Comprehending Change in Yarrow Divination: Preface to the Book

經名：易筮通變。原題臨川道士雷思齊學。三卷。底本出處：《正統道藏》太玄部。參校版本：文淵閣四庫全書本經部易類（簡稱四庫本）

This book is titled "Comprehending Change in Yarrow Divination," originally attributed to "Lei Siqi, the Taoist from Linchuan." The entire work consists of three volumes. The edition used for collation is from the Taixuan Department of the Zhengtong Daozang, with the reference text being the version included in the Jingbu (Classics Section) of the Wenyuan Ge Siku Quanshu, hereafter referred to as the "Siku Ben."

臨川道士雷思齊學

This volume was written by the Daoist priest Lei Siqi of Linchuan (now Fuzhou, Jiangxi). The term "xue" in the title is a common modest expression used by authors in the Song and Yuan dynasties, meaning "what has been studied and gained," which is equivalent to saying that this is Lei Siqi's personal commentary on the Book of Changes.

《洪範》之《稽疑》曰：擇建立卜筮人，乃命卜筮。《詩》曰：爾卜爾筮，體無咎言。曰：卜筮偕止，會言近止。《記》之《月令》則曰：孟冬之月，命大史釁龜筮，占兆吉凶。宜若龜筮相須為用也。《易大傳》曰：探跡索隱，鉤深致遠，成天下之賽賽者，莫大乎曹龜。又曰：以卜筮者尚其占。則夫《易》宜兼卜筮之用者也。《大誥》曰：寧王遺我大寶龜，紹天明，即命。《金朦》曰：乃卜三龜，一習吉。於是莫見夫筮。《記》又曰：天子無筮，諸侯有守筮。天子道以筮。於是又莫見夫卜。

The "Kiyi" section of the "Shangshu · Hongfan" says that one should select and appoint specialists in divination with tortoise shells and yarrow stalks, and then have them perform both divination and augury. The "Shijing" says, "You divinate with tortoise shells and yarrow stalks, and the omens have no ominous words" — you divinate with both methods, and the signs from both are auspicious. It also says, "Divination with tortoise shells and yarrow stalks both speak, and they say the time of meeting is near." The "Liji · Yueling" says that in the first month of winter, the Grand Historian is ordered to use animal blood to smear and consecrate tortoise shells and yarrow stalks, to observe the omens for auspicious or inauspicious signs. According to these records, divination with tortoise shells and yarrow stalks seem to be meant to be used together. The "Xici Zhuan" says that seeking the profound and grasping the deep mysteries, nothing can accomplish the diligent endeavors of the world more than yarrow stalks and tortoise shells (the original text "sai sai" is actually "mei mei," and "cao" is a variant form of "zhi," meaning yarrow stalks). It also says, "Those who use divination should value its interpretation," implying that the "Zhouyi" should also use both tortoise shells and yarrow stalks. However, the "Shangshu · Dage" says that King Wen left me a great tortoise shell, using it to receive the mandate of heaven — the entire passage only discusses tortoise shell divination. The "Jinteng" says that Duke Zhou "divined with three tortoise shells, and all were auspicious" — three tortoise shells were used for divination, and all gave auspicious signs — here there is no mention of yarrow stalks. The "Liji" also says that the Son of Heaven does not use yarrow stalks in times of peace, but only the feudal lords have divination for their states, and the Son of Heaven uses yarrow stalks only when traveling — here there is no mention of tortoise shell divination.

而《說卦》則曰：昔者聖人之作《易》，幽贊於神明而生曹，參天兩地而倚數，觀變於陰陽而立卦，發揮於剛柔而生爻，以至和順於道德而理於義，窮理盡性以至於命。乃獨歸夫筮，而未始及夫卜也。由筮命曹，而曹筮之用著於大衍之數皇詳且備，而龜之卜則莫之一語及也。雖亦問見謂龜為卜，曹為筮之說於別出，而愚自童卯習見世之常占擲錢以畫卦爻，雲自京房始矣，且賈公彥亦以畫卦之單拆重交之爻謂以錢，復見有假於龜之剖中以布其錢者；又雜於傳記謂卜得某卦之某卦之大凡，且人有常言皇稱卜卦，故亦隨之等視曹龜卜筮為一盤，未嘗以為意也。

But the "Shuo Gua Zhuan" says that the ancient sages created the "Zhou Yi" with the help of divine spirits, and from this they obtained the yarrow stalks. They established the divination numbers by referring to the trinity of heaven and the duality of earth. They observed the waxing and waning of yin and yang to create the hexagrams, and through the shifting of firmness and softness, they generated the lines. Then they harmonized with morality and ordered things according to principles, explored the nature of things, and fully revealed human nature, all the way up to the mandate of heaven. All these discussions are centered around "shì" (divination with yarrow stalks), and there is no mention of "bǔ" (divination with turtle shells) throughout. The method of using yarrow stalks is explained in detail in the chapter "Da Yan Zhi Shu," while there is not a single mention of turtle shell divination. Although there are occasional references to the distinction between "gu jiao bǔ" (turtle shell divination) and "shi shi" (yarrow stalk divination), from my childhood I have seen that people usually use copper coins to draw the hexagrams and their lines. It is said that this method began with Jing Fang of the Han dynasty. Jia Gongyan of the Tang dynasty also mentioned that the four types of line patterns in hexagram drawing—single, split, double, and intersecting—were determined by tossing copper coins. I have also seen people using turtle shells, cutting them open and placing coins inside for divination. Moreover, historical records often vaguely refer to "bǔ de suoyi gua zhi suoyi gua," and people commonly refer to it as "bǔ gua." Therefore, I have always regarded yarrow stalks and turtle shells, as well as "bǔ" and "shi," as essentially the same thing, and I have never given it much thought.

蓋嘗見《周禮春官》之屬：大卜掌三兆之法，一日玉兆，二日瓦兆，三日原兆，其經兆之體皆百有二十，其頌皆千有二百，其下有卜師掌開龜兆，龜人掌六龜，以其方色，與體辨之；大卜又掌《三易》之法，一日《連山》，二日《歸藏》，三日《周易》，其經卦皆八，其別皆六十有四，其下有筮人掌《三易》之九筮，以辨吉凶。凡國之大事，先筮而後卜，上春相筮，凡國事共筮，然後知卜之用龜，則以兆其書，兆之體、頌至百有二十、千有二百之多，而《易》之筮用曹，固未始出於六十四卦之外，則卜自卜，筮自筮，未始相為用也。

Later I read about the officials under the Spring Officials in the "Zhou Li" who were responsible for divination. It said that the "Da Bu" (Great Diviner) was in charge of three methods of divination: one called Yu Zhaoguang (Jade Divination), another called Wa Zhaoguang (Tile Divination), and the third called Yuan Zhaoguang (Plain Divination). Each method had 120 "ti" (forms) and 1,200 "song" (interpretations). Under the Da Bu were the "Bu Shi" (Divination Master) who handled the preparation of the turtle shells and the reading of the omens, and the "Gui Ren" (Turtle Keeper) who managed six types of turtles, distinguishing them by their direction, color, and shape. The Da Bu also oversaw the methods of the "San Yi" (Three Changes)—one called "Lianshan" (Continuous Mountains), another called "Guicang" (Return to the Treasury), and the third called "Zhou Yi" (The Zhou Changes). All three had eight basic trigrams and sixty-four compound trigrams formed by combining them. Under the Da Bu were the "Shi Ren" (Divination Master) who handled the nine methods of divination used in the "San Yi" to discern fortune and misfortune. For all major state affairs, divination by the "Shi" (using yarrow stalks) was done first, followed by divination by the "Bu" (using turtle shells). In the first month of spring, the use of yarrow stalks and turtle shells was reviewed, and all state affairs were subject to divination. Reading this, I realized that divination by the "Bu" (turtle) relied on the turtle shells, producing omens that formed the basis of the divination texts, with 120 forms and 1,200 interpretations. In contrast, the divination of the "Yi" (I Ching) used yarrow stalks, which could not exceed the sixty-four hexagrams. This shows that divination by the "Bu" and divination by the "Shi" are distinct and have never been used interchangeably or mixed together.

