is followed by Jiaren [The family, I lexagram 37]. {When one is wounded abroad, he is sure to re turn to convalesce at home.} 3. When the Dao of" the family is completely exhausted, there is sure to be discord. {If a family is very intimate and loving, its failure will be due to a neglect of integrity and honor. This is why jiaren in conceptual terms only advocates strictness and reverence. However, "if the music is overwhelming, this will lead to laxity, but if decorum is overwhelming, this will lead to estrangement."" As jiaren places exclusive emphasis on strictness, failure here is sure to stem from discord.} This is why Jiaren is followed by Kui [Contrariety, Hexagram 38). Kui here means "discord." When there is io8 Providing the Sequence contrariety, there is sure to be adversity. This is why Kui is followed by Jian [Adversity, Hexagram 39]. Jian here means "trouble." Things cannot remain in trouble. This is why Jian is followed by Xie [Release, I lexagram 40]. Xie here means "huan" [go slow, take it easy]. 4. With relaxation, there is sure to be neglect. This is why Xie is followed by Sun [Diminution, Hexagram 41]. I( diminution keeps going on and does not stop, this is sure to lead to increase. This is why Sun is followed by Yi [Increase, Hexagram 42]. If increase keeps going on and does not stop, there is sure to be a breakthrough. (If something increases without ever stopping, surfeit will result. As a result of this, "there is sure to be a breakthrough."} This is why Yi is followed by Kuai [Resolution, Hexagram 43]. Kuai here means "breakthrough." With resolution, one is sure to encounter opportunity. {If one uses rightness to break through or resolve evil, one will be sure to encounter happy opportunities.} This is why Kuai is followed by Gou [Encounter, I lexagram 44]. Gou here means "to meet." Only after things meet is there a gathering. This is why Gou is followed by Cm [Gathering, Hexagram 45]. Cm here means "to gather." To gather and build upward is called "climbing." This is why Cutis followed by Shcng [Climbing, Hexagram 46]. If climbing goes on and does not stop, there is sure to be impasse. This is why Sheng is followed by Kun [Impasse, I lexagram 47] When impasse is met with above, there is sure to be a turnabout downward. This is why Kun is followed by Jing [The Well, Hexagram 48]. (1. The Dao of wells cannot help but involve radical change. {After a long time, a well becomes fouled, so then one should renovate it completely.} This is why Jing is followed by Ge [Radical Change, Hexagram 49]. 7. For effecting a radical change in things, there is nothing as good as a caldron. This is why Ge is followed by Ding [The Caldron, I lexagram 50]. {"Ge [Radical Change] means 'get rid of the old'; Ding [The Caldron] means 'take up the new.' Once one has gotten rid of the old, one ought to "fashion ceremonial vessels and establish laws"13 in order to gain control over the new state of affairs. The caldron is the means by which one brings harmony to the living creatures and keeps them well regulated.14 It is the vessel associated with the accomplishment of a new order, and this is why 109 Providing the Sequence one takes this image from it.ls for taking charge of such vrssrls, no one is more appropriate than the eldest son. This is why Ding is followed by Z/ien [Quake, Hexagram SI]."'Zhenhero signifies move ment. Things cannot be kept in a state of movement forever but eventually are brought to a stop. This is why Z/ien is followed by Gen [Restraint, Hexagram 52]. Gen here means "to stop." Things cannot remain in a state of Restraint forever. This is why Gen is followed by Jian [Gradual Advance, Hexagram S3]. Jian here means "to advance." Advance is sure to involve being restored to one's home. This is why Jian is followed by Guimci [Marrying Maiden, (lexagram 54].17 When one manages to be restored to his proper place, he is sure to enjoy greatness. I his is why Guimci is followed by Feng [Abundance, Hexagram 55]. Feng here means "to grow great."} 8. When one exhausts the potential to grow great, he is sure to lose his position. This is why Feng is followed by /.//' [The Wanderer, Hexagram 56]. When one is a wanderer, he has nowhere to be taken in. This is why I.ii is followed by Sun [Compliance, I lexagram 57]. {If "one is a wanderer" and "has nowhere to be taken in," he will only succeed in gaining entrance and egress by using compliance.} Compliance provides entrance. Only alter gaining such entry will one find delight in it. This is why Sun is followed by Dui [Joy, Hexagram 58]. Dui here means "delight." Having found such delight, one now disperses it. This is why Dui is followed by Huan [Dispersion, Hexagram {Though delightful, one may not enter into biased relationships. This is why one here ought to disperse.} Huan [Dispersion] involves separation or estrangement. {Huan means "to start out and go along with facility free of all impediment." As a result, one here utterly transcends all restraints and does not turn back, but this inevitably leads to estrangement.} 9. People cannot remain in a state of estrangement forever. This is why Huan is followed by Jie [Control, Hexagram 60). {If in the handling of affairs there is this control, it will be maintained together by people, who then will not become estranged and break up.} Once there is such control, people will have trust in it. This is why //c is followed by Zhongfu (Inner Trust, Hexagram 61). {Fu means "trust." Once control already exists, one ought then to have trust in it and so maintain it.} One who enjoys such trust will be sure to put it to use. 'This is why Zhongfu is followed by no Providing the Sequence Xiaoguo [Minor Superiority, I lexagram 62]. {If one just works at maintaining this trust, he will neglect the Dao of "practicing constancy without being stubborn."18 Nevertheless, with this trust he should achieve some superiority.} This is why it is called "Minor Superiority." Once there is superiority over creatures [the masses, i.e., "subjects"], one is sure to ferry them [across troubles, i.e., "rescue them"]. {It is by conduct superior in its respect and by decorum superior in its economy that one can reform the world and encourage good customs. This is how one gains the wherewithal to become a ferry.} This is why Xiaoguo is followed by Jiji [Ferrying Complete, Hexagram 6}]. Creatures [the masses, i.e., "subjects"] must never be hard-pressed. This is why Jiji is followed by IVciji [Ferrying Incomplete, Hexagram 64], with which the hexagrams come to an end. {If one must resort to purposeful action to try to ferry creatures [across troubles], that means that one has already made them hard pressed. When creatures are hard pressed, opposition occurs, and when one's achievements peak, chaos starts to ensue. How could anyone ever serve as a ferry that way? "This is why jiji is followed by Weiji [Ferrying Incomplete]."} NOTES 1. The quote is from Hexagram }, Zhun (Hirth Throes), Commentary on (lie Judgments. 2. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by I Ian Kangbo. j. When Dao is capitalized, it indicates the Cosmic Dao, the Moral Dao, the Dao of the noble man, the Way; dan, on the other hand, indicates the way things are or operate for ordinary, lesser, or even evil events and processes—for instance, the "dao of the petty man." 4. "Great thoroughfare" translates datong, as it appears in the Zhuangp, where it is used to mean the Dao on a grand scale, the Great Dao in the perfection of its operation. As such, the expression in other texts—including the Changes and its commentaries—often seems to mean "everything (right) goes smoothly." Sec Zhuang^i yinde, 19/6/92. 5. Lii is the modern pronunciation; the duyin or reading pronunciation is //, which makes it a homonym of //, propriety (they were also apparently homonyms in antiquity). This may be the simple basis of identifying "treading" with "propriety," though lii (treading) as a noun also means shoe or Providing the Sequence foot cover, and one theory is that such foot covers indicate propriety. The Song dynasty commentator on the Changes, Xiang Anshi (d. llo8, a contemporary of Zhu Xi) offers another suggestion: " 'Treading' is not directly equivalent to 'propriety,' but where one should tread is never outside the bounds of propriety. If it is outside its bounds, it is not a place where one ought to tread." See Zhouyi ^he^hong, 18: 3a. 6. Following Kong Yingda's comments. Sec Zhouyi zhengyi, 9: 1 il> 12.1. 7. I he Song era commentator Xiang Anshi attempts to explain the connection between "oversee" and "great": "Lin is not to be glossed simply as 'great,' for'great' here refers to those above overseeing those below, or the great overseeing the small. Whenever Lin [Overseeing] is involved, it always concerns the affairs of the great, and this is why the\evm great is used to explain it here. ()nly if Lin means greatness the way Feng [Abundance, I lexagram 55] means greatness, could one truly gloss it with the Xcrmgreat as such." Sec Zhouyi {he^hong, 18: 4a. 8. Hexagram 23, Bo ||, consists of one positive line in the top, sixth place and five negative lines; I lexagram 24, /■'// (Return) II, consists of one positive line in the bottom, first place and five negative lines. As a pair, these two hexagrams form a continuum in which the one positive line from the top of I lexagram 23 "returns" to the bottom of I lexagram 24. 9. Sec Hexagram 31, Xian (Reciprocity), Commentary on the Judgments. 10. 'This alludes to a passage in section ten of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One: "It is by interspersing numbers that change proceeds. I he numbers are combined in the various ways, which exhaust all aspects of change, and, in consequence, the hexagrams form the patterns of I leaven and Earth." it. /.///(Hook of rites), 37: 11b. 12. Sec the I lexagrams in Irregular Order. 13. See Wang Hi's commentary on I lexagram 50, Ding, the Judgment. 14. "Brings harmony and keeps well regulated" translates heji, which often means "blend ingredients"—as in cooking or concocting medicines. However, it is likely that Han is using heji in another sense here, as it appears for instance in the Xun\i(The teachings of Master Xun |Xun Qing, ca. 300-230 B.C.]): "[The petty man] docs not have it in him to follow the lead of an enlightened sovereign above, nor docs he have it in him to bring harmony to the common folk and keep them well regulated below." Sec-Wang, Xuniijijie, 5:56.1 lan's statement has hejishengwu (brings harmony to the living creatures and keeps them well regulated) and the statement in the Au/ifihas heji haixing (brings harmony to the common folk and keeps them well regulated). 15. Ding arc the bronze ceremonial vessels that were often cast to commemorate events in ancient China, including enfeoffment of nobles, successions or appointments of individuals to noble rank and office, ascensions to rulership, etc., all of which signify new beginnings. Asa ceremonial ves- I I 2 Providing the Sequence sol, the ding also symbolized stewardship of tlic slate. Although I Ian, following Wang Bi (sec Wang's commentary to I lexagram 50), interprets Ding in tlicsc terms, later commentators (Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, for instance) emphasize instead the fact that the ding arc cooking vessels—the "renewal" they bring about is the new (cooked) form of the raw food prepared in them. Sec Zhouyi \hr\hnng, 7: 12a 12b. 16. Zhtn (Quake) H consists of a doubling of the trigram Zhen, also Quake. It is associated with the Iildest Son. See section ten of Explaining the Trigrams. 17. Here "Marrying Maiden" might be construed as "Maiden who restores herself (goes) to her |husband'sj home." 18. Lunyu (Analects) 15:36: "The noble man practices constancy without being stubborn." The Hexagrams in Irregular Order [Zagua] {Hexagrams in Irregular Order mixes all the hexagrams together and creates an intricate weave out of their concepts, in some cases establishing a mutual category on the basis of similarities and in others letting the concepts clarify each other on the basis of differences.1} Qian [Pure Yang, Hexagram 1) is hard and firm, Kun [Pure Yin, Hexagram 2] soft and yielding; Bi \ Closeness, Hexagram 8] involves joy, »M/[Tlic Army, I lexagram ~j\ dismay. {Affability and closeness involve joy, and a mobilization of the masses involves dismay.} The concepts underlying Lin [Overseeing, I lexagram 19] and Guan [Viewing, I lexagram 20] in some cases mean "provide" and in others "seek." {If one stirs oneself to oversee oth ers. this is referred to as "provide," but if othct s come to view oneself, this is referred to as "seek."} Zhun [Hirth Throes, Hexagram }| means "making an appearance in such a way that one does not lose one's place"; {With Zhun, "it is fitting to establish a chief."' for "this is a time for the noble man to weave the fabric of govern ment."' Although he has made his appearance, he hesitates before difficulties, but fittingly he practices constancy so does not lose his position/} Meng [Juvenile Ignorance, Hexagram 4] indicates confusion first, followed by a coming to prominence. {Con fused, one does not know how to become established. But if one seeks to come out of his juvenile ignorance, he will in the end find the means to establish himself. Prominence here means "to become established."} Zhen [Quake, Hexagram 511 means "a start," Gen [Restraint, Hexagram 52] "a stop." And Sun [Diminution, Hexagram 41) and Yi [Increase, Hexagram 42] are the beginnings of prosperity and decline. {When Diminution reaches its The Hexagrams in Irregular Order 7 he Hexagrams in Irregular Order limit. Increase occurs, and when Increase reaches its limit. Diminution occurs.} Daxu [Great Domestication, Hexagram 26] is a matter of timeliness; {One domesticates when the time is tight for it. thus it can be done in great measure.} Wuwang [No Errancy, Hexagram 251 exposes one to calamity. {In the world of No Errancy, errancy leads to calamity.} Cut[Gathering, I lexagram 45] means "to collect together," and Sheng [Climbing, I lexagram 46] means "not to come back." {Come [lai] here means "return." Since one is now engaged in climbing upward, it means he cannot return.} Qjan |Modcsty, Hexagram 15] involves taking oneself lightly, and Yu [Contentment, Hexagram iii] involves sloth. {A modest person does not engage in self importance.} Shihe [Bite Together, Hexagram 21] means "eat up," and Bi [Elegance, Hexagram 22] does not involve particular colors. {In adornment, the important thing is overall harmony, something not restricted to particular colors.} Dui [Joy, I lexagram 5X| means "show yourself," hut Sun [Compliance, I lexagram 57] means "stay hidden." {When joy occurs, the important thing is to show that one is happy, but with compliance the important things are humility and withdrawal.} .SWI Following, Hexagram 17] involves no precedents, and with Gu [Ills to Be Cured, Hexagram 18), a cleanup occurs. I One should follow what is appropriate for the moment and not be tied to precedents. With such following, one will be responsible for affairs. This is why Sui is followed by Gu: Cleanup means "put things in order." Gu signifies putting those affairs in order.} Ho [Peeling, Hexagram 23) signifies decay; {When things become ripe, they begin to peel.} Fu [Return, Hexagram 24) signifies a coming back. Jin [Advance, Hexagram 35] indicates the daytime,' and Mmgyi' [Suppression of the Light, I lexagram 36) indicates cas-tigation. {Castigation means "wounding."} Jing [The Well, I lexagram 48) indicates something accessible to all, and Kun [Impasse, I lexagram 47] indicates a clash of interests. {The Well is something that is for everyone's use. so regret never appears here. Impasse means that whatever the encounter, one feels at peace and so does not put aside scruples.} Xian [Reciprocity, Hexagram 31 ] means "things will go quickly"; {There is nothing faster than Xian when things respond to one another.} Hcng [Perseverance, Hexagram 32] means "long lasting." Huan [Dispersion, I lexagram 59] indicates a dispersal, and Jic [Control, Hexagram 60] indicates a stop. Xic [Release, Hexagram 40] means "a relaxation," and Jim [Adversity, Hexagram 39) means "trouble." Kui Contrariety, Hexagram 38] signifies a turning outward; {This means mutual coolness and rejection.} Jiaren [The Family, Hexagram 37) signifies a turning inward. Tai[Peace, Hexagram 11] and Pi [Obstruction, Hexagram 12] are opposed in kind. If it is Dazhuang [Great Strength, Hexagram 34], it means "a hall," but if it is Dun I Withdrawal, Hexagram 33I, ii means "with drawal." {When great correctness prevails, petty men arc brought to a halt, but when petty men prevail, the noble man withdraws.} Dayou [Great Holdings, Hexagram 14) indicates mass support, and Tongren [Fellowship, Hexagram 13] indicates affability. Ge [Radical Change, I lexagram 49) means "get rid of the old"; Ding [ I he Caldron, I lexagram 50] means "take up the new." Xiaoguo [Minor Superiority, Hexagram 62] indicates superiority, and Zhongfu [Inner Trust, Hexagram 61] indicates confidence. Feng [Abundance, Hexagram 55] often involves incident; {One who has risen high should fear danger, and one who is satisfied should guard against satiation. One who enjoys abundance in great mea sure will often have reason for worry.} When one has few kith and kin, this is Lit [The Wanderer, I lexagram 56]. {As "one has few kith and kin." he has to live the life of a wanderer.} /./[Cohesion, Hexagram jo] signifies ascent, and [Xi]Kan [(The Con stant) Sink Hole, Hexagram 29] signifies descent. {Fire burns upward, and water flows downward.*} Xiaoxu [Lesser Domestication, Hexagram 9) results in few resources; {Here one is not up to saving everything together.'} Lit (Treading, I lexagram io| means "not staying in one's position." {Wang Bi says that all such yang lines in the Lii hexagram signify good fortune because they do not occupy their own positions."} Xu [ Waiting, I lexagram 5] means "do not advance"; {Fearing danger here, one comes to a halt.} Song [Contention, Hexagram C>\ means "not being affable." In Daguo [Major Superiority, Hexagram 28), collapse is inherent. {There is weakness at the beginning and end.'} Gou [Encounter, Hexagram 44] indicates a meeting in which i he soft encounters the hard.n Jian [Gradual Advance, Hexagram ^| signifies a woman who would marry but waits for the man la act. {The woman follows the man.} Yi [ Nourishment, I lexagram 27) means "the nurturing of correctness," and Jiji [Ferrying Complete, Hexagram 03] signifies stability. Guimei [Marrying Maiden, Hexagram 54) signifies woman's ultimate end; {Woman's ultimate end is to marry.} Weiji | ferrying Incomplete, Hexagram 64] signifies man hard- pressed. {When both the hard n6 The Hexagrams in Irregular Order and strong and the soft and weak are out of their proper positions, it signifies the Dao of Ferrying Incomplete. Thus the text uses the term /inrd-pressed."} Kuai[Resolution, I Icxagram 43] menus "to act decisively," for here the hard wins decisively over the soft: the way of the noble man is in the ascendancy, and the way of the petty man is brought to grief." {The noble man advances his Dao by dealing decisively with petty men. Petty men, suffering decisive defeat, are driven away and thus deeply brought to grief.} 11 • 7 he Hexagrams in Irregular Order yin (cf. note8 above), Weiji(Kerry Incomplete) B, I Icxagram64, <-i.s.sis entirely of yang lines in yin positions and yin lines in yang |M>sitions . 12. AW (Resolution) El, Hexagram 43, consists ol one yin line in the top position and five yang lines. The hexagram, as such, signifies the yang principle gathering strength and moving upward, forcing oul the yin principle. Note also thai when this progress of I he yang principle is complete and all lines arc yang, the resulting hexagram is Qi„„ (Pure Vang), Hexagram 1, and we are hack ai the beginning ol the cycle of sixty-lour hexagrams. This surely is the reason why Kuai is placed here at the end of the I lexagrams in Irregular Order. NOTES 1. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by I Ian Kangbo. 2. Sec Hexagram 3, 7.hun (Birth Throes), the Judgment. i. See Hexagram 3, Z/uin (Birth Throes), Wang Hi's commentary on the ('ommcntary on the Images. 4. Sec Hexagram 3, Zhun (Birth Throes), Judgment and First Yang, Commentary on the Images. 5. The component trigramsof Jin (Advance) =, I Icxagram 35, ate Kun (Pure Yin, Earth) below and /./ (Cohesion, Brightness, I-ire) above. The resultant hexagram is supposed to represent (he sun over the earth, that is, daytime. 6. /.; (Cohesion), Hexagram 30, is associated with fire, and (Xi)Kan (I The Constant] Sink Hole), Hexagram 29, is associated with water. 7. "Saving everything together" translates jianji. This may be an allusion to the Zhuang^i: "He [the petty man| exhausts his spirit on lame and shallow matters and yet wants to save both the Dao and the world [jianji daowu]." In other words, it takes the resources of a noble man to "save everything" or "save the Dao and the world." Sec Zhuang\iyinde 89/32/ 20. Note that Han here takes xu to mean "garner" rather than "tame" or "domesticate." 8. /.i/(Treading) SI, I Icxagram 10, has yang lines in the second, fourth, and sixth positions. If one considers the first position to be yang and the top position to be yin (instead of both being nonpositions—Wang is somewhat ambiguous), then all these lines arc in weak, yin positions improper for them, yet all are characterized by "good fortune" in their respective line statements. Sec Wang's comments on these lines in Lit. 9. Daguo (Major Superiority) M, I Icxagram 28, has weak, yin lines at beginning and end. 10. (ion (Encounter) I Icxagram 44, consists of one soft, yin line in the first place that "encounters" the other five hard, yang lines. 11. When one counts the first position as yang and the top position as Explaining the Trigrams [Slum gua] i. In the distant past, the way the sage' made llie Changes is as follows: He was mysteriously assisted by the pods hhenming, literally, "the numinous and the bright"| and so initiated the use of yarrow stalks. {Mystenous/y means "profoundly." and ossisted means "enlightened." The yarrow stalks respond to commands as if they were echoes. How they manage to do this defies undei stand ing it just happens!'} I le made I leaven three and Earth two and so provided the numbers with a basis. {7/iree signifies the odd numbers, and two signifies the even numbers; seven and nine are yang [odd] numbers, and six and eight are yin [even] numbers.} Me observed the changes between yin and yang and so established the trigrams. {The trigrams constitute the images, and the yarrow stalks constitute the numbers. As for the trigrams. these render yin and yang into comparable images and so constitute embodiments of transformation and change, such as "Thunder and Wind give rise each to the other" or "Mountain and Lake reciprocally circulate material force."' As for the yarrow stalks, these constitute the odd and even numbers that intermingle the elements of Heaven and Earth. The yarrow stalks exhaust all the numbers and in so doing establish the images. The trigrams complete the images and in so doing use up all the numbers. This is why the yarrow stalks are referred to in the terms "He made Heaven three and Earth two and so provided the numbers with a basis." and why the trigrams are referred to in the terms "He observed the changes between yin and yang [and so established them]."} As the trigrams are begun and are dispersed through the movement of the hard and soft lines, he initiated the use of such lines. {The hard and the soft lines 120 i 1 i Explaining the Trigrams begin and disperse them; it is the movement of change that brings them together.} He was in complete accord with the Dao and with Virtue, and the principles involved conform to lightness. I le exhausted principles to the utmost and dealt thoroughly with human nature, and in doing so arrived at the workings of fate, {fate is the ultimate reach of life. To exhaust principles to the utmost is to explore fate to the ultimate degree.} 2. In the distant past, the way the sages* made the Changes was as follows: It was to be used as a means to stay in accord with the principles of nature and of fate. It was for this reason that they determined what the Dao of Heaven was, which they defined in terms of yin and yang, what the Dao of Earth was, which they defined in terms of hard and soft, {"In Heaven this [process] creates images, and on Earth it creates physical forms."5 Yin and yang are terms that address things as aspects of material force, and hard and soft are terms that address them as kinds of physical forms. Change and transformation begin with the images of material force and only then go on to create physical forms. The natural endowments of the myriad things begin in Heaven and take on physical forms on Earth. Therefore, when Heaven is involved, we refer to things in terms of yin and yang, and when Earth is involved, we refer to things in terms of soft and hard. One might refer to things that exist as physical forms as either yin or yang; this is to trace them back to their origins. One might refer to things that exist as material forces as either hard or soft; this is to sum up their endings.6} and what the Dao of Man was, which they defined in terms of benevolence and righteousness. They brought these three powers together and doubled them; this is why the Changes forms its hexagrams out of six lines. They provided yin allotments and yang allotments, so their functions alternate between soft and hard; this is why the Changes forms its patterns out of six positions. {They established the six lines in order to replicate the actions of the three powers; this is why it takes six lines. The six positions are the places that the lines occupy. The second and the fourth positions are yin, and the third and the fifth are yang. This is why the text says: "They provided yin allotments and yang allotments." As the six lines ascend or descend, sometimes they are in hard positions and sometimes in soft. This is why the text says: "Their functions alternate between soft and hard."} 3. As Heaven [Qian, Pure Yang] and Earth [Kun, Pure Yin] establish positions, as Mountain [Gen, Restraint] and Lake [Dui, Explaining the Trigrams Joy] reciprocally circulate material force, as Thunder [Zhcn, Quake] and Wind [Sun, Compliance] give rise each to the other, and as Water [Kan, Sink Hole] and Fire [Li, Cohesion] do not fail to complement each other, the eight trigrams combine with one another in such a way that, to reckon the past, one follows the order of their progress, and, to know the future, one works backward through them. {With the combination of the eight tri grams, all the principles involved with change and transformation are complete. In regard to the past, one gets to know it by going with the flow [up to the present], and, in regard to the future, one reckons it by working backward [to the present].} Therefore, the Changes allow us to work backward [from the future] and reckon forward [from the past]. {The sages made the Changes in order to gain a view back [from the future] and "to provide beforehand for the needs of the common folk."7} 4. It is by Thunder [Zhcn, Quake] that things are caused to move, by Wind [Sun, Compliance] that they are dispersed, by the Rain [Kan, Sink Hole, i.e., Water] that they are moistened, by the Sun [Li, Cohesion, i.e., Fire] that they are dried, by Restraint [Gen] that they are made to stop, by Joy \Dui\ thai they are made happy, by Pure Yang [Qian, i.e., I leaven] that they are provided with a sovereign, and by Pure Yin [Kun, i.e., Earth] they are harbored. 5. The Divine Ruler [shangdi] comes forth in Zhcn [Quake] and sets all things in order in Sun [Compliance], makes them visible to one another in Li [Cohesion, i.e., Sun, Fire], gives them maximum support in Kun [Pure Yin, i.e., Earth], makes them happy then in Dui [Joy], has them do battle in Qian [Pure Yang], finds them thoroughly worn out in Kan [Water Hole], and has them reach final maturity in Gen [Restraint|. The myriad things come forth in Zhcn [Quake]; Zhcn corresponds to the cast. They are set in order in Sun [Compliance); Sun corresponds to the southeast. "Set in order" means that they are fresh and neat. /./[Cohesion, Fire, i.e., the sun] here means brightness. That the myriad things arc made visible to one another here signifies that this is the trigram of the south. The fact that the sage [king] faces the south to listen to the whole world and that he turns toward the brightness there to rule is probably derived from this. Kun [Pure Yin, Earth] here means the Earth. The myriad things all are nourished to the utmost by it. This is why it says: "gives them maximum support in Kun." AW[Joy| Explaining the Trigrams here means autumn at its height, something in which the myriad things all find cause to rejoice. This is why it says: "makes them happy then in Dui." [As for] "has them do battle in Qian" Qian here is the trigram of the northwest, so this signifies where yin and yang exert pressure on each other. Kan [Sink Hole] here means water. It is the trigram of due north. It is the trigram of wearisome toil. It is here that the myriad things all find refuge. This is why it says: "finds them thoroughly worn out in Kan." Gen [Restraint] is the trigram of the northeast. It is here that the myriad things reach the end of their development, but it is also the beginning of that development. This is why it says: "has them reach final maturity in Gen." 6. As for the numinous, it is the term used for that which invests the myriad things with the marvel of what they are and do. {7/ie numinous is introduced at this point to clarify the fact that no external agent is involved in the way the [primal forces of the] eight trigrams move and exert themselves so that things undergo change and transformation and exchange places with one another. The numinous thus does not exist as a thing but "is the term used for that which invests the myriad things with the marvel of what they are and do." Thunder as such is swift, Wind fleet, Fire burns, and Water is wet; each spontaneously and naturally undergoes change, transforming one into the other. This is how the myriad things acquire the capability to become all that they can be.} Of things that make the myriad things move, none is swifter than Thunder. Of things that make the myriad things bend, none is swifter than the Wind. Of things that make the myriad things dry, none is a better drying agent than Fire. Of things that make the myriad things rejoice, none is more joy giving than the Lake. Of things that moisten the myriad things, none is more effective than Water. Of things that provide the myriad things with ends and beginnings, none is more resourceful than Restraint. This is why Water and Fire drive each other on, why Thunder and Wind do not work against each other, and why "Mountain and Lake reciprocally circulate."8 Only in consequence of all this can change and transformation take place, thus allowing the myriad things to become all that they can be. 7. Qian [Pure Yang] means strength and dynamism [/Van]; Kun [Pure Yin] meanssubmissivenessand pliancy; Zhen [Quake] means energizing; Sun [Compliance] means accommodation; ■23 Explaining the Trigrams Kan [Water] means pitfall; Li [Cohesion] means attachment; Gen [Restraint] means cessation; Dui [Joy] means to delight. 8. Qian [Pure Yang) has the nature of the horse, Kun [Pure YinJ that of the ox, Zhen [Quake] that of the dragon, Sun [Compliance] that of the cock, Kan [Water IIole| that of the pig, /.; [Cohesion] that of the pheasant, Gen [Restraint] that of the dog, and Dui [Joy] that of the sheep. 