Zhou Yi Zheng Kang Cheng Zhu (周易鄭康成注)

《周易鄭康成注》一卷，宋王應麟編。應麟字伯厚，慶元人，自署浚儀，葢其祖籍也。淳佑元年進士，寶佑四年復中博學鴻詞科，官至禮部尚書，兼給事中。事蹟具宋史、儒林傳。

The commentary "Zhang Kangcheng's Commentary on the Zhou Yi" consists of one volume and was compiled by Wang Yinglin of the Southern Song dynasty. Wang Yinglin, whose courtesy name was Bohou, was from Qinyuan Fu (now Ningbo, Zhejiang Province). He often signed his name as "Junyi," which was his family's ancestral hometown (now Kaifeng, Henan Province). He passed the imperial examination as a jinshi in the first year of Chunyu of the reign of Emperor Lizong, and again passed the "Boxue Hongci Ke" examination in the fourth year of Baoyu. He held the position of Minister of Rites and also served concurrently as a giving affairs official. His entire life's deeds are fully recorded in the "Biography of the Literati" section of the "Song History."

案，隋志載鄭元周易注九卷，又稱鄭元王弼二注，梁陳列於國學。齊代，惟傳鄭義。至隋，王注盛行，鄭學寖微。然新唐書著録十卷，是唐時其書猶在，故李鼎祚集解多引之。

Note: The "Sui Shu · Jingji Zhi" records Zheng Xuan's commentary on the Zhou Changes in nine volumes, and also mentions the commentaries of Zheng Xuan and Wang Bi. During the Southern Liang and Chen dynasties, these two commentaries were both established in the national academy. By the Southern Qi dynasty, only Zheng Xuan's interpretation of the Zhou Changes was taught in the official schools. By the Sui dynasty, Wang Bi's commentary became very popular, and Zheng Xuan's studies gradually declined. However, the "Xin Tang Shu · Yiwén Zhi" still lists ten volumes of Zheng Xuan's work, indicating that the book still existed in the Tang dynasty, which enabled Li Dingzuo to extensively cite it in his "Collected Explanations of the Zhou Changes." (This book's Qing edition avoided the taboo of Emperor Xianyue of the Kangxi era by writing "Zheng Xuan" as "Zheng Yuan," following the same convention throughout the entire text.)

宋崇文總目惟載一卷（案：中興書目今不傳，此據馮椅易學所引），所存者僅文言、序卦、說卦、雜卦四篇，餘皆散佚。至中興，書目始不著録，則亡於南北宋之間。故晁說之、朱震尚能見其遺文，而淳熙以後，諸儒即罕所稱引也。

The Song Dynasty's "Chongwen Zongmu" only records one volume (note: the "Zhongxīng Shūmù" has now been lost, this is a restatement based on the citations in Feng Yi's "Houzhai Yixue"). What has been preserved are only the annotations on the four sections "Wenyan", "Xugua", "Shuogua", and "Zagua", while the rest have all been lost. By the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty, official bibliographies no longer listed this work, indicating that it was lost during the period of turmoil at the end of the Northern Song and the beginning of the Southern Song. Therefore, Zhao Shuozhi and Zhu Zhen were still able to see its remaining fragments, but scholars after Emperor Xiaozong's Chunxi period rarely cited it anymore.

應麟始旁摭諸書，裒為此帙，經文異字亦皆並存。其無經文可綴者，則總録末簡。又以元注多言互體，並取左傳、禮記、周禮正義中論互體者八條，以類附焉。

Wang Yinglin then extensively collected various classical texts, compiling the scattered annotations by Zheng Xuan into this volume, and also preserving variant characters and textual differences of the classic texts. Any entries that could not be linked to corresponding classic texts were summarized and copied at the end of the entire book. Furthermore, since Zheng Xuan's commentary on the Book of Changes often discussed "mutual bodies," he extracted eight discussions on mutual bodies from the commentaries of the Zuo Zhuan, the Li Ji, and the Zhou Li, and appended them to the book according to categories.

考元初從第五元先受京氏易，又從馬融受費氏易，故其學出入於兩家。然要其大旨，費義居多，實為傳易之正脈。齊陸澄與王儉書曰：「王弼注易，元學之所宗，今若崇儒，鄭注不可廢。」其論最篤。唐初詔修正義，仍黜鄭崇王，非逹識也。

Examining Zheng Xuan's academic lineage: he studied the School of Jing Fang's interpretation of the Book of Changes under Wu Wuxian in his early years, and later learned the School of Fei Zhi's interpretation of the Book of Changes under Ma Rong. Thus, his study of the Book of Changes moved between these two schools. However, in terms of overall approach, the School of Fei Zhi had a greater influence, which represents the orthodox transmission of the Book of Changes. In the Southern Qi dynasty, Lu Cheng wrote to Wang Jian saying: Wang Bi's commentary on the Book of Changes was revered by the School of Mysticism. Today, since we are to promote Confucianism, Zheng's commentary should not be discarded. This remark is most accurate. In the early Tang dynasty, an imperial edict was issued to compile the Five Classics with Correct Interpretations, yet it still rejected Zheng's commentary and exclusively honored Wang Bi's. This was indeed not a wise decision.

應麟能於散佚之餘，蒐羅放失，以存漢易之一線，可謂篤志遺經、研心古義者矣。近時恵棟別有考訂之本，體例較密，然經營剏始，實自應麟。其捃拾之勞亦不可冺，今並著於録，所以兩存其功也。

Wang Yinglin was able to collect the scattered fragments of this text after most of it had been lost, preserving a line of transmission for Han dynasty Yi studies. He truly can be considered someone devoted to the遗经 of earlier scholars and deeply committed to the old meanings of ancient texts. In recent times, Hui Dong produced another critical edition, which is more meticulous in its approach; however, the pioneering effort was indeed made by Wang Yinglin. The labor he put into gathering and compiling each fragment should not be overlooked. Therefore, the Siku Quanshu included both editions, intending to preserve the contributions of both scholars.

九二，見龍在田。二於三才為地道，地上即田，故稱田也。九二利見九五之大人。九三，君子終日乾乾。三於三才為人道，有乾徳而在人道，君子之象。

The line statement of the second line of the hexagram Qian says, "The dragon appears on the field." Zheng Xuan explains the six lines by dividing them into the three realms: the first and second lines belong to the realm of earth, the third and fourth lines belong to the realm of humanity, and the fifth and sixth lines belong to the realm of heaven. The second line is appropriately located in the realm of earth, and since the field is above the earth, the line statement refers to "field." The second line should go to meet the "great man" at the heavenly position, the fifth line. The line statement of the third line, "The gentleman toils day and night," refers to the third line being in the realm of humanity. The third line possesses the virtue of Qian, which is strong and creative, and is situated in the position of a person, which is the image of the "gentleman."

九五，飛龍在天。五於三才為天道，天者清明無形而龍在焉，飛之象也。上九，亢龍有悔。堯之末年，四凶在朝，是以有悔，未大凶也。

The Line Statement of the Nine in the Fifth, "Flying Dragon in Heaven": The Fifth Line belongs to the heavenly aspect in the trinity of heaven, earth, and humanity. Heaven is clear and bright, formless and without substance, yet the dragon appears within it, symbolizing "flying." The Line Statement of the Nine at the Top, "Exalted Dragon with Regret": Zheng Xuan does not discuss abstract principles such as excess leading to loss, but instead relates it to historical events—during the later years of the sage emperor Yao, the four villains, Gonggong, Huan Dou, San Miao, and Gun, still held positions in the court. Therefore, he only mentions "regret," indicating that it has not yet reached the level of great misfortune.

用九，見群龍無首，吉。六爻皆體龍（一作乾），群龍之象也。舜既受道，禹與稷、契、咎繇之屬，並在於朝。萬物資始乃統天。資，取也。統，本也。大人造也。造，為也。不成乎名，當隱之時以從世俗，不自殊異，無所成名也。確乎其不可拔。拔，移也。聖人作。作，起也。利貞者情性也。

"Use nine, see a group of dragons without a leader, which is auspicious": All six lines of the hexagram are composed of dragons (another version reads "Qian"), forming the image of a group of dragons emerging together. Zheng Xuan still associates this with historical events: Yu the Great had already received the mandate of heaven and taken the throne, while Yao and Shun were contemporaries with virtuous ministers such as Hou Ji, Xi, and Gao Yao, all of whom were like dragons but none stood alone as the leader, hence it is auspicious. The "Commentary on the Judgment" says, "All things draw their origin from the beginning, and thus they follow heaven": "Draw" means to take, and "follow" means to be the original source. The "Discourse on the Images" says, "The great man creates": "Create" means to take action. "Not achieving fame" means that when one is in a time of concealment, one follows the customs of the world and does not deliberately distinguish oneself, thus not achieving any particular reputation. "Certainly firm and unmovable" means "unmovable" refers to movement. "The sage arises": "Arise" means to emerge. "Beneficial to uprightness is the nature of the situation" means that uprightness is the inherent nature of the Qian trigram.

履霜。履讀為禮。六二，直也，方也，地之性。此爻得中氣而在地上，自然之性，廣生萬物，故主動直而且方。龍戰于野，聖人喻龍，君子喻蛇（儀禮注：蛇龍，君子之類）。必有餘殃。殃，禍惡也。

The first line of the hexagram Kūn says, "Treading frost": Zheng Xuan reads "lǚ" as "lǐ", meaning to practice propriety, rather than as "to tread". The second line says "straight" and "square", which refers to the nature of the earth. This line is in the middle of the lower trigram, receiving the harmonious energy of the center and being located on the earth, thus expressing a natural nature that can widely nurture all things. Therefore, it is characterized by movement that is straight and square. The sixth line says, "A dragon fights in the fields": Zheng Xuan uses the dragon to symbolize the sage and the snake to symbolize the gentleman (the Zheng annotations of the Book of Rites also state that snakes and dragons belong to the category of gentlemen). "There must be residual calamity": "Yāng" refers to calamity and misfortune.

慊於無陽。慊讀如群公溓之溓，古書篆作立，心與水相近，讀者失之，故作溓。溓，雜也。陰謂此上六也，陽謂今消息用事乾也。上六為蛇，得乾氣，雜似龍（釋文云鄭作謙）。

The Wenyan explains the line "Six at the Top" saying, "Yin suspects Yang and they must fight, because it is suspicious that there is no Yang." The Zheng version of this character is "qian." Zheng Xuan says that this "qian" should be read like the "lian" in the "Qiong Gong Lian" from the Spring and Autumn Annals. In ancient texts, the original character was written with the "li" radical, but the "xin" radical and the "shui" radical looked similar, so scribes made a mistake and wrote it with the "shui" radical, forming "lian." "Lian" means to mix or blend. Here, the "Yin" refers to the current line, which is Six at the Top; the "Yang" refers to the current active Yang of the乾卦 according to the twelve message hexagrams. Originally, Six at the Top was a snake, but because it mixed in the Yang of乾, it became similar to a dragon after blending—this is the origin of "dragon fighting in the wild." (The Classic Interpretation says the Zheng version of this character is "qian.")

而不寧。讀而曰能。能，猶安也。六二，乗馬般如。馬牝牡曰乗。冓，猶會也。六三，機不如舎。弩牙也。

The Commentary on the Judgment of the Hexagram Zhun says, "It is appropriate to establish feudal princes but not to be at peace": Zheng Xuan reads "er" as "neng," meaning "to be able," which here equals "an," meaning "peaceful." The whole sentence means that after establishing feudal princes, peace can be achieved. The Line Statement of the Second Line says, "Riding horses in disorder": one female and one male horse paired together is called "cheng," so "cheng ma" refers to two horses. "Gou" equals "hui," meaning union or meeting. The Line Statement of the Third Line in the common version reads, "A little less than abandoning," but in Zheng's version it reads, "ji," referring to the trigger of a crossbow.

蒙，幼小之貌，齊人謂萌為蒙也。蒙亨，匪我求童蒙。蒙者，濛濛，物初生形，是其未開著之名也。人幼稚曰童，未冠之稱。亨者，陽也。互體震而得中，嘉會禮通，陽自動其中，徳施地道之上，萬物應之而萌芽生。

"The term 'Meng' refers to something young and immature, and in the dialect of Qi, the initial sprouting of grass and trees called 'Meng' is also referred to as 'Meng'. The Hexagram 'Meng' states, 'Meng is favorable, not I seeking the young and naive.' Here, 'Meng' means a state of confusion and obscurity, the name given to things when they first take shape but have not yet become clearly visible. A person in the stage of childhood is called 'Tong', which is the term used before the coming-of-age ceremony. 'Heng' refers to the yang. In this hexagram, the lines from the second to the fourth form the mutual trigram Zhen, which represents movement. Since line nine in the second position is located in the center of the lower trigram, it aligns with the meaning in the 'Wenyan' that 'favorable meetings are sufficient to conform to propriety'; the yang energy within the hexagram spontaneously initiates movement, its virtue extending to the earth, prompting all things to respond and sprout.'

教授之師取象焉。修道藝於其室，而童蒙者求為之弟子，非已乎求之也。弟子初問，則告之以事義，不思其三隅相況以反，解而筮者，此勤師而功寡，學者之災也。瀆筮則不復告，欲令思而得之，亦所以利義而幹事是也。

The teacher instructs his students, and the principle of divination is embodied here. The teacher cultivates the Way within his own dwelling, and the ignorant child comes to seek him as a disciple, not the teacher seeking students. When the disciple first asks a question, the teacher explains the meaning of the matter to him. If he is unwilling to grasp one corner and infer the other three, and instead merely wants to ask again for ready-made answers, then the teacher labors in vain, and the student himself invites misfortune. Therefore, the Hexagram Statement says, "If one asks repeatedly in a disrespectful manner, he will no longer be told," intending for the student to think for himself and gain understanding—this is precisely the meaning of the four virtues of the Hexagram Qian, "Benefiting things is sufficient to harmonize with righteousness," and "Steadfastness and firmness are sufficient to accomplish tasks."

初六，用說桎梏。木在足曰桎，在手曰梏。九二，包蒙。包當作彪，彪，文也。六五，順以巽也。巽當作遜。

The line statement for the first line, "Use the saying of shackles": "Zhi" refers to wooden restraints on the feet, and "Gu" refers to restraints on the hands. "Shuo" means to remove. The line statement for the second line, "Encompassing the young": Zheng Xuan believed "Bao" should be read as "Biao," meaning ornamentation. This refers to the second line using cultural virtue to nurture the immature. The image commentary for the fifth line, "Following with humility": "Xun" should be read as "Xun," meaning humility and gentleness, and does not refer to the image of the Xun hexagram.

需讀為秀。陽氣秀而不直前者，畏上坎也。位乎天位。位，音蒞。宴，享宴也。九二，需於沚。九三，致戎至。

The hexagram "Need" is named "需," which Zheng Xuan reads as "秀." The yang energy of Heaven has begun to emerge but does not advance continuously because it fears the danger of the upper trigram Kan. The first "位" in the "Commentary on the Judgment" is read as "莅," meaning to rule over. The word "宴" in the hexagram statement "the superior man practices feasting and music" refers to the ceremony of feasting. The second line statement in the common version reads "waiting by the sand," while in Zheng's version it reads "waiting by the islet," which is a small island in water. The third line statement in the common version reads "inviting the enemy to come," while in Zheng's version it reads "inviting the military to come."