況《洪範》固有龜從、筮從，龜從、筮逆、龜筮共違於人之別，則其卜筮之分校然，其辨白黑未始。若後世說卜筮者，樊然般亂，至若是之甚，心甚異之。由是於《左傳》之類究其成驗，乃判然識卜筮之道。卜者未嘗引《易》之筮，筮者未嘗引龜之卜也。今疏列為徵。

Moreover, the "Hong Fan" originally distinguishes between "turtle follows, divination follows" (both turtle divination and yarrow divination agree), "turtle follows, divination opposes" (turtle divination agrees while yarrow divination disagrees), and "both turtle and divination contradict the person" (both contradict the person's intention). This shows clearly that the boundaries between divination and yarrow divination are distinct, as clear as black and white, never ambiguous. However, later scholars who discuss divination and yarrow divination have become so confused and mixed up that I find it very strange. Therefore, I went to books like the "Zuo Zhuan" to examine actual instances of divination, and thus clearly discerned the distinct methods of divination and yarrow divination: those who use turtle divination never refer to the yarrow divination method from the "Yi Jing," and those who use yarrow divination never refer to the oracle signs from turtle divination. Now I will list these examples in order as evidence.

有專卜而不筮者。晉惠公之在梁，梁伯妻之。梁贏孕過期，卜招父與其子卜之。子曰：將生一男一女。招曰：然。男為人臣，女為人妾。名男日圉，女日妾。及圉西質於秦，妾為宦女焉。鄰文公卜遷於繹，史曰：利於民而不利於君。鄰子曰：苟利於民，遷也。天生民而樹之君，以利之也。民既利矣，孤必與焉。既遷，而鄰子卒。齊侯戒師期，將以伐魯，而有疾，醫曰：不及秋，將死。魯文公聞之，卜曰：尚無及期。叔仲惠伯令龜，卜楚丘占之，曰：齊侯不及期，非疾也。君亦不聞，今龜有咎。既而，齊懿公弒，文公先薨，惠伯亦卒。

First, consider the case where only turtle shells were used for divination without the use of yarrow stalks. When Duke Xi of Jin was in exile in the State of Liang, the Duke of Liang married his daughter to him. When Lady Liang became pregnant and her due date passed, Bo Zhao Fu and his son performed a divination for her. The son said: "A son and a daughter will be born." Zhao Fu said: "Yes, the son will become a minister, and the daughter will become a concubine." So they named the boy "Yu" and the girl "Jie." Later, Yu went west to Qin as a hostage, while Jie became a palace maid in Qin. When Duke Wen of Zhu planned to move the capital to Ye, the official historian said: "This will be beneficial for the people, but not for the ruler." Duke Zhu said: "If it is beneficial for the people, then I will move the capital." Heaven created the people and established a ruler for them, which is to benefit the people. Since the people have benefited, I will certainly also benefit. After the capital was moved, Duke Zhu died. When Duke Yi of Qi set a date for military action to attack Lu, he fell ill, and the physician said: "He will not live until autumn." When Duke Wen of Lu heard this, he performed a divination, and the oracle said: "May he not live until the time of the military action." Shu Zhong Hui Bo announced the oracle on the turtle shell, and Bo Chu Qu judged that Duke Yi of Qi would indeed not live until the time of the military action, but not because of illness. However, the king would not hear this news, and this divination would bring disaster upon me personally. Later, Duke Yi of Qi was assassinated, Duke Wen of Lu died first, and Shu Zhong Hui Bo was also killed.

楚王與葉公枚卜子良以為令尹，沈尹朱曰：吉，過於其志。葉公曰：王子而相國，過將何為？它日改卜子國以為令尹。若是四者，見卜之未嘗及於筮卦也。

King Chu and Ye Gong used the method of "enumerated divination" (divination without naming the subject) to consult the oracle on appointing Zi Liang as Minister of State. Shen Yin Zhu said: "It is auspicious, and it surpasses his original intention." Ye Gong replied: "To appoint a prince as Minister of State, what could 'surpassing his intention' mean? (Implied meaning: it suggests a desire to seize the throne.)" Later, they changed the appointment to Zi Guo as Minister of State. These four instances show that when using turtle-shell divination, it never involved the hexagrams obtained through yarrow stalks.

有筮而不卜者。畢萬筮仕於晉，遇《屯》之《比》。辛廖占之，曰：吉。《屯》固《比》入，吉孰大焉，其必蕃昌。震為土車從馬，足居之，兄長之，母覆之，眾歸之，六體不易，合而能固，安而能殺，公侯之卦也。公侯之子孫，必復其始。

Now consider the case where divination is done only with the yarrow stalks and not with the turtle shell. Bi Wan went to the state of Jin to seek an official position, and he divined with the yarrow stalks, obtaining the hexagram "Zun" changing to "Bi," meaning the first line of the hexagram "Zun" moved and transformed into the hexagram "Bi." Xin Liao interpreted this as auspicious. "Zun" represents stability, and "Bi" represents affinity. Is there a greater auspiciousness than this? He will certainly flourish and grow great. The movement of the trigram "Zhen" (Thunder) transforms into the trigram "Kun" (Earth). The chariot follows the horse, the feet are on the ground, the elder brother supports him, the mother covers him, and the people follow him. These six images remain unchanged. Combined, they form a firm and stable structure, capable of making decisive judgments within stability. This is the hexagram of a duke or marquis. The descendants of a duke or marquis will certainly restore their ancestors' original status.

泰伯伐晉，卜徒父筮之，曰：吉，涉河，侯車敗。詁之，對曰：乃大吉也，三敗必獲晉君。其卦遇《蠱》，其《縣》曰：千乘三去，三去之餘，獲其雄狐。夫狐蠱，必其君也。《蠱》之貞，風也；其悔，山也。歲云秋矣，我落其實而取其材，實落材亡，不敗何待？三敗及韓。晉侯逆秦師，戰於韓原，秦獲晉侯以歸。

Qin Mu Gong attacked the State of Jin (the original text refers to "Tai Bo," meaning Qin Bo), and Bo Tu Fu used the yarrow stalks for divination. He said it was auspicious; crossing the Yellow River, the war chariots of the feudal lords would be destroyed. Mu Gong questioned this, and he replied that this was indeed a great auspicious sign. After three defeats, the king of Jin would certainly be captured. The divination resulted in the hexagram "Gǔ." Its line statement says: "A thousand chariots retreat three times, after three retreats, capture the male fox." This refers to the "fox" in "Gǔ," which must be the king of Jin. The inner trigram (Zhen) of the hexagram "Gǔ" is Xun, representing wind; the outer trigram (Hui) is Gen, representing mountain. Now the season has entered autumn; we have shaken off its fruits and taken its timber. The fruits are all gone, the timber is all used up; when will it not fall? Later, the Jin army retreated three times, all the way to the area of Han. King Hui of Jin confronted the Qin army at Han Yuan, and the Qin army indeed captured the king of Jin and returned.

晉侯伐鄭，楚子救鄭，相遇於鄙陵。公筮之，史曰：士悶。卦遇《復》，曰：南國贓，射其無王，中厥目，國蹴王傷，不敗何待？及戰，呂錡射共王，中目。王曰：天敗楚也，吾不可待。乃宵遲。

King Jin Li Gong attacked the State of Zheng, and King Chu Gong Wang sent his army to rescue Zheng. The two armies met at Yancheng (the original text says "Biling," which is Yancheng). Li Gong ordered someone to divinate, and the historian said: auspicious (the original text says "Shi Men," which is a distorted form of "Ji," meaning auspicious). The hexagram obtained was Fu. The commentary said: "The southern state is distressed, shoot their king, hit his eye." The southern state is in distress, their king is wounded, when will they not be defeated? When the battle began, Lü Qi shot King Chu Gong Wang, and indeed hit his eye. King Chu said: this is heaven's will for Chu's defeat, I can no longer wait. So he withdrew his army at night.