9. Qian |Pure Yang] works like the head, Kun [Pure Yin] like the stomach, Zhen [Quake] like the foot, Sun [Compliance] like the thigh, Kan [Water I lole) like the ear, Li [Cohesion] like the eye, Gen [Restraint] like the hand, and Dui |Joy) like the mouth. 10. Qian [Pure Yang] is Heaven, thus it corresponds to the Father, and Kun [Pure Yin] is Earth, thus it corresponds to the Mother. As for Zhen [Quake], [Kun] here seeks («^/an| for the first time and gets a son, thus we call it the Eldest Son,'' and as for Sun [Compliance], [QVan] here seeks [ A'//n] for the first time and gets a daughter, thus we call it the Eldest Daughter. As for Kan [Water I lole], [AV/n| here seeks |^/an] for the second time and gets a son, thus we call it the Middle Son, and as for Li [Cohesion], [(J/an] here seeks \Kun\ for the second time and gets a daughter, thus we call it the Middle Daughter. As for Gen [Restraint], [Kun] here seeks [Q/an] for the third time and gets a son, thus we call it the Youngest Son, and as for Dui [Joy], [(Jf«n] here seeks [Kun] for the third time and gets a daughter, thus we call it the Youngest Daughter. 11. Qian [Pure Yang) is Heaven, is round, is the sovereign, is father, is jade, is metal, is coldness, is ice, is pure red, is a line horse, an old horse, an emaciated horse, a piebald horse,'" is fruit of the tree. Kun [Pure Yin] is Earth, is mother, is cloth, is a cooking pot, is frugality, is impartiality, is a cow with calf, is a great cart, is the markings on things, is the multitude of things themselves, and is the handle of things. In respect to soils, it is the kind that is black. Zhen [Quake] is thunder, is the dragon, is black and yellow, is overspreading, is the great highway, is the Eldest Son, is dcci sivencss and impetuosity, a green, lush bamboo, and the teed plants. In respect to horses, it is those that excel at neighing, those that have white rear legs, those that work the legs [i.e., run fast], and those that have white foreheads. In respect to culti- »4 Explaining the Trigrarns vated plants, it is the kind thai grows back [i.e., pod-sprouting plants, legumes, etc.]. At the end point of its development, it is soundness and sturdiness [i.e., it turns into Qian (Pure Yang)] and is luxuriant and fresh growth. Sun [Compliance] is wood, is the wind, is the Eldest Daughter, is the straightness of a marking cord, is the carpenter [or "carpenter's square"], is the spotless and pure, is the lengthy, is the high, is the now-advancing and now-receding, is the unresolved, and is odor. In respect to men, it is the balding, the broad in forehead, the ones with much white in their eyes, the ones who keep close to what is profitable and who market things for threefold gain. At the end point of its development it is the trigram of impetuosity [i.e., it turns into Zhen (Quake)]. Kan [Sink Hole] is water, is the drains and ditches, is that which lies low, is the now-straightening and now-bending, and is the bow [and] the wheel. In respect to men, it is the increasingly anxious, the sick at heart, the ones with earaches. It is the trigram of blood, of the color red. In respect to horses, it is those with beautiful backs, those that put their whole hearts into it, those that keep their heads low, those with thin hooves, and those that shamble along. In respect to carriages, it is those that often have calamities [i.e., breakdowns/accidents]. It is penetration, is the moon, and is the stealthy thief. In respect to trees, it is those that are strong with dense centers. Li [Cohesion] is fire, is the sun, is lightning, is the Middle Daughter, is mail and the helmet, is the halberd and the sword. In respect to men, it is those with big bellies. It is the trigram of dryness. It is the turtle, is the crab, is the snail, is the clam, and is the tortoise. In respect to trees, it is the hollow ones with tops withered. Gen [Restraint] is the mountain, is the footpath, is the small stone, is the gate tower, is the tree fruit and vine fruit, is the gatekeeper and the palace guard, is the fingers, is the dog, is the rat, is the black maws of species [of birds and beasts of prey]. In respect to trees, it is the kind that is sturdy and much gnarled. Dui |Joy] is the lake, is the Youngest Daughter, is the shamaness, is the mouth and tongue, is the deterioration [of plant life], and the breaking off of what had been attached. In respect to soils, it is the kind that is hard and alkaline. It is the concubine, the sheep. •>-5 Explaining the Trigrarns NOTKS 1. Kong Yingda glosses sheng (sage/sages) as Bao Xi (or Fu Xi). Sec Zhouyt {hengyi, o: lb. 2. I his and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by I Ian Kangbo. 3. Sec section three. 4. It is likely that sheng now refers to the ancient sages collet lively: llao Xi, King Wen, and the duke of Zhou. Bold I Ian Kangbo and Kong Yingda arc silent on this point. 5. See section one of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One. 6. "Tracing origins" and "summing up endings" allude 10 a passage in section eight of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Pan Two. Endings here seems to mean something like "final effects," the end results of yin and yang material force. 7. See section eleven of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One. I his passage, along with I lan's commentary, may well be the place where the word ni (go against, oppose, reverse, go upstrcam/againsl the current, etc.) comes 10 mean "anticipate" or "predict," as in the compounds nidu and niliao. The logic of this transformation seems to be as follows: I ime like a river flows in one direction. The present (/in) stands midway between past (won/;) and future (lai). To understand the past, we must follow events from their inception up to the present. The Changes provide us with the means to know when and how a situation has come about and to follow it up to where we arc now. 'This process is defined as "going with the flow" {shun, literally, "compliance"). To understand the future, we must leap ahead in time and then work our way backward through future time to where we are in the present. 'This process is defined as "working backward" (ni), that is, one has to go against the flow of fniiirc time. I he Changes, through the hexagrams, provides us with the means to do this, since they not only provide us with the means "to trace beginnings" but also to reckon the way things will end—to "sum up endings," to use terminology that appears in section eight of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part 'Two. It should he noted that this interpretation depends on the terms wang and lai really meaning "past" and "future" respectively. I Ian Kangho and Kong Yingda certainly understand them ill this way (see Zhouyi {hengyi, 9: 4a -4b), as docs the later exegetical tradition, but the modern scholar Qian Zhongshu has demonstrated that these terms often have the reverse meanings in a variety of texts over many centuries: wang means "what wc go forth to" (i.e., the future, and lai means "what has come about" (i.e., the past). See Guanfhuihum, 1: 54 <,C, where he discusses this passage in the Explaining the Trigrarns. If we follow his suggestions, the passage here means something like: "'To reckon the future, wc follow their [the hexagrams] flow, and to know the past, wc work backward through them. Therefore the Change allows us to woik backward (to the past] and reckon forward jiiilo the futurcl." Il6 Explaining the Trigrams The H. Sec sctlion three. a. The six children of Qian m and Kun == arc created in the following way: Zhen H replaces the bottom yin line of Kun with a yang line, and Sun = replaces (lie bottom yang line of Qian with a yin line; Kan M replaces I he middle yin line of Kun with a yang line, and It B replaces the middle yang line of Qian with a yin line; Gen n replaces llic top yin line of Run with a yang line, and Dm H replaces the lop yang line of Qian with a yin line. to. Kong Yingda, referring to such works as flic Erya (lilcgant and correct writings in familiar terms), a third/second century B.C.. lexicographic work, explains homa (piebald horse) as "a horse that has teeth like a saw and that can eat tigers and leopards this captures a sense of its perfect Strength and vigor." See Zhouvi ^htn^i, 9: 8a, and Zhouyi ihtyhong, 17: 20a. Sixty-Four Hexagrams, with Texts and Commentaries 11 !•: X A (■ It A M I Qian [ Pure Yang] (Qian Above Qian Below) Judgment Qian consists of fundamcntality | yuan], prevalence [^e"#], Illness [li], and constancy [{Ae/i]. COMMF.NTAHY ON Till-. JUDGMENTS I low great is the fundamental nature of Qianl I he myriad things are provided their beginnings by it, and, as such, it controls Heaven. It allows clouds to scud and rain to fall and things in all their different categories to flow into forms. Manifestly evident from beginning to end, the positions of the six lines form, each at its proper moment. When it is the moment for it, ride one of the six dragons to drive through the sky. The change and transformation of the Dao of Qian in each instance keep the nature and destiny of things correct. {The term ban [Heaven] is the name for a form, a phenomenal entity; the term )ian [strength and dyna mism: Qian] refers to that which uses or takes this form.1 Form as such is how things are bound together. To have the form of Heaven and be able to maintain it forever without loss and. as the very head of all things, stay in control of it. how could this be anything but the ultimate of strength and dynamism! This is manifestly evident in its Dao from beginning to end. Thus each of the six positions forms without ever missing its moment, its ascent or descent not subject to fixed rule, functioning according to the moment involved. If one is to remain in repose, ride a hidden dragon, and if one is to set forth, ride a flying dragon. This is why it is said: "When it is the moment for it, ride one of the six dragons." Here one takes control of the great instrument [daqi, Fleaven] by riding change and trans formation. Whether in quiescence utterly focused or in action straight and true. Qian is never out of step with the great harmony, so how could it fail to keep the innate tendencies [qing] inherent in '3Q Hexagram i: Qian the nature and destiny of things correct!'} It is by fitness and constancy that one preserves the great harmony [Ja/ic] and stays in tune with it. {If one does not so stay in accord, he will be hard and cruel.} So one stands with head above the multitudes, and the myriad states are all at peace. {The reason why the myriad states are at peace is that each one has such a one as its true sovereign.} commentary on the images The action of I leaven is strong and dynamic. In the same manner, the noble man never ceases to strengthen himself. commentary on the words of the text "Fundamentality" is the leader of goodness |.^a/i]. "Prevalence" is the coincidence of beauty [jia]. "Fitness" is coalescence with righteousness \yi\. "Constancy" is the very trunk of human affairs. The noble man embodies benevolence\ren\ sufficient to be a leader of men, and the coincidence of beauty in him is sufficient to make men live in accordance with propriety [h]. 1 le engenders fitness in people sufficient to keep them in harmony with righteousness, and his constancy is firm enough to serve as the trunk for human affairs. The noble man is someone who practices these four virtues. This is why it says: "Qian consists of fundamentality, prevalence, fitness, and constancy." Qian manifests its fundamentality in providing for the origin of things and granting them prevalence. It manifests its fitness and constancy by making the innate tendencies of things conform to their natures. {If it were not for the fundamentally of Qian, how could it comprehensively provide for the origin of all things? If nature did not control their innate tendencies, how could things long behave in ways that are correct for them? This is why the origin of things and their prevalence must derive from the fundamentality of Qian, and the fitness of things and their rectitude must be a matter of making the innate tendencies of things conform to their natures.} The power in Qian to provide origins is such that it can make all under I leaven fit by means of its own beautiful fitness. One does not say how it confers fitness; it just is great! I low great Qian is! It is strong, dynamic, central, correct, and it is absolutely pure in its unadulteratedness and unsulliedness. 'I he 131 Hexagram 1: Qian six lines emanate their power and exhaustively explore all innate tendencies. In accord with the moment, ride the six dragons to drive through the sky. Then clouds will move, and rain fall, and all tinder I leaven he at peace. commentary on the appended phrases As Heaven is high and noble and liartli is low and humble, so it is that Qian [Pure Yang] and Kun [Pure Yin, Hexagram 2J are defined. The Dao of Qian forms the male. . . . Qian has mastery over the great beginning of things. Qian through case provides mastery over things____As [Qian] is easy, it is easy to know----If one is easy to know, lie will have kindred spirits. When [the Dao] forms images, we call it Qian. As for Qian, in its quiescent state it is focused, and in its ,11 tive state it is undeviating. This is how it achieves its great productivity. Opening the gate is called Qian. Qian and Aun, do they not constitute the arcane source for change! When Qian and Kun form ranks, change stands in their midst, but if Qian and Kun were to disintegrate, there would be no way that change could manifest itself. And if change could not manifest itself, this would mean that Qian and Kun might almost be at the point of extinction! All the activity that takes place in the world, thanks to constancy, is the expression of the One. Qian being unyielding shows us how easy it is. The Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun let their robes hang loosely down, yet the world was well governed. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagrams Qian and Kun. I he Master said: "Qian and Kun, do they not constitute the two-leaved gate into the Changes? Qian is a purely yang thing, and Kun is a purely yin thing." Qian (Pure Yang, I lexagram 11 is a yang, thing. Qian is the strongest thing in the entire world, so it should always be easy to put its virtue into practice. Thus one knows whether or not there is going to he danger. (It) is able to delight hearts and minds.' Hexagram i: Qiart providing the sequence of the hexagrams Only after there were I leaven [Qjan, Pure Yang] and Earth [Kun, Pure Yin, Hexagram 2] were the myriad things produced from them. What fills Heaven and Earth is nothing other than the myriad things. the hexagrams in irregular order Qian is hard and firm. First Yang A submerged dragon does not act. {The Commentary on the Words of the Text says all that can be said!) commentary on the images "A submerged dragon docs not act": the yang force is below. commentary on the words of the text "A submerged dragon does not act." What does this mean? The Master says: "This refers to one who has a dragon's virtue yet remains hidden. He neither changes to suit the world {One does not change for the sake of the profane world.} nor seeks fulfillment in fame. He hides from the world but does not regret it, and though this fails to win approval, he is not sad. When he takes delight in the world, he is active in it, and when he finds it distresses him, he turns his back on it. He who is resolute in his unwillingness to be uprooted, this is a submerged dragon." "A submerged dragon does not act" because one is too far below. "A submerged dragon does not act": the yang force is hidden in the depths. The noble man performs deeds out of his perfected virtue. Daily one can see him performing them. The expression "submerged" means that one remains concealed and docs not yet show himself, his conduct such that it is not yet perfected. Therefore the noble man does not act. 133 Hexagram 1: Qian Second Yang When there appears a dragon in the fields, it is fitting to see the great man.4 {It has come out of the depths and abandoned its hid ing place; this is what is meant by "there appears a dragon." It has taken up a position on the ground; this is what is meant by "in the fields." With virtue [de] bestowed far and wide, one here takes up a mean [zhong] position and avoids partiality [{van]. Although this is not the position for a sovereign, it involves the virtue of a true sov ereign. If it is the first line, he does not reveal himself; if the third, he makes earnest efforts; if the fourth, he hesitates to leap; if the top line, he is overreaching. Fitness to see the great man [daren] lies only in the second and the fifth lines.} commentary on the images "There appears a dragon in the fields": the operation of virtue spreads widely. commentary on the words of the text "When there appears a dragon in the fields, it is fitting to see the great man." What docs this mean? The Master says: "This refers to one who has a dragon's virtue and has achieved rectitude [{heng\ and ccntrality [{hong, the Mean]. He is trustworthy in ordinary speech and prudent in ordinary conduct. I le wards off depravity and preserves his sincerity. He does good in the world but does not boast of it. His virtue spreads wide and works transformations. When the Changes says, 'when there appears a dragon in the fields, it is fitting to see the great man,' it refers to the virtue of a true sovereign." "When there appears a dragon in the fields," it is the time for it to lodge there. "There appears a dragon in the fields": all under I leaven enjoy the blessings of civilization. I he noble man accumulates knowledge by studying and becomes discriminating by posing questions. {When one who has a sovereign's virtue occupies a position in the lower trigram, it is an occasion for him to draw on the resources of others.} It is magnanimity that governs his repose, and it is benevolence that guides his actions. I he Changes say: "When one sees a dragon in the ' J 4 Hexagram i: Qian ■3J Hexagram /: Qian fields, it is fitting to sec the great man." This refers to one who has the virtue of a true sovereign. Third Yang The noble man makes earnest efforts throughout the day, and with evening he still takes care; though in danger, he will suffer no blame. {Here one occupies the very top of the lower trigram and is located just below the upper trigram. situated in a nonmean position and treading on the dangerous territory of the double strong.5 Above, he is not in Heaven, so cannot use that to make his exalted position secure, and below he is not in the fields [Earth] so cannot use that to make his dwelling place safe. If one were to cultivate exclusively here the Dao of the subordinate, the virtue needed to occupy a superior position would waste away, but if one were to cultivate exclusively the Dao of the superior, the propriety needed to fill a lower position would wither. This is why the text says such a one should "make earnest efforts throughout the day." As for "with evening he still takes care." this is equivalent to saying that there is still danger. If in occupying a high position one were free of arrogance, in filling a low position were free of distress, and were to take care appropriate to the moment, he would not fall out with the incipient force of things and, although in danger and beset with trouble, would suffer no blame. To be located at the very top of the lower trigram is better than being at the overreach connected with Top Yang. Thus only by making full use of one's intellect can one remain free from blame here. It is because the third line of Qian occupies the top position in its lower trigram that one is spared the regret of the dragon that overreaches [in the top line]. It is because the third line of Kun [Pure Yin, Hexagram 2] occupies the top position in its lower trigram that one is spared the disaster brought about when dragons fight [in the top line].} commentary on the images "He makes earnest efforts throughout the day": whether going back up or coming back down, it is a matter of the Dao. {In terms of an ascent, this is not something about which to be arrogant, and in terms of a descent, this is not something about which to be distressed. Thus, whether one goes back up or comes back down, he is always with the Dao.} commentary on the words of the text "The noble man makes earnest efforts throughout the day, and with evening he still takes care; though in danger, he will suffer no blame." What does this mean? The Master says: "The nobleman fosters his virtue and cultivates his task. I le fosters his virtue by being loyal and trustworthy; he keeps his task in hand by cultivating his words and establishing his sincerity. A person who understands what a maximum point is and fulfills it can take part in the incipiency of the moment. A person who understands what a conclusion is and brings it about can take part in the preservation of righteousness. {When one is located at the very top of a trigram, this is a "maximum point," and when one is at the very end point of a trigram, this is a "conclusion." One who, when he reaches the maximum point of a matter, manages to avoid blame for any trans gression is someone who understands maximum points and thus can take part in the accomplishment of great affairs.'' One who, when he finds himself at a conclusion, can bring that conclusion to perfect fulfillment is someone who understands conclusions. For speeding up the progress of things, righteousness is not as good as expediency, but for preserving the completion of things, expediency is not as good as righteousness. This is why "nothing is ever without a beginning, but only the rare thing can have completion."7 Who else but someone who can take part in the preservation of righteousness could ever understand conclusions!} Thus when he occupies a high position, he is not proud, and when he is in a low position, he is not distressed. To be at the top of the lower trigram is still to be below the upper trigram. As one understands that lowness has merely concluded, he is not proud, but as he also understands that he has reached a maximum point and fulfilled it, he is not distressed cither. This is why, making earnest efforts, he lakes care when the moment requires it and, though in danger, will suffer no blame." {"To take care" means to be alert and fearful. When one is at the maximum point of a matter but neglects to take advan tage of the moment, he will miss it, or if he is idle and remiss, it will be lost through neglect. This is why, when the moment requires it, one "takes care" and, though in danger, "will suffer no blame."} "Make earnest efforts throughout the day" because this is how one should do things. "Make earnest efforts throughout the clay": act in step with the moment. {This means always be in step with the moment of Heaven without cease.} Hexagram i: Qian Hexagram i: Qian Nine in (lie third place signifies a double strength but one that is nonmcan." It is neither in Heaven above nor in the fields [Earth] below. Thus one makes earnest efforts here and, in accordance with the moment, takes care; thus, though in danger, he will suffer no blame. Fourth Yang I lesitating to leap, it still stays in the depths, so suffers no blame. (To leave the topmost line in the lower trigram and occupy the bottom line of the upper trigram signifies the moment when the Dao of Qian undergoes a complete change. Above, one is not in Heaven; below, one is not in the fields [Earth]; and in between one is not with Man.' Here one treads on the dangerous territory of the double strong and so lacks a stable position in which to stay.1" This is truly a time when there are no constant rules for advancing or retreating. Drawing close to an exalted position [the ruling fifth line], one wishes to foster the Dao involved, but, forced to stay in a lower position, this is not something his leap can reach. One wishes to ensure that liis position here remains quiescent, for this is not a secure position in which to stay. Harboring doubts, one hesitates and docs not dare determine his own intentions. He concentrates on preserving his commitment to the public good, for advancement here does not lie with private ambitions. He turns his doubts into reflective thought and so avoids error in decisions. Thus he suffers no blame.} commentary on the images "Hesitating to leap, it still stays in the depths": when it advances there will be no blame. commentary on the words of the text "Hesitating to leap, it still stays in the depths, so suffers no blame." What docs this mean? The Master says: "Although there is no fixed rule for one's rise or fall, one should not engage in deviant behavior. Although there is no constant norm governing advance or withdrawal, one should not leave one's fellows and strike off on one's own. The noble man fosters his virtue, cultivates his task, and wishes to be ready when the moment arrives. Therefore he suffers no blame." "I lesitating to leap, it still stays in the depths": this is because one should test himself. "Hesitating to leap, it still stays in the depths": here the Dao of Qian is about to undergo change. Nine in the fourth place signifies a double strength but one which is nonmcan. It is neither in I leaven above, nor in the fields [Earth| below, nor with man in the middle." Thus one regards it as a matter for hesitation. A matter for hesitation means that one should have doubts about it. This is why he will suffer no blame. Fifth Vang When a flying dragon is in the sky, it is fitting to see the great man. {Not moving, not leaping, yet it is in the sky. If it is not flying, how could it be done? This is what is meant by "a flying dragon." When a dragon's virtue is present in the sky, then the path of the great man will prevail." A sovereign's position depends on his virtue to prosper, and a sovereign's virtue depends on his position to have practical expression. When this grand and noble position is filled by someone with such paramount virtue, all under I Icavm will go to him and look up to him with hope is this not indeed appropriate!} commentary on the images "When a flying dragon is in the sky": a great man takes charge. commentary on the words of the text "When a flying dragon is in the sky, it is fitting to sec the great man." What docs this mean? The Master says: "Things with the same tonality resonate together; things with the same material force seek out one another. Water flows to where it is wet; (ire goes toward where it is dry. Clouds follow the dragon; wind follows the tiger. 'The sage bestirs himself, and all creatures look to him. What is rooted in Heaven draws close to what is above; what is rooted in Earth draws close to what is below. 'Thus each thing follows its own kind." "A flying dragon is in the sky": rule on high prevails. "A flying dragon is in the sky": it now takes a position amid the virtue of I leaven. ■ 1« Hexagram i: Qian The great man is someone whose virtue is consonant with I leaven and Earth, his brightness with the sun and the moon, his consistency with the four seasons, and his prognostications of the auspicious and inauspicious with the workings of gods and spirits. When he precedes Heaven, Heaven is not contrary to him, and when he follows Heaven, he obeys the timing of its moments. Since Heaven is not contrary to him, how much the less will men or gods and spirits be! Top Yang A dragon that overreaches should have cause for regret. commentary on the imac.f.s "A dragon that overreaches should have cause for regret": when something is at the full, it cannot last long. commentary on the words of the text "A dt agon that overreaches should have cause for regret." What does this mean? The Master says: "Although noble, he lacks a [ruler's] position; although at a lofty height, he lacks a people's following. {Beneath there are no yin lines.} He has worthies in subordinate positions, but none help him. {Although there are worthies below filling appropriate positions, they provide no help to him.} Thus, when he acts, he should have cause for regret." {One is located at the top of the upper trigram and is not appropriate for the position he holds. Thus he thoroughly reveals all his deficiencies. Standing alone, he makes a move, and no one will go along with him. The Commentary on the Words of the Text for Qian does not first discuss Qian but begins instead to talk about "fundamentally" and only later does it say what Qian is. Why does it do that? Qian designates the unified control that governs the four entities [fundamentality, prevalence, fitness, and constancy]. "The noble man never ceases to strengthen himself"11 as he puts these four into practice. This is why the text here does not fust discuss Qian and only later says: "Qian consists of fundamentality. prevalence, fitness, and constancy." It explains the rest of the hexagram lines in terms of the dragon, except for Third Yang, for which it makes the noble man the topic. Why does it do that? T his is be- ■39 Hexagram i: Qian cause the Changes consist of images, and what images are produced from are concepts. One fu st has to have a particular concept, which one then brings to light by using some concrete thing to exemplify it. Thus one uses the dragon to express Qian and the mare to illus trate Kun. One follows the concept inherent in a matter and chooses an image for it accordingly. I his is why at First Yang and at Second Yang the respective virtues of the dragon in each correspond to the concepts involved. Thus one can use discussions of the dragon in order to clarify them. However, at Third Yang, "the noble man makes earnest efforts" and "with evening he still takes care" are not refer ences to the virtue of a dragon, so it is obvious that it employs the noble man to serve as the image here. As a whole, the Qian hexagram is a matter of dragons throughout, but when it is expressed in differ ent terms, these are always formulated in terms of the concepts involved.} "A dragon that overreaches should have cause lot regret": this signifies the disaster lh.it results from the exhaustion ol re sources. "A dragon that overreaches should have cause for regret": ii is at extreme odds with the moment. {This means to be at com plcte odds with the dynamics of the moment } I he expression "overreaches" means that one knows how to advance but not how to retreat, knows how to preserve life but » not how to relinquish it, knows how to gain hut not how to lose. Could such a one ever be a sage? Hut if one knows how to advance, to retreat, to preserve life, and to relinquish it, .ill without losing his rectitude, how could such a one he hill a sage:' commentary on the appended phrases 1 he Master said: "One might he noble yet lack the position, might be lofty yet lack the subjects, and might have worthy men in subordinate positions who yet will not assist him. If such a one-acts with all this being so, he will have cause for regret."'4 All Use Yang Lines When one sees a flight of dragons without heads, it is good for tunc. {The nines [yang lines) all signify the vii tue of I leaven As we are able to use the virtue of I leaven [for all the lines], we see the concept of a flight of dragons in them. If one were to take up a Hexagram i: Qian Hexagram i: Qian position of headship over men by using nothing but hardness and strength, that would result in people not going along with it. If one were to engage in improper behavior by using softness and compliance, that would result in a dao of obsequiousness and wickedness. This is why the good fortune of Qian resides in there being no head to it, and the fitness of Kun [Pure Yin, Hexagram 2] resides in its perpetual constancy.