辯才曰訟。有孚咥。咥，覺悔貌。九二，歸而逋其邑人三百戸，無眚。小國之下大夫，采地方一成，其定稅三百家，故三百戸也。

The character "讼" includes "言" because being eloquent and argumentative leads to disputes. The Hexagram Statement in the transmitted text reads "There is sincerity, obstruction, and vigilance," while Zheng Xuan's version reads "There is sincerity and biting." "Biting" refers to a state of inner realization and regret. The Line Statement for the Second Line says, "Returning and fleeing with three hundred households of his邑, without calamity." Zheng Xuan explains according to the feudal system of the Zhou dynasty—this was a lower-ranking official in a small state, whose fief was square ten li on each side. The regulation specified that only three hundred households were subject to taxation, hence the Line Statement mentions "three hundred households."

不易之田，歲種之。一易之田，休一歲乃種。再易之田，休二歲乃種。言至薄也。茍自藏隱，不敢與五相敵，則無災眚。眚，過也。患至惙也。惙，憂也。九四，渝然也。上九，鞶帶。佩鞶之帶。三拕之拕，徒可反。

Zheng Xuan then used the land system from the "Rites of Zhou" to explain how meager these three hundred households were. Land that is fertile and can be farmed every year is called "unchanging land," which is farmed every year. "Land that is changed once" requires one year of fallow before farming. "Land that is changed twice" requires two years of fallow before farming—this shows how extremely poor this fief was. If Nine in the Second is willing to hide and retreat, not daring to contend with Nine in the Fifth, there will be no calamity. "Sheng" means fault. "Chuo" in "huan zhi chuo ye" means worry. "Yu" in the statement of the fourth line "yu an zhen" means change. The statement of the top line "huo xi zhi pan dai" refers to a wide belt used to carry a pouch. "Zhong chao san chi zhi" refers to being stripped of the belt three times in a single morning. In Zheng's version, the character is written as "tu," with the reverse-slicing phonetic annotation "tu ke fan."

軍二千五百人為師。多以軍為名，次以師為名，少以旅為名。師者，舉中之言。

According to the military system of the Zhou dynasty, 2,500 soldiers formed a "shi." The highest level of military organization was called "jun," the next level "shi," and the lowest level "lv." The name "shi" for the hexagram refers to the middle level, used to summarize all matters related to military forces.

丈人能以法度長於人。丈之言長，能御眾有正人之徳，以法度為人之長，吉而無咎，謂天子諸侯主軍者。初六，否藏凶。否，方有反。九二，王三錫命。寵，光耀也。

The Hexagram Statement says, "The elder is auspicious, no blame." "Elder" refers to someone who can govern others by following laws and regulations, acting as a leader. "Elder" here means "leader," someone who can control the people, possessing the virtue of rectifying others, and governing by law, thus being auspicious without blame—this refers to the Son of Heaven and the feudal lords who personally lead military campaigns. The Line Statement for the First Six (Initial Six) in the common version reads, "The army departs in order, if it is not proper, it will be凶 (misfortune)." In the Zheng version, "臧" is written as "藏." The reverse pronunciation of "否" is "fang you." The Line Statement for the Second Nine says, "The king bestows three commands." The Image Commentary states, "It encompasses all the states." "Chong" means glory and honor.

初六，有孚盈缶。爻辰在未上，值東井。井之水，人所汲用。缶，缶汲器也。

The "Yao Ci" of the first line of the hexagram "Bi" says, "There is sincerity filling the jar." Zheng Xuan here uses the "Yao Chen" method: each of the six lines is paired with one of the twelve earthly branches. A yin line in the initial position is paired with "Wei." Above "Wei" is the constellation "Dong Jing," which is also called "Jing Xu." Water in the well is drawn by people, and the "fu" is exactly the earthenware vessel used for drawing water. Therefore, the "Yao Ci" says sincerity is full like water in a jar. This interpretation comes entirely from celestial phenomena and differs from the approach of explaining the hexagram lines by their positions and their associations with proximity and support.

九五，王用三驅，失前禽。王因天下顯，習兵於搜狩焉。驅禽而射之，三則已發，軍禮也。失前禽者，謂禽在前來者，不逆而射之，傍去又不射，唯背走者，順而射之，不中亦已。是皆所以失之，用兵之法亦如之。降者不殺，奔者不禁，皆敵不殺，以仁恩養威之道。

The Line Statement of the Nine in the Fifth says, "The king uses three drives, losing the birds that come before him." The Son of Heaven, because the world has already shown peace and order, uses the four seasons' hunting as a way to practice military affairs. He drives the wild animals and shoots them, but stops shooting after the third shot. This is the military etiquette. The phrase "losing the birds that come before him" means that he does not shoot the birds that run directly toward him; he does not shoot those that run away to the side; he only shoots those that run away from him, and if he misses, he lets them go. All these actions are intentionally letting them escape. The principles of warfare are the same: those who surrender are not killed, those who flee are not blocked, and anyone who is no longer an enemy is not killed. This is precisely the way of using benevolence to cultivate authority.

畜養也。九三，輿說輻。謂輿下縛木，與軸相連，鉤心之木是也。輻，伏莬。

"The term '畜' means to raise or keep livestock. The third line statement of the ninth line, 'The carriage wheel spokes come loose,' is explained by Zheng Xuan as referring to the wooden beam beneath the carriage body that is connected to the axle, known as the 'hook heart' in the construction of the carriage. In Zheng's version, the term '辐' refers to the 'fu tu' component, not the spokes of the wheel. Therefore, 'say fu' means the 'fu tu' part detaches, causing the carriage body to separate from the axle and preventing further movement."

泰，通也。后以財成，天地之道，財節也。輔相左右，助也。以者取其順陰陽之節，為出內之政。春崇寛仁，夏以長養，秋教收斂，冬勅蓋藏，皆可以成物助民也。

"Tai" means通畅, smooth. The Image Commentary says, "The ruler should regulate the way of heaven and earth." Here, "cai" means "to regulate," implying control or moderation. "Zuoliu" refers to assisting. The word "yi" in the sentence indicates taking into account the harmonious changes of yin and yang to implement policies of issuing and collecting: in spring, promote kindness and leniency; in summer, assist in growth and nurturing; in autumn, teach people to gather and store; in winter, supervise and ensure covering and preservation. These actions can achieve the flourishing of all things and assist the people.

初九，彚，類也。茹，牽引也。茅喻君，有絜白之徳，臣下引其類而仕之。九二，荒讀為康，虛也。六五，帝乙歸妹，以祉元吉。五爻辰在卯，春為陽中，萬物以生。生育者，嫁娶之貴。仲春之月，嫁娶男女之禮，福祿大吉。

The Line Statement of the First Line, "Initial Nine" (初九), says: "Pulling out the reed grass, with its kind." "Kind" refers to similar things, and "pulling" means to draw along. Reed grass symbolizes the sovereign, who possesses the virtue of purity and brightness; ministers then draw their own kind to take office. The Line Statement of the Second Line, "Nine in the Second" (九二), says: "Embracing the vast and empty." "Empty" is read as "Kang," meaning emptiness. The Line Statement of the Fifth Line, "Six in the Fifth" (六五), says: "The Emperor Yi married his sister, resulting in great good fortune." Zheng Xuan still uses the concept of the爻辰 (line animal) to explain it. The Fifth Line is a yin line, whose animal is "Mao" (卯), which corresponds to the middle of spring. The middle of spring is the center of yang energy, from which all things are generated. The ability to produce offspring is what is valued in marriage, so great good fortune is achieved. The middle of spring is the proper time for the ceremony of marriage between men and women, hence great good fortune.

九四，疇離祉。九五，繋于苞桑。猶紂囚文王於羑里之獄，四臣獻珍異之物而終免於難，繫于苞桑之謂。

The fourth line statement says, "Chou li zhi": "Chou" means同类, and "li" means附丽, meaning that those of the same kind rely on each other and share blessings. The fifth line statement says, "Xi yu bao sang": Zheng Xuan explained this with historical events—this is like King Zhou of Shang imprisoning King Wen of Zhou in the prison of Youli. Hongyao and three other ministers presented rare treasures, and King Wen was finally released from danger. Being tied to a cluster of mulberry roots is firm and unbroken, which precisely describes this transition from peril to safety, with a firm foundation that does not waver.

乾為天，離為火，卦體有巽，巽為風。天在上，火炎上而從之，是其性同於天也。火得風，然後炎上益熾，是猶人君在上，施政教使天下之人和同而事之，以是為人和同者，君之所為也，故謂之同人。

The hexagram Tong Ren (Union) consists of the lower trigram Li (Fire) and the upper trigram Qian (Heaven). Qian represents Heaven, and Li represents Fire. Within the hexagram, the second to fourth lines form the trigram Xun (Wind). Heaven is at the top, and Fire ascends upward, following Heaven, which reflects the nature of Fire being in harmony with Heaven. Fire further gains strength from Wind, burning even more vigorously. This is like a ruler in authority issuing decrees and moral teachings, leading all people to unite and serve him. The ability to bring people together is precisely the ruler's role, hence the name of the hexagram is "Tong Ren" (Union).

風行無所不遍，遍則會通之徳大行，故曰同人于野，亨。六二，天子諸侯后夫人。茅，音苗。無子不出。九三，莽，叢木也。九四，乗其庸。

The wind spreads everywhere, reaching all over the world and thus promoting the great spread of the virtue of mutual communication. Therefore, the Hexagram Statement says, "To seek harmony with others in the wilderness, it is smooth"—"wilderness" here refers to the wind's far-reaching nature. The commentary on the second line by Zheng involves the rank and position of the queen consort and the husbands of the feudal lords. The character "茅" is pronounced the same as "苗". The saying "a woman without a son does not leave the house" means that having no son is not one of the seven reasons for a woman to be divorced. The Line Statement of the third line, "to hide the soldiers in the thick woods," refers to "莽" as dense vegetation. The Line Statement of the fourth line in the commonly used version reads "to ascend the city wall," while in Zheng's version it reads "to ascend the fortress."

明辯遰也，讀如明星晢晢。六五，體離處乾之上，猶大臣有聖明之徳，代君為政，處其位有其事，而理之也。元亨者，又能長群臣以善使，嘉會禮通，若周公攝政，朝諸侯於明堂是也。

The Image Commentary of the hexagram "Great Possession" says, "It is clear and distinct." Zheng Xuan reads it like the word "zhè" in the "Book of Songs" "Sheng Xing Zhe Zhe," taking it to mean brightness and clarity. The line six in the fifth is a flexible line in a high position; its nature belongs to the trigram Li (Fire) and it is located above the trigram Qian (Heaven). This is like a minister possessing the virtue of sagehood, taking over the government on behalf of the sovereign, occupying the position and handling the affairs to govern the world. The term "Yuan Heng" refers to his ability to nurture all officials with virtue and properly employ them, which corresponds to the meaning in the "Wen Yan" that "excellent gatherings are sufficient to conform to propriety." It is like the Duke of Zhou assuming regency and holding court in the Bright Hall to meet the feudal lords.

君子有終。艮為山，坤為地。山體髙，今在地下。其於人道，高能下下，謙之象。亨者，嘉會之禮，以謙為主。謙者，自貶損以下人，唯艮之堅固，坤之厚順，乃能終之，故君子之人有終也。捊多益寡。捊，取也。撝謙，讀為宣。初六，牧，養也。

The Hexagram of Humility states, "The gentleman has a proper conclusion." This hexagram has Gen below and Kun above: Gen represents mountain, and Kun represents earth. A mountain is naturally lofty and elevated, yet it is now placed beneath the earth. In terms of human affairs, this signifies that a person of high status can humble himself and submit to others, which is the symbolic meaning of humility. The term "hen" refers to the harmonious gathering of auspicious things, with humility as its main principle. Humility means self-abasement and submission to others; only through the firmness of Gen and the yielding nature of Kun can this be maintained consistently, hence the gentleman has a proper conclusion. The Image Commentary mentions "taking much and benefiting little," where "taking" means to take or obtain; and "huai qian," where "huai" is read as "xuan," meaning to announce or spread. The "mu" in the line "initial six" refers to the act of raising or nurturing.

坤順也。震動也。順其性而動者，莫不得其所，故謂之豫。豫喜，豫悅樂之貌也。震又為雷，諸侯之象。坤又為眾，師役之象，故利建侯行師。

The hexagram is composed of the lower trigram Kun (Earth) and the upper trigram Zhen (Thunder). Kun represents following, and Zhen represents movement. To move in accordance with the nature of things ensures that each thing finds its proper place, hence the name of the hexagram is "Yü" (Joy). "Yü" signifies joy and delight, both expressing a state of happiness. Zhen also symbolizes thunder, which is the image for princes; Kun also symbolizes the multitude, representing the image of military campaigns involving many people. Therefore, the hexagram statement says "It is advantageous to establish princes and to march in military campaigns," which is derived entirely from the images of the eight trigrams, without introducing separate meanings.

靁出地奮。奮，動也。靁動於地上，而萬物豫也。忒，差也。六二，砎於石，右八切，蓋謂唐砎也。六三，盱，誇也。九四，由豫。由，用也。簪，速也。上六，冥豫，冥讀為鳴。

The Image Commentary says, "Thunder emerges from the earth and stirs up," where "stirs up" means vibration. Thunder shaking the earth causes all things to rejoice, which is the meaning of Yu. The Commentary on the Judgment says, "and the four seasons do not err," where "err" means error. The Line Statement for the second line, "Between stone," the Zheng version reads "砎," with a reverse-slicing phonetic annotation "you ba qie," which probably refers to hard Tang砎 stone. The Line Statement for the third line, "Looking up in excess," where "looking up" means exaggerating and looking around. The Line Statement for the fourth line, "Using Yu," where "using" means to use; "peng he zan" where "zan" means quick. The Line Statement for the top line, "Dark Yu," where Zheng Xuan reads "ming" for "ming," meaning the sound of music echoes and Yu reaches its extreme.

震動也。兌說也。內動之以徳，外說之以言，則天下之人（一作民）咸慕其行，而隨從之，故謂之隨也。既見隨從，能長之以善，通其嘉禮，和之以義，乾之以正，則功成而有福。若無此四徳，則有凶咎焉。

The hexagram "Following" is composed of the trigram Zhen (Thunder) above and Dui (Lake) below. Zhen represents movement, and Dui represents joy. By cultivating virtue internally to move people and using words externally to please them, all people will admire and follow his actions, hence the name of the hexagram is "Following." Once people follow, one can nurture them with goodness, promote beautiful rites, harmonize with righteousness, and act with correctness, thus achieving great success and receiving blessings. These four sentences correspond to the four virtues of Yuan, Heng, Li, and Zhen. If these four virtues are lacking, misfortune and errors will result.