晉獻公筮嫁伯姬於秦，遇《歸妹》之《睽》。史蘇占之，曰：不吉。其《縣》曰：士到羊，亦無血也；女承筐，亦無既也。西鄰責言，不可償也。《歸妹》之《睽》，猶無相也。震之離，亦離之震，為雷，為火，為贏敗姬。車說其轅，火焚其旗，不利行師，敗於宗丘。《歸妹》之《睽》，寇張之弧。侄其從姑，六年其通，逃歸其國，而棄其家。明年，其死於高梁之虛。

King Jin Xian Gong consulted the oracle to marry his daughter Bo Ji to the state of Qin, and obtained the hexagram "Gui Mei" changing to "Kui." The historian Su judged it as inauspicious. The hexagram's judgment says: "The man cuts the sheep, yet there is no blood; the woman carries the basket, yet there is nothing to carry." A western neighbor will demand reparation, and there will be no means to repay. The change from "Gui Mei" to "Kui" indicates that no one will help. The trigram Zhen changes to Li, which is fire, indicating that the state of Qin, of the Ying surname, will defeat the state of Jin, of the Ji surname. The chariot's yoke falls off, and the banner is burned by fire, which is unfavorable for military action, and a defeat will occur at the ancestral hill. The change from "Gui Mei" to "Kui" is exactly "the enemy stretches his bow," meaning the enemy will turn against them. The nephew of the bride, Yi Wu, who later went to Qin, will return to his homeland after six years, abandoning his family. The next year, he will die in the ruins of Gao Liang.

若是四者，筮則有卦，而無復卜兆辭也。且前之《屯》、《復》、《蠱》三卦，其縣固皆非《周易》之辭。後之《歸妹》之《睽》卦，辭近《周易》，而亦非也。盤可想見，《連山》、《歸藏》之《易》，其筮法同，而縣辭異也。

The four things mentioned above can be obtained as hexagrams through divination with yarrow stalks, but there is no oracle inscription from龟卜. Moreover, the line statements cited from the hexagrams of 《Zun》, 《Fu》, and 《Gu》 at the beginning are not actually the hexagram line statements of 《Zhou Yi》; and the line statement in 《Gui Mei》 related to 《Kui》, although its wording is similar to 《Zhou Yi》, is actually not from it. From this we can see that the two books of 《Lianshan》 and 《Guicang》 use the same divination method as 《Zhou Yi》, but differ only in the line statements attached.

有兼用卜、筮，而卜有辭，筮亦有辭者。魯成季之將生也，桓公使卜楚丘之父卜之。曰：男也，其名日友，在公之右；閒於兩社，為公室輔。季氏亡，則魯不昌。又筮之，遇《大有》之《乾》，曰：同復於父，敬如君所。及生，有文在其手日友，遂以命之。若是者，卜與筮各有辭，筮之卦辭亦非《周易》辭也。

Again, we see the use of both龟卜 and 蓍筮, and both methods have their own statements. When Duke Huan of Lu was about to have a son, he had his father, Bo Qu, perform a divination. The oracle said: it would be a boy, whose name would be "You," and he would be on the right side of the king. He would move between the亳社 and 周社, serving as an assistant to the royal house. If the Ji family were to perish, Lu would not flourish. Then, they also used 蓍筮 to inquire, and obtained the hexagram 大有 changing into 乾. Specifically, the line Six in the Fifth of 大有 moved to become 乾, and the statement said: "Returning to the father in harmony, showing respect as the king would have it." This means his status would be equal to his father, and he would be respected as the king would wish. When the child was born, there was a mark on his hand resembling the character "友," so they named him accordingly. In this case, both龟卜 and 蓍筮 had their own statements, and the statement from 蓍筮 was not from the Zhou Changes.

有先卜後筮者。晉獻公欲以驪姬為夫人，卜之，不吉；筮之，吉。公曰：從筮。卜人曰：筮短龜長，不如從長。且其《縣》曰：專之渝，攘公之褕。一熏一蓿，十年尚猶有臭。必不可。弗聽，立之。生奚齊。乃潛太子申生至於縊死，遂立奚齊。卒亂晉。

Now looking at the case where divination was first used and then augury. Duke Jin Xiangong wanted to make Li Ji his wife. He first used a turtle oracle, which was not auspicious; then he changed to using yarrow stalks for divination, which was auspicious. Duke Jin said: Then we will follow the divination. The oracle master said: Divination has short efficacy, while the turtle oracle has long efficacy; it is better to follow the one with long efficacy. Moreover, the oracle inscription of the turtle said: "Exclusive favor will bring about change, and will take away your virtue." "One fragrance, one stench, even after ten years, the stench remains." It is not advisable at all. Duke Jin did not listen, and still made Li Ji his wife, who gave birth to Xi Qi. Later, he finally forced Prince Shen Sheng to commit suicide, and made Xi Qi his heir, ultimately causing chaos in the state of Jin.

有先筮而後卜者。衛侯夢於北官，見人登昆吾之觀，被髮而噪曰：登此昆吾之虛，綿綿生之瓜。余為渾良夫，哄天無辜。公親筮之，胥彌赦占之，曰：不害。衛侯貞卜，《縣》曰：如魚窺尾，衡流而方羊。裔焉大國，滅之，將亡。闔門塞竇，乃自後瑜。冬十月，晉復伐衛，入其邪。衛出莊公而與晉平，晉立襄公之孫般師而還。若是二者，雖先卜後筮，先筮後卜，則殊筮無卦辭，卜乃有縣，然為卜為筮不比而同也。

Now looking at cases where divination comes first and then oracle bone divination follows. When Duke Zheng of Wei was staying in Beigong, he had a dream in which someone climbed up the terrace of Kunwu, with his hair loose and shouting loudly: "Climb this old site of Kunwu, and endless gourds will grow. I am Hun Liangfu, I call upon heaven to clear my innocence." Duke Zheng personally performed divination with yarrow stalks, and Xu Mishi judged that it would be harmless. Duke Zheng then used oracle bones for formal divination, and the oracle text said: "Like a fish tiredly flicking its tail, drifting in the current and hesitating; the state will be driven to the border, and will be destroyed; the gates will be closed and the passages blocked, but they will escape by climbing over the back wall." In the winter of the same year, the State of Jin attacked Wei again, entered the outer city of Wei's capital, and the people of Wei drove out Duke Zheng and made peace with Jin. Jin then established Ban Shi, the grandson of Duke Xiang of Wei, as the new ruler before withdrawing. In these two events, although one involved first divination and then oracle bone divination, and the other first oracle bone divination and then divination, when divination was performed there was no hexagram statement, but when oracle bone divination was used, there was an oracle text. This shows that divination and oracle bone divination are separate practices, and are not combined into one.

其若晉獻公卜伐驪戎，史蘇占之，曰：勝而不吉。公曰：何謂也？對曰：遇兆曰：挾以銜骨，齒牙為猾，戎夏交拌，是交勝也。臣故云。且懼有口，擁民國私心焉。公曰：何口之有？口在寡人，寡人弗受。誰其興之？對日；苟可以攜其入也，必甘受逞，而不知胡可壅也。公弗聽，遂伐驪戎，克之，獲驪姬以歸，卒以亂國。若是者，卜獨有縣辭，而不及筮，則《國語》猶然也，辭與《左傳》尚未相遠也。

For example, when Duke Jin Xiangong divined about attacking the Li Rong, Shi Su judged that they would win but it would not be auspicious. Duke Jin Xiangong asked, "Why is that?" Shi Su replied, "The omen said, 'Clasping with bones in the mouth, the teeth are disturbed by it.' This means that although they may seize the enemy, they will be troubled by it. 'The Huaxia and the Rong people contend,' meaning that the Huaxia and the Rong will fight each other, alternating in victory. That is why I said so. Moreover, we should fear the emergence of slander, stirring up the people's hearts and giving rise to private intentions. Duke Jin Xiangong said, "Where would such slander come from? The mouth is mine, and if I do not accept it, who else could incite it?" Shi Su replied, "As long as there is an opportunity to sow discord, people will willingly be tempted by it, and then we will not know how to stop it." Duke Jin Xiangong did not listen, and thus attacked the Li Rong, conquered them, captured Li Ji, and brought her back, ultimately causing chaos in the state. This case involves only the divination oracle of the turtle shell, and has nothing to do with the yarrow stalks. The account in the Guoyu is also like this, with the wording not differing greatly from that in the Zuo Zhuan.