} commentary on the images "All use yang lines": the virtue of I leaven is such that it cannot provide headship. commentary on the words of the text Here the fundamcntality of Qian is expressed in all nines [yang lines], signifying the entire world well governed. {This entire section [of the Commentary on the Words of the Text] uses the affairs of men to clarify what is meant. Nine signifies the positive principle [yang], and yang is exemplified by things that are strong and inviolable. The ability to employ strength and inviolateness completely and to renounce and drive far away those who are good at toadying can never emerge except when the entire world is perfectly governed.15 This is why the text says: "Here the fundamentality of Qian is expressed in all nines, signifying the entire world well governed." Once one recognizes how a thing acts, then all the principles of its existence can be understood. The virtue that a dragon signifies is such that it precludes doing anything inopportune. "Submerged" and "does not act," what do these mean? It means that it is sure to locate itself at the lowest possible place. "Sees" and "in the fields" mean that it is sure to lodge there because of the suitability of the moment. Regard the lines as signifying the ways there are to be a man and the positions among them to signify moments. If a man refrains from inopportune behavior, then all moments can be known by him. The fact that King Wen had to suffer suppression of his bright virtue allows us to know what kind of ruler there was then," and the fact that Zhongni [Confucius] had to travel about among strangers allows us to know what his own state was like.17} Here the fundamcntality of Qian is expressed in all nines [yang lines], thus we see the law of Heaven. {This entire section talks about the material force of Heaven in order to clarify what is meant. The nines [yang lines] signify something that is strong and inviolable. Only the Qian hexagram can use them throughout. If one observes Heaven from the point of view of this pure strength, the law of Heaven can be seen.} notes 1. It is likely thai Wang has used jian (strength) as a pun on Qian (both characters seem to have had the same pronunciation in the archaic Chinese of his day: *g'ian), implying that as the two sound alike, so their meanings arc similar if not identical. In his commentary on Kun (Pure Yin), I lexagram 2, Commentary on the Judgments, Wang uses almost the same sentence structure: "T he term Earth is the name of a form, a phenomenal entity; the term Kun refers to that which uses or takes this foi in." We should note also that Qian is also identified with jian in section seven of explaining the Trigrams. 2. I his and all subsequent text set off in this manner is continental y hy Wang Bi. 3. Sec sections one, five, six, eleven, and twelve of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One, and sections one, two, six, ten, and twelve of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Pail Two. 4. "The great man" translates daren, a term used, likcyun?/, to designate the noble man, one worthy of being a sovereign. 5. I.e., the third line is on top of two yang lines. 6. Wang here seems to have had section ten ol the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One, in mind here: "It is a grasp of incipience alone that thus allows one to accomplish the great affairs of the world." 7. Shijing (Book of odes), no. 255. 8. Nine is a "positive" (yang) and "strong" number, and so is three. "Mean" refers to the middle line in a Ingram; since the third line is at the top of the trigram, it is "nonmean." 9. Kong Yingda's suhcommentary helps to clarify this passage: "The Changes forms its hexagrams in such a way thai the third and fourth lines signify the Dao of Man, hut what Man is close to is helow him | hat ill |, not what is ahovc him [Ileavcn|. This is why Fourth Yang is said to he 'not with Man' and differs from Third Yang." See Zhouyi jAengyi, 1: y.t. Note also that Wang's comment here is derived from a passage in the (iommcn-tary on the Words of the Text. 10. See note 5 above. 11. See note 9 above. 12. "Prevail" translates heng, consistent with the Judgment to Qian: "Qian consists of fundamentality, prevalence, fitness, and constancy" (respectively, yi/a/i, heng, //, and {hen). 1.011 Yulic, however, glosses heng here '4* Hexagram 2: Kun as "clear" {longJa), as in "the road is clear." Sec Wang Bijijiaoshi, 1: 220 n. 18. 13. See the Commentary on the Images for this hexagram. 14. Sec section eight of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One. 15. "Kxccpt when the entire world is perfectly governed" translates fei lianxia {Ai{Jti. The text in Zhouyi \hengyi, has {hilt(perfect principle), hut this has been shown to be a Tang era alteration to avoid the taboo use of the personal name of Li /.hi, P.mpcror Gaotz.ung (reigned 650—684). I here is good evidence to prove that the text originally was either {hi (well governed) or fA/f A/' (perfectly governed). Sec Lou, Wang Biji jiaoshi, 1: 224 n. 49. Wing-tsit Chan's translation of this passage as "only because there is ultimate principle in the world. . . ." apparently follows the later, altered text. Sec Source Book, p. 320. 16. King Wen, the father of King Wu who overthrew the Shang and founded the Zhou state (i 122 B.C.), was supposedly the long-suffering vassal of Zhou, the wicked last Shang king. 17. Lll, the home state of Confucius, was so badly governed that he had to travel abroad to try lo find a worthy sovereign to serve. II I- X AG HAM 2 Kim [Pure Yin] {Kun Above Kun Below) Judgment Kun consists of fundamcntality, and prevalence, and its fitness is that of the constancy of the mare. {The constancy of Kun is fitting just in the way constancy is fitting for the mare. The horse is a creature that travels by staying down [on the ground], but even more important we have the female of it, so it is something that repre- «41 Hexagram 2: Kun sents the acme of compliance [s/iu/i]. Here one will prevail only after becoming perfectly compliant, and this is why the text says that one will only achieve fitness in the constancy of the mare.1} Should the noble man set out to do something, if lie were to lake the lead, he would go astray, but if he were to follow, he would find a master. It is fitting to find friends in the southwest and lo spurn friends in the northeast. To practice constancy with serenity means good fortune. {The southwest is the land of utmost nurturing and be longs to the same Dao as Kun.2 Thus the text says "find friends." The northeast is the opposite of the southwest. Thus the text says "spurn friends." When yin is manifest in something, that something must distance itself from its own ilk and go to the opposite [yang| kind, for only then will it garner the good fortune derived from practicing "constancy with serenity."} COMMRNTAItY ON THE JUDGMENTS I low great is the fundamental nature of A un\ The myriad things are provided their births by it, and in so doing it compliantly carries out I leaven's will. It is the generosity of Kun that lets it carry everything, the integrative force of its virtue that accounts for its limitlessncss, and its vast power to accommodate that makes it glorious and great so that things in all their different categories can prevail as they should. The 111,11c is a metaphor for the Earth, for it travels the Earth without limit. {The way the Earth manages to be without limit is by acting with humility. Qian rides through Heaven as a dragon, but Kun travels the Earth as a horse.} For one who is yielding and compliant, it is fitting to practice constancy here, and the noble man who sets out to do something, if he takes the lead, will be in breach of the I).10, but if he follows and is compliant, he will find his rightful place. "To find friends in the southwest" means to travel with one sown kind, and "to spurn friends in the northeast" means that in the end one will have blessings. The good fortune that here derives from practicing constancy with serenity is a matter of resonating with the limitless qualities of the Earth. {I he term Earth is the name of a form, a phenomenal entity; the term Kun refers to that which uses or takes this form.' Two males will be sure to fight, and two masters will involve peril. That which has the form of the Ear th [Kun] |oins together with the hard and the strong [Qian] to form a matched pair, by means of which things are preserved "without limit." Of course. '44 Hexagram 2: Kun to put Kun into practice will certainly achieve the utmost compliancy, but if this were to be done without regard to the qualities of the mare or if one were to try to achieve fitness without regard to the perpetual maintenance of constancy, the one approach would make him not just square and solid but also inflexible, and the other would make him not just compliant but also irresolute, so in either case his search for security would be difficult indeed!) COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES I Icre is the basic disposition of Earth: this constitutes the image of Kun. {In physical form, Earth is not compliant; it is its basic disposition that is compliant.} In the same manner, the noble man with his generous virtue carries everything. COMMENTARY ON THE WORDS OF THE TEXT Kun is perfectly compliant, but the way it takes action is strong and firm; it is perfectly quiescent, but its virtue is square and solid. {Action that is square and straight is incapable of doing evil, but to be so compliant that one becomes irresolute will lead to the deterioration of the Dao. When the virtue involved is perfectly quiescent, that virtue must be "square and solid."} It is by following that one obtains a master and finds a rightful place, and it is by accommodating the myriad things that the transformative power of Kun achieves its glory—both these facts surely indicate how the Dao of Kun consists of compliance: in carrying out Heaven's will, its actions are always timely. COMMENTARY ON THE APPENDED PHRASES As I leaven is high and noble and Earth is low and humble, so it is that Qian [Pure Yang, Hexagram 1] and Kun [Pure Yin] are defined. The Dao of Kun forms the female. . . . Kun acts to bring things to completion. Kun through simplicity provides capability. ... As [it] is simple, it is easy to follow. ... If one is easy to follow, he will have meritorious accomplishments. When [the Dao] duplicates patterns, we call it Kun. As for Kun, in its quiescent state it is condensed, and in its '45 Hexagram 2: Kun active state it is diffuse. This is how it achieves its capacious productivity. Phis is why closing the gate is called Kun. Qian and Kun, do they not constitute the arcane source for change! When Qian and Kun form ranks, change stands in their midst, but if Qian and Kun were to disintegrate, there would he no way that change could manifest itself. And if change could not manifest itself, this would mean that Qian and Kun might almost be on the point of extinction! All the activity that take place in the world, thanks to constancy, is the expression of the One. . . . Kun being yielding shows us how simple it is. The Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun let their robes hang loosely down, yet the world was well governed. I hey probably got the idea for this from the hexagrams Qian and Kun. The Master said: "Qian and Kun, do they not constitute the two-leaved gate into the Changes?. . . Kun is a purely yin thing. Kun [Pure Yin] is a yin thing. Kun is the most compliant thing in the entire world, so it should always he simple to put its virtue into practice. [ It ] is able to refine the concerns of the feudal lords.4 PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OF THE HEXAGRAMS Only after there were Heaven [Qian, Pure Yang, I lexagram 1] and Earth [Kun, Pure Yin], were the myriad things produced from them. What fills Heaven and Earth is nothing other than the myriad things. THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER Kun [Pure Yin] [is] soft and yielding. First Yin The frost one treads on reaches its ultimate stage as solid ice. {What starts out as frost that one might tread on ultimately be comes hard ice. This is what is meant when it [the Commentary on the Words of the Text] says, "Kun is perfectly compliant, but the way it takes action is strong and firm." Yin as a Dao is such that, although rooted in humble weakness, it thereafter brings about 146 Hexagram 2: Kun '•17 Hexagram 2: Kun prominence through its accumulated effect. Thus the text chooses "frost one treads on" to clarify how Kun begins. Yang as physical manifestation does not involve things that first have foundations established so they can achieve prominence later. Thus the text clarifies yang things in terms of activity and inactivity, as, for instance, [a dragon] "submerged" in the first line [i.e., Qian, First Yang].} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES The frost one treads on becomes solid ice: This yin thing begins to congeal. Obediently fulfilling its Dao, it ultimately becomes solid ice. COMMENTARY ON THE WORDS OE THE TEXT A family that accumulates goodness will be sure to have an excess of blessings, but one that accumulates evil will be sure to have an excess of disasters. When a subject kills his lord or a son kills his father, it is never because of what happens between the morning and evening of the same day hut because of something that has been building up for a long time and that should have been dealt with early—but was not. When the Changes say "the frost one treads on reaches its ultimate stage as solid ice," is it not talking about compliancy [with the Dao involved]?' Second Yin He is straight [{hi), square [Jang], and great [da], so without working at it, nothing he does here fails to be fitting. {Here, finding oneself at the center and obtaining his correct position there, he perfectly realizes in himself the qualities inherent in the Earth: he allows things their natural course, so they produce themselves, and he does not try to improve upon and manage them, so success comes about by itself.4 This is why the text says: "Without working at it. nothing he does here fails to be fitting."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Actions associated with Second Yin are straight and thus square. {When one reveals himself to be straight and square in his actions, it means that he has allowed these qualities free play here.} "Without working at it, nothing he does here fails to be fitting": here is the glory of the Dao of Earth. COMMENTARY ON THE WORDS OF THE TEXT "Straight" refers to the rectitude If/"'"/,') of Kun, and "square" refers to its righteousness [yi\. The noble man keeps his inner self straight by means of reverence [yVw/fl and keeps his outer life square by means of righteousness. With the establishment of reverence and righteousness, one keeps oneself free from isolation. "I Ic is straight, square, and gre.il, so without working .it it, nothing he does here fails to be fitting." Thus he has no doubts about what he should do. Third Yin One who effaces his own prominent qualities here will be able to practice constancy. I Ic might attend to his sovereign's business, and if he were to make no claim for its success, he should bring about a successful conclusion. {One who occupies the very top of the lower irigram yet does not excite the suspicions of yang personages [sover eign, superiors] is someone who stays in harmony with the meaning [yi] involved here. Fie does not involve himself in initiating anything but must respond to the lead of another and must wait for orders before he starts to act: this is someone who effaces his own excellence and in so doing keeps himself correct. I bus the text says: "One who effaces his own prominent qualities here will be able to practice constancy." If there is business to attend to. he should do it but must not dare take the lead. Thus the text says: "Fie might attend to his sovereign's busi ness." He brings things to a successful conclusion by obeying orders. Thus the text says: "If he were to make no claim for its success, he should bring about a successful conclusion."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAUES "One who effaces his own prominent qualities here will be able to practice constancy": this means that he starts to act when the moment is opportune. "I le might attend to his sovereign's business": his wisdom is glorious and great. I lere is someone whose "wisdom is glorious and great," so he docs not take the credit for tilings. 148 Hexagram 2: Kun COMMENTARY ON THE WORDS OF THE TEXT Although a yin person has excellence, he effaces it in order to attend to his sovereign's business and docs not dare take credit for its success. This is the Dao of Earth, the Dao of the wife, and the Dao of the minister. The Dao of Earth has one "make no claim for... success" but working on behalf of the other [Qjan—-Pure Yang, i.e., 1 leaven - husband, sovereign], "he should bring about a successful conclusion." Fourth Yin Tic up the hag, so there will be no blame, no praise. {Here, located in a yin hexagram, one has a yin position occupied by a yin line, so to tread here does not involve a mean [z/iong] position, and those who fill it do not have "straight and square" qualities. These do not engage in yang [the sovereign's] business, for they lack that excellence whose prominence should be effaced. "Tie up" [god] means "bind up" [jie]—to keep confined. A worthy person should stay hidden here, and only by exercising caution can he get by. for the Dao of Tai [Peace, Hexagram I I] does not operate here.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Tic up the bag, so there will be no blame": if one exercises caution, he will suffer no harm. COMMENTARY ON THE WORDS OF THE TEXT When Heaven and Earth engage in change and transformation, the whole plant kingdom flourishes, but when I leaven and Earth are confined, the worthy person keeps hidden. When the Changes say "tie up the bag, so there will he no blame, no praise," is it not talking about caution? Fifth Yin A yellow lower garment means fundamental good fortune. {"Yellow is the color of centrality [z/iong. the Mean], and a lower garment adorns the bottom half of the body."' Kun is the Dao of the subject, whose excellence is completely realized below in the position of sub- 149 Hexagram 2: Kun ordinate. Someone without hard and strong substance tan let things fully realize their innate tendencies only by thoroughly grasping then principles, and he can occupy a noble position with the virtues of com pliancy and obedience only if he has the required civil graces and con trol over those principles. I Ic gainers fundamental good fortune by letting his yellow lower garment hang loosely down and not by using martial power. Here, he achieves the utmost nobility of the yin but does not go so far as to excite the suspicions of the yang. and this is due to "the civil graces abiding within." "the very acme of excellence."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "A yellow lower garment means fundamental good fortune": this refers to the civil graces abiding within. {That one wears a yellow lower garment and garners fundamental good fortune hero is due to "the civil graces abiding within."} COMMENTARY ON THE WORDS OF THE TEXT I he noble man, garbed in yellow and maintaining the Mean, thoroughly grasps the principles of things. The correct position lor him is this place in the trigram. Excellence abides within him, emanating through his four limbs and expressed in his deeds the very acme of excellence. Dragons fight in the fields, their blood black and yellow. {Yin as a Dao means to be humble and obedient and to remain within one's limits -this is how its excellence is fully realized. Here, however, it has become all that it can be but does not stop and would take over yang territory, something that the yang principle will not permit. This is why the text says that they "fight in the fields."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Dragons light in the fields": the Dao of Kun has reached its limits. COMMENTARY ON THE WORDS OF THE TEXT As yin provokes the suspicions of yang, il iniisi fight. {Nothav ing taken appropriate steps beforehand, yang becomes suspicious Hexagram 2: Kun of yin now at the peak of its strength and so takes action; this is why "it must fight."8} It is because yin calls into question the fact that it is totally lacking in yang. {It fights because it calls into question the fact that it is not yang, that it is referred to as a dragon here.' It is because it still has not abandoned its own kind.} It is because it has still not forsaken its yin-ness that it is exterminated by yang, that blood is mentioned here. {As it still fights with yang and because they wound each other, so there is mention of blood.10} Black-and-yellow refers to how Heaven and Earth are mixed together. Heaven is black and Earth is yellow. All Use Yin Lines" It is fitting to practice constancy perpetually here. What is fitting here at All Use Yin Lines is to practice constancy perpetually. COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "All Use Yin Lines" signifies that greatness and final success are achieved through the practice of perpetual constancy. {This refers to one who is able to achieve greatness and final success through the practice of perpetual constancy.} NOTES 1. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Wang Hi. 2. Tins paraphrases section five of Explaining the Ttigt ams: " Kun | Pure Yin| here means the Earth. The myriad things all arc nourished to the utmost by it." 3. Sec I lexagram 1, Qian (Pure Yang), note 1. 4. Sec sections one, five, six, eleven, and twelve of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One, and sections one. two, six, ten, and twelve of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two. y Zhu Xi points out that since the characters shun (compliancy) and shrn (caution) were used interchangeably in antiquity, shun ought to be read as shin here- referring to how one should deal with things when they have just barely begun. His version would read: "Is it not talking about caution?" See Zhouyi rheihong, 16: 25b. This seems rather forced and unlikely, especially since compliancy figures so prominently in this and other sections of the text of Kun. "Compliancy with the I )ao involved" makes 151 Hexagram 2: Kun good sense from the context and obviously refers to the fad that once a thing starts, it will comply with the dictates of its inner nature whether for good or for evil. 6. I his is similar to Wang's comment on a passage in the fifth section of the Lao\i\ "Heaven and Earth arc not benevolent; they tteat the myriad things as straw dogs." Wang Hi's comment: "Heaven and Earth allow things to follow their natural course. They do not engage in piiiposefnl action and create nothing, so the myriad things manage themselves. Ibis is why the text says that they 'arc not benevolent.' " Sec Lou, Wang M/ijiaoshi, 1:13. 7. This quotes from a passage in the Zun;huan (/.no's commentary on the Spring and Auiunin Annals), concerning the twelfth year of the reign of Duke Shao (529 B.C.). Cf. I.egge, The Chinese Classics, y. 640. 8. I his translates y/nyryr/ yang hi ;han. This interpretation and the rendering of Wang's commentary follow Kong Yingda's si tlx ommcntary: "As yin has reached the peak of its strength, it comes under the suspicions of yang, which then takes action, wishing to extirpate this yin, but since yin is already at the peak of its strength, it is unwilling to take evasive action. This is why 'it must fight.' " Sec Zhouyi fhengyi, r: 27b. I lowevrr, it is also possible to inlet ptet both differently: "When yin feels il < an disparage yang, there is sure to be a fight" (for the Commentary on the Words of the Text); "As it was not dealt with before this, its disparagement reaches full measure, and so it takes action. This is why 'there is sure to be a fight' " (for Wang Hi's commentary). This second reading follows Ito Togai's (i««70 1730) interpretation; sec Shueli kyoyoku rsukai, r: 28. Ir glosses yi as naigashiro ni suru—"treat with contempt, disparage," i.e., "call into question one's viability." Later commentators, notably Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, ignore the remarks of Wang Hi and Kong Yingda and rake \ in yiyu yang hi lhan quite differently: "When yin is an equal match for yang, there is sure to be a fight," deriving the sense of "equal match" for vi from another of its basic meanings, "resemble, feign." Sec Zhouyi \he^hong, 16: 31a. 9. Hollowing Kong Yingda's subcommentary: "Top Yin at the peak of its strength seems as if it were yang. and, because it calls into question the fact that it is pure yin and totally lacking in yang, 'it is referred to as a dragon' in order to make this clear." See Zhouyi \hengyi, 1: 27b. 10. Zhu Xi comments: "Blood belongs to the yin category. Qi |spiril, material force] is yang, and blood is yin. Black and yellow are the tine col ors of I leaven and Earth, so this means that yin and yang are both wounded here." This agrees with Cheng Yi's interpretation: "Although yin here is at the peak of its strength, it has not abandoned its yin-ness. As it fights with yang, we can be sure that it gets wounded. This is why 'there is mention of blood.' Yin has already reached the peak of its strength and even goes so far as to do battle with yang, so yang cannot avoid getting wounded. This is why the blood involved is black and yellow." Sec Zhouyi ^hr^hong, if>: 31.1. it. I he All Use Yin Lines of Hexagram 2, the Commentary on the Images, and Wang Hi's commentary to both arc all omitted in the Wong Hi jijiaoshiedition; translation of these texts here follows Kong, Zhou) i\heng) i .:25b. HEXAGRAM 3 "IL Zhun [Birth Throes] (Z/ien Below Kan Above) Judgment Zhun consists of fundamcntality [.yw<"»], prevalence [heng], fitness [//'], and constancy [fan]. {"When the hard and the soft begin to interact," Zhun [Birth Throes] occurs. If such interaction fails to take place, Pi [Obstruction, Hexagram 12] results. This is why, when Zhun occurs, it means great prevalence. With great prevalence, one is free from danger, and this is why it is fitting to practice constancy.1} Do not use this as an opportunity to go forth. {The more one would go forth, the greater the Zhun [Birth Throes].} It is fitting to establish a chief. {Stability will come about only with the obtaining of a master.2} COMMENTARY ON THE JUDGMENTS Zhun [Birth Throes] means the difficulty of giving birth when the hard and the soft begin to interact. One who takes action in the midst of danger here will greatly prevail and so can practice constancy. {It starts in danger and difficulty but goes on to arrive at great prevalence and, after that, attains perfect rectitude. This is why the text says: "Zhun [Birth Throes] consists of fundamentality, prevalence, fitness, and constancy."} It is by the action of thunder and rain that the repletion of things occurs, something always brought about by the hard and the soft when they "begin to interact." At this primordial stage of Heaven's creativity, though it is appropriate to establish a chief, it will not mean stability. {The Zhun hexagram signifies instability. Thus the text says: "It is fitting to establish a chief." Zhun represents the initial stage in the creative activity of Heaven and Earth, the beginning of the creation of things that takes place in primordial obscurity. This is why the text says "primordial stage." When one finds himself located at such '55 Hexagram j; Zhun initial stages of creative activity, there is no more appropriate good to pursue than that of establishing a chief.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Clouds and Thunder: this constitutes the image of Birth Throes. In the same way, the noble man weaves the fabric of government. {This is a time for the noble man to weave the fabric of government.3} PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OF THE HEXAGRAMS Only after there were Heaven [Qian, Pure Yang, Hexagram 1 ] and Earth | Kun, Pure Yin, I lexagram 2] were the myriad things produced from them. What (ills Heaven and Karth is nothing other than the myriad things. This is why Qian and Kun are followed by Zhun [Birth 'Throes]. Zhun here signifies repletion. THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER Zhun I Birth Throes) means "making an appearance in such a way thai one does not lose one's place." First Yang One should tarry here. It is fitting to abide in constancy. It is fitting to establish a chief. {To be located at First Yang of Zhun means that any action taken would result in trouble, so one may not advance; this is why the text says: "One should tarry here." When one is located at this moment, what is the fit thing to do? Can it be anything other than to "abide in constancy" and to "establish a chief"? One brings cessation to chaos by means of quietude, and one maintains that quietude by means of a chief. Pacifying the people depends on the practice of rectitude, and the promotion of recti tude depends on modesty [qian]. In the world of trouble represented by Zhun, the yin seek out the yang, and the weak seek out the strong. It is a time when the people long for their master. First Yang is located at the head of Zhun, but it also lies at the bottom of it. Its line text perfectly expresses what is meant here, and how just is its way for winning over the people!} 154 Hexagram j: Zhun COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Although "one should tarry here," may his will be set on practicing rectitude. {One may not advance here; this is why the text says: "One should tarry." But this does not mean seeking one's own happiness and setting aside one's rightful duties. This is why the text says: "Although 'one should tarry here,' may his will be set on practicing rectitude."} It is by the noble subordinating himself to his inferiors that he wins over the people in large numbers. (Yang is noble, and yin is inferior.} Second Yin I hre Zhun [Birth Throes] operates as impasse, as yoked horses pulling at odds. She is not one to he harassed into getting married hut practices constancy and does not plight her troth. Only after ten years will she plight her troth. {Second Yin, its intent fixed on Fifth Yang, does not acquiesce to First Yang. At this time of difficulty in Zhun, the correct Dao does not function, so although Second Yin is contiguous to First Yang, it is not responsive to it. Here Second Yin is hampered by encroachment on the part of First Yang, and this is why Zhun is defined as "impasse." As this moment is just at a point of difficulty in Zhun, the correct Dao* is not yet open, so although a long journey is in order, it is difficult to make progress here. This is why the text says "as yoked horses pulling at odds." The one doing the harassing is First Yang. If it were not for the difficulty caused by First Yang. Second Yin would, of course, marry Fifth Yang. This is why the text says: "She is not one to be harassed into getting married." As Second Yin has its intent fixed on Fifth Yang and does not acquiesce to Tirst Yang, the text says that she "does not plight her troth." This condition, of a world subject to Zhun as difficulty, will not last longer than ten years. After ten years, there will be "a return to the constant Dao." and once that happens, the object of one's original intent will be gained. This is why the text says: "Only after ten years will she plight her troth."