出門交有功，震為大塗，又為日門，當春分，陰陽之所交也。是臣出君門，與四方賢人交，有成功之象也。昔舜慎徽五典，五典克從，納於百揆，百揆時序，賓於四門，四門穆穆，是其義也。

Chu Jiuxiu "Image Commentary" says "Going out to meet people brings success": Zheng Xuan explains by combining the hexagram image with the solar terms. Zhen represents the great way and also the gate of sunrise, which corresponds to the spring equinox, a time when yin and yang meet. This is the symbolic representation of a minister leaving the king's gate to meet virtuous people from all directions and achieving success. In the past, Yu Shun carefully promoted the five constant virtues, and all five teachings were followed; he managed the affairs of all officials, and everything was orderly; he welcomed guests at the four gates, and the guests at the four gates were respectful and solemn. This is exactly the meaning recorded in the "Shang Shu · Shun Dian."

先甲三日，後甲三日。甲者，造作新令之日。先之三日而用辛也，欲取改過自新之義。後之三日而用丁也，取其丁寧之義。

The Hexagram Gǔ Statement says, "Three days before the Jia day, three days after the Jia day." The Jia day is the day when new laws are established. Counting three days before Jia, we arrive at the Xin day, which shares the same sound as "new," symbolizing the need for people to reform themselves. Counting three days after Jia, we arrive at the Ding day, which relates to "dingning," meaning to remind or caution repeatedly. Zheng Xuan used the names of the ten heavenly stems to specify the days mentioned in the classic text, a method that differs from the approach focusing on the beginning and end of the hexagram's moral qualities.

臨，大也。陽氣自此浸而長大。陽浸長矣，而有四徳，齊功於乾，盛之極也。人之情盛則奢滛，奢淫將亡，故戒以凶也。

"The Hexagram 'Approach' signifies great prosperity. Yang energy begins to gradually increase and strengthen from this hexagram. Since Yang is increasing, this hexagram also possesses the four virtues of originality, strength, benefit, and rectitude. Its function can be compared to the Hexagram of Heaven, reaching the peak of flourishing. However, human nature tends to become extravagant and indulgent when things reach their peak. Excess and indulgence eventually lead to decline and ruin, hence the Hexagram Statement warns, 'Until the eighth month there will be calamity.'"

臨卦，斗建丑而用事，殷之正月也。當文王之時，紂為無道，故於是卦為殷家著興衰之戒，以見周改殷正之數雲臨。自周二月用事，訖其七月，至八月而遯卦受之，此終而復始，王命然矣。

The hexagram "Qin" (Governing) is used when the handle of the Big Dipper points to the "Chou" position, which corresponds to the first month of the Yinshang calendar. During the time of King Wen of Zhou, King Zhou was tyrannical, so King Wen used this hexagram to indicate the rise and fall of the Yin dynasty, demonstrating the timing of the Zhou dynasty's replacement of the Yin dynasty. Therefore, it is called "Qin." This hexagram begins to take effect from the second month of the Zhou calendar and continues until the seventh month, and in the eighth month, it is succeeded by the hexagram "Dun" (Retreating) — this represents the cycle of completion and renewal, as the transfer of heavenly mandate is naturally cyclical. Zheng Xuan combined the concept of the hexagram qi, the calendar, and the historical events of the Yin-Zhou revolution, thus making "eight months bring calamity" a specific reference.

坤為地，為眾。巽為木，為風。九五，天子之爻，互體有艮。艮為鬼門，又為宮闕。地上有木，而為鬼門宮闕者，天子宗廟之象也。

The hexagram is composed of the lower trigram Kūn (Earth) and the upper trigram Xūn (Wind). Kūn represents earth and the multitude, while Xūn represents wood and wind. The fifth line, known as "Nine in the Fifth," is the line of the Son of Heaven. Within the hexagram, the lines from three to five form the trigram Gèn (Mountain), which is referred to as the "mutual body." The mutual body is formed by taking two to four lines and three to five lines respectively from the primary hexagram to form another hexagram. Gèn signifies the gate of ghosts and the palace. Trees grow on the earth, and this place also has the gate of ghosts and the palace, which is the symbolic representation of the Son of Heaven's ancestral temple.

觀盥而不薦，諸侯貢士於天子，鄉大夫貢士於其君，必以禮賓之。唯主人盥而獻賓，賓盥而酢，主人設薦俎，則弟子也。初六，童觀。童，稚也。

The Hexagram Statement says, "Observing the washing and offering but not the presentation": When princes present scholars to the Son of Heaven, and local magistrates present scholars to their own sovereigns, they must certainly receive them with the ceremony of guests. During the ritual, only the host washes his hands and offers wine to the guest, and the guest washes his hands and returns the offering to the host; these two actions are performed personally. As for setting out the sacrificial delicacies and arranging the sacrificial vessels, these are done by the disciples. Therefore, "washing" is a significant act performed personally by the superior, while "presentation" does not need to be done personally. Those observing the ritual should pay attention to the former. The Line Statement of the first line, "Observing as a child," refers to "child" meaning immature.

敕法。敕，猶理也。九四，噬乾胏。胏，簀也。上九，離為槁木，坎為耳，木在耳上，何校滅耳之象也。聰不明也，目不明，耳不聰。

The Image Commentary of the hexagram "Shi He" says, "Ming Fa Chi Fa" meaning "Clarify punishment and enforce law," where "Chi" is equivalent to "Li," meaning to regulate and manage. The fourth line statement says, "Shi Qian Zhi": "Zhi" refers to the dry meat connected to the bone, and Zheng Xuan explains it as "Ze." The top line statement says, "He Xiao Mo Er": The upper trigram Li represents withered wood, and the lower trigram Kan represents the ear. The wood is placed over the ear, symbolizing the image of bearing a wooden枷 and covering the ear. The Image Commentary says, "Cong Ming Bu Ming," meaning the eyes cannot see clearly and the ears cannot hear distinctly.

賁，變也，文飾之貌。賁，文飾也。離為日，日，天文也。艮為石，石，地文也。天文在下，地文在上，天地之文交相飾成賁者也。猶人君以剛柔仁義之道，飾成其徳也。剛柔雜，仁義合，然後嘉會禮通，故亨也。

"Ben" signifies transformation and represents the appearance of ornamentation; "Ben" is also ornamentation. This hexagram has the trigram Li (Fire) below and Gen (Mountain) above: Li represents the sun, which belongs to the celestial brilliance; Gen represents the stone, which belongs to the terrestrial brilliance. Celestial brilliance is below, terrestrial brilliance is above, and the two kinds of brilliance from heaven and earth intermingle and embellish each other, thus forming "Ben." This is like a ruler using the principles of firmness and flexibility, benevolence and righteousness to cultivate and perfect his virtue. Firmness and flexibility blend together, benevolence and righteousness combine, and then the harmonious meeting of beauty and propriety can be practiced, hence the hexagram statement says "smooth."

卦互體坎艮，艮止於上，坎險於下，夾震在中，故不利大行，小有所之則可矣。折獄。折，斷也。初九，舎輿而徒。

Considering the mutual relations of the lines, the second to fourth lines form the trigram Kan (Water), and the third to fifth lines form the trigram Gen (Mountain). Gen is above, blocking the way, while Kan is below, indicating danger and difficulty. In between is Zhen (Thunder). There is obstruction above and danger below, so it is not favorable for great endeavors. However, for minor movements, it is still acceptable—this is why the Hexagram Statement says "favorable for a minor journey." The "fold" in the Image Commentary "no one dares to decide cases" refers to judgment. The line statement for the first line, "abandoning the carriage and walking on foot," means giving up the carriage and walking on foot.

六四，賁如燔如。六四，巽爻也，有應於初九，欲自飾以適初，既進退未定，故燔如也。白馬翰如，謂九三位在辰，得巽氣為白馬。翰，猶乾也。見六四適初未定，欲乾而有之。翰，白也。

The line statement for the fourth line in the common version reads "Beren pu ru," while Zheng Xuan's version reads "Fan ru." The fourth line is the Xun line, which corresponds with the first line's Nine. It wants to refine itself and approach the first line, but has not yet decided to move forward or backward, hence it is said "Fan ru." "Bai ma han ru": Zheng Xuan explains it using the concept of爻辰— the爻辰 of the third line is "Chen," which is in the position of Xun, and Xun's color is white, hence "white horse." "Han" is equivalent to "Gan," meaning to seek or strive for: the third line's Nine sees the fourth line's Six wanting to approach the first line but not yet decided, so it wants to strive for and possess her. "Han" is also interpreted as white.

陰氣侵陽，上至於五，萬物零落，故謂之剝也。五陰一陽，小人極盛，君子不可有所之，故不利有攸往也。

Yin energy invades Yang energy, rising all the way to the fifth line, causing all things to wither and decay, hence the name of the hexagram is "Splitting Apart." The entire hexagram has five Yin lines and only one Yang line, indicating that the power of the petty person has reached its peak, and the gentleman should not take any action, hence the hexagram statement says "It is not advantageous to go on a journey." Zheng Xuan here refers to the concept of the twelve hexagrams governing the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang. The hexagram "Splitting Apart" corresponds to the ninth month of the lunar calendar, which is precisely the time when all things wither away.

六二，剝床以辨。足上稱辨，謂近膝之下，屈則相近，申則相逺，故謂之辨。辨，分也。蔑，輕慢。六四，切近災也。切，急也。小人剝廬，小人傲很，當剝徹廬舎而去。

The Line Statement for the Second Line, "Six Two," says, "Peeling the bed at the 'bian'": the part above the foot is called "bian," referring to the area near the lower part of the knee. When bent, the upper and lower parts come close together; when straightened, they move apart, hence the term "bian," meaning separation. The word "mie" in "mie zhen xiong" means to look down upon or treat with contempt. The Image Commentary for the Fourth Line, "Six Four," says, "It is urgent and close to disaster": "que" means urgent. The Line Statement for the Top Nine, "Xiao Ren Pei Lu," says, "The petty person is arrogant and fierce, and should have their dwelling destroyed and them depart."

復，反也，還也。陰氣侵陽，陽失其位，至此始還，反起於初，故謂之復。陽，君象。君失國而還反，道徳更興也。

"Fu" means return and restoration. When yin energy invades and suppresses yang energy, yang loses its position. At this hexagram, yang begins to return and re-emerges from the first line, hence the name "Fu." Yang represents the ruler. When the sovereign loses the state and returns, virtue is renewed. According to the theory of the waxing and waning hexagrams, "Fu" corresponds to the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, when one yang line returns to the lower position.

商旅不行。資貨而行曰商，旅客也。初九，無祗悔。祗，病也。六三，卑復。六五，中以自考。考，成也。上六，有災眚。異自內生曰眚，自外曰祥，害物曰災。

The Image Commentary says, "Commerce does not proceed": Commerce refers to those who trade goods and travel, and "traveler" refers to a traveler. The Line Statement of the initial line "There is no great regret": "Zhi" means illness. The Line Statement of the third line in the common version reads "frequent repetition," while Zheng's version reads "low repetition." The Image Commentary of the fifth line "centered to examine oneself": "Kao" means accomplishment. The Line Statement of the top line "there is disaster and strange occurrences": Strange occurrences that arise internally are called "Sheng," those that come from outside are called "Xiang," and things that harm all things are called "Zai." These three have different origins, and Zheng Xuan distinguishes them carefully, and they should not be confused.

妄，猶望，謂無所希望也。佑，助也。六二，不菑畬。一歲曰菑，二歲曰新田，三歲曰畬。

In the hexagram "Wu Wang," the character "wang" is equivalent to "wang" meaning hope. It signifies having no expectations or aspirations. The "Commentary on the Judgment" states that "Heaven's mandate does not assist," where "zhu" means to help. The line statement for the second line, "bu zi yu," refers to the first year of newly cultivated land called "zi," the second year called "xin tian," and the third year called "yu." Not engaging in the labor of cultivating the "zi" land but expecting ready-made "yu" land is precisely the opposite of "having no hopes," representing greedy desire.

日新絶句，其徳連下句。良馬逐。逐，兩馬走也。日閒輿衛，日習車徒。自九三至上九，有頥象，居外，是不家食而養賢。

The Commentary on the Judgment says, "Strong and firm, steadfast and radiant, the sun renews its virtue." Zheng Xuan divided the sentence, taking "day new" as a complete sentence and "its virtue" as continuing into the next. The line statement for the third line, "A good horse is chasing," refers to two horses running side by side. "Daily practice of chariot and infantry" means daily training in military maneuvers. From the third line to the top line, when these lines are considered together, they form the image of the Hexagram of Nourishment. The virtuous person is located outside the hexagram, which corresponds to the hexagram statement "Not eating at home is auspicious," meaning the virtuous person is not self-sustaining but is supported by the state.

六四，童牛之梏，元吉。巽為木，互體震，震為牛之足，足在艮體之中。艮為手持木以就足，是施梏。鄭志泠剛問：蒙初六注云，木在足曰桎，在手曰梏。今大畜六四施桎於足，不審桎梏手足定有別否。答曰：牛無手，故以足言之。

The line statement of the fourth line, "A calf is bound with a wooden restraint, originally auspicious," is explained as follows: The trigram Xun (Wind) represents wood. In this hexagram, the second to fourth lines form the trigram Zhen (Thunder), which represents the foot of a cow. The foot is within the trigram Gen (Mountain), which represents the hand. The hand holds a piece of wood and places it on the foot, which is the act of applying a restraint. In the "Zheng Zhì," there is a recorded dialogue: A disciple named Ling Gang asked — the commentary on the first line of the "Meng" hexagram says, "Wood on the foot is called a foot restraint, and wood on the hand is called a hand restraint." Now, in the fourth line of the "Da Xu" hexagram, the restraint is clearly applied to the foot. So, is the distinction between foot restraint and hand restraint always fixed as such? Zheng Xuan answered: A cow has no hands, so it can only be discussed in terms of the foot.

六五，豶豕之牙。牙讀為互。上九，艮為手，手上肩也。乾為首，首肩之間，荷物處。乾為天，艮為徑路，天衢象也。

The line statement for the fifth line, "Yan Shi Zhi Ya" (The Teeth of a Castrated Pig), explains that "Ya" is read as "Hu," referring to the crossbar of a wooden enclosure used to tether pigs, not teeth. The line statement for the top line, "He Tian Zhi Qu" (What Heavenly Path?), explains that Gen represents the hand, and the area above the hand is the shoulder; Qian represents the head, and the area between the head and the shoulder is where one carries objects, so the text uses the character "He" (to carry). Qian represents Heaven, and Gen represents a small path; together they form the imagery of "Tian Qu" (Heavenly Path).

朶動也。頥者，口車輔之名也。震動於下，艮止於上，口車動而上，因輔嚼物以養人，故謂之頥。頥，養也。能行養則其幹事，故吉矣。

The first line of the Hexagram "Yi" (Nourishing) is "Du Yi," where "Du" is a verb meaning to open. "Yi" refers to the structure formed by the mouth and the jawbone. This hexagram has Zhen (Thunder) below and Gen (Mountain) above. Zhen represents movement at the bottom, while Gen represents stillness at the top. The mouth opens upward, using the jawbone to chew food and nourish people, hence the name "Yi," which means nourishing. Nourishing is the essence of this hexagram. Being able to nourish others is sufficient to undertake responsibilities, thus it is auspicious.