若《家語》謂孔子嘗自筮得《賁》卦，愀然有不平之色。子張進曰：卜者得《賁》卦，吉也；而夫子之不平，何也？子曰：以其離邪。在《周易》，山下有火，賁；非正色之卦也。夫質也者，黑白宜正焉。今得《賁》，非吾兆也。吾聞丹漆不文，白玉不雕，何也？質有餘，不受飾也。

According to the "Sayings of the Master Kong," Master Kong once cast the "Zhen" hexagram and his face turned very unhappy. Zi Zhang approached and asked: The "Zhen" hexagram is considered auspicious, yet the Master is not happy. Why? Master Kong said: Because it is "Li." In the "Zhou Changes," fire beneath the mountain is called "Zhen," but it is not a hexagram of pure color. What is meant by "quality" is that black should be black and white should be white, only then is it proper. Now, having obtained "Zhen," it is not what I desire. I have heard that vermilion does not need patterns and white jade does not need carving, why? Because the essence is already sufficient, and no further decoration is needed.

由今觀之，是可疑者。且既謂孔子自筮，何子張乃謂之卜？況其辭與《易》不類？《賁》之《象》曰：賁，柔來而文剛。分剛上而文柔，故小利有攸往。天文也；文明以止，人文也。觀乎天文，以察時變；觀乎人文，以化成天下。何夫子於《象》取其文，於筮獨尚其質？自相抵悟，遽至於此，愚故不敢以《家語》為信。

Based on what is seen today, this account is very doubtful. If it is said that Confucius himself performed the divination, why does Zi Zhang refer to him as '卜' (divination by oracle bones)? Moreover, this passage is inconsistent with the statements in The Zhou Changes. The Commentary on the Judgment of the Qian hexagram says: 'Bian' is when a yao of yin comes to adorn a yao of yang, and when the yang yao ascends to adorn the yin yao, thus slightly favorable for going forward, which is the heavenly aspect; civilized and knowing moderation, which is the human aspect. Observing the heavenly aspect allows one to understand the changes of the four seasons; observing the human aspect allows one to educate the world. Confucius in the Commentary on the Judgment takes its 'wen' (civilization), so why, when performing divination, does he instead emphasize 'zhi' (substance)? This contradiction has reached such a degree that I dare not take the Analects of Master Kung as reliable evidence.

至皿左氏於專筮而不卜，列於《傳》者尚多有之，不克枚舉，悉以《周易》之辭推之。《周易》獨行至今，人莫不審悉。自《家語》一事之外，卜之用龜兆，筮之用曹卦，斷斷乎未嘗自為紛札也。抑亦見《連山》、《歸藏》之與《周易》而為三，其經卦皆八，其別皆六十有四者，於《禮》為不誣。《連山》、《歸藏》，今莫之見，例此迦求猶彷佛一二，曷嘗如後之俗誘，然同謐習稱曹筮為卜卦哉？

As for the many instances in the Zuo Zhuan where only divination by yarrow stalks was used without oracle bone divination, they are too numerous to list, and all of them can be interpreted using the hexagram and line statements of the Zhou Yi. The Zhou Yi has been passed down alone to the present day, and everyone is familiar with it. Except for that one incident mentioned in the Jia Yu, divination by oracle bones always used turtle shells, and divination by yarrow stalks always used the hexagrams, and there was never any mixing of the two. From this we can see that the Lian Shan, Gui Cang, and Zhou Yi were all regarded as three separate systems, with "their basic trigrams all being eight, and their differentiated trigrams all being sixty-four." The records in the Zhou Li did not lie. The Lian Shan and Gui Cang are no longer available today, but by following this example, we can still glimpse a little of their appearance. How different this is from later popular views, which indiscriminately refer to both yarrow stalk divination and oracle bone divination as "divination by hexagrams."

說者謂《易經》由混於卜筮、占兆得兔秦火，固亦或者，然其謂太卜所掌經兆之體皆百二十，其頌皆千二百，乃無得見者，豈所謂占兆可脫於火者亦不免邪？

Some people say that the Yi Jing was able to escape the burning of the Qin dynasty's books because it was mixed in with divination and oracle books. This has some truth to it. But according to the Zhou Li, the Grand Diviner was in charge of 120 forms of oracle signs and 1,200 oracle verses. Yet none of these are now to be found. So did those supposed oracle books that were said to have escaped the Qin fire ultimately not survive at all?

昔漢文自代來，卜得大橫，《縣》曰：大橫庚庚，余為天王，夏啟以光。釋者謂大橫，龜之正橫是其體也。文帝有土之象，則卜兆漢初似尚存，而後世不傳，唯北齊高洋欲篡東魏，卜於李密，亦謂大橫，曰：漢文之兆也。愚意：密特諂洋以成其篡耳。焉可盡信哉？後世卜兆之書，沒沒不聞，多中何哉？嗟乎，合其體既三百六十，分其頌乃三千六百之富，宜乎其不存也。誠使其存，誰其及之哉？

In the past, Emperor Wen of Han, when he was brought from the State of Dai to the capital, received an omen of "Da Heng." The oracle text said: "Da Heng Geng Geng, I shall be the heavenly king, like Xia Qi who expanded his father's achievements." The omen of "Da Heng" refers to a horizontal pattern in the tortoise shell divination, indicating that Emperor Wen would rule as a king by virtue of the land. This shows that in the early Han dynasty, the oracle texts of divination were still in existence, though they were later lost. Only when Gao Yang of the Northern Qi dynasty sought to usurp the Eastern Wei, he consulted Li Mi and was told again of the "Da Heng" omen, which was said to be the same as that of Emperor Wen. In my opinion, Li Mi was merely flattering Gao Yang to help him gain power, so how can we fully believe it? Later writings on divination omens have been lost, so how can we rely on them to be accurate? Alas, the total number of divination patterns is 360, and the accompanying oracle texts amount to 3,600. Such a vast amount is naturally hard to preserve. Even if they were preserved, who could truly understand them?

何以明之？《連山》、《歸藏》世固罔然，唯《周易》一書，卦之少唯六十有四，爻之多止於三百八十有四，更三古四聖之所作述，今未云至精至變至於至神之用，至若經卦與其別者，以辭而已，雜然註釋者皆是也。及問其著筮之唯變所適者，則茫乎，實莫知其為何事。若是者尚欲與之語《易》，不亦難矣哉？愚因論卜筮之不可盤同，尚浩嘆及之。

What can be used to demonstrate this? Although the books of "Lianshan" and "Guicang" have long been lost, only the "Zhouyi" remains. Its number of hexagrams is as few as sixty-four, and its lines no more than three hundred and eighty-four. Yet it has passed through three ages: the ancient, the middle, and the recent. It has been created and explained by four sages: Fuxi, King Wen, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius. However, even up to today, we still cannot explain where its use lies, that it is "the most refined, the most changeable, and ultimately the most divine." As for the primary hexagrams and the derived ones, people talk only about the words, and all the commentaries are of this kind. If one asks how to actually perform the divination with yarrow stalks, "changing according to the situation," there is only confusion and no understanding of what it really is. How can one expect to discuss the "Zhouyi" with such people? It is indeed too difficult. I have spoken at length about the need to distinguish between divination and divination with yarrow stalks, and this is the result of my sigh.