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES The difficulty that Second Yin suffers is due to the fact that it rides on a hard |yang| line. "Only after ten years will she plight her troth" refers to a return to the constant Dao. '55 Hexagram j: Zhun Third Yin To go after deer without a forester would only get one lost in the depths of the forest. I he noble man, then, is aware th.it it would he better to refrain, for if he were to set out he would hud it hard going. {Third Yin. having got close to Fifth Yang, is free from any difficulty stemming from harassment, and. although fourth Yin is right next to Fifth Yang, its intention is fixed on First Yang, so there is nothing to block Third Yin's own path and it can thus advance, free from the impasse Zhun offers It might see how easy is the path to Fifth Yang but neglect to reckon on what it is: since Fifth Yang reso nates with Second Yin. if Third Yin were to set off for it. it would not be accepted by it. How would this he any different from trying to pursue a quarry without the help of a forester! Although one might sight the quarry, without the forester, he would merely "gel . . . lost in the depths of the forest." so how could he ever catch it; ji [then] is an interjection.'' How rould the noble man in his actions ever bring contempt and humiliation upon himself! I his is why "it would be better to refrain" and "if he were to set out he would find it hard going"' and "find himself in dire straits."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Togo after deer without a forester": rather than pursuing quarry in this way the noble man refrains. "If he were to set out he would find it hard going" and would find himself in dire straits. Fourth Yin Although it involves yoked horses pulling at odds, one seeks to gel married here. Io set out means good fortune, and .ill will he fitting without fail. {Although Second Yin is i ight next to first Yang, it holds fast to constancy and does not acquiesce, as it is not one to harm its own intention. But here Fourth Yin seeks to marry First Yang, and when it sets forth, it surely will be accepted. This is why the text says: "To set out means good fortune, and all will be fitting without fail.") COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES That one may seek and so go forth here is cleat. {It has dis Cerned the conditions pertaining to the other lines.} ■ 56 Hexagram j: Zhun Fifth Yang Benefaction licrc is subject to the difficulty of Zhun. To practice constancy in small ways means good fortune, but to practice constancy in major ways means misfortune. {To be located in difficulties as represented by Zhun means that although one here finds himself in a noble position, he cannot extend great measures of largess and nobility to everyone, for his powers to succor others are limited by his own weakness and by obstacles: he may be a pervasive force among this petty crowd, but he is still tied as a matter of resonance to Second Yin. "Benefaction here is subject to the difficulty of Zhun." This means that this is not the place where one can extend himself to others in a grand way. He should keep his intention firmly fixed on his comrade [Second Yin] and not let others drive a wedge between them. Thus "to practice constancy in small ways means good fortune, but to practice constancy in major ways means misfortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Benefaction here is subject to the difficulty of Zhun": this means that it is not yet the time to extend one's powers in a grand way. Top Yin As one's yoked horses pull at odds, so one weeps profuse tears of blood. {This is to occupy a place of the utmost danger and difficulty: below there is no one to respond with help, and ahead there is no place to which one may suitably advance. Although Top Yin is right next to Fifth Yang, Fifth Yang's "benefaction ... is subject to the difficulty of Zhun." so the situation docs not lend itself to their mutual response. To stand fast here will not gain security, and there is no suitable place to which one might move. Here one is trapped in the most dire of predicaments and has absolutely no one on whom to rely. This is why the text says: "So one weeps profuse tears of blood."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "So one weeps profuse tears of blood": how can one last long here! 157 Hexagram j: Zhun NOTES 1. Sec Wang's remarks on this hexagram in section seven of his (icncrnl Remarks. Note thai ihis and all subsequent text set off in ibis manner is commentary by Wang Hi. 2. "Chief " translates hou (skilled archer, i.e., chief). Kong Yingdathinks (after Wang Hi, sec below) that this refers to the time when "the I >ao of the human world was first created, when things in it were not yel settled, so this is why it is appropriate to establish a chief in order to achieve stability." Sec Zhouyi {hengyi, i: 28a. However, in his next comment on hou, Kong seems to have changed his mind and glosses it as rAuAou (feudal lords): "It is suitable that the sovereign lake this Zhun hexagram as guide and appropriate that he establish feudal lords in order to extend his kindness to all creatures everywhere." See Zhouyi jhengyi, 1:29a. Although Cheng Yi also glosses hou as [huhou in his comment on ihis passage, Zhu Xi thinks that it refers to First Yang, the ruler of the entire hexagram, which lies beneath yin lines and thus is an image of a sovereign who emerges as .1 worthy from the common folk something more in line with Wang's "master." For /.Iiii's and (Ihcng's views, see Zhouyi therhong, 1: 10I1. j. "Weave the fabric of government" irdnsfoicsjinglun, that isjingwei, the warp and woof of fabric, a metaphor for order/ordering, government/governing. Sec Cheng Yi's and Zlui Xi's comments in Zhouyifhejhong, 11: 7b. 4. I his is playing on the literal meaning of as "way" or "path." •). The translation ofji (then) in Third Yin follows ihis gloss of Wane Hi; Kong Yingda also takes ji this way. See Zhouyi fanpyi. r: job. I low-ever, later commentators such as Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi take/;as a substantive noun incipience as it occurs in section ten of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One: "It is by means of the Chanpes thai the sages plumb the utmost profundity and dig into the very incipience of ihings." J"nVJ> (die noble man, then, . . .) is glossed by Cheng Yi as juntijian ski jhi jiwei (the noble man discerns the incipient and imperceptible beginnings of things), and Zbn Xi glosses it assimply;i//ifry/arj//(the noble man discerns incipience). Sec Zhouyi fatfong, 1: 2}b- hi the light of these glosses, I bird Yin would read: "The noble man, discerning whai is incipient here, is aware that it would be belter to stand fast." 6. "If he were lo sel onl he would find ii hard going" translates ti.;»;» /in. Lou Yulie cites Sun Xingyan's (1753-1818) Zhouyijijie (Collected exegeses on the Changes of the Zhou): I he Shuowen \jie{i\ |Kxplanationsof simple and composite characters], an etymological dictionary of Chinese compiled about looa.d.hy XtiShcnj, cites M' banditry and rebellion. Thus one must strike hard at it. In the light of his commentary, the text would mean: "Attack the Juvenile Ignorant. It is not fitting that he engage in banditry. It is fitting to prevent such banditry." Zhu Xi's commentary, however, seems to agree with that of Wang Hi: one should strike at Juvenile Ignorance but avoid excessive force. He l6l| Hexagram 5: Xu also adds the remaik: "A II one can do is guaid againsi cnliccmcnts to .vil from withoui, so that the Juvcntlc Ignorant can pcrfccl his iruth and purity." As such, Zhu provides a more specifre gloss on "guaid against harassrnent" lhan does Wang Mi (or Kong Yingda). Sec Zhouyi zheihong, 1: 31a 31b. II lí X AT, R AM 5 IÍIJ Xu [Waiting] (Qian Below Kan Above) Judgment As there is sincerity in waiting, so prevalence shall he gloriously manifest, and constancy result in good fortune. It is fining to cross the great river. CO MM ENTAIIY ON THE JUDGMENTS Xu means "waiting," as clanger lies in front.' Hard and strong, one does not founder here, the meaning of which is, one will not find himself in dire strails. "As there is sincerity in wailing, so prevalence shall he gloriously manifest, and constancy result in good fortune": here one abides in the place of I leaven and does so with rectitude and within the Mean. {This refers to Fifth Yang. Here one abides in the place of Heaven' and practices rectitude and the Mean. It is by doing so that he makes provision against all con tingencies. This is how the Dao of Xu is perfectly realized. Thus "prevalence shall be gloriously manifest, and constancy result in good fortune."3} "It is fitting to cross I he great river": this means that if one were loset forth, he would gain meritorious achievement. 166 Hexagram 5: Xu (When someone imbued with the virtue of Qion [Pure Yang] obtains the chance to move forward, he will prevail in whatever he sets out to do.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Clouds rise up to Heaven: this constitutes the image of Waiting.4 In the same way, the noble man takes this opportunity to enjoy himself in drinking and eating. {As Juvenile Ignorance [Hexagram 4] has already faded away, replete virtue here gloriously prevails, so the time for "enjoying [oneself] in eating and drinking" has certainly arrived!} PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OF THE HEXAGRAMS When tilings arc in their immature state, one cannot fail to nourish them. 1 his is why Meng [Juvenile Ignorance, I Iexagram 4] is followed by Xu [Waiting]. Xu here indicates the Dao of food and drink [i.e., nourishment taken while waiting]. THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER Xu [Waiting] means "do not advance." First Yang When waiting in the countryside, it is fitting to practice perseverance, for then there will be no blame. {When one finds himself in a time of Xu, this is the farthest point away from difficulties, so one can stop his progress here. In so doing, he keeps far away from danger and waits for the right moment. Although such a one refrains from responding to opportunities, he can still in this way safeguard correct norms of conduct.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Waiting in the countryside": this means that one does not risk engaging himself in difficult matters. "It is fitting to practice perseverance, for then there will be no blame": this means that one never neglects his rightful duties. Hexagram 5: Xu Second Yang When waiting on the sand, it might slightly involve rebuke, but in the end, good fortune will result. {Here one gets moved closet-to difficulties, and this is why the text says "waiting on the sand.'"' This does not go so far as to "attract . . . robbers to him,"' so the text merely says: "It might slightly involve rebuke." Here one is close but not so close that he is oppressed by danger and far but not so far that he will be too late for the moment when it happens. He treads on a place of strength and abides in the Mean and in this way awaits the right opportunity. "Although 'it might slightly involve rebuke,' he will finish up with good fortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Waiting on the sand": it is with ease and generosity that he locates himself in this central position, so although "it might slightly involve rebuke," lie will finish up with good fortune. Third Yang When waiting on the mud, it attracts robbers to him. {As a hard and strong person is oppressed with difficulties here, he wishes to advance along his way. but by doing so he comes to the attention of robbers and attracts enemies. Since he still has something for which to wait, he does not let his hardness and strength founder. That robbers have come is because he brought them upon himself, "but if he seriously takes the utmost precautions," this will allow him to avoid defeat.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Waiting on the mud": calamity lies just beyond. It is he himself who has attracted robbers, but if he seriously takes the utmost precautions, he will not suffer defeat. Fourth Yin When waiting in blood, one has to come out of the pit. {When ever mention is made of blood, it means that yin and yang have i68 Hexagram 5: Xu wounded each other. Here yin and yang are immediately contiguous but do not resonate together. Yang wishes to press forward, but yin blocks its way; thus they wound each other. The pit signifies the Dao of the yin principle. Here one is located at the first line of Kan [Sink Hole], which is to abide in a pit. Third Yang advances hard and strong, and Fourth Yin cannot ward it off. As it has been invaded. Fourth Yin has to fall back. This is a matter of "as he is compliant, he obeys" orders. This is why the text says: "When waiting in blood, one has to come out of the pit."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Waiting in blood": as he is compliant, lie obeys. Fifth Yang When waiting for wine and food, it means the good fortune that derives from constancy. {The waiting involved with Xu is done in order to achieve great success. As one here has already obtained the "place of Heaven" and freely practices the Mean and rectitude, there is nothing to wait for any longer. This is the reason why all one need be concerned about is "wine and food," for here one garners "the good fortune that derives from constancy."} 169 Hexagram 5: Xu in resonance with Third Yang, so Third Yang's coming to Top Yin is done in order to render it assistance. Thus there is no falling back because of fear of disaster on Top Yin's part, but instead one takes a stand here by "entering the pit." The reason the three yang lines had not dared to advance is that this line represents the last stage of Xu's difficulties, but with the actual end of these difficulties, they arrive without waiting to be summoned. It is because lop Yin itself is located at the end of these difficulties that they come of their own accord. Top Yin is located at a place where there is no position for it. Also it is one yin line and yet plays the host for three yang lines, thus it must "treat them with respect." for only then "in the end [will] there ... be good fortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Uninvited guests have arrived. If one treats them with respect, in the end, there will he good fortune." Although one is not in a proper position here, this is not a great mistake. {To be located in a place where there is no position for one is what "one is not in a proper position" means. It is by paying the guests respect that one obtains "good fortune in the end." This is why the text says: "Although one is not in a proper position here, this is not a great mistake."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Wine and food" means "the good fortune that derives from constancy" because of adherence to the Mean and rectitude. 1 op Yin When entering the pit, one finds that three uninvited guests have arrived. If one treats them with respect, in the end, there will be good fortune. {The reason Fourth Yin "has to come out of the pit" is that, not being in resonance with Third Yang, it blocks its way, and if it does not fall back, it would suffer disaster. Thus it must abandon the pit and so avoid this confrontation with Third Yang. When one reaches Top Yin, he finds himself at the very end of this hexagram, so this cannot have anything to do with blocking the way. Top Yin is NOTES 1. Cheng Yi sums up the relationship between the constituent trigrams of Xu: "Qian's nature being hard and strong means that it is something that must go forward, but here it is located beneath the danger of Kan [Sink Hole]. As this danger becomes an obstacle to Qian, it must now wait here and advance only later." See Zhouyi jhejhnng, 1: 52a. 2. Kong Yingda glosses tianwei(place of I leaven) as nan^i {hi wei (position of the Son of Heaven, i.e., a true sovereign). Zhouyi {hengyi, 2: lb. }. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Wang Bi. 4. Kong Yingda comments: "The way I leaven has it rain is to wait for the right time to let it fall. In ibis w;iy the text sheds light on how the great beneficence of Xu shall be dispensed and how its replete virtue shall also prevail." See Zhouyi ^hengyi, 2: r.\. 5. Kong Yingda comments: "Sands are the lands at the edge of bodies of water, a bit closer to the water itself, so when one waits for the right mo- I70 Hexagram 6: Song men! on ilicsc sands, difficulties are consequently somewhat closer to him." Sec Zfiouyi {hengyi, i: ia. 6. Cf. Third Yang here at Xu; Hexagram 40, Xie (Release), Third Yin; and section eight of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Tart One. HEXAGRAM 6 Song [Contention] (Kan Below Qian Above) Judgment In Contention, there should be sincerity. Exercise prudence in handling obstruction. To halt halfway means good fortune. {Obstruction means "hindrance" or "blockage." Only after one is able to exercise prudence, can he garner the good fortune involved with halting halfway.1} To persist to the end means misfortune. It is fitting to see the great man. It is not fitting to cross the great river. COMMENTARY ON THE JUDGMENTS Song [Contention] consists of strength in the upper trigram |(J/<7/i] and danger in the lower trigram [Kan (Sink Hole)]. To be in danger but still have strength, this is what Song means. "In Contention, there should be sincerity. Exercise prudence in handling obstruction. To halt halfway means good fortune": all this refers to the hard line [Second Yang], which arrives and takes up a middle position. "To persist to the end means misfortune": 171 Hexagram (>': Song this means that Contention does not allow (or a successful conclusion. "It is fitting to see the great man": what one esteems is his adherence to the Mean and his rectitude. "It is not fitting to cross the great river": one would sink into the watery depths. {Whosoever gets involved in disagreement and enters into Con tention will find that no matter what measures are taken, none will succeed, because the difficulties that he tries to traverse arc too grave. Only someone who has sincerity and tieats hindrance with caution will obtain good fortune here. But even he can no longer persist to the end; it is by halting halfway that one has good fortune. If one fails to stifle Contention at its inception and so prevent it from developing, even though in each instance one avoids any devi ant behavior. Contention will continue to progress to its final stage, and this, indeed, would result in misfortune. Thus, although one has sincerity and treats hindrance with caution, he still cannot use these attributes to bring Contention to a successful conclusion. Ibis is why the text says: "In Contention, there should be sincerity. Exer cise prudence in handling obstruction. To halt halfway means good fortune. To persist to the end means misfortune." If there is not someone who is good at listening [i.e.. capable of passing |iidgincnt on Contention, i.e.. of litigation], even though the truth is on one's side, what means could ever bring it to light? So how could anyone who gets this command to have sincerity and to treat hindrance with caution ever obtain good fortune by halting halfway? For this to happen, there must be someone in charge who is good at listen ing. and is he not located at Second Yang? Flere he arrives with his strength, makes all petty persons behave correctly, and avoids vio lating the Mean in making judgments. In so doing, he fulfills his re sponsibilities perfectly.'} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Heaven and water operate in contrary ways: this constitutes the image of Contention.1 In the same way, the noble man in conducting business carefully plans how such things begin. {"In listening to litigation [song], I am like other men. But what is really necessary is the prevention of litigation itself from happening!"* Avoidance of Contention [Song] depends on "carefully plan[ning] how . . . things begin." and "carefully planfning] how . . . things begin" depends on the setting up of limitations and controls. It is lack of clarity in contracts that is the origin of Contention. If things have 172 Hexagram 6: Song their proper allotment and responsibilities do not encroach upon each other, how could strife ever arise? The reason why Contention oc curs is that people overstep the bounds of contracts. Thus those who have virtue tend to their contracts and do not lay blame on others.1} PROVIDING TIIF. SEQUENCE OF THE HEXAGRAMS hood and drink necessarily involve Song [Contention]. This is why Xu [Waiting, Hexagram 5] is followed by Song. THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER Song [Contention) means "not being affable." First Yin If one does not perpetuate the case involved, it might slightly involve rebuke, but in the end, good fortune will result. {Here one is located at the beginning of Song [Contention], but Contention can never be brought to a successful conclusion. Thus only when "one does not perpetuate the case involved" will good fortune follow. It is always yang that starts singing and yin that joins in. Yin is never the one to take the lead.' It should be Fourth Yang that gives the summons, to which First Yin then responds, but instead First Yin finds itself transgressed against, so Contention occurs.7 It may be located at the beginning of Song, but First Yin is not the one that starts the Contention. Although it cannot help but finally get involved in Contention, First Yin should be sure to analyze clearly how the Contention comes about.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "If one does not perpetuate the case involved": that is, Contention cannot be protracted forever. Although "it might slightly involve rebuke," its analysis is clear. '71 Hexagram 6: Song will be no disaster. {As a hard [yang] line that finds a place in Song. Second Yang is an inferior entity that is not up to the task. From below it engages one that is above [Fifth Yang] in Contention, so it is appropriate that it is not victorious. If through caution such a one is able to escape by returning home to his own city, he can thereby avoid calamity. But if his city surpasses three hundred households, it will not be a place of refuge for him, for calamity is never avoided by escaping and then relying on strength."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Not victorious in Contention": one escapes by returning home. When from below one engages in Contention one that is above, calamity ensues as easily as if it were just picked up. Third Yin Subsist on old virtue. If one exercises constancy in the face of danger, in the end, good fortune will result. I le might attend to his sovereign's business, but he has 110 opportunity to accomplish anything of his own. {The substance of Third Yin is soft and yielding, so it is obedient to Top Yang. It does not behave like Sec ond Yang and "from below engage ... in Contention one that is above." Not being encroached upon, it safeguards all that it has. Thus it manages to "subsist on old virtue*"' and remain free from error. Here, located in the struggles of a time of Contention, it is located between two hard [yang] lines. Though contiguous with both, it forms a pair with neither. This is why the text says "if one exercises constancy in the face of danger." Being soft in substance, it is not one to struggle. Remaining closely tied in resonance with Top Yang, none of the other lines is able to deflect it from its course. This is why the text says: "In the end. good fortune will result." Top Yang is so strong that it will be victorious in any struggle, and it is impossible to defy it. This is why "he might attend to his sovereign's business" but does not dare accomplish anything in his own right.} Second Yang Not victorious in Contention, one escapes by returning home. If his city consists of fewer than three hundred households, there COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Subsist on old virtue": To follow the lead of Top Yang means good fortune. '74 Hexagram 6: Song Fourth Yang Not victorious in Contention, {This is due to the fact that First Yin's "analysis is clear."} one returns to fulfilling I leaven's command and so changes course. Serene practice of constancy means good fortune. {Here one who occupies a superior position and contends with a subordinate [First Yin] is able to use this opportunity to change what he does. Thus the blame suffered is not great. If he can return to following fundamental principles, this will enable him to change his previous order [that led to Contention with First Yin]10, and by "practicing constancy with serenity" he will not commit transgression [against First Yin] or violate his own Dao but will "practice humaneness beginning with oneself."" Thus good fortune will follow him.12} '75 Hexagram 6: Song Fop Yang One might be awarded with a leather belt, but before the day is over he will have been deprived of it three times. {Here is some one located at the very end of Song. As he abides at this top posi tion full of hardness and strength, whenever he engages in Contention he is victorious. Although he receives an award thanks to his success in Contention, how long can he safeguard this honor? This is why in the space of just one day he will be deprived of the belt three times.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES To receive an item of apparel because of success in Contention is indeed not something worthy of respect. COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "One returns to fulfilling Heaven's command and so changes course": by practicing constancy with serenity he remains free from error. Fifth Yang The way Contention is dealt with here results in fundamental good fortune. {By being located here one obtains a noble position and becomes the ruler of Song. Fifth Yang by its adherence to the Mean and its rectitude judges what is crooked and what is straight. As one here practices the Mean, he avoids excess, and, as such a one is correct, he does no evil. Fifth Yang is so hard and strong that it is not in the least subject to distractions and so just and fair that it is not at all prone to partiality. This is why the text says: "The way Contention is dealt with here results in fundamental good fortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGE.S "The way Contention is dealt with here results in fundamental good fortune": this is due to adherence to the Mean and to rectitude. NOTES 1. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Wang Bi. The text of Wang's comment rcadsy/r tiranhou (only after one in all cases exercises prudence). I lowever, Lou Yulic cites critical editions of the Changes with Wang's commentary prepared by Sun Xingyan (1753-1818) and Jiao Xun (1703- 1820) in which(in all cases) is replaced by neng (is able). As the characters jie and neng resemble each other, it is assumed that these editors thought that jie was a mistake and that neng was correct. Kong Yingda also reads Wang's text as if it contained neng rather than jie. See IPang Bi jijiaoshi, 1: 251 n. 1, and Zhouyi ?hengyi, 1: 4a. 2. "Is he not located at Second Yung?" translates qi xai er hit. As the ruler of the Song hexagram is Fifth Yang, there has been speculation that this phrase contains a copyist's error and should read qi jui 117/ hit: "Is he not located at Fifth Yang?" If this is so, the error must have occurred before the T ang era and Kong Yingda, for Kong accepts er as correct and has much to say about it in his stibcommcntary to Fifth Yang: Wang's commentary above says: "Someone in charge who is good at listening, and is he not located at Second Yang?" This means that Second Yang is a ruler, but his commentary here also says: "[Fifth Yang) becomes the ruler of Song. (It| by its adherence to the Mean and its rectitude judges what is crooked and what is straight." So this means that Fifth Yang is also a ruler. For one hexagram to have two rulers like this often occurs throughout the hexagrams as a whole. Fifth Yang is this hexagram's ruler by vittue of its noble position, but any of the other lines might be a rulei because of the way it represents the hexagram's meaning. 176 Hexagram 6: Song Kong (lien goes on to say thai the same kind of thing happens, for instance, in Fu (Return), I lexagram 24. Sec Zhouyi{hengyi, 2:7a-7b. Still, although the "meaning" of Song—its "moral" or general advice—docs seem to be expressed in Second Yang, I am not entirely convinced and continue to think that "is he not located at Fifth Yang" is the more likely reading: it makes good sense for the passage as a whole and is, of course, a much simpler explanation. My the same token, "the great man" probably refers to Fifth Yang and not Second Yang. 3. Kong Yingda comments: "The Dao of I leaven is to rotate to the west, but the flow of water is such that it goes east. . . . This is an image of two people mutually acting at odds." Sec Zhouyi \hengyi, 1: 5a. All celestial bodies seem to rotate from east to west, and the waters of Chinese lakes and rivers all eventually flow east to the sea. 4. Lunyu (Analects) 12:13. 5. This paraphrases Lao{i, section 79, p. 79. 6. Wang says the same thing in his commentary to Lao^i, section 10, p. xy 7. Kong Yingda comments: "First Yin should he the one to respond to Fourth Yang, but Fourth Yang is so filled with strong yang-ness that it comes first to First Yin. This is in violation of principle and a transgression against this one. First Yin, a weak yin entity that finds itself transgressed against, now enters into Contention." See Zhouyi \hengyi, 2: ja—5b. X. Kong Yingda comments: '/.lung's (Zheng Xuan, 127-200] commentary on the Z.yV[Book of rites] says: "A small state involves the rule of a junior grand master [xiadaifu]." This location (in Song] is an expression of the meager and the weak, and this is why Second Yang can escape by returning home and hiding away there. Hut if this involves a city that surpasses three hundred households in population, it would he a strong, huge state that one cannot use as a hideout. Sec Zhouyi {hengyi, 2: 5b. 9. Kong Yingda glosses "subsist on old virtue" (shijiude) as "subsist on the salary and rank of the virtuous of former days"—i.e., be content with the position inherited from one's virtuous forebears. Sec Zhouyi ^hengyi, 2: 6a. 10. This is how Kong Yingda interprets the passage; see Zhouyi ^hengyi, 2: 6b. 11. Lunyu (Analects) 12:1. 12. Both Wang Hi and Kong Yingda seem to invest ming (literally, "order" 01 "command") with a double meaning here: it refers both to "I leaven's command" (i.e., fundamental |moral) principlc[s]) and to the specific command that Fourth Yang had given to First Yin that gave rise to the Contention between them. Kong, in fact, moves back and forth between these two positions throughout his remarks. Sec Zhouyi {hengyi, 2: 6b-7a. However, both ('heng Yi and Zhu Xi gloss ming as \htnli (true moral principles) and ' 77 Hexagram j: Shi understand the "change of course" not in terms of the course of i< lion (orders given) undertaken by Fourth Yang but as a "fundamental change of the heart and mind" in the person so represented. See Zhouyi jhejhong, i: 40b 41a. HEXAGRAM 7 Shi [The Army] (Kan Below Kun Above) Judgment If an army's constancy is subject to a forceful man, there will be good fortune and with this no blame. {A "forceful man" is a designation for someone who is stern and resolute. It is good fortune when there is such a forceful man to maintain the rectitude of an army. It would be a crime to raise soldiers and mobilize the masses and then have no success. This is why the text says: "There will be good fortune and with this no blame."'