二五離爻，皆得中，離為目，觀象也。觀頥，觀其養賢與不肖也。頥中有物者，口實。自二至五，有二坤，坤載養物，而人所食之物皆存焉。觀其求可食之物，則貪亷之情可別也。

Six two and six five are both lines of Li, and both occupy the central position. Li represents the eye, so there is an image of observation. The phrase "gazing at the nourishment" refers to looking at what he is nurturing, whether it is a virtuous person or an unworthy one. "Nourishment within the mouth" refers to the food actually in the mouth. From line two to line five, there are two lines of Kun contained within, which can carry and nourish all things. What a person eats is contained within Kun. By observing what he seeks to take, one can discern whether his nature is greedy or upright.

九二，枯楊生荑。枯音姑，謂無姑，山榆；荑，木更生，音夷，謂山榆之實。以丈夫年過娶二十之女，老婦年過嫁於三十之男，皆得其子。

The Line Statement of the Second Line, "Nine in the Second," says: "Withered elm sprouts new shoots." The character "枯" is pronounced like "gū," meaning "without gū," referring to the mountain elm tree. "荑" refers to the tree regenerating and sprouting new growth, pronounced like "yí," here indicating the fruit of the mountain elm. Zheng Xuan interprets this to mean marriage: a man past his marriageable age who marries a woman of twenty, or an old woman past her marriageable age who marries a man of thirty, can still have children—just as a withered mountain elm can still bear fruit again.

六三，檢且枕。木在手曰檢，木在首曰枕。六四，尊酒，簋貳，用缶，納約自牖。六四上承九五，又互體在震，上爻辰在丑，丑上值斗，可以斟之象。斗上有建星，建星之形似簋。貳，副也。建星上有弁星，弁星之形又如缶。

The third line statement in the commonly transmitted version reads "danger and pillow," while Zheng Xuan's version reads "check and pillow." A wooden punishment tool applied to the hand is called "check," and one applied to the head is called "pillow." The fourth line statement says, "Respectful wine, two bowls, using a jar, accepting agreements through the window." The fourth line is above the fifth line, and its interacting structure is in the center of Zhen. The yao chen of this line is "Chou," which is directly opposite the Dipper mansion in the twenty-eight constellations. The Dipper resembles a ladle, which is a symbolic image for pouring wine. Above the Dipper is Jian star, which resembles a "gu" used for holding millet and grains. "Er" means a secondary or complementary item. Above Jian star is Bian star, which resembles a "fou," a type of jar. Zheng Xuan matched the wine and food vessels in the line statement with celestial phenomena, relying entirely on the concept of yao chen.

天子大臣以王命出□諸侯，主國尊於簋副，設元酒而用缶也。九五，祗既平。祗當為坻，小邱也。上六，繋，拘也。爻辰在己，巳為虵，虵之蟠屈似徽纆也。

The royal envoy of the Son of Heaven carried out a mission on the king's orders to the territory of a feudal lord. The host country, which had been invited, set up a secondary vessel in addition to the gui, and placed "yuanjiu" (plain water) in it, using a clay jar to hold it — this is exactly the ritual described in the line statement "Respectfully offering wine, gui, and a secondary vessel in a jar." The line statement of the ninth line in the fifth position, "Zhi ji ping," should be read as "Chi ji ping," where "Chi" refers to a small hill in the water. The line statement of the sixth line at the top, "Xi yong hui mo," refers to being bound. The yao chen (trigram position) of this line is "Si," which corresponds to the snake. The coiled and entangled appearance of the snake is exactly like the rope "hui mo."

三五互體，艮又與震同體，艮為門闕，於木為多節，震之所為，有叢拘之類。門闕之內有叢木、多節之木，是天子外朝左右九棘之象也。外朝者，所以詢事之處也。左嘉石平罷民焉，右肺石達窮民焉。罷民，邪惡之民也。

Now looking at the mutual trigrams: the lines from three to five form the trigram Gen, which is also the same as Zhen. Gen represents a gate or threshold; in the context of plants, it signifies a tree with many knots. Zhen produces things such as clusters of plants that are confined or restricted. A gate or threshold with clusters of trees and trees with many knots is exactly the symbolic representation of the nine thorny trees planted on each side of the outer court of the Son of Heaven. The outer court is the place where the sovereign consults on state affairs. On the left side, there is a 'Jia Shi' used to correct the wicked; on the right side, there is a 'Fei Shi' used to allow the oppressed to voice their grievances. 'Bamin' refers to the wicked and evil people.

上六乘陽，有邪惡之罪，故縛約徽墨，置于叢棘，而後公卿以下議之。其害人者置之圜土，而施職事焉，以明刑恥之。能復者，上罪三年而赦，中罪二年而赦，下罪一年而赦。不得者，不自思以得正道，終不自改而出圜土者殺，故凶。

The Sixth at the Top uses a yin line to overstep a yang line, carrying the guilt of wrongdoing, thus being bound with ropes and placed among brambles. Then officials from the marquises down jointly deliberate his crime. Those who harm others are imprisoned in the 'round earth' which is the prison, assigned labor, and subjected to clear punishments to make them ashamed. Those who repent and return to the righteous path: serious crimes are imprisoned for three years and then pardoned, medium crimes for two years, and minor crimes for one year. Those who do not repent, refusing to reflect and seek the right path, and persistently escaping from the prison, are all executed. Therefore, the line statement says 'misfortune.' The entire passage, Zheng Xuan fully implements the meaning of the line by referring to the old regulations of the 'Morning Officials' and 'Prison Officer' in the 'Rites of Zhou: Autumn Officials.'

明兩作離。作，起也。九三，不擊缶而歌。艮爻也，位在丑，丑上值弁星，弁星似缶。詩云：坎其擊缶。則樂器亦有缶。麗王公也。

The Image Commentary of the Hexagram Li says, "Light appears in dual form," meaning "to appear" refers to arising, indicating that the sun rises in two successive phases to form the bright illumination of Li. The third line of the hexagram says, "Not drumming on a jar and singing." The third line is the Gèn line, whose stem-branch is "Chǒu," and above Chǒu is the star Biān, which resembles a jar. The Book of Songs, Chen Wind, Wanqiu says, "Kan, striking the jar," showing that the jar is also a musical instrument. Therefore, the line statement uses it together with "singing." The Commentary on the Judgment says, "Attached to the king and duke," meaning the sun and moon are attached to heaven, just as subjects are attached to the king and duke.

九四，突如其來如。震為長子，爻失正，又互體兌，兌為附決。子居明法之家而無正，何以自繼其君父之志也。突如，震之失正，不知其所如。又為巽，巽為進退，不知所従，不孝之罪，五刑莫大焉。得用議貴之辟刑之，莫如所犯之罪。焚如，殺其親之刑。死如，殺人之刑也。棄如，流宥之刑。

The line statement for the fourth line, "Suddenly coming like this," says: The trigram Zhen represents the eldest son, but this line is in an improper position, and the interacting trigrams form Dui, which signifies attachment and decisiveness. A son in a family that values righteousness but himself not upright, by what right can he inherit the father's aspirations? The term "suddenly coming" precisely reflects the disorder of Zhen, not knowing where to go. The interacting trigrams also include Xun, which signifies movement and hesitation, leading to indecision and lack of direction. The crime of filial impiety is the gravest among the five punishments. Although one might invoke the principle of "discussing the noble" to reduce the punishment, it still cannot outweigh the crime committed. "Furnace-like" refers to the fire punishment for killing one's parents; "death-like" refers to the death penalty for murder; "abandonment-like" refers to exile or leniency. Zheng Xuan interpreted all three phrases as names of punishments, which is quite different from the interpretation focusing on the rise and decline of phenomena.

咸，感也。艮為山，兌為澤。山氣下，澤氣上，二氣通而相應，以生萬物，故曰咸也。其於人也，嘉會禮通，和順於義，幹事能正，三十之男有此三徳，以下二十之女，正而相親，說娶之則吉也。

"The hexagram 'Xian' signifies response. This hexagram has Gen below and Dui above: Gen represents mountain, Dui represents marsh. The mountain's energy descends, and the marsh's energy ascends, the two energies meet and correspond with each other, thus generating all things. Therefore, the hexagram is named 'Xian'. Applied to human relationships: a meeting of beauty and propriety, with rites and norms in place, harmonious and in accordance with righteousness, and conduct that remains upright. A man of thirty years old who possesses these three virtues may approach a woman of twenty, and if they are united in righteousness, they will marry happily, which is auspicious."

初六，拇，足大指也。六二，腓，膊腸也。九五，脢，背脊肉也。上六，媵，口說也。媵，送也。咸道極薄，徒送口舌，言語相感而已，不復有志於其間。

The Line Statement for the first line, "初六" (Six at the Beginning), says "咸其拇" (the toe is affected). "拇" refers to the big toe. The Line Statement for the second line, "六二" (Six in the Second), says "咸其腓" (the calf is affected). "腓" refers to the calf muscle. The Line Statement for the fifth line, "九五" (Nine in the Fifth), says "咸其脢" (the back is affected). "脢" refers to the flesh on the back. The Line Statement for the sixth line, "上六" (Six at the Top), says "咸其辅颊舌" (the cheek and tongue are affected). The Zheng Xuan version reads "媵" (to convey), which means verbal expression, originally meaning to transmit. The principle of mutualsympathetic response (response or influence) has reached its most superficial level, leaving only verbal communication to express mutual influence, with no genuine sincerity between people. Zheng Xuan traces the six lines from the toes upward through the body, matching each line to a part of the human body from bottom to top.

恆，久也。巽為風，震為雷，雷風相須而養物，猶長女承長男，夫婦同心而成家，久長之道也。夫婦以嘉會禮通，故無咎，其能和順幹事，所行而善矣。

"The Hexagram of Perseverance" signifies constancy. This hexagram has Xun below and Zhen above: Xun represents wind, Zhen represents thunder. Thunder and wind depend on each other and nurture all things, just as the eldest daughter serves the eldest son, and husband and wife work together to form a family, which is the way of constancy. Husband and wife meet in a beautiful union, and propriety is practiced, so there is no fault. They are harmonious and capable of action, so whatever they do is good.

初六，浚恆。九三，或承之羞。巽為進退，不恆其徳之象。又互體兌，兌為毀折，後將有羞辱也。上六，振恆。振，搖落也。

The Line Statement for the first line, "JUN HENG," signifies seeking lasting constancy from the very beginning. The Line Statement for the third line, "HU CHENG ZHI XIU," indicates instability in movement, reflecting the nature of "BUT HENG ITS DE," as the trigram Xun represents indecisiveness; this hexagram also forms the trigram Dui in its interacting trigrams, and Dui signifies destruction, hence leading to disgrace later. The Line Statement for the top line, "ZHEN HENG," means shaking and shedding off, indicating that the path of constancy is shaken and dispersed.

遯，逃去之名也。艮為門闕，乾有健徳，互體有巽，巽為進退。君子出門，行有進退，逃去之象。

"遁" is the name of the hexagram representing retreat and withdrawal. This hexagram has the lower trigram Gèn (Mountain) and the upper trigram Qián (Heaven): Gèn represents a gate or threshold, and Qián embodies the virtue of firmness and strength. The lines two through four form the trigram Xùn (Wind), which governs movement and retreat. The gentleman steps out from the gate, and in his actions there is both advancement and retreat, which is precisely the symbolic representation of retreat and withdrawal. According to the theory of the changing hexagrams, "遁" corresponds to the sixth month of the lunar calendar, when two yin lines are gradually increasing.

二五得位而有應，是用正道得禮見召聘，始仕他國，當尚謙。謙，小其和順之道，居小官，乾小事，其進以漸，則逺妬忌之害。昔陳敬仲奔齊辭卿是也。九三，憊，困也。九四，否，塞也，備鄙反。

Nine Two and Nine Five each hold their proper positions and correspond with each other, indicating that they are following the right path, serving through proper and courteous appointments. When first entering service in another country, one should value humility and retreat. Humility means lowering oneself, taking a low position, handling minor matters, and gradually advancing, thus avoiding the harm caused by others' jealousy. In the past, Chen Jingzhong fled to the state of Qi, and Duke Huan of Qi wanted to appoint him as a minister, but he declined, which exemplifies this principle. The "exhausted" in the Image Commentary for Nine Three indicates hardship. The "否" in Nine Four means blockage, with the reverse phonetic annotation "bei bi fan."

壯，氣力浸強之名。九三，累其角。六五，喪羊于易，音亦，謂佼易也。上六，不祥也。祥，善也。

"Zhuang" refers to the name of increasing strength. According to the message hexagrams, it corresponds to the second month of the lunar calendar, when four yang lines advance upward. The line statement of nine in the third line says, "A ram collides against a fence, its horns entangled," with the Zheng version reading "its horns burdened." This describes the ram's horns being caught in the fence. The line statement of six in the fifth line says, "Losing a sheep in ease," where "easy" is read as "yi," meaning carelessness and simplicity. It indicates that the sheep was lost due to negligence. The image commentary of the top six line says, "It is not auspicious," where "auspicious" refers to good fortune, indicating an inability to attain a favorable ending.

康侯。康，尊也，廣也。晝日三接，音捷。接，勝也。蕃庶，蕃，發袁反；庶，止奢反，謂蕃遮禽也。明出地上，晉。地雖生萬物，日出於上，其功乃著，故君子法之，而以明自照其徳。

The Hexagram Statement says, "The well-established prince receives a gift of many horses, and wins three times in one day." "Kang" means honor and vastness, so "Kang Hou" refers to a prince who holds a high position and possesses a wide territory. The term "san jie" (three times) is pronounced like "jie," meaning victory, indicating that he achieved victory three times in one day. The words "fan shu" are explained by Zheng Xuan as "fan zhe qin shou," meaning enclosures for hunting animals. The Image Commentary says, "The sun rises above the earth, symbolizing progress." Although the earth nurtures all things, the sun's function becomes evident only when it rises above the earth; thus, the gentleman should emulate this, using his own virtue of illumination to examine himself.

初六，摧如，讀如南山崔崔之崔。六二，愁如，愁，子小反，變色貌。九四，鼫鼠。詩云：碩鼠碩鼠，無食我黍。謂大鼠也。六五，矢得勿恤。

The Line Statement of the first line, "Initial Six" (初六), says "晋如摧如": "摧" is pronounced like "崔" in "南山崔崔" from the Book of Songs, meaning high and steep, not indicating collapse. The Line Statement of the second line, "Six in the Second" (六二), says "晋如愁如": "愁" is pronounced with the reverse-slicing method as "子小反," referring to a change in facial expression. The Line Statement of the fourth line, "Nine in the Fourth" (九四), says "晋如鼫鼠": The Book of Songs, Wei Wind, mentions "硕鼠硕鼠, 无食我黍," indicating that "鼫鼠" refers to a large rat. The Line Statement of the fifth line, "Six in the Fifth" (六五), is commonly written as "失得勿恤" in the standard version, but in the Zheng version it is written as "矢得勿恤."