聖人有以見天下之跡，而擬諸形容，象其物宜，是故謂之象。聖人有以見天下之動，而觀其會通，以行其典禮，擊辭焉以斷其吉凶，是故謂之爻。極天下之跡者存乎卦；鼓天下之動者存乎辭；化而裁之存乎變；推而行之存乎通。然則變而通所以盡利，通其變所以成文。八卦成列，而象在中；因而重之，而爻在中；剛柔相推，而變在中；繫辭命之，而動在中矣。八卦以象告，爻象以情言，變通以利言，吉凶以情遷。又曰：爻象動乎內，吉凶見乎外，功業見乎變，聖人之情見乎辭。

The sage has the ability to perceive the profound principles of the world and thus compares them to various forms and descriptions of what is appropriate, hence called "image" or "xiang." The sage also has the ability to observe the changes in the world and thus examines their convergence and interaction, using them to establish rituals and regulations, attaching words to judge fortune and misfortune, hence called "line" or "yao." The thorough understanding of the profound principles of the world lies in the hexagrams; the movement that drives the world's changes lies in the line statements. The transformation and adaptation of these principles lies in "change" or "bian," and their extension and application lies in "communication" or "tong." Thus, change leads to communication in order to fully realize benefits, and communication of change leads to the accomplishment of expression. The eight trigrams are arranged in sequence, and the images are contained within them; when they are combined in pairs, the six lines are contained within them; the interaction between strong and weak lines leads to change; attaching words to judge leads to the manifestation of intent. The eight trigrams use their images to reveal, and the line statements and line images express themselves according to actual circumstances. Change and communication are concerned with advantage and disadvantage, while fortune and misfortune shift according to actual circumstances. The "Great Treatise" also says: the line images are activated within the hexagram, while fortune and misfortune are revealed outside the hexagram, achievements are revealed through change, and the sage's intent is revealed through words.

既曰：鼓天下之動者存乎辭；繫辭而命之，動在其中。則又日繫辭焉以斷其吉凶，曰辨吉凶者存乎辭，則辭也者，《易》道之所必不得已也。是故《易》之為書，其道屢遷，變動不居，周流六虛，上下無常，剛柔相易，不可為典要，唯變所適。卦有小大，辭有險易；辭也者，各指其所之。

The Great Treatise says, "Those who stir up the movement of the world rely on words." It also says that the meaning of the previous text is connected through words to determine the outcome, and the motive lies within them. It further states, "Attach words to determine good and evil," and "The discernment of good and evil lies in words." This shows that "words" are an essential and unavoidable element in the Way of the Book of Changes. Therefore, the Book of Changes is a work whose principles constantly shift and change, moving endlessly through the six lines of each hexagram, fluctuating up and down without fixed position, with yin and yang alternating. It cannot be treated as a fixed doctrine, but must follow the movement of change. Hexagrams vary in size, and words vary in their danger or ease; the so-called "words" each point out the direction they are heading towards.

然則指其所之之之一字，特指其變動之所之適也；易，變易也，所以見天下之動，而鼓天下之動者，莫不於是乎觀。故《易》之筮，謂其爻變而動，而有所之適者，為某卦之某卦。今之謂辭指所之者，為之卦發也。韓康伯於此指所之之下無注。孔穎達疏曰：各指所之，謂爻卦之辭，各斥其爻卦之之適也。若之適於善，則其辭善；之適於惡，則其辭惡而已。夫以之之一字以訓適，非不然也。謂卦之變，爻之動，則未足以明其辭之所之也。

Therefore, the character "之" in the phrase "各指其所之" specifically refers to the destination toward which a line (yao) moves. "Easy" (易) means change, and it is used to reveal the changes in the world. The principle that moves the world to change is observed from this point. Therefore, the divination method of the Book of Changes (I Ching) states that whenever a particular line changes and moves, it is called "a certain hexagram changing into another hexagram." Today, when we say "辞各指其所之" (the statements refer to where they go), it is precisely referring to "the hexagram it goes to." Han Kangbo did not provide a commentary on the sentence "各指其所之." Kong Yingda, in his "Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes," explains that "各指所之" means that the line statements and hexagram statements each point out the place to which the line or hexagram moves; if the destination is good, the statement is auspicious; if the destination is evil, the statement is inauspicious. Using the character "之" to mean "to go to" is not wrong; however, it only explains up to the point where the hexagram changes and the line moves, and it is insufficient to fully explain where the "statement" (辞) actually points to.

請亦以《左傳》明之。陳敬仲之少也，周史有以《周易》見陳侯，陳侯使筮之，遇《觀》之《否》，乃《觀》之四爻，之《否》之四爻也。故史指《觀》之四爻之辭曰：觀國之光，利用賓于王。因以知其代陳有國也。晉文公之納王也，筮之，遇《大有》之《睽》，乃《大有》之三，之《睽》之三也。故卜偃指《大有》之三爻曰：吉，公用享于天子之卦也。戰克而王享，吉孰大焉？《大有》九三，《易》以享為亨，然亨本墾曰為享。

Let me still use the "Zuo Zhuan" to illustrate. When Chen Jingzhong was young, a Zhou dynasty historian brought the "Zhou Yi" to visit Chen Hou. Chen Hou asked him to perform a divination, and he obtained the "Guan" hexagram transforming into the "Pǐ" hexagram, meaning the fourth line of the "Guan" hexagram was activated and transformed into the fourth line of the "Pǐ" hexagram. Therefore, the historian pointed to the line statement of the sixth line in the fourth position of the "Guan" hexagram and said, "Observing the brilliance of the state, it is suitable to serve as a guest of the king." Thus he concluded that his descendants would replace the state of Chen and establish their own state. When Duke Wen of Jin escorted King Xiang of Zhou back to his capital, he performed a divination and obtained the "Da You" hexagram transforming into the "Kui" hexagram, meaning the third line of the "Da You" hexagram was activated and transformed into the third line of the "Kui" hexagram. Therefore, Bo Yan pointed to the line statement of the ninth line in the third position of the "Da You" hexagram and said, "It is auspicious, this is the hexagram of 'the ruler uses the ceremony to honor the Son of Heaven.' After a victorious battle, the Son of Heaven holds a banquet to honor the ruler, is there a greater auspiciousness than this?" The third line of the "Da You" hexagram in the "Zhou Yi" writes "xiang" as "heng," and "heng" is originally read as "xiang."

齊崔杼欲取棠公之螫東郭姜，筮之，遇《困》之《大過》，乃《困》之三，之《大過》之三也。史皆曰：吉。以示陳文子，故文子指《困》之三爻曰：夫從風，風隕妻，不可取也。且其《縣》曰：困于石，據于羨華，入于其宮，不見其妻，凶。且釋之曰：困于石，往不濟也。據于羨華，所恃傷也？入于其宮，不見其妻，凶；無所歸也。崔杼必取棠姜，終以亂而家遂滅。

Qi State's Cui Zhu wanted to marry Tang Gong's widow, Dong Guo Jiang. He consulted a divination, obtaining the hexagram "Goon" changing to "Da Guo," meaning the third line of "Goon" was activated and transformed into the third line of "Da Guo." The court historians all said it was auspicious. Cui Zhu showed it to Chen Wenzi, who pointed to the third line of "Goon" called "Liuxi" and said: "Xun represents the elder daughter and wind; wind blows away the wife, so this marriage should not be made." Moreover, the "Yao Ci" says: "Confined by stone, leaning on thornbushes, entering his house but not seeing his wife, misfortune." This means being blocked by stone signifies failure in endeavor; leaning on thornbushes means relying on something that harms oneself; entering the house without seeing the wife and suffering misfortune means having nowhere to return. Cui Zhu insisted on marrying Tang Jiang, and eventually his family was destroyed by internal strife.

叔孫穆子之生，莊叔以《周易》筮之，遇《明夷》之《謙》，乃《明夷》之初，之《謙》之初也。以示卜楚丘，曰：明而未融，其當旦乎。之謙當烏，故曰明夷于飛；明而未融，故日垂其翼；象汨之動，故日君子攸行；當三在旦，故曰三日不食。離為火，火焚山敗；於人為言，言敗為讒，故曰有攸往，主人有言，言必讒也。蓋《明夷》初爻辭也。其卒以堅牛之亂。筮占無一不驗者。

When Shu Sun Mu Zi was born, his father Zhuang叔 used the Zhou Yi to divinate. He obtained the hexagram Ming Yi changing into Qian, meaning the first line of Ming Yi was activated and transformed into the first line of Qian. He showed it to Bo Chu Qiú. Chu Qiú said: "The light has not yet become strong, perhaps it is just at the time when the sky is just beginning to brighten." The transformation of Ming Yi into Qian takes the image of a bird, hence the phrase "Ming Yi yu fei" (the light of Ming Yi is flying). The light is not yet strong, hence "chui qi yi" (its wings are hanging down). There is an image of the sun rising and moving, hence "jun zi yu xing" (the gentleman is on the move). It is at the third position, corresponding to the morning, hence "san ri bu shi" (three days without food). Li represents fire, and fire burning a mountain causes the mountain to collapse; in human affairs, this corresponds to speech, and when speech is ruined, it becomes slander. Hence, "you you wang, zhu ren you yan" (there is a direction to go, the master has words), and this "yan" (word) must be slander. All of this refers to the line statement of the first line of Ming Yi. Later, Shu Sun Mu Zi indeed died in the turmoil caused by Shu Niu. This shows that the divination with the yarrow stalks never fails to be accurate.