} COMMENTARY ON THE JUDGMENTS Army means "the masses. Constancy means "rectitude." If one is able to practice rectitude through using the masses, he can rely on this to become a true sovereign. Here one has strength and is in a mean position [Second Yang], but another is in resonance with it [Fifth Yin].1 Army operations arc dangerous, but they are carried out with compliance.' If one were to utilize the whole world in this way, one would get all the common folk to '7« Hexagram y: Shi follow one. As this means good fortune, how could there also be any blame involved? {Du [poison/to poison] here means something like yi [utilize].''} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES The Earth holds water within itself: this constitutes the image of Shi [The Army]. In the same way, the noble man cherishes the common folk and so brings increase to the masses. PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OF THE HEXAGRAMS When there is contention, there is sure to be an arising of the masses. This is why Song [Contention, Hexagram 6] is followed by Shi (The Army]. THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER Shi [ The Army] [involves] dismay. First Yin The Army should campaign according to regulations. Otherwise, whether it fails or succeeds, it will result in misfortune. {This is the beginning of Shi, where one puts the Army in order. It is by means of regulations that mass troops are held in order. If such regulations are disregarded, the troops will come apart in confusion. This is why the text says: "The Army should campaign according to regulations." Regulations must not be disregarded, for if in spite of having disregarded them, success were still achieved, this would certainly not be any better than if outright failure had occurred. To achieve success at the expense of disregarding orders is not something that the law will forgive. Thus if an army campaigns but does not do so according to regulations, whether it succeeds or fails, it will result in misfortune in either case.5} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "The Army should campaign according to regulations," for if it were to disregard regulations, misfortune would result. 179 Hexagram j: Shi Second Yang Here in Shi, one practices the Mean, so he has good fortune and so suffers no blame. I lis sovereign confers a threefold commendation on him. {Here one abides in the Mean with strength intact and. as such, resonating with Fifth Yang. This is what it means when one finds oneself in Shi and obtains this mean position in it. Second Yang enjoys the favor of the sovereign above and is itself the ruler of the Shi hexagram. One's responsibility here is great, and his mission weighty, so failure to achieve success would mean misfortune. This is why the text has it that with good fortune there will be no blame. To obtain the good fortune that an army campaign offers, one can do no greater good than to win the support of the other states. To have the other states grant their support and the masses their sub mission, nothing is more important than how the sovereign confers his grace and favor, so this is why he [the general represented by Second Yang] obtains the perfect commendation here.''} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Here in Shi, one practices the Mean, so he has good fortune," in thai he receives the trust and favor of Heaven [th.ii is, the sovereign]. "His sovereign confers a threefold commendation on him," in order to win the support of the myriad states. Third Yin I he Army will perhaps use carriages to transport corpses, and this would be misfortune. {Here a yang position is filled by a yin line, and a hard line is ridden by this soft line above it If one ad vances. there is no one there to resonate with, and if one retreats, there is no one there to provide protection. When one uses an army in this fashion, it is appropriate that he garner the misfortune of having to use carriages to transport corpses.'} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES " I he Army will perhaps use carriages to transport corpses": this means a very great failure occurs. i8o Hexagram y: Shi iFourth Yin If the Army pitches camp to the left, there will be no blame. {Here one has obtained a position but has no one with which to resonate. As he has no one to resonate with, he cannot make a move, but as he has obtained a position, he can thus stay there. Thus he has the Army "pitch camp to the left" and so incurs "no blame." The rule for moving an army is such that one wants to keep high ground at his right and back.8 this is why he has the Army "pitch camp to the left."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES If one "pitches camp to the left, there will be no blame," for he has not violated the true Dao. {Although one here is unable to garner success, he is ccjual to avoiding any violation of the true Dao involved.} 181 Hexagram y: Shi COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES " I he elder son takes charge of the Army," because of the way he practices the Mean. "The younger son would use carriages to transport corpses": the one appointed is unsuitable. Top Yin He whom the great sovereign orders is either to found a marquisate or to establish a lesser feudatory, but if it is a petty man, he must not so employ him. {To find oneself at the very top of S/» [ The Army] means that one is at the end of the process of Shi. In the orders that the great sovereign issues, he does not overlook those who have achieved merit but has them "found marquisate[s]" or "establish . lesser feudator[ics]" in order to maintain the realm at peace. "If it is a petty man. he must not so employ him." for this task is incompatible with such a dao as his."} Fifth Yin When there is game in the fields, it is fitting to seize it then, and this will incur no blame. The elder son may take command of the Army, but the younger son would use carriages to transport corpses. Even if he practices constancy, it will result in misfortune. {This one finds himself here in a time of Shi [The Army], but it is a weak person who has obtained this noble position. However, being yin. he does not lead the singing.' and, being weak, he does not commit aggression against others. If he responds only after having suffered aggression, when he sets out to deal with it. the corrective measures he takes are sure to succeed. This is why the text says "when there is game in the fields." It is because these others have initiated aggression against him that he can "seize it then, and this will incur no blame." The weak are not ones to command armies, and the yin are not ones to make hard warriors, thus they should not personally involve themselves, but others must be appointed instead. If the one appointed does not obtain his sovereign's support, the troops will not obey him. This is why it is right that "the elder son take[s] command of the Army" and why the misfortune pertaining to the younger son is certainly appropriate.10} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "He whom the great sovereign orders": this is how he shows his rectitude toward the meritorious. "If it is a petty man, he may not so employ him," for he is sure to throw the realm into chaos. NOTES 1. I his and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Wang Bl. 2. Kong Yingda's siibcommcnlary defines tin- basic approach to I he meaning of this hexagram here and for the majority of later commentators: Second Yang represents a strong general, and hifili Yin represents a compliant sovereign who relies on his general's loyalty to gei things done. Except for Second Yang, all other lines are yin. They, except for Fifth Yin, represent the masses or army that the general and sovereign, whose intentions are "in resonance," use rightly to good purpose. See Zhouyi ^hen^yi, i: 8a -Kb. 3. Kong Ytngda glosses shun (compliancy/compliant) as raushun "yielding and compliant"—the way army operations must be carried out in order to obtain "good fortune." See Zhouyi {hengyi, >.: 8b. "Yielding and compliant" is, of course, characteristic of the Dao of Run (Pure Yin). ■ 82 Hexagram y: Shi I lexagram i. Sec the Commentary on the Judgments for that hexagram. 4. Wang Hi's gloss of du asyi is further explained by Kong Yingda as shiyi: "servant/subordinate" or "to employ as servant/subordinate." See Zhouyi jhengyi, 2: 8b. Neither Wang nor Kong explain why du, whose literal meaning of "poison/to poison" is so different, can mean this. One possibility is that Wang has been influenced by Ma Hong (79 ifiri), a I Ian er.i commentator, who suggests that du should be understood as jAi (control, manage); i.e., poison used in the right amount can control illness. Sec 1.11 Dcming's Zhouyt yinyi (Pronunciation and meaning of terms in the Changes of the Zhou), included in the Jingdian shtuen, 2: 68. In this sense, an army is like poison: it is dangerous to use, but, when used correctly, it can have good results. I lowcver, both Cheng Yi and 7.hu Xi gloss du as hat (harm); i.e., no matter how they arc carried out, army operations always inflid harm on the world. In the light of their interpretation, this passage would read: "When harm is brought to the world in this way, the common folk will still follow one." See Zhouyi jhefhong, 9: IJD— ifta. y "Otherwise, whether it fails or succeeds, it will result in misfortune" translates pi \ cess fully carry out his orders," i.e., it is by these awards/commendations that the wise sovereign encourages his general to use the Army with rectitude and compliance in order to win, as the Commentary on the Images states, "the support of the myriad states." 7- "Use carriages to transport corpses" translates y u ihi. /.hu Xi's interpretation follows that of Wang Hi, but Cheng Yi explainsy„ thi differently, as "many leaders," which involves possible, Secondary meanings for the two characters respectively. Cheng's reading of the passage would read something like: "If perhaps the Army has many leaders |i.c., no unified command|, ii would result in misfortune." Sec Zhouyi;he;hong, 1: 44b |sa. 8. Cf. Ceiihih, 5m 7'fi/. The An of W.„, p. 117 9. See I lexagram 6, Song (Contention), First Yin and note 6 there. 10. If we summarize Kong Yingda's comments, the explanation for all this is as follows: The "sovereign" is Fifth Yin (weak but centrally located in the upper trigr.im), the "elder son" is Second Yang (strong and , entrall y located in the lower trigram), and the "younger son" is Third Yin. It is Fifth Yin and Second Yang (hat arc in resonance, so Second Yang, strong, centrally located, and in rapport with Fifth Yin, is the right one to lead the Army and not the weak, off-centered (unbalanced, skewed, prone to take the wrong action) Third Yin. See Zhouyi jhengyt, 2: I Oil I oh. 11 Kong Yingda comments: "The Son of I leaven ennobles and enfeoffs the one at Top Yin. If his merit is relatively great, he has him found a marquisatc or dukedom as one of the feudal lords, and if his merit is relatively small, he has him establish a lesser feudatory as a minister or grand master to a feudal lord." Sec Zhouyi fhengyi, 2: 10b. HEXAGRAM X ■«1 Hexagram S: Hi lb Bi [Closeness] (Kun Below Kan Above) Judgment For Closeness i<> result in good fortune, plumb and divine for fundamentally, perseverance, and constancy, for only with them will there be no blame. Those in places not at peace then come, but the latecomer suffers misfortune.' commentary on the judgments Closeness means good fortune. Closeness is a matter of help and support, of compliance and obedience on the part of those below. "Plumb and divine for fundamentality, perseverance, and constancy, for only then will there be no blame": this depends on the strength and the adherence to the Mean [of Fifth Yang]. {When located at a time of Bi [Closeness], if one would plumb and divine to seek how to be without blame, how could that involve anything other than fundamentality. perseverance, and constancy? Here a group of people band together in mutual Closeness, but if they do so without fundamentality. perseverance, and constancy, it will lead to the dao of misfortune and evil. Also, if they do not meet their rightful ruler, in spite of their fundamentality. perseverance, and constancy, they still will not be equal to the need to stay free of blame. The one who enables that perseverance and constancy to stay free of blame can be none other than Fifth Yang!'} "Those in places not at peace then come": all in the upper and the lower trigrams respond to it [Fifth Yang]. {There is no other yang line in either the upper or the lower trigram to divide off the folk under separate sovereignty, and. since Fifth Yang alone occupies a position of nobility, none fail to pay it allegiance. Since all in the two trigrams are in resonance with it. they find both cordiality and security there. As Fifth Yang represents security, the insecure entrust themselves to it. This is why "those in places not at peace then come" and why "all in the upper and the lower trigrams respond to it." It is those who have not who seek out those who have; those who already have do not need to seek out others to provide for them. It is those who arc in danger who seek out security; those who already enjoy security do not need to seek out others to protect them. I ire has us flame, so those suffering from cold draw near to it. Therefore it is because they would find security there that "those in places not at peace then come."} "The latecomer suffers misfortune" because the Dao [of Bi] is then already exhausted. {This one [Top Yin] would join the cordial company, but he alone had lagged behind As the process of cordiality has now already completed its cycle, he is condemned. This is how he "suffers misfortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES There is Water on the Earth: this constitutes the image of Hi [Closeness]. In the same way, the former kings established the myriad states and treated the feudal lords with cordiality. {It was thatiks to the Dao of 8/ [Closeness] that the myriad states were so established and that the feudal lords were treated with such cor diality.'} providing the sequence of the hexagrams An army as such is a mass of people. A mass of people necessarily involves closeness. This is why Shi [The Army, I lexagram 7] is followed by Bi [Closeness]. the hexagrams in irregular order Bi [Closeness] involves joy, .Ml [The Army, I Iex.1gr.un7l dismay. First Yin If there is sincerity, joining in Closeness will not lead to blame. If the sincerity one has keeps the earthenware pot filled, ii will always exert an attraction, so there will be good fortune brought on by others. {To find oneself at First Yin of Bi [Closeness] means that one is at the head of the process of Bi. If one initiates Closeness without sincerity, nothing could create a worse calamity. Thus one "keeps the earthenware pot filled" with sincerity, for only then can 186 Hexagram 8: Bi one avoid the blame to which Closeness might lead. This is why the text says: "If there is sincerity, joining in Closeness will not lead to blame." Located at the head of Bi. there is no particular resonance residing in this first line, so with heart and mind free of any such partiality, this line achieves Closeness with all. The trust that one manifests and the sincerity that one has established keep one's plain and simple vessel filled to overflowing, thus, although this always keeps attracting others, it is inexhaustible/ If one treats the whole world with cordiality and keeps one's earthenware pot ever filled with manifest sincerity, how could those who come in response ever be limited to one single road? Thus surely "there will be good fortune brought on by others."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES The Closeness joined by First Yin involves "the good fortune brought on by others." Second Yin Here one joins in closeness from the inner trigram. Constancy results in good fortune. {One who finds himself here at a time of Bi obtains a position located in the middle [of the inner or lower trigram] and thus, being closely tied in resonance with Fifth Yang, cannot attract any of the other lines. Therefore this one manages to bring about its Closeness from the inner trigram and can have nothing more than the good fortune derived from practicing constancy [toward Fifth Yang].''} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Here one joins in Closeness from the inner trigram": one does not neglect his own.6 Third Yin I lere one joins in Closeness but not with his own people. {Fourth Yin joins in Closeness [with Fifth Yang] from the outer trigram, and Second Yin maintains its constancy toward Fifth Yang, so Third Yin can neither find a partner nearby nor has it any line to resonate with 187 Hexagram 8: Bi at a distance. Of all those that this one can share Closeness with, none are its own people. This is why the text says: "Here one joins in Closeness but not with his own people."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Here one joins in Closeness but not with one's own people": will this not indeed cause harm.'1 Fourth Yin Here one joins in Closeness from the outer trigram. Constancy results in good fortune. {Here in the outer trigram Fourth Yin joins in Closeness with Fifth Yang. As it manages to keep its steps within the bounds of its own position, this Closeness for Fifth Yang does no harm to its own worthiness, and. as its location here is no violation of its position, Fourth Yang's "constancy results in good fortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Here in the outer trigram one joins in Closeness with a worthy, and in so doing he goes to follow his superior. Fifth Yang The way one manifests Closeness here is comparable to how the sovereign has game driven three times and forgoes those that come before him, thus his subjects need not guard against him, and this means good fortune. {As the ruler of Bi [Closeness], Fifth Yang is in resonance with Second Yin. This is what is meant by "the way one manifests Closeness here." To practice Closeness and manifest it in this way means that the scope of one's cordiality is quite narrow. Flowever. if one shows no partiality to anyone but just subjects all to his worthiness, then neither those who run away nor those who run hither need be left out. The decorum connected with driving game three times is such that the game that doubles back and comes toward the sovereign will be spared, whereas the game that turns from him and flees will be shot. This is because he cherishes those that come to him hut hates those that run away. i88 Hexagram 8: Bi 189 Hexagram X: Bi Thus the way this is done always involves "forgo[ing] those that come before him.*'7 To manifest Closeness while occupying this position of ruler is comparable to the use of the Dao of driving game three times. This is why the text says: "The sovereign has game driven three times and forgoes those that come before him." Because of his adherence to the Mean and rectitude, whenever he launches a campaign, it always is done according to constant principles: when one attacks, it should never involve subjects unfairly blamed, and when one makes a move against someone, it must only be done in order to suppress rebellion. It is because his subjects have no need to worry that they do not guard against him. Although one does not obtain the good fortune of the great man here, there still is the good fortune associated with this manifestation of Closeness. One can use this [the Dao of Bi] to carry out the duties of a senior official, but it is not the Dao by which one becomes a true sovereign."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES The good fortune associated with the manifestation of Closeness here is due to the ccntrality and rectitude of the position involved. It is because one spares those that double hack and takes only those that go with the drive that one "forgoes those that come before him."'' "His subjects need not guard against him," because he, as their sovereign, rules with the Mean. Top Yin One who joins in Closeness here lacked the means to he a leader, so he will have misfortune. {This one who finds himself at the end of the process of 81 is "the latecomer." Here the Dao of cordiality has already run its course. As "there is nothing he can do to share in this its final stage," he finds himself shunted aside by the moment, and this, after all, is his misfortune.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "One who joins in Closeness here lacked the means to be a leader," so there is nothing he can do to share in this its final stage."' NOTES 1. This reading of the Judgment to Bi is in accord with both Wang Hi's commentary and the suhcommcntary of Kong Yingda; sec Zkouyi rkengyi, i: 11a. However, Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi interpret pans of it differently. "Plumb and divine" translatesyuanshi, which Kong glosses as yuanqimg yi •jinpshijue qiyi: "plumb one's inclinations to ihcii depths and determine one *s intention by divination." Cheng Yi cxplains^/zan as luiyuan (irate to the origins/plumb the fundamentals) — essentially the same meaning as Kong'syuangwng, but he explains ski (divine) as bujue or budti, both of which, here at least, seem to mean "divine" in the sense of determining by self-examination or introspection, for he declares: "This docs not mean that one docs it with yarrow stalks or tortoise shells.* I lis gloss for vuans/ii then translates into "carefully undergo self-examination for." /.In. Xi seems to agree with Cheng but adds the notion that this "necessarily involves a second divination so that one can undergo self-examination to determine if he possesses the virtues of fundamental goodness, enduring perseverance, and persistence of rectitude." The "first divination" here would be the original divination that provided the seeker with the prognostication of lit itself. Also, both Cheng and Zhu interpret tuning fang lai not as "those in places not at peace then come" (fang being synonymous with difang) but as "people come at such limes when they arc not at peace" (Jang meaning "jangaie" according to Cheng's gloss) and "people would tome when they arc not .11 peace" (fang meaning "jiang," according to Zhu's gloss). See Ztouyi {he^hcing, 2: 1 a—lb. 2. I bis and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commcntai y by Wang Bi. V Kong Yingda explains the image as follows: "There is water on the Earth just as there are the myriad states within the realm. The way each >>l them is allowed 10 share in a Closeness based on cordiality is just like I he way the Earth has water (low about everywhere so thai its life-given mois turc reaches all things." Sec Zhouxt {ftengyi, 2: 12a. 4. "Always keeps attracting" here and "will always cxcii an attraction" in the text of First Yin translate i/ionglai, i.c, the earthenware pot, metaphor for one's capacity for sincerity, keeps attracting others throughout the process of Bi'(Closeness), and tin. results in good fortune. Cheng Yi, however, interprets this differently: "In the end this can bring some other good fortune"—i.e., from people and plates "outside" one's immediate sphere. Sec Ztnuyi ;hef/u>ng, 2: 2b. 5. Cheng Yi interprets Second Yin in melaplmiic terms: The inner trigram represents the "inner self" and this correct hut weak central line represents the subject or minister who tuliivatcs his rectitude and obedience while wailing for his sovereign's summons. See Ztouy, {he-yhong, 1: }a. 6. "Does not neglect his own" translates buziski. Kong Yingda comments: "|Sccond Yin] docs not neglect its own partner, with which il is 190 Hexagram M: Bi bound i" resonance [Fifth Yang|." Sec Zhnuyi j/ttugyi, 2: 12b. ZI111 Xi interprets this differently: "It is by his ability to practice rectitude here that he avoids doing himself damage [hufithi]." (Tieng Yi's interpretation is more elaborate bul essentially the same as Zhu's. Sec Zfiouvi {hejhnng, 11: 19b. 7. "The soveicign has game driven three limes and forgoes those lhal come before him" translates wang vong tanqu shi qian qm. Kong Yingda's suhcommcntary first expands slightly upon Wang's interpretation of this passage, saying that it is correct and we should follow it, and ilien summarizes the views of Chu Zhongdu (sixth century a.D.) and other commentators on the Yijing, which constitute a different, alternate reading! "The sovereign has game driven on three sides and forgoes those that go in front [the open side|." See Zhnuyi {hengyt, 2: 1 ja Ijb. Cheng Yi and ZI111 Xi agree with this second reading and use it in their own commentaries. Sec Zhnuyi jhejhnng, 2: 4b—fa* H Both Cheng Yi and Zbu Xi disagree with the commentaries of Wang Hi and Kong Ymgda and assert that Fifth Yang does represent the perfect, universal, and impartial Daa of the true sovereign. See Zhnuy 1 jhttmmg, 11 4b (a. 9 "One spares those that double back and takes only those that go with the drive" translates the ni qu shun. As Cheng Yi understands sht qtan qin (forgoes those that come before him) to mean "forgoes those that go in front, he explains the ni qu than differently as well: " Go away from one' is what « means [i.e., rcsist/disobcy|, and 'run toward one' is what shun means (i.e.. obey|." Thus his interpretation of the ni qu .\un is: "Discard those that disobey, and accept those that obey." Sec Zhnuyi jhe^hnng, 11: 20b. IO. The reading of Top Yin and the Commentary on the Images here follows suggestions made by Kong Yingda in his suhcommcntary to both texts. " I ..ickcd the means to be a leader" translates wu thou. I lowcvcr, ( Ticng Yi interprets u u thnu to mean "had no proper beginning," something consistent with his understanding of fhnng (always) as "in the end" in First Yin. I lis reading of Top Yin would be something like: "If Ri [Closeness] had no proper beginning, it would result in misfortune here at the end." "Proper beginning" is suggested by his gloss of wu thnu as thi hi huyi dao: "to disregard the Dao when beginning Bi. " \ here is nothing he can do to share in this its final stage" translates wu sun \hnng, following Wang Bi. ("heng understands this as "there is no means to end it [/V; | properly." Zhu Xi's view is again different: "If one speaks of this in terms of the top and the bottom of the image involved, then this line lacks a proper head [i.e., there is a noncentral, weak, y in line in the top posit ion |, but if one speaks of this m terms of the ending and the beginning of the image involved, then this line lacks .1 proper ending If u thnu [no hcad| simply means u u \hnng |no end)." See Zhnuyi {herhnng, 2: 6b and 11: 20b. HEXAGRAM 9 /Jv3 1 í Xiaoxu [Lesser Domestication (Qian Below Sun AI rove) Judgment Xiaoxu is such th.it prevalence may be had. I lere one ran neither do great domestic garnering nor block the strong.' hut by hardening one's will it will be possible to act, and this is how prevalence occurs.' Dense clouds do not tain hut start oil from out western suburbs.' COMMENTARY ON THE JUDGMENTS Mere in Xiaoxu (l.essct I )omestic.itioii| .1 weak line obtains an appropriate position |as a yin line in a yin position], so those above and those below respond to it. Such a situation is called Xiaoxu. {This refers to Fourth Yin. The meaning of the entire hexagram resides in this line. It is because in the whole hexagram there is not a second yin line to share the response of the yang lines that "those above and those below respond to it." And. as it has obtained this position so that "those above and those below re spond to it." Third Yang is unable to encroach upon it That is the meaning of Xiaoxu.) The lower trigram is strong | /tan] whcieas the upper trigram is Sun [Compliance] itself,' so thanks to this hardness and its adherence t<> the Mean, the will of Fifth Yang is carried out, resulting in prevalence. "Dense clouds do not rain" refers to how they [the yang lines] keep moving away. They "start off from our western suburbs" means that the power [of Xiaoxu] is less than effective. {The power of Xiaoxu [Lesser Domestic* lion] is sufficient to produce dense clouds, which then "start off from our western suburbs." but it is insufficient to produce rain How do we know that it is less than able to produce rain? Whit could produce rain would be the yang rising to exert pressure on 192 Hexagram .9/ Xiaoxu the yin and the yin having the capability to hold its ground against it, after which the rising vapor would turn into rain. But here it is possible neither to gain control over the Dao [innate tendency] of First Yang to return upward nor to block Second Yang from being drawn along and returning, too. As Third Yang is even less effective because it is unable to return upward at all. and as the ones below "keep moving away." how could the power that Xiaoxu [Lesser Domestication] has ever prove effective enough? Thus the reason why these dense clouds are yet unable to produce rain is that "they [the yang lines] keep moving away." But how could we ever explain this in terms of how it would rain only if the yin were able to block these yang lines? Top Yang alone can block Third Yang's path. Thus Third Yang is not only prevented from advancing, its "carriage body would be separated from its axle housing" [i.e.. "put out of commission"]. It is by blocking Third Yang's path that Top Yang brings security to its position. This is why Top Yang "not only achieves rain but also secures its place." If Fourth Yin and Fifth Yang were both capable of the same excellent domestication as that done by Top Yang, then it is obvious that rain could be made to fall. If we were to discuss this in terms of the hexagram as a whole, we would have to say that it is capable of nothing more than the Lesser Domestication of dense clouds. If indeed the yin line is not equal to blocking the yang lines, although their return itself might be the most splendid thing possible, as dense clouds they "start off from our western suburbs" and thus cannot produce rain. That rain does not fall signifies that "the power [of Xiaoxu] is less than effective." A Judgment discusses the body or substance of a hexagram as a whole; thus this one says: "Dense clouds do not rain." The Commentary on the Images addresses itself in each case to the particular virtue of a given line; thus at Top Yang it says: "This one not only achieves rain but also secures its place."} COMMENTAHY ON THE IMAGES Wind moves through the Heavens: this constitulcs the image of Xiaoxu [Lcssci Domestication]. In the same way, the noble man cultivates his civil virtues. {Here one finds that he cannot yet exercise his power, and this is why one here can do nothing more than "cultivate his civil virtues."*} 193 Hcxagram .0. Xiaoxu PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OE THE IIEX AG It AMS Closeness as such means "a bringing together." Bringing together has to involve domestication. This is why Hi [Closeness, Hexagram S] is followed by Xiaoxu [Lesser Domestication]. THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER Xiaoxu I Lesser Domestication] results in few resources. First Yang In returning, one follows the appropriate Dao [path], so how could there be any blame involved? This means good fortune. {Located.at the first position of the Qian Ingram. First Yang uses it to rise to the first position of the Sun trigram. and as Fourth Yin is in resonance with First Yang, it does not try to resist it. Here a yang line rises to a yin line, and its return follows the path that is right for it. and as Fourth Yin remains compliant and does not oppose First Yang, what violation is there that could possibly incur blame? I his results in the good fortune that happens when one achieves "proper behavior."