夷，傷也。日出地上，其明乃光，至其入也，明則傷矣，故謂之明夷。日之明傷，猶聖人君子有明徳而遭亂世，抑在下位，則宜自艱無干事政，以避小人之害也。文王似之，箕子似之。拯，承也。

"Yi" means injury. The sun appears above the earth, its light illuminating all directions; but when the sun sets in the west, its light is injured, hence the name of the hexagram is "Ming Yi" (Light Injury). When the light is injured, it is like a sage or gentleman possessing bright virtue but encountering a chaotic world, being suppressed in a lower position. In such a case, one should remain steadfast and virtuous, avoiding involvement in politics in order to escape the persecution of petty men. King Wen of the Zhou dynasty was exactly such a person, as was Ji Zi. The "zhi" in the "Commentary on the Judgment" "Yong zhang ma zhuang" means to follow.

六二，明夷，睇於左股。旁視為睇。六二辰在酉，酉是西方，又下體離，離為目。九三體在震，震東方；九三又在辰，辰得巽氣為股。此謂六二有明徳，欲承九三，故云睇於左股。

In the common version, the line statement for the second line says, "The bright one is darkened, darkened on the left thigh," while Zheng Xuan's version reads, "Looking sideways at the left thigh." Looking sideways is called "dī." Zheng Xuan explains the line statement by matching the yao chen with the trigram image. The second line is a yin line in the second position, and the yao chen is in "you," which belongs to the west; the lower trigram is li, which represents the eye, so there is an image of looking sideways. The yao body of the third line is in zhen, which belongs to the east; the third line is a yang line in the third position, and the yao chen is in "chen," which receives the qi of xun, and xun represents the thigh. This means that the second line possesses bright virtue and wishes to serve the third line, so the text says, "Looking sideways at the left thigh."

初九，閒，習也。九三，嗃嗃，苦熱之意。嘻嘻，驕佚喜笑之意。九五，假，登也。六二，中饋，酒食也。

Initial Nine Line Statement: "Xian you jia" means "to prepare for the family." "Xian" refers to practice, meaning to prepare in advance and establish family rules beforehand. Nine in the Third Line: "Jia ren he he" means "the family is harsh and hot," describing overly strict and harsh family management; the same line "Fu zi xi xi" has "xi xi" meaning laughter without restraint, indicating indulgence and carefree behavior. Nine in the Fifth Line: "Wang jia you jia" means "the king comes to the family." "Jia" means to ascend, referring to the king's arrival. Six in the Second Line: "Zai zhong kuì" means "to manage the household provisions," referring to the preparation of food and drink within the family.

睽，乖也。火欲上，澤欲下，猶人同居而志異也，故謂之睽。二五相應，君陰臣陽，君而應臣，故小事吉。睽音圭。六三，其牛挈。牛角皆踴曰挈。

The hexagram "Kui" means to be estranged or to go against each other. This hexagram has the trigram Dui (Lake) below and Li (Fire) above: fire tends to rise upward, while the lake tends to flow downward. It is like people living in the same place but having different aspirations, hence the name "Kui." The line six two and six five correspond to each other, but according to their positions, the yin line is in the position of the ruler and the yang line is in the position of the subject. The ruler is responding to the subject, so the hexagram statement only says "small matters are auspicious." The pronunciation of "Kui" is the same as "Gui." The line statement for the third line says "its ox is stuck," and in the Zheng version it is written as "its ox is lifted." When both ox horns are raised upward, it is called "qie."

往得中也。中，和也。初六，宜，待時也。六四，往蹇來連。連如字，遲久之意。

The Commentary on the Judgment says, "Going and attaining the middle way": here, "middle" refers to harmony, meaning that going forward and attaining the way of harmony. The Image Commentary of the First Line says, "It is appropriate to wait," which Zheng Xuan explains as meaning one should wait for the right time and not act rashly. The Line Statement of the Fourth Line says, "Going is difficult, coming is delayed": "delayed" is read according to the original character, meaning slow and prolonged, indicating that going is difficult and returning is also obstructed and delayed.

百果草木皆甲宅。木實曰果。皆讀如人倦之解，解謂坼。呼呼，火亞反。皮曰甲，根曰宅。宅，居也。

The Image Commentary says, "All fruits and plants are in the state of 'jia zhai'": the fruit of trees is called "guo." "Jie" (i.e., "jia") is read like the "jie" in "ren juan zhi jie," meaning to split open; "jie" refers to the splitting of the seed coat and the sprouting of the plant. The next line, "huhu, huoya fan," has already been corrupted in the original text, so it can only be transcribed as is, without conjecture. The hard outer shell is called "jia," and the root below is called "zai"; "zai" means dwelling, referring to the place where the root resides.

艮為山，兌為澤，互體坤，坤為地。山在地上，澤在地下，澤以自損，増山之髙也。猶諸侯損其國之富，以貢獻於天子，故謂之損矣。

The hexagram is composed of the lower trigram Dui (Lake) and the upper trigram Gen (Mountain). Gen represents mountain, and Dui represents lake. The second to fourth lines form an interacting trigram of Kun (Earth). Kun represents earth. The mountain is above the earth, and the lake is below the earth. The lake diminishes itself, thereby raising the height of the mountain. This is like a feudal lord reducing his own wealth to present it as tribute to the Son of Heaven. Therefore, the hexagram is named 'Loss'.

二簋可用享。四以簋進黍稷於神也。初與二直其四與五承上，故用二簋。四，巽爻也，巽為木。五，離爻也，離為日。日體圜，木器而圜，簋象也。

The Hexagram Statement says, "Two ritual bowls may be used for sacrifice." This refers to using two bowls to hold millet and rice for offerings to the spirits. The first line and the second line are opposite the fourth line, and the fourth and fifth lines are above the position of honor, hence only two bowls are used. In terms of the lines: the sixth line in the fourth position is the line of Xun, which represents wood; the sixth line in the fifth position is the line of Li, which represents the sun, and the sun is round. Using wooden materials to make round vessels corresponds to the image of the "bowls." Zheng Xuan deduces both the material and shape of the ritual vessels from the hexagram imagery.

六五，十朋之龜。案爾雅云，十朋之龜者：一曰神龜，二曰靈龜，三曰攝龜，四曰寶龜，五曰文龜，六曰筮龜，七曰山龜，八曰澤龜，九曰水龜，十曰火龜。懲忿懫欲。徵，猶清也。懫，止也。

The Line Statement of the Fifth Line (Six in the Fifth) says, "Ten kinds of turtles." According to the Shuowen, the ten kinds of turtles are: one called the divine turtle, two the spiritual turtle, three the controlling turtle, four the precious turtle, five the literary turtle, six the divining turtle, seven the mountain turtle, eight the marsh turtle, nine the water turtle, and ten the fire turtle. This shows that "ten kinds" does not refer to ten strings of shells, but rather to ten categories of turtles. The Image Commentary in the standard version reads "eliminate anger and suppress desire," while the Zheng version reads "clear anger and stop desire." "Clear" is equivalent to "eliminate," and "stop" means to cease.

陰陽之義，陽稱為君，陰為臣。今震一陽二陰，臣多於君矣。而四體巽之不應初，是天子損其所有以下諸侯也。人君之道以益下為徳，故謂之益也。

In terms of the distinction between yin and yang, yang is called the sovereign, and yin is called the minister. Now, the lower trigram Zhen consists of one yang line and two yin lines, meaning that the ministers outnumber the sovereign. Moreover, the fourth line of the upper trigram Xun does not correspond with the first line of Zhen. This precisely indicates that the sovereign reduces his own resources and gives them to the ministers. The principle of ruling as a sovereign is to increase the resources of those below as a virtue. Therefore, the name of this hexagram is "Yi" — this forms a contrast with the hexagram "Sun," which represents reducing from below to benefit above.

震為雷，巽為風，雷動風行，二者相成。猶人君出教令，臣奉行之，故利有攸往，利涉大川矣。

Zhen represents thunder, Xun represents wind. When thunder moves, wind follows, and the two complement each other. This is like a ruler issuing orders and ministers carrying them out, with superior and inferior working together. Therefore, the Hexagram Statement says, "It is advantageous to go somewhere, and advantageous to cross a great river." The image of thunder and wind interacting symbolizes the smooth passage of commands.

夬，決也。陽氣浸長至於五，五尊位也，而陰先之，是猶聖人積徳悅天下，以漸消去小人，至於受命為天子，故謂之夬。

"Guai" means decision and removal. Yang energy gradually increases, reaching the fifth line; five is the supreme position, yet a yin line still occupies the position before it. This is like a sage accumulating virtue and winning the hearts of the people, gradually eliminating small people, until he accepts the mandate of heaven and becomes the Son of Heaven. Therefore, the hexagram is named "Guai." According to the message hexagrams, "Guai" corresponds to the third month of the lunar calendar, when five yang lines decisively remove one yin line.

揚，越也。五互體乾，乾為君，又居尊位，王庭之象也。陰爻越其上，小人乗君子，罪惡上聞於聖人之朝，故曰夬，揚于王庭。九二，惕號，音號。莫夜，莫如字，無也。無夜，非一夜。九三，壯於頯。頯，夾面也。九五，莧陸，一名商陸。

The Hexagram Statement "Yang in the King's Court" refers to "Yang" as surpassing. The Fifth Line is located within the interacting trigrams of Qian, which represents Heaven and is associated with the ruler. It is in a position of honor and authority, symbolizing the King's Court. However, a Yin Line is above it, indicating a small person riding on the back of a superior, with wrongdoing reaching the court of the sage. Hence, it is said "Gua, Yang in the King's Court." The Line Statement for Nine in the Second "Alert cry, no night with military action" refers to "hao" as read according to its original pronunciation, and "mo ye" with "mo" read as its original character, meaning "wu," thus "wu ye" meaning not just one night, but a long night of vigilance. The Line Statement for Nine in the Third "Strong on the cheeks" refers to the cheeks on both sides. The Line Statement for Nine in the Fifth "Xian Lu Gua Gua" refers to "Xian Lu" also known as Shang Lu, a type of soft and brittle plant that is easily broken.

遘遇也。一陰承五陽，一女當五男，茍相遇耳，非禮之正，故謂之遘。女壯如是，壯健似滛，故不可娶。婦人以婉娩為其徳也。詰四方。詰，正也。九五，杞，桞也。

"Gu" means meeting. In this hexagram, one yin line is above five yang lines, which is like a woman meeting five men, which is merely a casual encounter rather than a proper marriage. Therefore, the hexagram is named "Gu." The hexagram statement says, "The woman is strong; do not take her as a wife." This is because she is too strong, almost licentious, so she should not be married. A woman should cultivate the virtue of being gentle and yielding. The "Jie" in the image commentary refers to rectifying. The line statement of nine in the fifth says, "With杞 wrapping a melon." "Qi" refers to the willow tree.

萃亨，無亨字。萃，聚也。坤為順，兌為悅，臣下以順道承事其君，悅徳居上待之，上下相應，有事而和通，故曰萃亨也。

The primary hexagram statement in the Zheng version reads "Cui亨" while another system's version omits the character "亨." "Cui" means gathering. This hexagram has the lower trigram坤 (Earth) and the upper trigram兑 (Lake):坤 represents順 (smoothness), and 兑 represents悦 (joy). Ministers use the way of gentle compliance to serve their sovereign, while the sovereign, possessing a joyful virtue, resides above to receive them. Thus, there is mutual correspondence between superior and inferior, and all matters can be harmonious and smooth, hence it is said "Cui亨."

假，至也。互有艮，巽為木，艮為闕，木在闕上，宮室之象也。四本震爻，震為長子。五本坎爻，坎為隱伏，居尊而隱伏，鬼神之象。長子入闕，升堂祭祖禰之禮也，故曰王假有廟。

The term "jià" in the hexagram statement "Wang jià yǒu miào" means "to go to." This hexagram's interacting trigrams include Gen (Mountain) and Xun (Wind), with Xun representing wood and Gen representing a gate. Wood standing on top of a gate symbolizes a palace. The fourth line, originally a Zhen (Thunder) line, represents the eldest son; the fifth line, originally a Kan (Water) line, represents concealment. Being in a high position yet concealed symbolizes the ghostly and divine. The eldest son enters the palace, ascends the hall, and performs worship for his grandfather and father, which is the ritual of the ancestral temple. Therefore, the text says "Wang jià yǒu miào."

二本離爻也，離為目，居正應五，故利見大人矣。大牲，牛也，言大人有嘉□時，可幹事，必殺牛以盟，既盟則可以行，故曰利往。除戎器。除，去也。初六，一握。握當讀為夫三為屋之屋。六二，禴，夏祭名。上六，自目曰涕，自鼻曰洟。

The second line originally belongs to the line of fire, and since fire represents the eye, the line is in a proper position and corresponds with the nine in the fifth line. Therefore, it says 'it is advantageous to see a great man.' 'Using great sacrificial animals' refers to cattle; this means that when a great man is at a time of great beauty and auspiciousness, he can take action, and it is certain that he will sacrifice cattle to conclude an alliance. Once the alliance is concluded, action can be taken, so it says 'it is advantageous to go forward.' The 'remove weapons' in the Image Commentary refers to the act of removing and repairing. The line statement of the first line 'a handful is a smile' should be read as 'wu' as in 'three men make a house' in the Zhou Li, which is the unit of land for three men. The line statement of the second line 'faithfulness is advantageous for a simple sacrifice' refers to a sacrificial rite in summer. The line statement of the sixth line 'carrying sorrow and weeping' refers to tears flowing from the eyes being called 'tears' and those from the nose being called 'snivel.'

升，上也。坤地巽木，木生地中，日長而上，猶聖人在諸侯之中，明徳日益髙大也，故謂之升。升，進益之象。六四，王用亨于岐山。亨，獻也，許兩反。

"Sheng" means ascending. This hexagram has Wind below and Earth above: Earth represents the land, Wind represents wood, and trees growing in the land gradually grow taller upward, just as a sage, situated among the feudal lords, cultivates his virtue day by day, making it increasingly prominent. Therefore, the hexagram is named "Sheng" — "Sheng" precisely symbolizes gradual progress. The line statement of the fourth line, "The king offers sacrifices at Qishan," refers to "Heng" as offering, with the reverse-sounding pronunciation "Xu Liang Fan," read as "Xiang."

坎為月，互體離，離為日，兌為闇昧，日所入也。今上掩日月之明，猶君子處亂世，為小人所不容，故謂之困也。君子雖困居險，能悅，是以通而無咎也。

The hexagram "Goon" consists of the lower trigram Kan (Water) and the upper trigram Dui (Lake). Kan represents the moon, and the lines two to four form the trigram Li (Fire), which represents the sun; Dui signifies darkness and obscurity, the place where the sun sets. Now the upper trigram obscures the brightness of the sun and moon, just like a gentleman who is in a chaotic world and is not accepted by petty men, hence the name of the hexagram is "Goon." Although a gentleman is confined in a dangerous situation, he can still remain cheerful and content, thus ultimately achieving success without error.