衛襄夫人無子，璧人惆始生孟摯，孔成子夢康叔謂己：立無，余使羈之孫圉，與史苟相之。史朝亦夢康叔謂己：余命而子苟與孔需鈕之曾孫圉相無。史朝見成子，而告之。夢協。韓宣子為政，聘於諸侯之歲，惆始生子，名之日無。孟摯之足不良能行。

The wife of Duke Xiang of Wei did not have a son, but his favorite concubine, Zhuiyai, gave birth to Mengzhi. Kong Chengzi had a dream in which the first ancestor of Wei, Kangshu, told him: "Establish 'Yuan' as the ruler, and I will have Ji's grandson Yu and Shi Gong assist him." Shi Chao also had a dream in which Kangshu told him: "I appoint your son Gong to assist Yuan together with Yu, the great-grandson of Kong Zhengchu." Shi Chao went to see Kong Chengzi and told him his dream. The two dreams were exactly the same. In the year when Han Xuanzi was in charge of Jin and the feudal lords came to pay homage, Zhuiyai indeed gave birth to a son, whom they named Yuan. Meanwhile, Mengzhi had a leg ailment and could not walk properly.

成子以《周易》筮之，曰：無尚享衛國，主其社稷。遇《屯》之《比》。又曰：余尚立摯，尚克嘉之。遇《屯》，以示史朝。朝曰：元亨，又何極焉？成子曰：非長之謂也。曰：康叔命之，可謂長矣。是以《縣》曰：利建侯。嗣吉，何建？建非嗣也。二卦皆云子其建之，康叔命之，二卦告之。筮襲於夢，武王所用也。蓋再遇《屯》卦辭，皆曰：元亨。而《屯》變於初，故之《比》。《屯》之初爻辭曰：盤桓，利居貞，利建侯。於是立無。

Kong Chengzi used the Zhou Yi to divinate. The oracle said: "May the first son be able to inherit the state of Wei and preside over its ancestral sacrifices." He obtained the hexagram Zun (Obstruction) changing into Bi (Union). Then he divined again, saying: "I wish to make Meng Zhi king, and may the spirits approve." This time he obtained the hexagram Zun without any changing lines. He showed it to Shi Chao, who said: The hexagram statement says "original and prosperous," is there anything higher than that? Kong Chengzi said: This "original" does not mean "longevity," does it? Shi Chao said: Since Kang叔 personally designated him, he is certainly "long." Therefore the line statement says "favorable for establishing a feudal lord." If the legitimate eldest son inheriting the throne is already auspicious, why does it say "establishing a feudal lord"? "Establishing" is not the same as inheriting. Both hexagrams say "you should establish him," and Kang叔 personally designated him, so both hexagrams indicate this. The divination result coincides with the dream, which is exactly the method used by King Wu of Zhou. Originally, both times he encountered the hexagram Zun, and both hexagram statements said "original and prosperous." In the second instance, the first line of Zun moved, so it changed into Bi. The line statement of the first line of Zun says: "Hesitating, favorable for staying firm and upright, favorable for establishing a feudal lord." Therefore, he was appointed as king.

南蒯之將叛也，枚筮之，遇《坤》之《比》，曰：黃裳，元吉。以為大吉。示子服惠伯曰：即欲有事，何如？惠伯曰：吾嘗學此矣，忠信之事則可，不然必敗。黃，中之色也；裳，下之飾也；無，善之長也。中不中，不得其色；下不共，不得其飾；事不善，不得其極。非此三者，不當。且夫《易》不可以占險。蓋由《坤》之五，之《比》之五也，故釋以《坤》五之辭也。南劇卒以叛至於亡。

When Nan Kuan intended to rebel, he consulted the oracle using a method called "mei shi" (divination without specifying the matter), and received the hexagram "Kun" transforming into "Bi". The line statement said, "Yellow garment, original good fortune." He thought it was a great auspicious omen. He then showed it to Zi Fu Hui Bo and asked, "If I intend to take some action, how is it?" Hui Bo replied, "I have studied this before. If it is an act of loyalty and trustworthiness, it will be good; otherwise, it will certainly fail. 'Yellow' is the color of the center; 'garment' is the clothing of the lower part; 'original' is the beginning of all good things. If one's mind does not conform to the middle path, he is not worthy of the color 'yellow'; if one resides in the lower position but is not respectful and obedient, he is not worthy of the garment; if the matter he undertakes is not good, he is not worthy of the term 'original'. If none of these three are present, he is not worthy of this line statement. Moreover, the Book of Changes is not suitable for divining dangerous schemes. This line is the fifth line of the hexagram 'Kun' transforming into the fifth line of the hexagram 'Bi', so the line statement of the fifth line of 'Kun' is used to explain it. Nan Kuan eventually rebelled and fled.

故嘗例乎是數者，而夷考之《傳》，至皿尚多有之，皆以所之之卦、所動之爻言之。夫之卦也者，占變之事也。《易》有聖人之道，則謂以動者尚其變，以筮者尚其占，故通變之謂事，極數知來之謂占，占事則有之卦也。抑古之學《易》者，不惟占也。君子所居而安者，《易》之序也；所樂而玩者，爻之辭也。居則觀其象而玩其辭，動則觀其變而玩其占，不惟占則有之卦也。凡說諸心，研諸慮，事會所適，言意所致，引伸觸類，亦未始不用之卦也。

Therefore, I have taken these examples as a model and carefully examined them in the "Zuo Zhuan," finding that there are many such records. They all rely on the transformed hexagram and the activated line to make their statements. The so-called "zhi gua" refers to the act of divination through transformation. The "Yi" contains four principles of the sage's way, which include "those who act according to movement should value transformation, and those who use divination should value the interpretation." Thus, "to understand change is to understand the way of affairs, and to know the future through numbers is to be a diviner." Since divination is based on transformation, the concept of "zhi gua" arises. However, ancient scholars studied the "Yi" not merely for divination. The gentleman in peace and comfort follows the order of the hexagrams, and delights in the words of each line. In quietude, he observes the hexagram's image and contemplates its statement; when taking action, he observes the changing lines and contemplates the interpretation. Thus, even without being solely for divination, the concept of "zhi gua" is still useful. Whenever there is a mental satisfaction or a thoughtful inquiry, when events align and words and intentions reach their point, by analogy and extension, the concept of "zhi gua" is also applicable.

楚子圍鄭，克之。晉師救鄭，荀桓子聞鄭，及楚平欲還，曰：無及於鄭而剿民，焉用之？隨武子曰：善。贏季不可，以中軍佐濟。知莊子曰：此師殆哉。《周易》有之，在《師》之《臨》網，曰：師出以律；否臧，凶。指《師》之初，之《臨》之初也。鄭游吉至自楚，告子展曰：楚子將死矣。不修政德，而貪昧於諸侯，以逞其願，欲久得乎？在《復》之頤，曰：迷復，凶。其楚子之謂乎？指《復》之上，之《頤》之上也。

King Chu Zhuangwang besieged and captured the State of Zheng. The army of Jin came to rescue Zheng. The commander-in-chief, Xun Linfu, heard that Zheng had already made peace with Chu, and wanted to withdraw, saying: It is too late to save Zheng, and we would only weary the people, why should we do it? Su Wuzi said: Good. First Hu did not agree, and led the troops of the deputy commander of the middle army across the river. Zhi Zhuangzi said: This army is in danger. The Zhou Changes say: In the hexagram of "Military" changing into "Approaching", it says: "The army goes out in order, if it is disorderly, it will be ominous." This refers to the first line of the hexagram of "Military" moving to become the first line of the hexagram of "Approaching." Zheng Youji returned from Chu and told Zi Zhan: King Chu is about to die. He does not cultivate virtue and righteousness, but seeks the homage of the feudal lords to satisfy his own desires, how can he last long? This is what the hexagram of "Returning" changing into "Nourishing" says: "Returning in confusion, ominous." This is probably referring to King Chu. This refers to the top line of the hexagram of "Returning" moving to become the top line of the hexagram of "Nourishing."