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "In returning, one follows the appropriate Dao [path]": Proper behavior here results in good fortune.' Second Yang Drawn along, one returns, and this means good fortune. Located at the middle position of the Qian trigram, Second Yang uses it to rise to Fifth Yang of the Sun trigram. As Fifth Yang does not represent the ultimate degree of domestication [i.e., it is not Top Yang of Xiaoxu], it is not the one to block Second Yang. Although it is incapable of achieving the same degree < if nonresis-tance as does the yin line, Second Yang still allows itself to be drawn along and so succeeds in returning. This is how it has good fortune. Hexagram g: Xiaoxu Hexagram <): Xiao* u COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Drawn along, one returns": One here both abides in a central position and also is himself without error.8 Third Yang The carriage body would be separated from its axle housing, so husband and wife turn their eyes against each other. {Top Yang, representing Xiaoxu at its strongest, does not permit Third Yang to be drawn along and join in the march [with First and Second Yang], If it were to try to go forward under these circumstances, it would be sure to have its "carriage body... separated from its axle housing." Third Yang may be the top line in the yang trigram [Qian]. but Top Yang is the leader of the yin trigram [Sun], and, since Xiaoxu is led by its yin trigram. Third Yang cannot leave its position and make its return [with the others]. The text expresses the meaning of this as a metaphor in which "husband and wife turn their eyes against each other."'} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Husband and wife turn their eyes against each other": this means that it is not possible to put the house in order.'"1 Fourth Yin If there is sincerity, blood will be kept away, and apprehension purged, and one will not incur blame." {That blood is mentioned here is due to the transgression of Third Yang against Fourth Yin. Fourth Yin rides on top of Third Yang, and they are right next to each other but do not form a pair. Also. Third Yang labors to advance, but Fourth Yin gets in its way. for it seems that Fourth Yin fears that Third Yang would invade and conquer it. Top Yang also has enmity for Third Yang, but it can do something about controlling u As Fourth Yin has the same goal as Top Yang, they equally trust in each other's sincerity. Although Third Yang puts pressure on Fourth Yin. it cannot succeed in its transgression. Thus Fourth Yin manages to keep blood away [i.e.. avoids injury] and have its fear purged, and in protecting itself it incurs no blame.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "If there is sincerity,.. . apprehension [will be) purged": This is due to Top Yang sharing its goal with it [Fourth Yin)." Fifth Yang If there is sincerity, this one will lend a helping hand and enrich its neighbors. {Tifth Yang obtains this position of nobility and, har boring no suspicions against Second Yang, docs not oppose its ar rival. Second Yang's being drawn along is something to which Fifth Yang lends its own helping hand; it is not dedicated to securing just its own security. This is what the text means by "if there is sincerity, this one will lend a helping hand." Because this is a yang line in a yang position, to be here is to be located where the real power is. One who abides in such fullness and finds himself in this position of real power but yet is not dedicated to just his own security is someone who will "enrich [his] neighbors.""} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "If there is sincerity, this one will lend a helping hand": ibis means that Fifth Yang will not keep its wealth to itself. Top Yang 1 his one not only achieves rain but also secures ils place. Il is esteemed for the way it carries its virtue, bin even a wile's con stancy here means danger, and as the moon is almost full, so if the noble man goes forth and acts, it will mean misfortune. {Lo cated at the very top of Xiaoxu. Top Yang is the line that is able to accomplish domestication. It is because I bird Yang does not man age to prevail here that "this one not only achieves ram." and it is because the strong cannot invade it that it "also secures its place." As the very embodiment of Sun and located at the top. it is some thing that the strong dare not transgress against. This is what is meant by "it is esteemed for the way it carries its virtue." lop Yang is the leader of this yin trigram. and. as it is able to domesticate the hard and the strong, "it is a gatherer and carrier of virtue." When a wife controls her husband or when a minister contiols his sover 196 Hexagram 9: Xiaoxu eign. although they practice constancy, they still place themselves on the edge of danger. This is why the text says: "Even a wife's constancy here means danger." There is no fuller waxing for yin than the way it waxes here, and this is why the text says: 'The moon is almost full." That which is full and yet keeps on advancing is sure to violate its Dao.14 When a yin excites the suspicions of a yang, it is sure to be attacked. So even if it is a noble man who is making his return here, for him to "go . .. forth and act" as such will surely lead to misfortune. This is why the text says: "If the noble man here goes forth and acts, it will mean misfortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "This one not only achieves rain but also secures its place," for it is a gatherer and carrier of virtue. "If the noble man goes forth and acts, it will mean misfortune," for he will be the object of suspicion... {To be located in a lower trigram and succeed there at going forth and acting while still avoiding blame is something that only happens in Tor [Peace].15 However. Tai is such that Ktm as a trigram is something that originally should be located below, as it is compliant, weak, and unable to be a match for the hard and strong [the yang lines of Qion. the lower trigram in To/]. This is why the lines in Qian can all fulfill the nature of their kind, set forth to act. and have it result in good fortune. However, from this point on in Xiaoxu. to try to advance would in every case result in trouble. Although the trigram Sun here is incapable of the excellence at domestication achieved by the trigram Gen [the upper trigram in Daxu (Great Domestication), Hexagram 26], it also is unwilling to behave with the compliancy and obedience of the trigram Kiwi [the upper trigram in Tai (Peace), Hexagram I I]. Thus it may be capable of some slight advance, but it is incapable of a full-scale campaign, which explains why First Yang and Second Yang succeed when they try to return and why, when it comes to Third Yang, its "carriage body would be separated from its axle housing." Great Domestication [if] represents the ultimate in domestication. Its domestic garnering as such keeps on without end, and at its furthest point it extends everywhere. This is why the fullness of its domestication takes place throughout Fourth Yin and Fifth Yin. and when it reaches Top Yang, its Dao [way] permits one to speed along without any hindrance. \ lowever. Xiaoxu is able to garner domestically only that which it '97 Hexagram <): \ iaoxu manages to gather by the time it reaches its end point [ lop Yang) This explains why Fourth Yin and Filth Yang can thus manage to advance but Top Yang would suffer the separation of axle housing and carriage body if it were to try a campaign here of its own."'} NOTF.S 1. "Domestication" translates xu, which means "to pasture or lame," on the one hand, and, when it is used interchangeably with a similar character, xu, "to save, store up, or garner," on the other Roth Wang Hi and Kong Yingfla largely seem to understand it to me.in the former Kong, in fact, glosses it as xu{hi or {hixu (block, bring to a halt); see Zhouyi jhengyi, 2: 14a—though in certain places both in the text and in their commentaries it seems to refer at least in part— to the accumulation of the resources that lead to prosperity. In these cases, it is translated as "garner domestically." This ambiguity was noticed by Cheng Yi, who first glosses \u as ju (gather, colled) then glosses it as jAi (slop, halt), and finally adds the stale-mcnt "when a stopping or halting occurs, a gathering happens" {. That is, Xiaoxu is worn out by the time it reaches its end point at Top Yang, and, like 1 bird Yang, would suffer a breakdown. HEXAGRAM IO 201 Hexagram to: Lit m Lii [Treading] {Dui Below Qian Above) COMMENTARY ON THE APPENDED PHRASES Lii [Treading] is the foundation of virtue. Lii [Treading] demonstrates how by practicing harmony one reaches goals. Lii [Treading] provides the means to make one's actions harmonious.' Judgment liven if one treads on the tiger's tail here, as it will not bite, so he will prevail. COMMENTARY ON THE JUDGMENTS Treading is a matter of the soft treacling on the hard. It is because Dui responds to Qian with cheerfulness that "even if one treads on the tiger's tail, as it will not bite, so he will prevail." {A Judgment as such addresses itself to what it considers to be the controlling principle of the hexagram in question. That which governs this entire hexagram is to be found in Third Yin. To "tread . . . on the tiger's tail" refers to the danger involved here. Third Yin is the master of the Lii hexagram. Here, it walks with a yin's softness on top of the hardness of Second Yang, and this is to tread on danger. That it treads on the tiger's tail and yet is not bitten is due to the way "Dui responds to Qian with cheerfulness." As the Qian trigram embodies the virtues of strength and rectitude, one here uses cheerfulness not as a device to commit the evil of sycophancy but as the right means to respond to Qian. Thus it is appropriate that one who treads on the tiger's tail in such a way here will not be bitten but prevail.1} If one is strong, adheres to the Mean, and is correct, he may tread in the place of a supreme sovereign and yet do so without anxiety, for this is the measure of his brilliance. {This refers to the virtue of Fifth Yang.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Above is Heaven, and below is Lake: this constitutes the image of Lii (Treading]. In the same way, the noble man makes distinction between the high and the low and so defines how the common folk shall set their goal.1 PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OF THE HEXAGRAMS Only after things have been domesticated can there he propriety. This is why Xiaoxu [Lesser Domestication, I lexagram 9] is followed by L.ii [Treading]. THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER Lii [ I reading] means "not staying in one's position." First Yang If one treads with simplicity, to set forth will bring no blame. {To be located at First Yang is to be at the beginning of the process of Treading. The Dao of Treading is adverse to extravagance, so this is why "simplicity . . . brings no blame." If one conducts himself with simplicity when he finds himself here at a time of Lii [Treading], whatever he might set out to do should never fail to attract a following, but in doing so he must be "devoted exclusively to the real ization of his heartfelt goals," for only then will he avoid arousing the opposition of others.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES To set forth in such a way that one treads with simplicity means that one is devoted exclusively to the realization of his heartfelt goals. Second Yang I he path to tread on is level and smooth, and if one secluded here practices constancy, he will have good fortune. {In the Dao of Lii [Treading], modesty is esteemed, and worldly success is no object of delight. This is one who works hard at achieving per feet sincerity and is offended by external ornamentation. Thus Second 202 Hexagram to: Lii Yang as a yang line occupying a yin position finds itself treading the path of modesty. Here, abiding in the inner trigram and treading the Mean, this one regards obscurity and prominence as of equal value. The excellence embodied in the Dao of Lu [Treading] is at its peak with this line. This is why "the path to tread on is level and smooth" and free of dangerous obstacles. To practice constancy here in the midst of seclusion is something well deserving of good fortune.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "If one secluded here practices constancy, he will have good fortune": one who keeps to the Mean will not bring confusion on himself. Third Yin 1 he one-eyed may still see, and the lame may still tread, but when such a one treads on the tiger's tail, it will bite him, and he shall have misfortune. Here, a warrior tries to pass himself off as a great sovereign. {When one finds himself located here at a time of Lu [Treading], it would be called immodest even if it were a yang line that occupied this yang position, so is it not much worse to have a yin line occupying this yang position, to have a soft and weak line riding on top of a hard and strong line? One who tries to achieve clarity under such circumstances would as well be one eyed, and one who tries to make a move under such circumstances would as well be lame, so anyone trying to tread on danger here will certainly be bitten. Such a one has his will fixed on the hardness and strength [represented by Fifth Yang] and neglects to follow the path on which he should tread. Ffe wishes to use aggression to intimidate others with his military prowess and would pass himself off as a great sovereign, but his actions cannot help but bring him misfortune. Thus to have his will focused on Fifth Yang's position in this way is the height of stupidity.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "The one-eyed may still see" but not well enough to achieve clarity. "The lame may still tread" but not well enough to keep up. The misfortune of being bitten here is due to one's being unsuited for the position involved. "A warrior tries to pass him- 205 Hexagram 10: Lii self off as a great sovereign" because his will knows nothing but hardness and strength. Fourth Yang One who treads on the tiger's tail here should be fearfully cautious, so that in the end he will have good fortune. {This line is right next to the most noble line [Fifth Yang]. As a yang line that carries a yang line, it is located at a place that inspires much appre hension, and this is why the text says: "One who treads on the tiger's tail here should be fearfully cautious." Flowever, since this is a yang line occupying a yin position, it takes modesty as its basic principle, so although it is located in a dangerous and fearful place, in the end it will achieve its goal. This is why the text says: "In the end he will have good fortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IM AG ES "Here [one] should be fearfully cautious, so that in the end he will have good fortune": this is a matter of his goal being realized. Fifth Yang Tread resolutely here, and practice constancy in the face of trouble. {One who obtains this place is located in the position of nobility. As such a one should use his strength to achieve resolute rectitude, the text says: "Tread resolutely here, and practice con stancy in the face of trouble." The Dao of Lii is adverse to worldly success, and as Fifth Yang is located in this noble position, danger is thus inherent in it.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Tread resolutely here, and practice constancy in the face of trouble": the position is correct and appropriate for this. lop Yang One should look where he has trodden and examine the omens involved. Here the cycle starts hack, so it means fundamental 2l8 Hexagram /,?.- Tongren COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES If upon going out of his gate one practices fellowship, would there still he anyone who could place blame on him? Second Yin To practice fellowship just with one's clan is base. {Its resonance being with Fifth Yang, this line only allies itself with it. the ruler of the hexagram. If it were instead to slight its ruler, this would cause obstruction. To apply one's heart and mind in such a partial and narrow way is characteristic of a dao of baseness.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "To practice fellowship just with one's clan" is a dao of baseness.* Third Yang I lerc one hides armed troops in a thicket and ascends his high hill, bill even after three years he does not stage his uprising. {When one finds himself here at a time of Tongren, he treads on the territory belonging to the very top of the lower trigram. As it is impossible now to encompass those above and those below in the same wide embrace and to identify thoroughly with the great community, now each separates off into groups by kind. However, Third Yang wishes to go against its Dao and covets the line with which it forms a pair [Second Yin] and would usurp the position of the one it responds to above [Fifth Yang] But its opponent [Fifth Yang] is so hard and strong that its strength is no match for it. This is why "here one hides armed troops in a thicket" and dares not reveal his arrogance. "One . . . ascends his high hill" refers to how he looks at things from a distance but dares not advance. Appraising the relative strengths involved, he spends three years unable to stage an uprising. That such a one is unable to stage an uprising for three years is due to the fact that the Dao of Fifth Yang has already been fulfilled [i.e., as a yang line in the central, yang position of the upper trigram, it has become the sovereign of this hexagram], so how could I hird Yang ever proceed against it?} 219 Hexagram /.?.- Tongren COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "One hides armed troops in a thicket" because one's opponent is strong. "Even after three years he does not stage Iris uprising," for how could he ever proceed? Fourth Yang Although he rides the top of the wall, he fails in his attack, hut this means good fortune. {It is one who occupies high ground and attacks downward who has the strength to "ride the top of the wall." But this is not the right place for Fourth Yang to tread, and this is why it does battle with an opponent [1 hird Yang]. Second Yin of its own accord remains in resonance with Fifth Yang, and although Third Yang has not transgressed against Fourth Yang. Fourth Yang still attacks Third Yang as a way to try to get Second Yin. Although Fourth Yang condemns 1 hird Yang's behavior, it still imitates it. As it is in violation of the norms of righteousness and docs damage to moral principles. Fourth Yang docs not gain the support of the masses, and this is why in spite of "ririfing] the top of the wall." it fails in its attempt. Unable to succeed, it turns around, and with its return to right principles, it obtains good fortune. Here one makes a return once he has failed in his attempt, and the reason he obtains good fortune is that "when he found himself in such difficulties, he returned to principled behavior."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Although he rides the top of the wall," the sense of righteousness (in others) denies him success. I lis "good fortune" is due to the fact that when he found himself in such difficulties, he returned to principled behavior. Fifth Yang 1'or Fellowship here there is first howling and wailing, hut afterward there is laughter, lor with the victory of the great army, they manage to meet. {The Commentary on the Judgments says: "Fellowship is expressed in terms of how a weak line [Second Yin] obtains a position such that, thanks to its at hievemrnt of the Mean, it finds itself in resonance with the [ruler of the] Qian trigram. Such 220 221 Hexagram ij: Tongren a situation is called Tongren [Fellowship]." As this is so. then one who is soft and yielding in substance but abides in the Mean will gain the support of the masses, but one who insists on rigidity and employs inflexible methods will not win a mass following. It is because immediately between them lie the two yang lines [Third and Fourth Yang] that Fifth Yang has not yet attained its goal [Second Yin], and this is the reason for there being "first howling and wailing." But since Fifth Yang abides in the Mean and is located in this noble position, it is sure to achieve victory in battle. Thus the text says: "Afterward there is laughter." Here one at Fifth Yang is unable to make his opponents ally themselves to him of their own accord, so he has to use his power directly on them. Thus it has to be a "victory of the great army" over them, and consequently "they [Fifth Yang and Second Yin] manage to meet."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES What first happens in Fellowship is due to centrality and forth-rightness. The "great army" and "they manage to meet" refer to their success.'' Top Yang If one practices Fellowship in the countryside, he will remain free of regret. {"Countryside" indicates that this is the very top of the outer trigram. When one finds himself here at a time of Tongren [Fellowship], he is located as far as possible on the outside. Although this is not the place to find comrades, it is still far from the strife that is going on inside. Thus, though one here might stay free of remorse and regret, he also will never achieve his ambition [to achieve Fellowship in a major way.]} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "If one practices Fellowship in the countryside," his ambition will never be achieved. {Whenever one finds himself located at a time governed by Tongren [Fellowship] and finds that things do not go smoothly, it means that it is necessary to use military force, for with a failure to bring about the great community, each one will form cliques on the basis of selfish interests and pursue his own Hexagram /,?.• Tongren personal advantage through them Although the man of Chu lost his bow. he could not "lose" his Chu.'° The more extreme one loves his own state, the more this will bring about calamity for others, and this happens because people do not pursue Fellowship on a grand enough scale. The hard and strong lines [of Tongren] all go so far as to involve the use of military force."} NOTES 1. Kong Yingda comments: F ields indicate broad and distant places. The text uses the word fields as a metaphor for this. It means that, in entering into congenial fellowship with people, one must do so far and wide and leave no one out and, in so applying one's heart and mind, one must be free of partiality. ... I lere one has so joined his heart and mind to his lei lows thai he has sufficient means to cross over troubles, and this is why the text says "it is fitting to cross the great river." See Zhouyi {hengyt, z: 25b. 2. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commcnlai v by Wang Mi. Wang remarks elsewhere: "The rare is what the many value; fircone that is unique is the one the multitudes make their chief. If one hexagram has five positive lines and one negative, then we have the negative line be the master. If it is a matter of five negative lines and one positive line, then we have the positive line be the master." Sec section one of the General Remarks. Second Yin is also master or ruler of the Tongren hexagram because it "represents the hexagram's meaning," but Fifth Yang is also its ruler by virtue of its "noble position." See Hexagram f>, Song (Contention), note 2. ). "When the Tongren hexagram statement says" translates Tongren yue. Moth Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi think these three characters arc a later interpolation in the text. See Zhouyi {he;hong, 9: 22I). 4. The trigram I.i (Cohesion) is also identified with lire and Brightness; see sections three, five, and eleven of Explaining the Trigrams. S- Kong Yingda comments: "The Heaven trigram is on top, and (ire [the Li trigram] also burns upward as it strives to make its own nature the same." See Zhouyi{hengyi, 2: z6b. 6. See section eight of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases Pan One. 7- Great community" translates iiuiong, a term common to both the Confucian and the I )aoist traditions. In (ionfuc ian thought,iatong signifies that age of great peace and social harmony llial supposedly existed at I lie time of the ancient sage kings, as, (or instance, it occurs in the Zhuangp; 21! Hexagram ij: Tongren sec llic Liyun (Involution of rites), section nine of the Liji (Hook of rites), 12: ia-uh. In Daoist thought, datong might better be translated as "great unity," for the "community" involved is not restricted to human society but encompasses all of nature; sec the Zhuangri, 28/ll/6{. 8. "Baseness" translates /in; this reading follows both the commentary of Wang Hi and the subcommcntary of Kong Yingda; sec Zhouyi {hengyi, 2: 27a, and 1.011 Yulic's remarks in Wang Bi ji jian.ihi, 1: 287, n. 9. Lin is glossed in these commentaries as /insr, bilin, etc., all of which suggest narrowness, bias, and miserliness. Cheng Yi instead glosses Im as kelin, "re-grcllable," and Zliu Xi seems to interpret it as "regret" (as in fiui/in, "remorse and regret"); sec Zhouyi :herhong, 1: 32a and 11: job. 9. Kong Yingda comments: "It is because one at Fifth Yang uses the I )ao ihat has him practice a rectitude tempered by the Mean and a perseverance hardened by strength that others do not yet follow him. Thus the text says: 'First there is howling and wailing.' " See Zhouyi zhengyi, 2: 28a. 10. Kong Yingda cites the //aoiheng (It is preferable to let people live) section "I the Kongiijioyu (Theschool sayings of Confucius) (a work that the annotator, Wang Su 119J--2ff>), is long thought to have forged but that may contain authentic material from the early (ionfucian tradition): "King Zhao of ( Tin when on an outing lost his 'Crow Caw' bow. I lis attendants requested that they be allowed to look for it, but the king said: 'A man of Chll lost a bow hut someone in Chu will find it, so why should we also look for it?' When Confucius heard this, he said: 'What a pity his ambition is not greater. I Ic did not say that a man lost it and a man would find it why doa it have to involve dm?' " This same anecdote, worded slightly differently, is contained in the Shuoyuan (Garden of sayings), compiled by I.in Xiang (77 6 B.C.); see LOU, Wang Bi ji jiaothi, 1: 289 n. 2^, for a comparison of the two texts. 11. The "hard and strong lines" arc Third, Fourth, and Fifth Yang but do not include First Yang and Top Yang. Kong Yingda notes that Wang's commentary here is not limited to a consideration of Top Yang and its image but is actually a general analysis of the Tongren hexagram as a whole. See Zhouyi rhengyi, 2: 28b. HEXAGRAM 1j Dayou [Greal I foldings] (Qian Below Li Above) Judgment Dayou is such that it provides fundamental prevalence. {If one does not effect a great mutual identification of interests that involves everyone, from what other source could Great I loldings be had' And once one has Great I loldings. fundamental prevalence is sure to follow.'} COMMENTARY ON THE JUDGMENTS (ireal I loldings is expressed in lei ins o( how a weak | i.e., yielding] line I Fifth Yin] obtains the noble position and there practices the Mean and enjoys greatness, as those above and those below all respond to it. Such a situation is called Dayou [Greal I loldings]. {Fifth Yin fills the noble position with its yielding natui e and achieves greatness through abiding in the Mean. As there is no other yin line in the entire hexagram with which it has to share the resonance of the yang lines, all the lines above and below respond to it, and of these there is none that it does not welcome. This is the meaning of the Dayou hexagram.} The virtues of Great Holdings include hardness and strength but also civility and enlightenment. It is by resonating with Heaven's will thai one achieves timely action, and this is how ftind.imeul.il prevalence comes about. {As the virtues of Great Holdings work in response to Heaven's will, one's actions here do not fail to keep in step with the moment. Its hardness and strength allow him to stay free of impedi ment, and its civility and enlightenment keep him fiee of wrongdo ing. As he is in resonance with I leaven, be emulates its greatness.' and. since he keeps his actions timely, things will not go against him, "and this is how fundamental prevalence comes about."} 224 Hexagram 14: Dayou COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Fire on top of I leaven constitutes the image of Dayou [Great I Inklings].' In the same way, the noble man suppresses evil and promulgates good, for he obeys the will of I leaven and so brings out the beauty inherent in life. {Dayou [Great Holdings] is an image of inclusiveness. thus it deals with the suppression of evil and the promulgation of goodness. Such a one brings out the beauty in things, that is. as he is commensurate with the virtue of Heaven, he brings out the beauty in the lives of all things.4} PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OF THE HEXAGRAMS When one shares fellowship with others, things are sure to yield themselves to him. This is why Tongren [Fellowship, I Icxagram 13] is followed by Dayou [Great Holdings]. THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER Dayou [Great Holdings) indicates mass support. First Yang Although one never encounters calamity here, to remain blameless he should bear up under difficulties, for only then will there be no blame. {Here we have a hard and strong line for the beginning of the Dayou hexagram, one that can neither tread a middle course nor, being so filled with strength, refrain from overflowing. If one were to keep to such a model when he sets out to do things, he is sure to bring calamity on himself later, but if one wishes "to remain blameless, he should bear up under difficulties, for only then will there be no blame."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES First Yang of Dayou [Great Holdings] is such that one never encounters calamity here. Second Yang As there is a great wagon to carry things, {One's duties may be heavy here, but they present no danger.} one should set forth, for **5 Hexagram 14: Dayou there will be no blame. {This indicates strength that does not violate the Mean, one entrusted with duties by Fifth Yin. Although the duties so borne are heavy, they present no danger, so this one can go as far as possible without getting stuck in the mud. I bus one may in this way "set forth, for there will be no blame."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES When one has "a great wagon to carry things," he may keep storing things in it without making it break down. Third Yang When a duke uses this position, he enjoys prevalence along with the Son of I leaven, but a petty man is not equal to it. {When one finds himself here at a time of Dayou [Gi eat 1 -foldings], be is located at the very top of the lower trigram. This line rides on top of an other hard and strong line while still managing to tread on the tcrri tory of its rightful position. As it shar es with Fifth Yin the same mei it,' it represents the utmost measure of martial force, which none can surpass. When a duke uses this position, he succeeds in sharing in the Dao of the Son of Heaven, but a petty man is not equal to this, and he can expect calamity to come of it.6} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "When a duke uses this position, he enjoys prevalence along with the Son of Heaven," but it is a calamity for the petty man. Fourth Yang If one rejects such plenitude, there will be no blame. {Not only is this line already out of position [as a yang line in a yin position], but also, above, it is next to the awesomeness of the most noble one [Fifth Yin] and. below, it is contiguous with a subject minister who shares in that sovereign's might [fluid Yang), so what it has to fear is indeed really dangerous! Only someone who has the wisdom of a sage can avoid suffering blame here. Although Third Yang is replete with power. Fifth Yin cannot be abandoned. If Fourth Yang is able to distinguish what his actual situation is here, devote his 226 Hexagram 14: Dayou whole heart and mind to Fifth Yin. and constantly "reject . . . such plenitude [i.e.. that of Third Yang], there will be no blame."'} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "If one rejects such plenitude, there will he no blame." This means intelligence that is wise in making distinctions. {The term intelligence [ming] is equivalent to "talent" [cm].} Fifth Yin Trust in him makes him attractive, makes him awesome, and this means good fortune. {Here one abides in nobility with softness and yielding and occupies greatness while staying within the Mean. As he has no selfish designs on others, those above and below respond to him. "It is through trust in him that he inspires the ambition of others." Thus "trust in him makes him attractive." As he has no selfish designs on others, others are also fair minded with him. As he harbors no suspicions toward others, others also trust in him. Since both fair mindedness and trust prevail, what trouble or what need for precaution could there possibly be? Since such a one teaches people how to act without using words, whatever he does cannot help but be "awesome."8 If one is the master of Doyou [Great I foldings] but does not deal with it in terms of this Dao. could good fortune ever be had by him?} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Trust in him makes him attractive": it is through trust in him that he inspires the ambition of others. The "good fortune" connected with his being "awesome" stems from the fact that he rules with case and simplicity, with no need to take precautions. Top Yang I leaven will help him as a matter of course; this is good fortune, and nothing will fail to be fitting. {Dayou [Great Holdings] represents a world of riches and abundance. One who occupies Top Yang in Dayou but does not let himself get entangled in this place [of riches] has to be someone whose ambition is such that he admires and longs for worthiness. All the other lines ride on top of hard [yang] lines, 227 Hexagram 14: Dayou but this one alone rides on top of a soft [yin] line, which indicates that it is in accord [with I leaven]. Fifth Yin is virtuous because it is trustworthy, and Top Yang treads thereon, that is. it "treads the Dao of trustworthiness." Although Top Yang is unable to embody a soft and yielding nature, yet it allows its hardness and strength to ride on top of a soft [yin] line, which means that it "keeps his thoughts in accord [with Heaven]." One who dwells in a world of rich hold ings and yet does not allow his heart to be entangled by things but instead keeps his ambitions fixed on lofty things is someone who admires and longs for worthiness. This line possesses these three virtues.9 so it finds the Dao helpful through and through, and this is why the Commentary on the Appended Phrases cites it all there.I0} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES [bp Yang of Dayou means good fortune, sini c "Heaven will help him as ,1 matter of course." notes 1. I liis and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Wang Hi. 2. "As one is in resonance with I leaven, he emulates its greatness" translates ying lian {e da. This reading follows the gloss of I.011 Yulie, who interprets je nfop or xiaoja (emulate); see Wang Bijijiatuhi, 1: 292 n. .,. However, it is also possible to take ,-<• as a function word, "Thus," which would result in "if one is in resonance with Heaven, he will thus achieve greatness." }. See I lexagram 1 \, longren (Fellowship), note 4. Kong Yingda comments: "In substance I leaven is high and bright. The nature of (ire is such that it hums upward. As a thing that casts light here, fire takes a position above in I leaven. T his indicates the utmost brilliance, something that brings absolutely everything to light. I lerc we also have the sense of encompassing everything, and this is the principle underlying the promulgation of goodness." See Zhouyi \hengyi, 2: 29b. 4- "Me obeys the will of Heaven and so brings out the beauty inherent in life" translates shun lian xiu ming, which follows the gloss provided in Wang Hi's commentary in Lou, Wang Hijijiaoshi. 1: 290 (see also 1: 292 11. 6). I lowcvcr, Cheng Yi interprets the same passage mfengx un lian xiumei {hi ming (he obeys the excellent will of I leaven). See Zhovyi {hej/iong, 11: )2a. Kong Yingda's gloss supports Wang's interpretation but the text of Wang's commentary in Zhouyi \hengyi (2: 29b) differs from I he critical 228 Hexagram 14: Dayou text in Wang Bijijiaoshi, reading: "Such a one brings out all the potential in the nature of things. 'He obeys the will of I leaven and so brings out the beauty inherent in life' means that his actions are commensurate with [or "he is one with") the lives of all things." Lou Yulic's version, based on good textual evidence of its own, seems to make more sense. 5. This paraphrases section nine of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two: "The third and the fifth lines involve the same kind of merit [about which Han Kangbo comments: "I heir yang merit is identical"! differ as to position" (about which Han observes: "There is the difference between nobility and servility"). 6. Wang's comments here arc based upon rcatling heng (prevalence) as heng and not as xiang (to offer), an almost identical character with which it was used interchangeably in antiquity. Zhu Xi notes that citations of this and other similar passages in the Changes that occur in the 7,uo\huan (Zuo's commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals) write xiang for heng, and he glosses xiang as chaoxian (to make a court [sacrificial) offering) and xiangxian (to make a sacrificial offering). Therefore Zhu's reading of 1 bird Yang would be: "A duke uses this opportunity to make offerings to the Son of I leaven." I lowcvcr, Cheng Yi, like Wang and Kong Yingda (sec Zhouyi {hengyi, 2: 30a), reads heng as heng but interprets Third Yang differently: When this 'Third Yang finds itself at a time of Dayou, it occupies a position appropriate for one of the feudal lords, and, as it has such an abundance of riches, it must put them entirely at the disposal of the Son of I leaven. This means that one takes all he has and gives it over to the Son of Heaven, something that is a constant principle governing the relationship between sovereign and subject. If a petty man occupies this position, he will maintain exclusive control of his wealth for his own personal use, because he does not understand the Dao that has a duke lake it and present it to his sovereign, and this is why the text says: "A petty man is not equal to it." For Cheng's and Zhu's comments, sec Zhouyi ^he^hong, 2: 37b. 7. Kong Yingda glosses peng (plenitude) as pang (side) and says that it refers to the line "at the side" of Fourth Yang: i.e., Third Yang. See Zhouyi {hengyi, 2: 30b. In his commentary, Wang Hi also glosses peng as pang, but it seems obvious from what he says that pang docs not simply mean "side." Note that both Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi also intcrpret/vn^as "plenitude"; see Zhouyi {he{hong, 2: 38a. The sense of "plenitude" for peng or pang is derived frompengpeng andpangpang: the sound of a drum roll, i.e., a "swelling," "overwhelming" sound. Sec l.ou, Wang Bi ji jiaofhi, 1: 293-294 n. 17. X. Cf. Wang's commentary to Laoji, section 17: "When a great man reigns as sovereign above, be occupies himself with things toward which he takes no purposeful action and practices a teaching that docs not use words." See Lou, Wang Bt jijiaoshi, 1: 40. 9. Kong Yingda lists them: "treading the way of trustworthiness," "keeping oik's thoughts in accord [with Heaven]," and "admiring and longing for worthiness." See Zhouyi {hengyi, 1: 31a. 229 Hexagram l5: Qian 10. I he quotations arc from section twelve of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One, which reads: 1 he Changes says: "I leaven will help him as a matter of course; this is good fortune, and nothing will be to bis disadvantage." The Master said: "You [numinous help) means 'help.' " One whom Heaven helps is someone who is in accord with it. One whom people help is someone who is trustworthy. Such a one treads the Dao of trustworthiness, keeps his thoughts in accord [with Heaven], and also thereby holds the worthy in esteem. This is why "I leaven will help him as a matter of course; this is good fortune, and nothing will be to his disadvantage." II1: X A t; It A M 15 Qian [Modesty] {Gen Mclow Kun Above) Judgment Qian [Modesty] is such that it provides prevalence, so the noble man has the capacity to maintain his position to the end. COMMKNTAIIY ON Till- JUDGMENTS "Qian [Modesty] is such that it provides prevalence": the Dao of Heaven provides succor to all below and so shines forth its radiance; the Dao of Earth consists of humility and so works in an upward direction. The Dao of I leaven is to make the full wane and to bring increase to the modest; the I ).io of Katlh is to trans- 2}0 Hexagram i5: Qian *3J Hexagram 15: Qian form what is full and to make what is modest (low and spread.' Gods and spirits harm what is full but enrich what is modest. And the Dao of Man is to hate the full and to love the modest. Modesty provides nobility and so allows one's radiance to shine; it provides humility and so prevents any transgression. This is how the noble man reaches his proper end. COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES lii the middle of the Earth, there is a mountain: this constitutes the image of Qian [Modesty].' In the same way, the noble man lessens what is too much and increases what is too little; he weighs the amounts of things and makes their distribution even. {Where he finds something too much, because of Modesty he decreases [pou] it. and where he finds something too little, because of Modesty he increases it. He provides things as they are needed and so ensures that their distribution never fails to be even.'} COMMENTARY ON THE APPENDED PHRASES The Master said: "To be diligent yet not to brag about it, to have meritorious achievement yet not to regard it as virtue, this is the ultimate of magnanimity. This speaks of someone who takes his achievements and subordinates them to others. As for his virtue, he would have it prosper ever more, and as for his decorum, he would have it ever more respectful. Modesty as such leads to perfect respect, and this is how one preserves his position." Qian [Modesty] is how virtue provides a handle to things. Qian [Modesty] provides the means by which decorum exercises its control.' PHOVIDING THE SEQUENCE OF THE HEXAGRAMS When one's holdings are great, he must not let himself become satiated. This is why Dayon [Great Holdings, Hexagram 14] is followed by Qian [Modesty]. THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER Qian [Modesty] involves taking oneself lightly. First Yin T he noble man is characterized by the utmost Modesty and because of that may cross the great river. This means good fortune. {To be located at the very bottom of the Qiao hexagram signifies the most modest degree of all modesty. It is only the noble man who can embody the utmost modesty, and because of that he may cross over great difficulties, and nothing will harm him.) COMMENTARY ON THE I MAG ES "The noble man is characterized by the utmost Modesty": he uses his humility to shepherd himself. Shepherd here means "nurture" or "care for." Second Yin One allows his Modesty to sing out here, and to practice constancy means good fortune. {"Sing out" refers to one's reputation being heard. Here one obtains his rightful position [as a yin line in a yin position] and abides in the Mean, practicing rectitude there with humility.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "One allows one's Modesty to sing out here, and to practice constancy means good fortune," for Modesty is attained in his innermost heart. Third Yang Diligent about his Modesty, the noble man has the capacity to maintain his position to the end, and this means good fortune. {Third Yang occupies the very top of the lower trigram and so man ages to tread on the territory of its rightful position [as a yang line in a yang position]. There is no yang line cither above or below to divide off one's people here, and Third Yang is venerated as master by all the yin lines. In nobility none takes precedence over this one. When one finds himself here in this world of Modesty, how can one keep his nobility secure? One carries those above and reaches out Hexagram i5: Qian to those below, is diligent about his Modesty, and is not lazy: this is how he has good fortune.} commentary on the images A noble man who is "diligent about his modesty" is someone to whom the myriad folk will submit. hourih Yin Nothing will lail to be fitting here, for he Mies the banner of Modesty everywhere. {Fourth Yin rides on top of 1 bird Yang and yet does it with Modesty. As such this expresses how from above one condescends to lower himself. Fourth Yin carries Fifth Yin and yet complies with Modesty. As such this is the Dao that "works in an upward direction." As one here devotes himself entirely to carrying out the Dao that governs how a superior should condescend to lower himself, "nothing will be to one's disadvantage here," and, as wherever be goes "he flies the banner of Modesty,"5 "he never acts against its principle."} commentary on the images "Nothing will fail to be fitting here, for he (lies the banner of Modesty everywhere": that is, he never acts against its principle. Fifth Yin One does not have to use wealth on them to gain access to neighbors here, and, as it is fitting to attack with military force, nothing will he to one's disadvantage. {Fifth Yin occupies the position of nobility and does so with Modesty and compliance, thus it can have access to its neighbors without using wealth on them. In spite of its Modesty and compliance, it still attacks with military force, but in all such cases those whom it attacks are scornfully rebellious.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "It is fitting to attack with military force," because it is a campaign against those who do not submit. Hexagram 15: Qian Top Yin One may allow one's Modesty to sing out here, and it may he fitting therefore to have one's army make a move, but lie should campaign only against a city-slate. {Located here it the vciy extremity of the outer trigram, Fop Yin does not share in inner gover nance. Thus one has nothing more than his reputation, and "one's ambition to accomplish things remains unfulfilled." It may tread the path of Modesty and compliance, but here at the outer extremity all this allows it to do is launch a campaign against a city state.} COMMENTAHY ON THE IMAGES "One may allow one's Modesty to sing out here," but one's ambition to accomplish things remains unfulfilled. It is possible "therefore to have one's army make a move, hut he should campaign only against a city-state." {"Good fortune, misfortune, i e gret. and remorse are all generated from the way one acts."'' The reason such action occurs is that it is provoked by what seems to be advantage. Thus "food and drink necessarily involve Song [Conten tion].. . . When there is contention, there is sine to be an arising of the masses."7 One who dwells in a place scorned by all is never-harmed by those who are prone to act, and one who abides in a place that no one fights over never has it snatched away by those who are prone to fight. This explains how the six lines of this hexagram ate either out of position [Fifth Yin is the ruler, and this position should have a yang line], have no resonance [First Yin should resonate with Fourth Yin, and Second Yin with Fifth Yin. but they are all yin lines and thus do not], or ride the wrong lines [Fourth Yin rides on top of Third Yang; a yin line should not ride on top of a yang line], yet none of them involve misfortune, blame, regret, or remorse. This is all due to the fact that they make Modesty their master. "Modesty provides nobility and so allows one's radiance to shine; it provides humility and so prevents any transgression." This is indeed something in which we can trust!} notes i. Kong Yingda comments: "Of hills and mountains, rivers and valleys what is high is gradually brought low, and what is low is made higher. Tili 234 Hexagram iS: Qian is what the text means by 'transfotm(ing) what is full and... makhng] what is modest (low and spread.' " Sec Zhouyi {kengyi, 2: 52a. That is, water and eroded soil work their way down and make streams swell and spread. 2. One of the attributes of the Gen (Restraint) Ingram is Mountain, so the image is one of a mountain below, thrusting its way up through the middle ol the earth. 5. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Wang Bi. Kong Yingda glossespou (lessen/decrease) as "gather," thus his interpretation is somewhat at odds with Wang's commentary. Sec Zhouyt {hengyi, 2: 12b. Cheng Yi also rcads/>ou as "gather": " I bus one who gathers together large quantities docs so to augment what is too little. He weighs the relative abundance and scarcity of things and averages out their distribution so that fairness is achieved." However, Cheng's commentary also helps to explain the image: "The text docs not say 'a mountain located at the middle of the Earth' but 'in the middle of the Earth there is a mountain.' This means that in the middle of what is humble and low there inheres something magnificent and lofty, that is, the magnificent and lofty is hidden within the humble and lowly." Sec Z.houyi\he^hong, 11: 15a. 4. The first quotation is from section eight of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part One; the second and third quotations are from section seven of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two. 5. In fourth Yin, "flics the banner of Modesty everywhere" translates hui qian, which follows Wang Hi's gloss, jhi hm /ie qian: literally, "when one directs [troops] with a banner, in all cases it is Modesty." Cheng Yi comments: "Hui[banner/flag] is an image for the display of something— just as a banner docs when held in a man's hand. Whether in action or in restraint, in advance or in retreat, one must here display his modesty, for he abides in a place where he should be much afraid, especially since he is located above the worthy minister (Third Yang|." Sec Zhauyi {hejhong, y. }b. I.ou Yulie explains hui qian the same way; see Ifang Bi jijiaoshi, 1: 297 n. C. 6. ('■(. section one of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two. "Generated from the way one acts" translates sheng hudong\heye. In the original passage, this phrase is translated as "generated from the way the lines move." The syntax and diction admit both readings, and the different contexts shape the meaning accordingly. 7. The quotations are from sections two and three of part one of Providing the Sequence of the I lexagrams. HEXAGRAM I Ct Yu [Contentmcnl ] (hun Below Z/icn Above) Judgment It is fitting to establish a chief and to send the army into action. COMMENTARY ON THE JUDGMENTS Yu [Contentment] is such that hardness [I'our til Yang] has its ambitions realized by getting others [the yin lines] 10 respond. When action occurs as a result of such compliance, there is Yu (Contentment). Because Yu [Contentment | involves action done out of compliance, then even Heaven and Earth resemble it in this respect, so will it not prove all the more capable when it comes to establishing a chief or sending the army into action? I leaven and Earth act only out of compliance, thus the sun and the 1110011 do not err, nor do the four season', vary. The sage acts only out of compliance, thus by keeping to punishments that arc clearly defined, his people remain submissive. I he concept underlying moments of )'// [Contentment] is indeed gnat! COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Thunder bursts forth, and the Earth shakes: this constitutes the image of Yu [Contentmcnl].1 In the same way, the formei kings made music in order to ennoble the virtuous and in its splendor offered it uj> to the Supreme I )eity' so that they might he deemed worthy of the deceased ancestors. COMMENTARY ON THE AI'PENDI-D PHRASES I hey [the ancient sage kings| had gates doubled and hai watchmen's clappers struck and so made provision against rob ill Hexagram iG: Yu lxi s. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Yu |( lontentment].' PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OK THE HEXAGRAMS To have great holdings and yet be capable of modesty means that one must be content. This is why Qian [Modesty, I lexagram ■ 5 J is followed by Yu (Contentment]. THE HEXAGRAMS IN I RREGULAR ORDER Yu (Contentment] involves sloth. First Yin If one allows one's Contentment to sing out here, there will be misfortune. {As First Yin is located at the initial position of Yu [Contentment], it can only realize its ambitions above [with Fourth Yang]. When happiness goes to excess, licentiousness results, and when "ambitions are exhausted." "there will be misfortune," so how may Contentment be sung out here?*} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES If "one allows one's Contentment to sing out here," this means that one's ambitions are exhausted, so "there will be misfortune." Second Yin I larder than rock, he docs not let the day run its course. Constancy means good fortune. {To be located here at a time of Yu [Contentment] means that one obtains a rightful position where one treads the Mean. This is someone who, being secure in his practice of constancy and rectitude, does not seek thoughtless Contentment. If one is compliant but does not follow thoughtlessly and is content without violating the Mean, he will therefore conduct relationships with superiors without sycophancy and with subordinates without insult. As such a one understands wherefrom misfortune and fortune arise, he does not take delight thoughtlessly, and as he distinguishes what constitutes ineluctable principles, he does 137 Hexagram 16: )'// not allow his behavior to vary from them and so "harder than rock, he does not let the day run its course"!''} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "He does not let the day run its course. Constancy means good fortune": this is because of his adherence to the Mean and his rectitude. COMMENTARY ON THE APPENDED PHRASES The Master said: "As for incipience itself, it is the infinitesimally small beginning of action, the point at which the precognition of good fortune can occur. The noble man acts upon something as soon as lie becomes awaie of its incipience and does not wail for the day to run its course. The Changes say: 'Harder than rock, he does not let the day run its course. Constancy means good fortune.' As hard as rock in the face of it, Why would he ever need to let the day run its course, For he can perceive the way things wil) break. The noble man grasps the infinitesimally small and what is manifestly obvious. I le understands the soft as well as the hard. So the myriad folk look to him."'' Third Yin Contentment, its eyes haughty with pride, means regret, but one too slow will also have regret. {Here one is located at the very top of the lower trigram, that is, at the boundary between the two trigrams. Where this one treads is not its rightful position [because it is a yin line in a yang position], yet it supports the actions' of the master of the Yu [Contentment] hexagram [Fourth Yang]. When one [Fourth Yang] enjoys Contentment with eyes so haughty with pride as this, regret will surely come of it [for Third Yin], but if he [Third Yin] is too slow to follow, he will suffer Contentment's [i.e.. the master of Contentment's, or Fourth Yang's] ire. Third Yin's po sition is not one he can secure, yet he uses it to pursue Content »3« Hexagram iff: Yu ment. so it is perfectly appropriate that such a one here encounters regret whether he advances or retreats.'1} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Contentment, its eyes haughty with pride, means regret": this is because |Third Yin's] position does not suit it. Fourth Yang As they pursue Contentment, this one obtains it in great measure, and if no one harbors suspicions, the formation [he] of a friendly association happens quickly {{an}. {Being located here at a time of Yu [Contentment], Fourth Yang resides where the action begins.9 As it alone is a yang line, it is followed by all the yin lines, and because none fail to follow after it, this is how Fourth Yang obtains its Contentment. This is why die text says: "As they pursue Contentment, this one obtains it in great measure." If you do not have trust in someone, that someone also will harbor suspicions toward you. Thus when no one harbors suspicions, the formation of a friendly association happens quickly. He [why not?, i.e., surely] here should be read as he [form/come together], and zan [hair clasp] means ji [quickly].10} 239 Hexagram iff: Yu COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Fifth Yin has to "maintain constancy in the face of such harassment" because it rides on top of a hard [yang] line. It has to "persevere in warding off death" because the Mean may never be abandoned. Top Yin Here the benighted pursuit of Contentment is complete, but if one changes course, there will be no blame. J Fop Yin is located at the very end of Yu as action [i.e.. the top of the Zhen (Quake) trigram]. To bring Yu to its end point means to exhaust the possibilities of happiness. Thus we have reached the point where "the benighted pursuit of Contentment is complete." If one were to push Contentment beyond its limits and just try to keep on going, "how could it ever last long"? Thus one must "change course." for only then "there will be no blame."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Here the "benighted pursuit of Contentment" is at its height, so how could it ever last long? COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "As they pursue Contentment, this one obtains it in great measure": that is, his ambitions are realized in great measure. Fifth Yin Maintain constancy in the face of such harassment, and persevere in warding off death. {Fourth Yang acts with hardness and strength and is the master of the Yu hexagram. As Fourth Yang exercises control as absolute ruler, it is not something on which Fifth Yin can ride." Thus it does not dare to contend with Fourth Yang for power. However, since it also abides in the Mean and occupies the noble position, it cannot possibly run away. This is why it is constantly forced to go so far as to do nothing but "maintain constancy in the face of such harassment" and just "persevere in warding off death."} NOTES I. KongYingda comments: " Thunder' is the sound of yang .//(material forcc|, and 'shake' describes something when it quakes. I Ipon thunder bursting forth, the Earth quakes, and this is how the myriad things are begotten by the yang material force, each one without exception made con tent. This is why the text says: 'Thunder bursts forth, and the Earth shakes: this constitutes the image of Yu [Contentment].' " See Zhouyi {hengyi, 2: 35b. It was thought that spring thunder is responsible for rousing things (both plants and animals) to life, as is said in section five of Explaining the I rigrams: "The myriad things come forth in Zhen | Thunder, Quake'." Yu [Contentment], of course, consists of Zhen on lop of Kun (Earth, I'uic Yin). However, Cheng Yi explains this passage somewhat differently: "The yang force is, to begin with, imprisoned inside the Eaith, but when it goes into action, it quits the Earth with shaking and quaking. It begins by being pent up, but when it shakes itself free, it expands and spreads freely and so finds Hexagram iG: Yu 241 Hexagram ij: Sui harmony and contentment. Tins is liow Yu (Contentment) occurs." See Zhouyi {he{hong, 11: 38a. 2. "Supreme Deity" translates shangdi. Shangdi, or simply di, was the principal Shang deity, appropriated by the Zhou and identified with their Tian (Heaven). Sec Creel, The Origins of Statecraft, p. 44 n. 11 and pp. 493-506. 3. Sec section two and note 17 of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two. 4. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Wang Hi. 5. Kong Yingda comments: "Aware of how fast incipiency works, he does not wait for a single day to reacli its end before he banishes what is evil and cultivates what is good, and so constantly preserves his rectitude." Sec Zhouyi {hengyi, 2: 36a. 6. See section five of the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two. 7. "Supports the actions" translates cheng dong. Cheng also means "carry." (Third Yin, after all, "carries" \cheng\ Fourth Yang.) As the master of the Yu hexagram, Fourth Yang controls the actions involved: it gets things done, realizes its ambitions, as the Commentary on the Judgments says, by getting the other lines (all yin) to respond. It is, in effect, the motive force underlying Contentment as such. Contiguous Third Yin is im-mcdiatcly below, so it has to guard against playing the sycophant to Fourth Yang, something that would be cause for regret. 8. "Eyes haughty with pride" translates xu in Third Yin and suixu in Wang Bi's commentary. 'This interpretation follows the comments of Lou Yulie. Lou cites the Zhuang\i—"He is so haughty and full of pride [suisui xuxu] that who could ever live with him!" [Z.huang\i, 76/28/27)—and Guo Xiang's (d. 312) commentary—"Suisui xuxu describes someone who is defiant and recalcitrant, a person whom one should be leery of and keep away from." Lou thinks that Wang read this statement in the Zhuang^i as Guo interpreted it later and glosses Wang's use of suixu accordingly: As the sole yang line, Fourth Yang is full of its own self-importance among all the yin lines. Lyes haughty with pride, its manner is impossible to live with, but here is Third Yin supporting (carrying) and following it, so it is sure to get insulted by it, and this will cause regret. However, since Third Yin is contiguous and carries it from below, if it is too slow in following Fourth Yang, it will also become the victim of its ire. See Wang Hi jijiaoshi, 1: 302 n. 9. However, suixu can also mean "wide-eyed with hope," and this seems to be how Kong Yingda interprets it: "Xu means suixu, and suixu describes delight [xryire]." Sec Zhouyi \hengyi, 2: 36b. "Delight" in this case must refer to 'Third Yin—to someone overanxious to gain Contentment through the agency of bis superior (Fourth Yang). Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi agree with Kong Yingda and gloss xu as shangshi: "look upward" |toward Fourth Yang with hope). Sec Zhouyi fheihong, 3: 8a. 'Their reading of Third Yin would have to differ ac< ord-ingly: "To be overanxious for Contentment will result in regret, but to be too slow will also mean regret." 9. As the master of Yu, Fourth Yang initiates ils action, hul ii is also the master or ruler of the upper trigram Zhen (Quake), which as a whole signifies action. 10. Another rarely seen character, also pronounced jnn, has this fan as the phonetic and the shou (hand) significant on the left side; it means "quickly." I Iowevcr, both Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi gloss {an (hair clasp) as ju (gather, come together), and, since they do not mention he (why not?, i.e., surely), this implies that they read he as it stands. Thus their reading of this part of Fourth Yang would be something like: "If no one harbors suspicions, why should not a friendly association come together?" See Zhouyi {he^hong, 3: 8b. 11. Lou Yulic glosses this as: "It (Fourth Yang| is not something that it itself [Fifth Yin) can drive (i.e., control, use for its own purposes]." See Wang Bi ji jiaoshi, 1: 30211. 13. 