九二，困于酒食，朱韍方來，利用享祀。二據初，辰在未，未為土，此二為大夫，有地之象。未上值天廚，酒食象。困于酒食者，采地薄不足已用也。

The Line Statement of the Second Line says, "Confined by wine and food, the vermilion sash is about to come, and it is advantageous to offer sacrifices." Zheng Xuan explains using the concept of爻辰: The Second Line relies on the First Line, and the爻辰 of the First Line is "Wei." Wei belongs to the Earth element in the Five Phases, indicating that the Second Line represents a nobleman with a territory. Above Wei is the star "Tianchu," which symbolizes wine and food. The phrase "confined by wine and food" suggests that the territory is poor and insufficient even for the nobleman's own needs.

二與日為體，離為鎮霍。爻四為諸侯，有明徳，受命當王者。離為火，火色赤。四爻辰在午時，離氣赤，又朱是也。文王將王，天子制用朱韍。朱，深於赤。九五，劓刖，當為倪□。

Nine in the Second shares the same nature as the sun, and Li (Fire) represents the planet Jupiter and the mountain Heshan. Nine in the Fourth represents a feudal lord, who possesses virtue and is destined to become king by receiving the mandate of heaven. Li is Fire, and the color of fire is red; the yao (line) of Nine in the Fourth is associated with the hour 'Wu', when the energy of Li is intensely red. The text refers to 'Zhu' (red), which is deeper than 'Chi' (red). When King Wen of Zhou was about to become king, the color used for the ceremonial sash of the Son of Heaven was 'Zhu', which is darker than 'Chi'. The line statement of Nine in the Fifth mentions 'Ni Yue' (nose and foot amputations); Zheng Xuan explains it as 'Ni', but the original character is missing and can only be recorded as is.

井，法也。坎，水也。巽木，桔槔也。互體離兌，離外堅中虛，瓶也。兌為暗澤，泉口也。言桔槔引瓶，下入泉口，汲水而出井之象也。井以汲人，水無空竭，猶人君以政教養天下，惠澤無窮也。

"The well" represents regulation. This hexagram has the trigram Zhen (Wind) below and Kan (Water) above: Kan is water, Zhen is wood, symbolizing the lever used for drawing water. Within the hexagram, the interacting trigrams form Li (Fire) and Dui (Lake): Li is solid on the outside and hollow in the middle, like a clay jar; Dui is a hidden water pool, like a spring source. This describes using the lever to lift the jar, lowering it into the spring source, drawing water, and then lifting it up to the wellhead. The well provides water for people to draw without ever drying up, just as a ruler governs with laws and moral education, benefiting the people without end.

九二，井谷射鮒。九二，坎爻也，坎為水，上直巽。九三，艮爻也，艮為山，山下有井，必因谷水所生魚，無大魚但多鮒魚耳。夫感動天地，此魚之至大；射鮒井谷，此魚之至小，故以相況。甕，停水器也。井渫不食，謂已浚渫也，猶臣修正其身以事君也。

The line statement for the second line, "Well in the valley shooting small minnows," refers to the second line being the Kan line. Kan represents water, and above it is Xun. The third line is the Gen line, which represents mountain, with a well beneath the mountain. The mountain valley has water, and thus small fish are born from it; such water does not produce big fish, only small minnows. What can move heaven and earth is the largest fish; to shoot small minnows in the well is the smallest among fish—Zheng Xuan contrasts the large and the small, showing the smallness of the action of the second line. "Weng" is a vessel for holding water. "The well is cleaned but not used" means the well has been cleaned but no one comes to draw water, just as a minister who has corrected himself to serve the sovereign is not appointed.

革，改也。水火相息而更用事。猶王者受命，改正朔，易服色，故謂之革也。

"Revolution" refers to change. This hexagram has the trigram Li (Fire) below and Dui (Lake) above. Water and fire mutually destroy each other and take turns to be dominant. This is like a king receiving the mandate of heaven, changing the calendar and the beginning of the year, altering the colors of his chariots, clothing, and banners. Therefore, the hexagram is named "Revolution." Zheng Xuan directly associates the hexagram of Revolution with the institutional changes of replacing a dynasty, rather than discussing change in an abstract sense.

鼎象也。卦有木火之用，互體乾兌。乾為金，兌為澤，澤鍾金而含水，□以木火，鼎烹熟物之象。鼎烹熟以養人，猶聖君興仁義之道以教天下也，故謂之鼎矣。凝命，凝成也。

"The hexagram 'Ding' derives its name from the image of a vessel. This hexagram embodies the functions of wood and fire, and its interacting elements form the trigrams Qian (Heaven) and Dui (Lake). Qian represents metal, and Dui represents a marsh. Metal accumulates in water and contains water, (the original text here is missing one character and cannot be conjectured) plus wood and fire, which together form the image of a cooking pot used to prepare food. The cooking pot cooks food to nourish people, just as a wise ruler promotes the way of benevolence and righteousness to educate the world. Therefore, the hexagram is named 'Ding'. The 'Image Commentary' states 'neng ming', where 'neng' means accomplishment."

初六，鼎顛趾。顛，踣也。趾，足也。無事曰趾，設陳曰足。爻體巽為股。初爻在股之下，足象也。足所以承，正鼎也。

The Line Statement for the First Line, "Initial Six," says, "The tripod is overturned at the foot." "Overturned" means to fall backward, and "foot" refers to the lower part. When an object is unused and stored away, it is called "foot," but when it is set up and used, it is called "foot" as well. The trigram associated with this line is Xun (Wind), which represents the thigh. The First Line is located below the thigh, corresponding to the foot. The foot is used to support and stabilize the entire tripod.

初陰爻而柔與乾同體，以否正承乾。乾為君，以喻君。夫人事君，若失正禮，踣其為足之道，情無怨，則當以和，義出之然。如否者，嫁於天子，雖失禮，無出道，廢逺之而已。

Chu Liu is a yao of yin nature, soft in character and sharing the same body as Qian. It uses an improper position to serve Qian. Qian represents the sovereign, symbolizing the ruler. In human affairs, when subjects serve the sovereign, if they lose proper decorum, it is as if they have destroyed their own role as the tripod's foot. However, as long as there is no resentment in reason and sentiment, they should be dealt with through harmony and righteousness. In such an improper situation, if a woman has already married the Son of Heaven, even if she is disrespectful, there is no grounds for divorce; she can only be demoted and distanced.

若其無子，不廢逺之，后尊如故其犯。六出則廢之逺之，子廢。坤為順，又為子，母牛。在后妃之旁，側妾之例也。有順徳，子必賢，賢而立以為世子，又何咎也。

If she did not give birth to a son, she would not be dismissed or distanced, and her status as a consort would remain as before. Only if she violated six of the seven conditions for dismissal would she be dismissed, distanced, and even her sons would be discarded. The trigram坤 represents order, as well as sons and mother cows, and its position beside the queen consort symbolizes the status of concubines and secondary wives. Since she possesses the virtue of flexibility and obedience, the son she bears must be virtuous. If he is virtuous and appointed as the heir, what fault could there be? Zheng Xuan interpreted the first line, Six at the Beginning, directly as the ritual regulations concerning the appointment and dismissal of the queen consort and her concubines.

九二，我仇有疾。怨耦曰仇。九三，雉膏，食之美者。九四，鼎折足，覆公餗，其刑屋（釋文剭，周禮注云其刑剭，音屋）。糝，謂之餗。震為竹，竹萌曰筍，筍者，餗之為菜也。餗，美饌，具八珍之食。

Nine in the Second Line Statement says, "My enemy is ill": "Enemy" refers to a spouse with whom there is resentment. Nine in the Third Line Statement says, "Chicken fat": this refers to the finest type of food. Nine in the Fourth Line Statement is commonly transmitted as "The tripod breaks its foot, spills the food, and its form is stained," while the Zheng version says "Its punishment is like a roof." (The Classic Interpretation says "zhu," and the Zheng annotations in the Zhou Li say "its punishment is zhu," which is pronounced like "wu.") A meat soup made with rice flour is called "tu." Zhen represents bamboo, and the tender shoot of bamboo is called "sun," which is the vegetable used in "tu." "Tu" is a delicious dish that requires the completeness of the eight delicacies.

鼎三足，三公象。若三公傾覆王之美道，屋中刑之（一雲臣下曠官，失君之美道，當刑之於屋中）。餗，一作蔌。注，一蔌為八珍所用。六五，金鉉，喻明道能舉君之官職也。

The tripod has three legs, symbolizing the Three Grand Ministers. If the Three Grand Ministers overturn the virtuous ways of the sovereign, they should be executed within the hall (another interpretation says: if ministers occupy positions without performing duties, corrupting the sovereign's virtuous path, they should be executed within the hall). "Fei" is sometimes written as "Su"; the commentary also says that "Su" refers to vegetables used in the eight delicacies. The line statement of the fifth line, "Jin Xuan," metaphorically means that a person who understands the Way can promote the sovereign's official duties and affairs, just as the Xuan (a metal bar) connects the tripod's ears to lift the tripod.

震驚百里，不喪匕鬯。震為雷，雷動物之氣也。雷之發聲，猶人君出政教以動國中之人也，故謂之震。人君有善聲教，則嘉會之禮通矣。

The hexagram statement says, "The thunder shakes a hundred miles, and the ritual vessel is not lost." Zhen represents thunder, which is the vital energy that moves all things. Thunder produces sound, just as a ruler issues decrees and moral teachings to move the people of the state. Therefore, the hexagram is named Zhen. If a ruler possesses virtuous prestige and moral influence, then joyful gatherings and proper rites will flow smoothly without obstruction.

驚之言，警戒也。雷發聲聞於百里，古者諸侯之象。諸侯之出教令，能警戒其國疆之內，則守其宗廟社稷，為之祭主，不亡其匕與鬯也。

"The meaning of '惊' is alarm. The sound of thunder can travel a hundred miles, which is the symbolic reference for the ancient feudal lords' territorial boundaries. When a feudal lord issues commands, he can alert people within his territory, thus being able to protect his ancestral temple and state sacrifices, and not lose the dagger and the fragrant wine used in worship — 'not losing the dagger and the fragrant wine' refers precisely to his position as the master of the sacrifice remaining unshaken."

人君於祭之禮，匕牲體薦鬯而已，其餘不親為也。升牢於俎，君匕之，臣載之。鬯，秬酒，芬芳條鬯，因名焉。啞啞，樂也。六二，億，喪貝十萬曰億，於力反。六三，蘇蘇，不安也。上六，索索，猶縮縮，足不正也。矍矍，目不正。

The sovereign personally uses a ladle to take the sacrificial animal and offers the wine called "Chang." The rest of the rituals are carried out by the ministers. When the sacrificial animal is placed on the俎, the sovereign uses the ladle to take it, while the ministers carry it. "Chang" is a type of wine made from black millet, which has a fragrant and smooth aroma, hence its name. The "Xiang Zhuan" of the first line says, "Laughing and cheerful," where "yayayā" refers to the sound of joy. The "Yao Ci" of the second line says, "Lost the shell," where "yi" means ten thousand, and the reverse pronunciation of "yi" is "yu li fan." The "Yao Ci" of the third line says, "Zhen Susu," where "susu" describes a state of mental unease. The "Yao Ci" of the sixth line says, "Zhen Sosuo," where "sosuo" is equivalent to "suosuo," meaning unsteady steps; "shì Juju" refers to "juju," meaning wandering eyes.

艮之言很也。艮為山，山立峙各於其所，無相順之時。猶君在上，臣在下，恩敬不相與通，故謂之艮也。九三，限，要也。列其腰。

The meaning of "Gèn" (艮) is harsh and unyielding, lacking harmony. "Gèn" represents a mountain, where mountains stand independently in their respective positions, never harmonizing with each other. This is like a ruler above and a minister below, where benevolence and respect do not communicate. Hence, the name of the hexagram is "Gèn." The third line statement says, "Gèn its limit, breaking its loin." "Limit" refers to the waist, the place where the upper and lower parts of the body meet. "Breaking its waist" means the waist is split apart.

初六，乾，謂大水之傍，故停水處。九三，婦孕不育。九三上與九五互體為離，離為大腹，孕之象也。又互體為坎，坎為大夫。坎為水，水流而去，是夫征不復也。夫既不復，則婦人之道顛覆，故孕而不育。孕猶娠也。

The Line Statement for the first line, "Initial Six" (初六), says, "The wild goose progresses to the dry land." "Dry land" here refers to the area by the big water, where water had previously accumulated and then dried up, meaning the edge of the water. The Line Statement for the third line, "Nine in the Third" (九三), says, "The wife is pregnant but does not give birth." The third line interacts with the fifth line, "Nine in the Fifth," to form the trigram Li (Fire), which symbolizes a large belly, representing pregnancy. At the same time, the interaction between the third and fifth lines also forms the trigram Kan (Water), which represents a gentleman or a military officer. Kan also symbolizes water, which flows away and does not return, hence the Line Statement "the husband goes on a campaign and does not return." Since the husband does not return, the way of the wife is overturned, so even though she is pregnant, she cannot give birth. "Pregnant" is equivalent to "pregnant."

六三，歸妹以須。須，有才智之稱（天文有須女，屈原之姊名女須。姊，一作妹）。上六，女承筐無實。宗廟之禮，主婦奉筐米。

The line statement for the third line, "Six in the Third," says, "Returning to marriage, one waits." "Wait" refers to a person of talent and wisdom. There is a star called "Xu Nu" in the sky, and Qu Yuan's sister was named Nu Xu. The character "zhi" (姊) is also written as "mei" (妹) in some texts. The line statement for the sixth line at the top, "Six at the Top," says, "The woman carries a basket but finds it empty." According to the rites of ancestral worship, the wife should personally carry a bamboo basket filled with rice. Now the basket is empty, indicating that this marriage cannot fulfill the responsibility of honoring the ancestors.

豐之言，腆充滿意也。初九，遇其妃主。嘉耦曰妃。雖曰無咎，初修禮上朝四，四以匹敵恩厚待之，雖留十旬，不為咎。

"The word '丰' means full and abundant. The line statement of the initial line in the通行本 reads 'meeting its matching master,' while in the Zheng version it reads 'fei zhu,' where 'fei' refers to a beautiful spouse. Although the line statement says 'no blame,' it is because the initial line, by properly observing the etiquette between guest and host, goes to meet the fourth line. The fourth line also receives him with equal courtesy and deep affection. Therefore, even though he stays for ten days, it is not considered a fault."

正以十日者，朝聘之禮止於主國以為限，聘禮畢歸。大禮曰：旬而稍。旬之外為稍，久留非常。六二，豐其菩。菩，小席。九三，豐其芾。芾，祭祀之蔽膝。

The reason it is fixed at ten days is because the ceremony of state visits follows the set period determined by the host state, and after the visitation ceremony is completed, the envoy should return home. The Classic of Great Rituals says, "After ten days, it is called 'sao'"; exceeding ten days is called "sao," and staying too long is against the proper etiquette. The line statement of the second line in the hexagram is commonly printed as "Feng qi pu," but in the Zheng version it is "Pu," which refers to a small mat. The line statement of the third line is commonly printed as "Feng qi pai," but in the Zheng version it is "Fui," which refers to the ceremonial apron worn around the knees during worship.