鄭公子曼滿與王子伯廖語，欲為卿。伯廖告人曰：無德而貪，其在《周易》《豐》之《離》，弗過之矣。至皿指《豐》之上，之《離》之上也。其辭曰：豐其屋，部其家，閥其戶，板其無人，三歲不覬，凶也。閒一歲，鄭人果殺之。若是三者，尚不過舉其卦之一爻之所之之為然也。

Zheng's nobleman Man Man told Prince Bo Liao that he wished to become a minister. Bo Liao told others that without virtue yet seeking high position, this exactly matches the statement in the "Zhou Yi" "Feng" hexagram's "Li" line. He could not escape this fate. This refers to the top line of the "Feng" hexagram moving to become the top line of the "Li" hexagram. Its line statement says: "Make the house large, cover the family with mats, peer through the door, and find it empty and quiet, three years without seeing anyone, misfortune." A year later, the people of Zheng indeed killed him. These three points are merely examples of a single line changing within a hexagram.

至於蔡墨對魏獻子之問龍見絳郊，則直曰：《周易》有之，在《乾》之《姤，曰：潛龍勿用。其《同人》，曰：見龍在田。其《大有》，曰：飛龍在天。其《夬》，曰：亢龍有悔。其《坤》，曰：見草龍無首，吉。《坤》之《剝》曰：龍戰于野。此雖於象龍、真龍之事，有不容於理討，然其所舉《乾》、《坤》之爻凡六，必皆互以《乾》、《坤》反覆相之爻辭，以相校而明其所之者，謂全《易》之卦六十有四，其爻三百八十有四，變之所之，率由是道也。是足以迦明《易大傳》之辭也者，各指其所之者，非為它設也，為之卦設也。

As for Cai Mo's answer to Wei Xianzi's question about "a dragon appearing outside the capital city of Jiangdu," he directly said that the Zhou Changes contain such statements: in the fourth line of the Qian hexagram, it says "the dragon remains hidden and should not be used"; in the fourth line of the Tongren hexagram, it says "the dragon appears in the fields"; in the fourth line of the Dayyou hexagram, it says "the dragon soars in the sky"; in the fourth line of the Guai hexagram, it says "the dragon reaches its peak and regrets it"; in the fourth line of the Kun hexagram, it says "a group of dragons appear without a leader, which is auspicious"; and in the fourth line of the Bao hexagram, it says "dragons fight in the fields." Here, he is talking about the symbolic dragon and the real dragon. Although there are some parts that are hard to understand, the six lines of the Qian and Kun hexagrams he cited all necessarily use the line statements of the Qian and Kun hexagrams changing back and forth to correspond with each other, in order to explain where each line changes to. This shows that all sixty-four hexagrams and 384 lines in the entire Zhou Changes follow this method of change. This is sufficient to prove that the statement in the Xici Zhuan, "the statements refer to where they go," is not for other matters, but specifically for "the changing hexagram."

是固所以見天下之動，而觀其會通，以行其典禮，斷其吉凶；化而裁之，推而行之，唯變所適也。變之所適，之卦之謂也。故曰：爻象動乎內，吉凶見乎外，功業見乎變，聖人之情見乎辭。卦有小大，辭有險易；辭也者，各指其所之。學者因之，以是審於觀變以立卦，倚數以生爻，極深乎至精，研幾乎至變，以至於至神，和順於道德而理於義，窮理盡性以至於命，胸中包有全《易》之體用，其斯至矣。

This is precisely how one discerns the changes in the world, observes their convergence and interconnection, and uses them to establish rituals and laws, and to judge auspiciousness and misfortune. By transforming and applying them, one follows the changes wherever they go. The movement of change is called "the moving hexagram." Therefore, the lines of a hexagram are activated within the hexagram, while auspiciousness and misfortune manifest outside of it. Achievements are revealed through change, and the mind of the sage is expressed through words. Hexagrams vary in size, and the words vary in difficulty and ease. The "words" each point out the direction they are heading towards. Those who study the I Ching follow this principle, using it to carefully "observe changes to establish hexagrams and rely on numbers to generate lines." They delve deeply into the most refined aspects, investigate subtle changes to the utmost, and ultimately reach the most divine. They harmonize with morality and organize according to principles, exhaust physical laws, fully reveal human nature, and thus reach the understanding of heavenly mandate. Having fully encompassed the essence and application of the Zhou Changes within their hearts, they have truly mastered it.

易筮通變卷上竟

The Comprehending Change in Yarrow Divination, Volume One, the chapters "Divination" and "The Hexagram" come to an end here.

『亦』，四庫本作『一』。『土』，四庫本誤作『主』。『車敗』，四庫本作『軍敗』。『弧』，原作『張』，據四庫本改。『禮』，四庫本作『體』。『俗誘』，四庫本作『俗群』。『尚』，四庫本作『嘗』。『立』，原作『玄』，據四庫本改。『之』，據其文義例補。

These are nine collation notes for this section, indicating variations between the original text of the "Zhengtong Daozang" and the Siku Quanshu edition. In the main text, the character "亦" is in the Siku Quanshu edition as "一"; the character "土" is mistakenly written as "主" in the Siku Quanshu edition; "车败" is written as "军败" in the Siku Quanshu edition; the character "弧" was originally "张" in the original text but is corrected to "弧" according to the Siku Quanshu edition; the character "礼" is written as "体" in the Siku Quanshu edition; "俗诱" is written as "俗群" in the Siku Quanshu edition; the character "尚" is written as "尝" in the Siku Quanshu edition; the character "立" was originally "玄" in the original text but is corrected to "立" according to the Siku Quanshu edition; the character "之" is added according to the meaning and style of the context.

臨川道士雷思齊學

This volume still bears the name of the Daoist priest Lei Siqi of Linchuan, indicating that the essay titled "Jiu Liu" within is also the personal interpretation of this Yuan dynasty Daoist from Fuzhou.

《易》始於陰陽之畫，而陽之畫而為奇，陰之畫而為耦。由乾之畫，分而為震、為坎、為艮卦之奇；坤之，分而為巽、為離、為兌三卦之耦，故曰：陽卦奇，陰卦耦；陽卦多陰，陰卦多陽。雖奇耦少多若可數計，而未始謂為九，為六也。聖人之作《易》，觀變於陰陽而立卦，則天之道曰陰與陽；發揮於剛柔而生爻，則地之道日柔與剛，故《易》六畫而成卦，分陰分陽，迭用柔剛，六位而成章。其日畫日位者，是所謂卦爻也。豈嘗有九、六之分哉？

The Zhou Changes begin with the two types of lines called yao, which are yin and yang. The yang line is called "qi," and the yin line is called "ou." From the Qian hexagram, which is entirely yang, three hexagrams—Zhen, Kan, and Gen—branch out, each containing one yang line. From the Kun hexagram, which is entirely yin, three hexagrams—Xun, Li, and Dui—branch out, each containing one yin line. Therefore, yang hexagrams are mainly composed of qi, and yin hexagrams are mainly composed of ou. Although the number of qi and ou can be counted, they have never been called "nine" and "six." The sage created the Zhou Changes, "observing changes in yin and yang to establish hexagrams," and the way of heaven is called yin and yang. "Expanding through strength and flexibility to produce yao," and the way of earth is called flexibility and strength. Therefore, the Zhou Changes use six lines to form a hexagram, distinguishing between yin and yang positions, alternating the use of flexible and strong lines, forming the structure of the six yao. Here, the term "line" and "position" refer to the usual hexagram and yao. How could there ever be a distinction between "nine" and "six"?