11F. X AG HAM 17 Sui [Following] (Zhen Below Dui Above) Judgment Sut is a time for the fundamental achievement of prevalence and the fitting practice of constancy and, as such, involves no blame. COMMENTARY ON THE JUDGMENTS 1 he hard conies and takes a place below the soft; by its action delight occurs. This is Sui [Following]. By achieving great pre va- 242 Hexagram 17; Sui Hexagram ty: Sui lence and through the practice of constancy, one stays free of blame: so it is when a time of Following prevails in the world. The meaning underlying a time of Following is indeed great! [Zlien [Quake] is hard [a yang trigram] and Dui [Joy] is soft [a yin trigram]. Here the hard takes a position below the soft, acts there, and so moves on to delight, thus achieving a Following. To deal with a time of Following and yet fail to get things to go smoothly on a grand scale means that one is acting contrary to the moment, and if one gets others to follow and yet does not deal with them in terms of the fitting practice of rectitude, this will result in a dao that leads to disaster. Thus it is by getting things to go smoothly on a grand scale and it is through the "fitting practice of constancy" that one here achieves a state that "involves no blame." To deal with a time of Following in such a way that one makes things go smoothly on a grand scale and also allows for the fitting practice of constancy means that one is successful at seizing the moment, and if one is successful at seizing the moment, the whole world will follow him. The way Sui [Following] operates depends only on the moment, so when the moment takes a different turning, and one does not follow it, this results in the Dao of Pi [Obstruction, Hexagram 12]. This is why "the meaning underlying a time of Following is indeed great!"1} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Within the Lake, there is Thunder: this constitutes the image of Sui [Following].' In the same way, the noble man when faced with evening goes in to rest and leisure. {"Within the Lake, there is Thunder": this is the image of how the activation of delight takes place. When all follow one with delight, one can then avoid purposeful action [literally, "practice wuwei." wuwei meaning "avoid/no purposeful action"] toward them and not let them belabor one's bright mirror [i.e., mind]. Thus "the noble man when faced with evening goes in to rest and leisure."} COMMENTARY TO THE APPENDED PHRASES [The Lord Yellow Emperor, Lord Yao, and Lord Shun] domesticated the ox and harnessed the horse to conveyances. This allowed heavy loads to be pulled and faraway places to be reached and so benefited the entire world. They probably got the idea for this from the hexagram Sui [Following].1 PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OF THE HEXAGRAMS When there is contentment, there will be a following. This is why Yu [Contentment, Hexagram in| is followed by Sui [Following]. THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER SW[Following] involves no precedents.1 First Yang This one's self-control has the capacity to change course, so his practice of constancy means good fortune, and, when he leaves his own gate, he relates to others in such a way thai he achieves merit. {Here located at the very beginning of St// [Following], Fust Yang has no line above with which it can resonate.'' which means that it does not find itself with any partisan ties; thus, when it acts, it is able to follow the moment, and its intentions are not subject to the control of any particular master. Following should not be done to suit one's personal wishes, but it is one's personal wishes that should follow what is right and proper. I bus one's self control'' should have the capacity to change direction [i.e., be able to handle differ ent circumstances], but the course it follows must never violate what is right. When this one leaves his own gate, he stays free of any contrary behavior, so what violation could ever occur?} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "1 his one's self-control has the capacity to change course," and in so pursuing what is tight, he has good fortune. "When lie leaves his own gate, he relates to others in such a way thai he achieves merit," for he commits no violation. Second Yin This one ties itself 10 the little child and abandons the mature man. {When a yin line as such finds itself in a world governed by Sui", it is unable to stand independently but must find ties elsewhere. This one located here at a time of Sui [Following] in substance is soft and weak but yet has to ride on top of the hard and the active [First 244 Hexagram ly: Sui Yang], so how could it ever maintain its proper goal? It in fact acts contrary to it by going after the one to which it is near [First Yang]. If Second Yin follows this one. it has to abandon that one [Fifth Yang], and it cannot "give itself over to both." Fifth Yang is located above it. and First Yang is located below it. this is why the text says: "This one ties itself to the little child and abandons the mature man."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Thisone tics itself to the little child" and cannot give itself over to both [i.e., to both the little child represented by First Yang and the mature man represented by fifth Yang]. Third Yin This one ties itself to a mature man and abandons the little child, by following in this way, one should obtain what one seeks, so it is fitting to abide in constancy. {When a yin line as such finds itself in a world governed by Sui, it is unable to stand independently but must find ties elsewhere. Although Third Yin in substance belongs to the lower trigram, since Second Yin has already been taken by First Yang, to what line shall 1 hird Yin attach itself? This is the reason why it abandons First Yang and ties itself to Fourth Yang, and as such its will becomes fixed on "the mature man." Fourth Yang lacks proper resonance in either case.7 but since it also wishes that Third Yin would follow it. 1 hird Yin obtains what it seeks, and this is why the text says: "By following in this way. one should obtain what one seeks." Although the way Third Yin responds here is not correct for it, since it has attached itself to a man," how could it ever go wrong? This is why the text says: "It is fitting to abide in constancy." First Yang is located below it, and Fourth Yang is located above it, this is why the text says: "This one ties itself to a mature man and abandons the little child."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "This one ties itself to a mature man," and its will is such that it [Third Yin] abandons the one below. {"The one below" refers to First Yang.} 24) Hexagram ly: Sui Fourth Yang This one has success at garnering a Following, but constancy will still result in misfortune. The sincerity he has is there in the path he follows, and, as it is brought to light in this way, what blame will he have? {Fourth Yang is located at the beginning of delight [i.e.. Dui (Joy), the upper trigram]. Of the two yin lines be low that Fourth Yang might take. Third Yin seeks a tie with it. and. since Fourth Yang does not oppose it. the text says: "This one has success at garnering a following." Fourth Yang abides in the tcrri tory of the subject minister, so where it treads is not its rightful position [it is a yang line in a yin position]. To use this to seize con trol over the people is a violation as far as the Dao of the subject minister is concerned, and such a one is in violation of what is right. This is why the text says: "Constancy will still result in misfortune."' Its substance hard and strong. Tourth Yang abides here in delight [i.e.. Dui (Joy)], and as such it wins the hearts and minds of the people. As one who can handle its duties. Fourth Yang achieves success. Although it is in violation of a constant moral norm, its ambition is to bring succor to others. One's heart and mind here harbors impartiality and sincerity, and such a one manifests his trust worthiness in the path he follows. As he brings his success to light in this way. how could he ever incur any blame?} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES This one has success at garnering a Following," hut the concept here involves misfortune. "The sincerity he has is there in the path he follows," and this brings his success to light. Fifth Yang This one's sincerity is manifest in his excellence, so he shall have-good fortune. {Fifth Yang treads on rectitude and abides in the Mean, and as such when it occupies this place in a world of Follow ing, it is the perfect fulfillment of what is appropriate for a time of Following and so obtains the trust of others. Thus its excellence results in good fortune.} I 2,l/> Hexagram /y: Sui COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "This one's sincerity is manifest in his excellence, so he shall have good fortune": his position is correct and central. i Top Yin Seize and bind him, then so tied up make him follow. Thus the king should use this opportunity to extend his prevalence to the western mountains. {As a hexagram Sui [Following] is such that the yin lines obey the yang lines, but this one occupying the position at the very top will not be a follower. It is because the Dao of Sui at this point has already run its complete course that Top Yin alone does not follow. This is why it has to be seized and bound before it will follow. "Within the borders of all the land/None but is the subject of the king."10 Thus because this one will not follow, he shall be chastised by the king, and this is why he will have him tied up. "The king should use this opportunity to extend his prevalence to the western mountains": Dui [joy, the upper trigram] represents the west direction." and "mountains" signify a road that is dangerous and full of obstacles. It is because Top Yin. located in the western mountains, will not follow that "the king should use this opportunity to extend his prevalence to the western mountains. commentary on the images "Seize and bind him," for with Top Yang it [the Dao of ^///(Following)] is exhausted. notes 1. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Wang Hi. 2. Cf. section four of Explaining the Trigrams: "It is by Plunder |ZA«n (Quake)] that tilings arc caused to move, . . . hy \oj //WJ thai they are made happy. -Sec also section six of the same text: "()f tilings that make tFie myriad tilings move, none is swifter than Thunder.... Of tilings thai make the myriad things rejoice, none is more joy giving than the I .ake." I lerc the image consists, as Zhu Xi says, of "Thunder that lies hidden in the Lake and lists when the moment is riglu for it [literally, suishi, "following the moment"]. See Zhouyi jhejhong, 11: 40a. *47 Hexagram 17: Sui ). See section two of Commentary on the Appended Phrases, Part Two, as well as note 16 there. 4. Han Kangho comments: "One should follow what is appropriate tor the moment and not be tied to precedents. Willi such following, one will be responsible for affairs." J. First Yang should resonate with the fourth line, but ibis line is also a yang line, so there is no resonance. o. In First Yang and here in Wang's commentary "self-control" trans-hlcs guan, glossed by Kong Yingda as renxin suo ^hu: "that which controls the human heart and mind." See Zhouyi {hengyi, y. 2a. 7. "Either case" refers to Fourth Yang's pairing up with either First Yang or I hird Yin. Proper resonance in hexagrams exists between fourth lines and first lines and between top lines and third lines bill only if the two lines in each respective pair are of opposite signs. I lerc Fourth Yang and First Yang arc both yang. so there is no resonance, and Top Yin and I hird Yin are both yin, so there is no resonance there either, so the fact that Fourth Yang and Third Yin pair up is a mallei of expedience and not because they form a tine resonate pair. 8. "A man" (Fourth Yang) is not "the man" (Fifth Yang), which is both yang and centrally located in "the noble position" of this hexagram. 9. Zhu Xi comments: "As its [Fourth Yang's] power is a threat to Fifth Yang, even though its behavior might be correct, it will still have misfortune." Sec Zhouyi \he\hong, y. \ |l>. 10. Snijing (Hook of odes), no. 205. 11. Dui is associated with the height of autumn, which in traditional Chinese cosmology is linked with the west. Sec section five of Explaining the Trigrams. 12. Kong Yingda comments: "If he wishes to bind up this Top Yin, the king must use military force to extend his rule to the dangerous territory of the western mountains, for only then will he succeed in seizing and binding him." See Zhouyi {heng) i, y. 2b. However, Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi interpret lop Yin differently. Rather than seeing Top Yin represent the exhaustion of the Dao of Sui (Following), they regard it as the maximum point in its development, and Top Yin, as such, is the strongest, most devoted follower of all. Thus "seize and bind" is supposed lo icfer to the devotion with which Top Yin follows—as if it were seized and bound. Cheng and Zhu seem to read this part of Top Yin as: "I le lets it [the Dao of Sui (Following)] seize and bind him and then follows as if tied up." "The king should use this opportunity to extend his prevalence to the western mountains" tri.nsl.urs mrrtgymg kengyu xuAan, which is how Wang ffi and Kong Yingda seem to interpret it, but this fits neiiher (Tieng's nor Zhu's gloss. Cheng thinks that this refers to the story of King Tai, the grandfather of King Wen and great-grandfather of King Wu, who ovci threw the Shang and founded the Zhou (traditionally dated 1122 li.e.): Long ago King Tai used this I )ao to make his kingly cntci pi isc prevail in the western mountains. King Tai, In avoid the harassment of - 248 Hexagram 18: Gu the Di tribe, left Bin and went to |Mount| Qi. The people of Bin both young and old, supporting each other, followed him as if they were going to market. The heartfelt commitment to follow him was as firm as this, so be was able to make use of it to make bis kingly enterprise prevail in the western mountains. "Western mountains" here refers to Mount Qi. ('.(. Mengii(Meneius) i B: i J. Therefore ( fang's interpretation of wangyong hengyu xishan seems to be: "The king used it [the Dao of Following) to extend his prevalence to the western mountains." Zhu Xi's interpretation is again different: "Heng [make prevail/extend prevalence) here should be read as the xiang in jixiang | perform sacrifices). In terms of the Zhou state, Mount Qi is in the west. Whenever one [the king) who divined concerning sacrifices to mountains and streams got this (Top Yang), if he made his intentions as sincere as this, he had good fortune." F'"or Zhu, wangyang heng (xiang) yu xishan seems to mean: "The [Zhou] kings used it [the devotion and sincerity inherent in the Dao of Following) to sacrifice to the western mountains." See Zhouyi lhe{hong, Jtljb 16a. Also cf. I lexagram 40, Sheng (('limbing), Fourth Yin, and note 7 there. HE X At; RAM l8 Gu [Ills to Be Cured] (Sun Below Gen Above) Judgment Gu is such that it provides the opportunity for fundamental prevalence, and so it is fitting to cross the great river, but let there be three clays before a new law is issued and three days after a new law is issued. t ■ 249 Hexagram iS: Gu COMMENTARY ON TUB JUDGMENTS Gu consists of a hard [yang] trigram above and a soft [y in] trigram below. {If the one above is hard, this will allow him to pass judg ments. and if the one below is soft, this will allow him to carry out orders.1} Compliance [the trigram Sun below] as well as im-movablcness [the trigram Gen (Restraint) above] make up Gu. {Not only is the one compliant, but the other is immovable, so they do not contend. If when there are problems one can avoid the di sastrous effect of contention, this will allow one to take action to solve them.} "Gu [Ills to He Cured) is such that it provides the opportunity for fundamental prevalence," and if that happens the entire world will become well ordered. {When one tikes action, and it results in great prevalence, what could happen except that the entire world should become well ordered?} "It is fitting to cross the great river": when one sets forth, there will be problems. "Let there be three days before a new law is issued and three days after a new law is issued": with its ending, one starts all over again: such is the way I leaven operates. {The hexagram Gu [Ills to Be Cured] signifies a time when there are problems that await someone capable of dealing with them. It is at such a time that this [the Dao of Gu] allows one to take action. When others arc already following with delight, this means that they await someone to make laws in order to put their affairs in order. Here is the time to advance virtue and cultivate enterprise, so that when one sets forth he shall achieve prevalence. This is why the text says: "It pro vides the opportunity for fundamental prevalence, and so it is fitting to cross the great river." Jia [the first of the ten characters in the heavenly branches numbering system (tiangan)] here means "a newly initiated law." One cannot enforce a new law in the same way that one can enforce an old one Thus, for the three days before [its initiation] and for the three days after, one works to make this law blend in. and only after that does one use it as the basis for punish ment. It is in response to some difficult situation that a [new] law is issued, but "with its [the situation's] ending, one starts all over again"—just as Heaven operates employing the four seasons.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Below the Mountain, there is Wind: this constitutes the image of Gu [Ills to Be Cured].' In the same way, the noble man stirs the Hexagram /$: Gu common folk and nourishes their virtue. {"The hexagram Gu [Ills to Be Cured] signifies a time when there are problems that await someone capable of dealing with them." Thus the noble man uses such opportunities to bring succor to the common folk and to cultivate their virtue.1} PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OF THE HEXAGRAMS One who gets people to follow him by making them happy inevitably will have problems. This is why Sui [Following, Hexagram 17] is followed by Gu [Ills to He Cured). Gu here means "problems." THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER With Gu [Ills to Be Cured], a cleanup occurs. First Yin One straightens out Ills to Be Cured caused by the father. If there is such a son, a deceased father will be without blame. Although dangerous, in the end, there will he good fortune. {To be located here at the start of some problem signifies the time when one is first charged with the responsibility for it. This has to be someone who relies on a soft and compliant nature to straighten out his father's affairs, someone who can carry on in the tracks left by his predecessor and be equal to the responsibility involved. Thus the text says "if there is such a son." If one who takes responsibility for a situation right at the start is equal to that responsibility, his "deceased father will be without blame." To be in on the start of some problem means that one is here in danger, but if he is equal to dealing with that problem, "in the end. there will be good fortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "One straightens out Ills to Be Cured caused by the father": one intends to become one's deceased father's successor. {At the start of dealing with problems, the moment might be right for either diminution or increase, so it might not be possible to become a successor completely, and this is why the text only goes so far as to say that one intends to become a successor.} 251 Hexagram 18: Gu Second Yang One straightens out Ills to Be (aired caused by the mother, but constancy is not possible. {This line abides in the middle position of the inner trigram. and as such it is appropriate that it straighten out the affairs of the mother.' 1 his is why the text says: "One straight ens out Ills to Be Cured caused by the mother." 1 he nature of woman is such that she is incapable of perfect rectitude, so it is appropriate to suppress one's own hardness and strength here, and one must not only straighten things out but also remain obedient [to the mother]; thus the text says: "But constancy is not possible."5 In straightening things out here one avoids violating the Mean, which is what is meant by "manages to practice the Dao of the Mean."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "One straightens out Ills to Be Cured caused by the mother," and in so doing manages to practice the Dao of the Mean. Third Yang One who here straightens out Ills to Be (aired caused by the father has slight regret but incurs no great blame. {Third Yang straightens out problems with its hardness and strength, but be cause it has no responsive partner.* it "has slight regret." By tread ing here, it obtains its own proper position [as a yang line in a yang position], and it uses its rectitude to straighten out the father's affairs, so although it involves "slight regret." in the end. it "incurs no great blame."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "One who here straightens out Ills to Be Cured caused by the father" in the end "incurs no great blame." Fourth Yin Mere one deals leniently with Ills to Be Cured caused by the father, but if he were to set out he would experience hard going. {This is an appropriate position for a line whose substance is soft and yielding [it is a yin line in a yin position]. One who straightens Hexagram 18: Gu things out not with hardness and strength but by using softness and accommodation is capable of dealing leniently with his predecessor's problems. Nevertheless, here one has no responsive partner,8 so if he were to set out, that would surely result in discord. Thus the text says: "If he were to set out he would experience hard going."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Here one deals leniently with Ills to Be Cured caused by the father," but if he were to set out he would never succeed. Fifth Yin One who here straightens out Ills to He Cured caused by the father thereby gains a fine reputation. {Fifth Yin occupies the noble position with its softness and yielding, thereby staying within the Mean and maintaining a proper response [with Second Yang]. It is by using such means to carry on the affairs of one's predecessor that one thereby practices the Dao of gaining a fine reputation.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES One who straightens out the father's affairs "thereby gains a fine reputation," because his succession is marked by virtue. {Fifth Yin abides in the Mean with its softness and yielding and does not put its trust in martial force.} Top Yang This one does not concern himself with the affairs of king or feudal lords but works to elevate his own higher pursuits. (Top Yang by being located at the very top of such matters [represented by Gu (Ills to Be Cured)] thus stays free of any entanglement with position, and so it "does not concern [it]self with the affairs of king or feudal lords but works to elevate its own higher pursuits."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "This one does not concern himself with the affairs of king or feudal lords," and his ambition as such can serve as a model for others. Ml Hexagram 18: Gu NOTES 1. This and all subsequent lexl set off in (his manner is commentary by Wang Bi. 2. The upper trigram Gen (Restraint) is associated with Mountain, and the lower trigram Sun (Compliance) is associated with Wind. Sec section three of Explaining the Trigrams. 3. Kong Yingda comments: "The wind is capable of working up and dispensing nourishing moisture----So the noble man is capable of using his nourishing grace to slir up the common folk below and nurture them with his virtue." Sec Zhouyi {hengyi, y. ja. 4. Both Cheng Yi and Zhti Xi note that Second Yang is in resonance with Fifth Yin, which in this pairing is the "mother." See Zhouyi jherhong, y. 19b. J. It is obvious from the context thai Wang glosses then (constancy) as {heng (rectitude): that is, one cannot use untempcred rectitude to deal with a woman, for whom perfect rectitude is impossible. 6. I bird Yang needs a resonate yin line in the top position, hut here in Gu that line is yang, so there is no resonance. 7- "Hard going" translates An; sec Hexagram ), Zhun (Mirth Throes), note 6. 8. Fourth Yin needs a resonate yang line in the first position, but here in Gu that line is yin, so there is no resonance. HEXAGRAM i 9 5* r inn Lin [Overseeing] (Dui Below Kun Above) Judgment Lin [Overseeing]' is such that in its prevalence it is fundamental, and in its constancy it is fitting, but by the eighth month there will be misfortune.* COMMENTARY ON THE JUDGMENTS With Lin [Overseeing], the hard gradually grows strong and joyfully practices obedience. The hard responds in such a way that it stays within the Mean. Great prevalence is achieved through rectitude, and this is the Dao of Heaven. {The yang cycle progressively waxes, and the Dao of yin daily wanes: the Dao of the noble man increases day by day, and the dao of the petty man increasingly comes to grief day by day.3 This is what "great prevalence is achieved through rectitude" means.4} "Hut by the eighth month, there will be misfortune," because it [the yang principle, the Dao of the noble man] wanes and does not always last. {By the eighth month, yang has waned, and yin has waxed, so "the dao of the petty man is increasing, and the Dao of the noble man is deteriorating."5 This is why the text says: "There will be misfortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Above the Lake, there is Earth: this constitutes the image of Lin [Overseeing]/ In the same way, the noble man is both inexhaustible in his powers to edify others and feel concern for them and limitless in his practice of magnanimity and protection toward the common folk. {The very best aspect associated with the Dao of Overseeing is happy obedience. I lere one does not rely on control by military might but instead obtains the trust of others. Thus Hexagram /.<;." Lin no one disobeys. It is in this way that "the noble man is both inexhaustible in his powers to edify others and feel concern for them and limitless in his practice of magnanimity and protection toward the common folk."} PROVIDING THE SEQUENCE OE THE HEXAGRAMS Only when one has had problems can he grow great. This is why Cu [Ills to He Cured, Hexagram 18] is followed by Lin [Overseeing]. Lin here means "to become great." THE HEXAGRAMS IN IRREGULAR ORDER I he concepts underlying Lin (Overseeing] and Guan1 Viewing, Hexagram 20] in some cases mean "provide" and mothers "seek." First Vang This one prompts Overseeing, and constancy here means good fortune. {Xian, "all." here should be read gem. "prompt" or "provoke."'' as in gony/ng. "provoke a response." First Yang has a resonate relationship with Fourth Yin and so provokes Fourth Yin to provide Overseeing. Fourth Yin treads on the territory of its rightful position [as a yin line in a yin position], and as First Yang is in resonance with it. its own "goal is pursued with rectitude." It is because the hard is moved to obey [Fourth Yin] that the pursuit of its ambitions remains so correct as this. When the Overseeing of things takes place in this way. one garners good fortune with such rectitude.} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "This one prompts Overseeing, and constancy here means good fortune," for one's goal is pursued with rectitude. Second Yang I his one prompts Overseeing, which means good fortune such that nothing fails to he fitting. {Second Yang has a resonate tela tionship with Fifth Yin and so provokes Fifth Yin to provide Over seeing. When the hard and strong is in the ascendancy, the soft and weak is placed in danger. But here, as Fifth Yin is weak, ibis means Hexagram n>: Lin that Second Yang cannot share its goals, for if it were to practice obedience toward Fifth Yin, its hard and strong virtues would not last long. And from what source then could it possibly derive "good fortune such that nothing fails to be fitting"? However, if it were to oppose Fifth Yin completely, this would violate the resonance between them. So the fact that Second Yang has obtained the "good fortune such that nothing fails to be fitting" by getting Fifth Yin "to respond and provide Overseeing" must just mean that Second Yang "still refrains from obeying Fifth Yin's orders."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES Here Second Yang lias gotten Fifth Yin to respond and provide Overseeing, which results in "good fortune such that nothing fails to be fitting." This means that Second Yang still refrains from obeying Fifth Yin's orders. Third Yin This one docs Overseeing with sweetness, about which there is nothing at all fitting, but once one becomes anxious about it, there will be no blame. {Sweet here refers to seductive, wicked flattery; it is a term for something wrong. Here where Third Yin treads is not the right position for it [it is a yin line in a yang position], and it abides in a world where the hard and strong grow strong, yet it tries to conduct the Overseeing of others with wicked flattery, so it is appropriate that about such behavior "there is nothing at all fitting." But if one here can become thoroughly anxious about this danger and reform the Dao that he practices, the hard and the strong will not harm such righteousness, thus "blame will not last long."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "This one does Overseeing with sweetness," for the position is not right for it. "Once one becomes anxious about it," blame will not last long. Fourth Yin I [ere perfect Overseeing is done, so there is no blame. {Fourth Yin occupies this position in such a way that it responds to First Yang with obedience. It does not dread the growth of its [First Yang's] hardness and strength and so responds to it. By treading here, it obtains its rightful position, and this is how it realizes the full men sure of perfection. When the hard and strong is in the ascendancy, the soft and weak is placed in danger, but here the soft and weak does not violate what is right, and it is this that allows for there to be "no blame."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "Here perfect Overseeing is done, so there is no blame," for the position is right for it. Fifth Yin 1 his one does Overseeing with wisdom, which is the wherewithal for a great sovereign and means good fortune. {Fifth Yin is situated in the noble position, treading there in such a way that it manages to practice the Mean. It knows how to receive the hard and strong [Second Yang] with decorum and thereby strengthen its practice of rectitude. Fifth Yin does not dread the growth of Second Yang's strength and so is able to employ Second Yang in its service. It is by employing others in order to extend one's abilities, while doing no wrong in the process, that the perspicacious can extend his powers of sight and hearing to the utmost and the one empow ered with wisdom can fulfill his ability to plan. This is how such a one accomplishes things without purposeful effort and roaches goals without having to take the steps himself.9 The wherewithal of a great sovereign need be like this and nothing more, and this is why the text says: "This one does Overseeing with wisdom, which is the wherewithal of a great sovereign and means good fortune."} COMMENTARY ON THE IMAGES "The wherewithal of a great sovereign" consists of, in other words, the practice of the Mean. Top Yin This one does Overseeing with simple honesty, which results in good fortune and no blame. {Top Yin is situated at the very top of *»8 Hexagram t