日中見昧，折其右肱。三艮爻，艮為手，互體為巽，巽又為進退，手而便於進退，右肱也。猶大臣用事於君，君能誅之，故無咎。上六，闃，無人貌。天際翔也。際，當為瘵。瘵，病也。自戕也。戕，傷也。

The line statement for the third line, "Nine in the Third," says, "At noon, the mist appears; the right arm is broken." The Zheng edition reads "mist" as "confusion." The third line is the Qian trigram, representing the hand. Here, the interacting trigrams form Xun, which signifies movement and retreat. The hand that is convenient for movement and retreat is the right arm. This is like a minister who acts independently before the king, and the king is able to eliminate him, hence it is said "there is no blame." The line statement for the sixth line at the top, "Empty and no one is there," refers to the state of being empty and deserted. The character "际" in "flying at the sky's edge" should be read as "瘵," which means disease. The character "戕" in "self-inflicted injury" means harm.

初六，瑣瑣，猶小小也。爻互體艮，艮，小石，小小之象。三為聘客，初與二其介也。介當以篤實之人為之，而用小人，瑣瑣然。客主人為言，不能辭曰非禮，不能對曰非禮。每者不能以禮行之，則其所以得罪。

The Line Statement for the first line, "Initial Six" (Chu Liu), says "traveling in a petty way." "Petty" refers to something small. The interaction of this line forms the trigram Gen (Mountain), which represents small stones, thus symbolizing something small. The ninth line is the guest who has come to visit, while the first and second lines are the attendants "Jie" who accompany him. Those who serve as attendants should be chosen as sincere and trustworthy people, but now they are petty people, hence appearing petty and trivial. When the guest interacts with the host, if he cannot speak appropriately when he should be courteous, it is unbecoming; if he cannot respond appropriately when he should be answering, it is also unbecoming. Being unable to act in accordance with propriety in all matters is precisely the reason for his wrongdoing.

九四，商兌。商，隱度也。

The Line Statement for Nine in the Fourth says, "Shang Dui Wei Ning": "Shang" means to secretly consider or privately deliberate. It indicates that Nine in the Fourth, situated between Nine in the Fifth and Six in the Third, is repeatedly weighing things and cannot find peace of mind.

節以制度，空府藏則傷財，力役繁則害民。二者奢泰之所致。

The Image Commentary of the "Moderation" hexagram says, "Moderation is achieved through established rules." Zheng Xuan explained from the perspective of governance: when the treasury is exhausted, it harms resources; when labor service is excessive, it harms the people. These two outcomes are both results of extravagance and excess. Therefore, it is necessary to establish regulations for moderation, so that resources are not completely depleted and people's strength is not exhausted.

豚魚吉。三辰在亥，亥為豕，爻失正，故變而從小名，言豚耳。四辰在丑，丑為鱉蟹，鱉蟹，魚之微者，爻得正，故變而從大名，言魚耳。

The Hexagram Statement says "a pig and fish are auspicious." Zheng Xuan still uses the concept of爻辰 to explain it: the爻辰 of line six in the third position is "Hai," which belongs to the pig, but since this line is not in the correct position, it takes a smaller name, referring only to "豚," which means a small pig. The爻辰 of line six in the fourth position is "Chou," which belongs to turtles and crabs, which are a minor category among aquatic animals; since this line is in the correct position, it takes a larger name, directly calling it "鱼," meaning fish. The size of the name depends entirely on whether the line is in the correct position or not.

互體兌，兌為澤。四上值天淵，二五皆坎爻，坎為水。二侵澤則豚利，五亦以水灌淵則魚利。豚魚以喻小民也，而為明君賢臣恩意所供養，故吉。乘木舟虛也。舟謂集板，如今自空大木為之曰虛。

This hexagram's interacting lines form Dui, which represents a marsh. The sixth line in the fourth position faces directly the star "Heavenly Depth." The ninth line in the second position and the ninth line in the fifth position are both Kan lines, which represent water. The ninth line in the second position moistens the marsh, benefiting the pig; the ninth line in the fifth position waters the Heavenly Depth, benefiting the fish. The pig and the fish symbolize the common people, who are nourished by the grace of a wise ruler and virtuous minister, hence the auspiciousness. The "Commentary on the Judgment" says, "riding on a wooden boat is empty." "Boat" refers to a vessel made by joining planks together, or a large piece of wood hollowed out, which is called "empty."

不宜上。上如字，謂君也。中孚為陽，貞於十一月子；小過為陰，貞於六月，法於乾坤。

The Hexagram Statement of 《Xiao Guo》 says "Not suitable to go up, suitable to go down": "Up" is read according to the original character, referring to the sovereign. Zheng Xuan also matched the hexagram energies with months: 《Zhong Fu》 belongs to yang, and its fixed month is the eleventh month, Zi month; 《Xiao Guo》 belongs to yin, and its fixed month is June—this follows the precedent set by the hexagrams Qian and Kun, each governing one month respectively with one yang and one yin.

濟，既已也，盡也。濟，度也。六二，茀，車蔽也。九三，憊，劣弱也。九五，東鄰殺牛，不如西鄰之禴祭。互體為坎，又互體為離。離為日，坎為月，日出東方，東鄰象；月出西方，西鄰象也。

The original title of this section was written as "未既," with the two characters reversed, and the actual subject being the hexagram "Both Completion." "济" means completion or exhaustion, and also refers to crossing a river. The line statement for the second line, "The woman loses her veil," refers to the veil on a carriage. The line statement for the third line, "fatigue," means weakness and exhaustion. The line statement for the fifth line, "The eastern neighbor sacrifices an ox, but the western neighbor's simple offering is better," refers to the fact that the interacting lines form the trigram Kan (Water) and also the trigram Li (Fire). Li represents the sun, and Kan represents the moon. The sun rises in the east, symbolizing the eastern neighbor; the moon appears in the west, symbolizing the western neighbor.

坊記疏云：東鄰謂紂國中也，西鄰謂文王國中也。既濟，離下坎上，離為牛，坎為豕。西鄰禴祭則用豕，與言殺牛而凶，不如殺豕受福，喻奢而慢不如儉而敬也，與易注不同。禴，夏祭之名。

The Commentary by Kong Yingda on the Li Ji · Fang Ji says: the eastern neighbor refers to the kingdom of Zhou, and the western neighbor refers to the kingdom of Wen. The hexagram Ji Ji has the lower trigram Li (Fire) and the upper trigram Kan (Water): Li represents cattle, and Kan represents pigs. The western neighbor performed the summer sacrifice using pigs; compared to the scripture's statement that killing cattle leads to misfortune, using pigs instead brings blessings—this is a metaphor meaning that extravagance and negligence are worse than frugality and respect. (Wang Yinglin notes: this statement differs from Zheng Xuan's commentary in the Yi Jing.) "Yue" is the name of a summer sacrifice.

汔幾也。凡卦爻二至四，三至五，兩體交互，各成一卦。先儒謂之互體。

The hexagram "Wei Ji" (The Unfinished) has the hexagram statement "Xiao Hu Qi Ji," meaning "a small fox is almost crossing the river." Below this line, Wang Yinglin added a note on the general practice of Zheng Xuan's interpretation of the Book of Changes. For any hexagram with six lines, the second to fourth lines and the third to fifth lines form two groups of three lines each. These two groups of three lines interact with each other and also form separate hexagrams. Earlier scholars called this method of taking images "hu ti" (interchangeable structures). Zheng Xuan frequently used this method in interpreting the Book of Changes, which is fundamentally different from the approach of interpreting based solely on the upper and lower trigrams of the primary hexagram. The references to "hu ti" in the previous hexagrams all come from this general principle.

君臣尊卑之貴賤，如山澤之有髙卑也，動靜雷風也。類聚群分，謂水火也。成象日月星辰也。成形謂草木鳥獸也。乾以易知，音亦。翫其辭。震無咎，震懼也。

The Great Treatise says, "Heaven is exalted, Earth is humble, thus the trigrams Qian and Kun are established." This refers to the distinction between ruler and subject, honor and disgrace, just as mountains and marshes have high and low positions. "Motion and stillness follow their regular patterns" refers to thunder and wind. "Things of the same kind gather together, objects of the same class group together" refers to water and fire. "In heaven, images are formed" refers to the sun, moon, and stars; "in earth, forms are formed" refers to grasses, trees, birds, and beasts. The "Yi" in "Qian is known through Yi" is pronounced the same as "also." The "wan" in "deliberate its words" means to ponder. The "Zhen" in "Zhen without blame lies in regret" refers to fear and caution.

原始及終，精氣為物，游魂為變。精氣謂七八也，游魂謂九六也。七八，木火之數；九六，金水之數。木火用事而物生，故曰精氣為物；金水用事而物變，故曰游魂為變。

The commonly circulated version of the Great Treatise states "returning to the beginning and concluding at the end," while Zheng's version reads "returning to the beginning and reaching the end." The following text says, "The vital energy becomes things, and the wandering soul causes change." Zheng Xuan explains this using the numbers of divination paired with the Five Phases: "vital energy" refers to the numbers seven and eight, and "wandering soul" refers to nine and six. Seven and eight are the numbers of wood and fire, while nine and six are the numbers of metal and water. When wood and fire are dominant, things come into being, hence "the vital energy becomes things." When metal and water are dominant, things undergo transformation and decay, hence "the wandering soul causes change." This approach directly connects the principles of life and death to the numbers of the four seasons and the Five Phases, without engaging in abstract discussions about human nature and moral principles.

游魂謂之鬼，物終所歸；精氣謂之神，物生所信也。言木火之神生物東南，金水之鬼終物西北。二者之情其狀，與春夏生物、秋冬終物相似（一雲二物變化，其情與天地相似），故無所差違之也。

Wandering souls are called "ghosts," which are where all things return to at the end of their existence; vital energies are called "spirits," which are what all things rely on during their growth. This means that the spirits of wood and fire are in the southeast, giving birth to all things, while the ghosts of metal and water are in the northwest, bringing about the end of all things. These two phenomena are similar to the way life flourishes in spring and summer and things come to an end in autumn and winter. (Another interpretation is: the changes of these two things are similar to those of heaven and earth.) Therefore, the text continues, "They are similar to heaven and earth, hence they do not violate."

道濟天下，道當作導。範圍，範法也。故君子之道尟矣。臧諸用。臧，善也。言天下之至賾，賾當為動。慎斯術也。術，道。有功而不置，置當作志。野容誨滛，言妖野容儀。

The "dao" in "知周乎万物而道济天下" should be read as "dao" meaning guidance. The "fan" in "范围天地之化" refers to principle. In "故君子之道鲜矣," the Zheng version uses "xuan" meaning few. "臧诸用" (the common version reads "藏诸用") has "臧" meaning good. In "言天下之至赜," "赜" should be read as "dong" meaning movement. The "shu" in "慎斯术也以往" refers to path. In "有功而不德," the Zheng version reads "不置," and "zhi" should be read as "zhì" meaning mind. "冶容诲淫" in the Zheng version is "野容," meaning a vulgar and unrestrained appearance that leads to licentiousness.

大衍之數五十。天地之數五十有五，以五行氣通。凡五行減五，大衍又減一，故四十九也。衍，演也。揲，取也。

"The number of great derivation is fifty." Zheng Xuan's calculation is: the original number of heaven and earth is fifty-five. Because the five phases' energies are interconnected, each phase reduces by five. The great derivation further reduces by one, so only forty-nine stalks are actually used for divination. "Derivation" refers to deduction or inference, and "揲" refers to selecting or dividing.

天一生水於北，地二生火於南，天三生木於東，地四生金於西，天五生土於中。陽無耦，陰無配，未得相成。地六成水於北，與天一併；天七成火於南，與地二並；地八成木於東，與天三並；天九成金於西，與地四並；地十成土於中，與天五並也。

The numbers generating the Five Phases are arranged as follows: Heaven One (天一) in the north produces water, Earth Two (地二) in the south produces fire, Heaven Three (天三) in the east produces wood, Earth Four (地四) in the west produces metal, and Heaven Five (天五) in the center produces earth. At this point, yang has no counterpart, and yin has no match, so they cannot complement each other. Therefore, Earth Six (地六) in the north completes water, joining with Heaven One; Heaven Seven (天七) in the south completes fire, joining with Earth Two; Earth Eight (地八) in the east completes wood, joining with Heaven Three; Heaven Nine (天九) in the west completes metal, joining with Earth Four; and Earth Ten (地十) in the center completes earth, joining with Heaven Five. One generation and one completion form pairs, and the Five Phases are thus fully established.

大衍之數五十有五，五行各氣並，氣並而減五，惟有五十。以五十之數不可以為七八九六卜筮之占以用之，故更減其一，故四十有九也。

The original number of the Great Derivation is fifty-five: the generating numbers and the forming numbers of the Five Phases are paired together, and when their energies are combined, five is subtracted, leaving fifty. However, this number of fifty cannot be directly used to determine the numbers of lines obtained by divining with yarrow stalks, such as seven, eight, nine, and six. Since actual divination requires practical operation, one more stalk is subtracted, resulting in forty-nine.

天數五，地數五，五位相得而各有合。天地之氣各有五，五行之次，一曰水，天數也；二曰火，地數也；三曰木，天數也；四曰金，地數也；五曰土，天數也。此五者，陰無匹，陽無耦，故又合之。

"Heaven has five numbers, Earth has five numbers, the five positions correspond to each other and each has its match." The heavenly energies and earthly energies each have five. The order of the Five Phases is: the first is water, belonging to the heavenly numbers; the second is fire, belonging to the earthly numbers; the third is wood, belonging to the heavenly numbers; the fourth is metal, belonging to the earthly numbers; the fifth is earth, belonging to the heavenly numbers. These five numbers, the yin ones have no match, the yang ones have no partner, so they need to be matched one by one.

地六為天一匹也，天七為地二耦也，地八為天三匹也，天九為地四耦也，地十為天五匹也。二五陰陽各有合，然後氣相得施化行也。研機，機當作幾。幾，微也。蓍之徳圓而神，蓍形圓而可以立變化之數，故謂之神也。

The method of pairing is: the Earthly Branch number six pairs with the Heavenly Stem number one, the Heavenly Stem number seven pairs with the Earthly Branch number two, the Earthly Branch number eight pairs with the Heavenly Stem number three, the Heavenly Stem number nine pairs with the Earthly Branch number four, and the Earthly Branch number ten pairs with the Heavenly Stem number five. These two groups of five numbers, with yin and yang each having their pairings, allow the energies to harmonize and enable the process of generation and nurturing. "Yan Ji" is in the Zheng edition written as "Yan Ji," and "Ji" should be "Ji," meaning subtle. "The virtue of the divining rod is round and divine": the form of the divining rod is round, and it can establish the numbers of change, hence it is called "divine."

四象，布六於北方以象水，布八於東方以象木，布九於西方以象金，布七於南方以象火。河出圖，洛出書，聖人則之。春秋緯云：河以通乾出天苞，洛以流坤吐地符。河龍圖發，洛龜書感。河圖有九篇，洛書有六篇，有以尚賢也。

The four images derived from the two principles, as interpreted by Zheng Xuan, are explained through the numbers associated with directions: arranging six in the north to symbolize water, eight in the east to symbolize wood, nine in the west to symbolize metal, and seven in the south to symbolize fire. "The river produces the diagram, the Luo produces the book, and the sage follows them": According to the "Chunqiu Wei," the Yellow River, by connecting with the virtue of Heaven, produces the heavenly embryo, while the Luo River, by flowing with the virtue of Earth, produces the earthly symbol. The dragon diagram appears in the Yellow River, and the turtle book emerges from the Luo River in response. The "He Tu" contains nine chapters, and the "Luo Shu" contains six chapters. The sage takes them as models, which contain the meaning of valuing capable people.

樞，戸樞也。機，弩牙也。戸樞之發，或明或闇；弩牙之發，或中或否，以譬言語之發，有榮有辱。包犧，包，聚也。鳥獸全具曰犧。蓋取諸乾坤，乾為天，其色元；坤為地，其色黃。但土無正位，托於南方，南方色赤，黃而兼赤，故為纁也。

"Words and deeds are the key points for a gentleman": "Shu" refers to the pivot of a door, and "ji" refers to the trigger of a crossbow. When the door pivot turns, it may open toward the bright or the dark; when the crossbow trigger is pulled, it may hit the target or miss. This is used to illustrate that once words are spoken, they may bring honor or bring disgrace. "Baoxi Shi" refers to "bao" meaning to gather together, and "xi" refers to animals with complete and unbroken bodies. "Huangdi, Yao, and Shun governed the world by simply wearing robes, which was derived from the hexagrams Qian and Kun": Qian represents Heaven, whose color is Xuan; Kun represents Earth, whose color is Huang. However, soil does not have a specific direction, so it is associated with the south, whose color is red. Therefore, the color of the lower garment became "Xun".

重門擊柝，豫，坤下震上。九四體震，又互體有艮。艮為門。震日所出，亦為門，重門象。艮又為手，巽爻也，應在四，皆木也，手持二木也。手持二木以相敲，是為擊柝，擊柝為守備警戒也。

"Guarding the gates with the sound of a wooden staff to ward off robbers, this is derived from the hexagram of Joy." Zheng Xuan carefully analyzes the hexagram: The hexagram of Joy has the Earth below and Thunder above. The line nine in the fourth position belongs to Thunder. Within the hexagram, there is also an interacting trigram of Mountain, which represents a gate. Thunder is also the place where the sun rises, which can also be considered a gate. Two gates overlapping correspond to the image of "double gates." Mountain also represents hands; and the line six at the beginning, corresponding to nine in the fourth, is the trigram of Wind, which represents wood. Both places belong to wood, thus forming the image of holding two pieces of wood in the hands. Holding two pieces of wood and striking them together is called "striking the wooden staff," which is done for guarding and vigilance.

四又互體為坎，坎為盜，五離爻為甲冑戈兵，盜謂持兵，是暴客也。又以其卦為豫，有守備則不可自逸。

Nine in the Fourth also forms the trigram Kan through mutual interaction, and Kan represents thieves. Six in the Fifth is the trigram Li, and Li represents armor and weapons. Thieves holding weapons correspond to the passage's mention of 'violent guests.' Furthermore, the name of this hexagram is 'Yu,' which means ease. Since there is a need to set up defenses, one should not seek ease. The hexagram name and its symbolic meaning here serve as a warning.

結繩為約，事大大其繩，事小小其繩。書契，書之於木，刻其側為契，各持其一，後以相考。合以制器者尚其象，存於器，象可得而用，一切器物及造立皆是。

"During the ancient times, people used knots on ropes to manage affairs: large matters were marked with large knots, and small matters with small knots." Later, "bookkeeping with written contracts" emerged, where characters were carved on wooden slips, and notches were made on the sides as a form of verification, with each party holding half. Later, they could compare them to confirm the truth. "The making of objects relies on their forms": the form is preserved within the object, so taking the form can be made practical; all objects and the establishment of systems fall into this category.

一君二民，君子之道也。二君一民，小人之道也。一君二民，謂黃帝，堯，舜。謂地方萬里為方千里者百，中國之民居七千里，七七四十九，方千里者四十九。夷狄之民居千里者五十一，是中國夷狄二民共事一君。

"Yang has one ruler and two subjects, which is the way of the superior man; Yin has two rulers and one subject, which is the way of the inferior man." Zheng Xuan calculated using territorial boundaries and population figures: "one ruler and two subjects" refers to the time of the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun. The entire world was square and measured ten thousand li on each side, which was divided into one hundred square areas each one thousand li on a side. The population of the Central States occupied a square area of seven thousand li, which was seventy times seven, resulting in forty-nine square areas of one thousand li each. The population of the夷狄 (barbarians) occupied fifty-one square areas of one thousand li each. Thus, both the Central States and the夷狄 shared one ruler, which is why it is called "one ruler and two subjects."

二君一民，謂三代之末，以地方五千里，一君有五千里之土，五五二十五，更足以一君，二十五始滿千里之方五十，乃當堯舜一民之地，故云二君一民。

The term "two kings and one person" refers to the late period of the Three Dynasties. A single ruler's territory was considered to be five thousand li square, with five such areas making up a thousand li square, resulting in twenty-five such regions. Adding another ruler's twenty-five regions brings the total to fifty regions of a thousand li square, which exactly matches the land area previously occupied by one person during the time of Yao and Shun. Therefore, two rulers were needed to correspond to the land area of one person, hence the term "two kings and one person."

男女覯精。覯，合也。男女以陰陽合其精氣。因貳以濟民行，貳當為弍。損，徳之修也。修，治也。困，徳之辯也。辯，別也。遭困之時，君子固窮，小人窮則濫，徳於是別也。益，長裕而不設。設，大也。雜物算徳。算，數也。居可知矣，居音基。知者，觀其彖辭。彖辭，爻辭也。亹亹，汲汲也。

"The union of male and female essence" is from the Zheng version as "gou jing": "gou" means to meet and unite, indicating that men and women unite their vital energies through yin and yang. "Because of 'er' to benefit human conduct" should be "because of 'er' to benefit human conduct" where "er" should be read as "er" meaning two. "Loss, is the cultivation of virtue": "cultivate" means to govern. "Difficulty, is the distinction of virtue": "distinction" means to differentiate—when encountering hardship, the gentleman remains steadfast in poverty, while the petty person becomes reckless when in poverty, thus the difference in virtue is revealed here. "Increase, is long abundance without exaggeration": "exaggeration" means to overstate. "Mixing various things to cultivate virtue," the Zheng version reads "calculate virtue": "calculate" means to count. "Residence is known" where "residence" is pronounced like "ji."the so-called "know" refers to observing the line statements; and here, the term "line statements" actually refers to the line statements. "Weiwei" describes a state of diligence and tireless effort.

昔者聖人，謂伏犧、文王也。參天兩地而倚數。天地之數備於十，乃三之以天，兩之以地，而倚托大演之數五十也。必三之以天，兩之以地者，天三覆，地二載。必極於數，庶得吉凶之審也。

In "Shuo Gua" ("Explaining the Trigrams"), the term "saintly person" in the passage "In former times, the sage composed the Book of Changes" refers to Fuxi and King Wen according to Zheng Xuan. "San Tian Li Er Yi Shu" ("three for heaven, two for earth, and relying on the numbers"): the numbers of heaven and earth are complete in ten, so "three" is used to multiply heaven and "two" to multiply earth, thereby deriving the fifty numbers of the Great Derivation. Therefore, it is necessary to multiply by three for heaven and by two for earth, because heaven uses three to encompass all things, and earth uses two to support all things; only by pushing the numbers to their extremes can one hope to obtain a clear distinction of good and bad fortune.

揮，揚也。雷風相薄。薄，入也。莫盛乎艮。盛，音成，裡也。其於人也為宣髮。宣髮，取四月靡草死，髮在人體猶靡草在地。為黃顙，為乾卦。乾當為乾，陽在外能幹正也。為科上槀，為黚喙，謂虎豹之屬，貪冒之類。兌為羊，其畜好剛滷。

The ‘hui’ in 「发挥于刚柔而生 line」 means ‘to promote’ or ‘to develop.’ The ‘bo’ in 「雷风相薄」 means ‘to invade.’ 「终万物始万物者莫盛乎 Gen (the Mountain trigram)」: ‘Sheng’ is pronounced the same as ‘cheng’ (this phrase 「里也」 has an error in the original text, so it is transcribed as is). 「巽, its manifestation in humans is 」xuan fa’ (to spread out or to express): ‘xuan fa’ refers to the image of withered靡草 in the fourth month—hair grows on the human body, just as靡草 grows on the ground, and at the proper time it withers. 「为黄颡, 为乾 hexagram」: 「乾」 should be read as ‘gan,’ meaning that yang energy is external and can correct the right path. 「为科上槀」 and 「为黚喙」 refer to animals like tigers and leopards, which are greedy and devouring creatures. 「兑为羊」: this animal is fierce and stubborn in nature.

訟猶爭也。言飲食之會，恆多諍也（一作爭）。故受之以豫，言國既大而能謙，則於政事恬逸。雷出地奮，逸豫，行出而喜樂之意。豫必有隨，喜樂而出，人則隨從。孟子曰：吾君不遊，吾何以休；吾君不豫，吾何以助。此之謂也。

The "Xu Gua" says: "Song" means contention. It refers to the fact that disputes often arise in situations of dining and gathering (the character "zheng" in some editions is written as "zheng"). "Therefore, it is followed by Yu": This means that when a country is vast yet able to be humble and retreat, handling affairs becomes easy and comfortable. Thunder arises from the earth and moves vigorously, bringing ease and joy, which is exactly the meaning of traveling with joy. "Yu must be followed by Su": When people travel happily, others naturally follow. The "Mengzi" cites a summer proverb: "If our king does not go out for a tour, how can I rest? If our king does not go out for pleasure, how can I receive help?" This is precisely referring to this principle.

物穉不可不養也，言孩稚不養則不長也。可觀而後有所合。易乾鑿度曰：陽起於子，陰起於午。天數天分，以陽出離，以陰入坎，坎為中男，離為中女。太乙之行，出從中男，入從中女，因陰陽男女之偶為終始也。

"Things that are young cannot be left unattended," meaning that children are immature and need nurturing to grow. Regarding the phrase "only after observation can there be a union," Zheng Xuan cites the "Yi Zao Du" from the "Book of Changes" to explain: Yang energy begins at the Zi position, and Yin energy begins at the Wu position; the heavenly numbers are divided by heaven, with Yang emerging from Li and Yin entering from Kan. Kan represents the middle son, and Li represents the middle daughter. The movement of the God of the Supreme Ultimate (Taiyi) proceeds outward following the middle son and inward following the middle daughter—precisely through the pairing of Yin and Yang and male and female that the cycle of completion and renewal is formed.

故受之以大過，以養賢者宜過於厚。夫婦之道，不可以不久也，言夫婦當有終身之義。夫婦之道，謂咸恆也。致飾然後亨。亨，許兩反。

Therefore, following the hexagram of Great Excess: it is used to honor the virtuous person, and thus should be especially generous, hence called 'excess.' 'The way of husband and wife cannot be short-lived' means that between husband and wife there should be a moral principle of lifelong commitment; here, the term 'husband and wife' refers to the hexagrams of Xian and Heng. The 'hen' in 'after adornment then hen' is pronounced 'xu liang fan' in reverse-sound annotation, and is read the same as 'xiang.'

蠱則飾也。

The "Zagua Transmission" says, "Gǔ then chì also," but the Zheng edition reads "chì" as "shì": The hexagram "Gǔ" discusses the rectification of accumulated disorder, thus taking the meaning of thorough repair and restoration—broken objects need to be repaired and renovated, just as accumulated disorders in families and states also require thorough rectification.

康成注易九卷，多論互體，江左與王輔嗣學並立。荀崧謂其書根源。顏延之為祭酒，黜鄭置王。齊陸澄詒王儉書云：易自商瞿之後，雖有異家之學，同以象數為宗，數年後乃有王弼之說。

Zheng Kangcheng annotated nine volumes of the Book of Changes, focusing much on the concept of "mutual bodies." In the Jiangnan region, his school of thought stood alongside Wang Fusi's (Wang Bi's) in the official academies. Xun Song once pointed out the origins of his work. Later, Yan Yanzhong, when he became the national master of the state temple, abolished Zheng's annotations and replaced them with Wang's. In the Southern Qi dynasty, Lu Cheng wrote to Wang Jian saying: Since Shang Qu passed down the Book of Changes, although there have been various schools of thought, they all regarded imagery and numbers as their main principles, until much later when Wang Bi's approach appeared.

王濟云：弼所誤者多，何必能頓廢前儒。河北諸儒，專主鄭氏。隋興，學者慕弼之學，遂為中原之師，唐因之。今鄭注不傳，此景迂晁氏所慨嘆也。

Wang Ji said: Wang Bi made many mistakes in his interpretations, so why should we entirely discard the old doctrines of previous Confucian scholars just because of him? The scholars in the north of the Yellow River have always mainly followed the teachings of Zheng Xuan. When the Sui dynasty rose to power, scholars began to admire Wang Bi's philosophy, and thus Wang's teachings became the dominant school of thought in the Central Plains. The Tang dynasty continued this tradition. Now that Zheng's annotations have been lost, this is precisely what the scholar Jingyu, Chao Shuo, deeply lamented.

李鼎祚云：鄭多參天象，王全釋人事，易道豈偏滯於天人者哉。合彖象於經，葢自康成始。其說間見於鼎祚集解，及釋文、易詩三禮春秋義疏、後漢書文選注。應麟讀易之暇，輯為此編，庶幾先儒象數之學，猶有考焉。癸酉季夏哉生明，汲古堂。

Li Dingzuo said: Zheng Xuan often referred to celestial phenomena, while Wang Bi explained everything entirely from the human perspective; can the Way of the Book of Changes be confined to either the heavenly or human side? Combining the Commentary on the Judgment and the Image Commentary beneath the main text of the Book of Changes was probably first done by Zheng Kangcheng. His views are scattered in Li Dingzuo's Collected Explanations of the Zhou Changes, as well as in the Commentaries on the Classics, the Commentaries on the Book of Changes, the Book of Poetry, the Three Rituals, the Spring and Autumn Annals, the annotations to the Book of the Later Han, and the annotations to the Wen Xuan. Wang Yinglin, while reading the Book of Changes, compiled them into this collection, hoping that the scholarly studies on the images and numbers of the ancients could still be examined. Recorded at the Ji Gu Tang on the third day of the sixth lunar month in the Guiyou year.