由重乾卦之畫之位，皆陽奇之爻，而爻辭上必係以九，且有用九之例；重坤卦之畫之位，皆陰耦之爻，而爻辭上必係以六，且有用六之例。而凡卦之爻，莫不各繫以九且六，學者積於所見所聞之成習，以此誠為九、六也。從而九、六之無復討其所以然者，竊自異之。

This is because the six lines of the Qian hexagram are all yang lines, so the line statements all begin with the character 'nine' (九), and there is also a general rule called 'use of nine' (用九). Similarly, the six lines of the Kun hexagram are all yin lines, so the line statements all begin with the character 'six' (六), and there is also a general rule called 'use of six' (用六). For the lines of all other hexagrams, they are also marked with either 'nine' or 'six' accordingly. Those who study the Book of Changes become accustomed to this over time and, after a long period, mistakenly believe that the lines themselves should be called 'nine' or 'six'. From then on, they no longer inquire into the origin of 'nine' and 'six'. I personally find this quite strange.

夫九、六，數也。《大傳》曰：極數知來之謂占，通變之謂事。蓋九‘、六也者，占變之事也。始乎參伍以變，錯綜其數。天數五，地數五，天數二十有五，地數三十，凡天地之數五十有五，所以成變化而行鬼神者，未嘗即謂其九、六也。由天數謂一、三、五、七、九，而後知其積為二十有五；地數謂二、四、六、八、十，而後知其積為三十。

In fact, both "nine" and "six" are numbers. The Great Treatise says: "To know the future by means of numbers is called divination; to understand change is called affairs." This shows that nine and six are the numbers used in the matter of "change" in divination. It begins with "three and five combined to produce change, and their numbers are interwoven." The numbers of Heaven are one, three, five, seven, and nine, totaling twenty-five. The numbers of Earth are two, four, six, eight, and ten, totaling thirty. The total of Heaven and Earth's numbers is fifty-five, which is the basis for producing change and acting upon spirits. However, they are not directly called nine and six here. First, one must know that the numbers of Heaven are one, three, five, seven, and nine, then one understands that they add up to twenty-five. First, one must know that the numbers of Earth are two, four, six, eight, and ten, then one understands that they add up to thirty.

由五位相得而各有合，乃以五已前為生數，五已後為成數，而一合六謂水，二合七謂金，三合八謂木，四合九謂火，五合十虛謂土，是九、六盤見其問，而未著所以用也。五位已前，其體數；五位已後，其用數也。體之生數，以天一、天三、天五參之而九，地二、地四兩之而六，參天兩地而倚數，參參而九，參兩而六，於是九、六特啟其用也。

The concept of "five positions interacting and each having its corresponding combination" divides the numbers before five as "birth numbers" and those after five as "formed numbers." One combines with six to represent water, two with seven for metal (though according to the usual sequence of the Five Phases, it should be fire), three with eight for wood, four with nine for fire (though according to the usual sequence, it should be metal), and five with ten for earth. Nine and six appear mixed within this sequence but have not yet shown their function. The numbers before the five positions are called "body numbers," and those after are called "function numbers." In terms of the fundamental birth numbers, taking the three heavenly numbers: Tian Yi (Heavenly One), Tian San (Heavenly Three), and Tian Wu (Heavenly Five), and combining them gives nine. Taking the two earthly numbers: Di Er (Earthly Two) and Di Si (Earthly Four), and combining them gives six. This is called "three from heaven and two from earth to form the numbers" — three threes add up to nine, and three twos add up to six. It is at this point that nine and six begin to show their function.

故以一四而伍，二三而五。五因兼而五，是參伍之始變；而以一伍五而六，二伍五而七，三伍五而八，四伍五而九，五虛伍而十，因以五兼十而十五，七兼八而十五，九兼六而十五，是所謂參伍以變，錯綜其數者也。凡九、六、七、八之數，均得以地數之成，而成其天數之生也者，是所謂成象也。是一五而六為老陰，二五而七為少陽，三五而八為少陰，四五而九為老陽，是九、六、七、八皇相變為用也。

Therefore, one combines with the four ministers to form five, two combines with three to form five, and five itself combines with itself to form five. This is the first transformation of "San Wu." Then take five to combine with each number: one combines with five to make six, two combines with five to make seven, three combines with five to make eight, four combines with five to make nine, and five (the empty position) combines with five to make ten. Thus five and ten combine to form fifteen, seven and eight combine to form fifteen, and nine and six also combine to form fifteen. This is called "San Wu yi bian, cuo zong qi shu." The numbers nine, six, seven, and eight are all achieved through the "cheng shu" of earth to complete the "sheng shu" of heaven, which is called "cheng xiang." Thus, one plus five makes six, which is old yin; two plus five makes seven, which is young yang; three plus five makes eight, which is young yin; and four plus five makes nine, which is old yang. The numbers nine, six, seven, and eight then transform and interact with each other.

世雖知陰陽之少者不變，老者則變。而習見於《易》全書之畫，凡卦之爻，奇之陽，其下分繫以九；耦之陰，其下分繫以六，而不知之畫寔七，之畫寔皇八也。

People know that among yin and yang, the "few" remains unchanged while the "old" changes. However, having become accustomed to the way the entire Zhou Changes is written—where all yang lines are marked with "nine" and all yin lines with "six"—they do not realize that the static yang line drawn actually represents seven, and the static yin line drawn actually represents eight.

何以明之？《易》，變易也；極數知來之謂占，通變之謂事。謂其占變之事，具蝶曹法，四營而成《易》，十有八變而成卦。每三變而積為一爻，以四與八為奇耦。而每三變各得一、四、二、八，則象震，象坎，象艮，則皆畫為之奇。每三變各得一、八、二、四，則象巽，象離，象兌，則皆畫為之耦。

What can prove that "Yi" means change? "Change is the essence of Yi; knowing the future through the extremes of numbers is called divination, and understanding change is called affairs." This refers precisely to the practice of divination through change, which is realized through the method of divining with yarrow stalks: "Four operations form Yi, and eighteen changes form a hexagram." Each set of three changes forms a line, using four and eight to distinguish odd and even. If the three changes result in one four and two eights, they are taken as the images of Zhen, Kan, and Gen, and are drawn as a yang line. If the three changes result in one eight and two fours, they are taken as the images of Xun, Li, and Dui, and are drawn as a yin line.

蓋寓陰陽相索為六子之意，以三變皆得四，始畫為，以象乾；三變皆得八，始畫為，以象坤。凡一、四、二、八之積為一之定畫，是謂七；一、八、二、四之積為之定畫，是謂八，此兩者其不變者也。惟三變純四，謂陽奇之極，為之動爻，是謂九；三變純八，謂陰耦之極，為之動爻，是謂六；此兩者皆其變者也。

This passage contains the meaning of the interaction between Heaven and Earth leading to the six sons' hexagrams. If all three transformations result in four, then a yang line is drawn to represent Heaven (Qian); if all three result in eight, then a yin line is drawn to represent Earth (Kun). Any fixed line formed by one four and two eights is called 'seven'; any fixed line formed by one eight and two fours is called 'eight'—these two remain unchanged. Only when all three transformations are four, it is called yang extreme, forming a moving line called 'nine'; and when all three are eight, it is called yin extreme, forming a moving line called 'six'—these two are subject to change.

凡奇耦之定畫，所以悉列於各卦之首者，不取其動，而專以標剛柔之體，不變而畫為定卦。至一九六之變爻，雜然交寓於各卦之內者，不列於畫，而專以寄陰陽之用，適變以動而為之卦，而乃所以著其用九、用六者也。

All fixed lines, whether odd or even, are listed on the hexagrams because their focus is not on movement but on indicating the fundamental nature of yin and yang, which remains unchanged and forms a fixed hexagram. However, the lines marked as nine and six, which are changing lines, are scattered within the hexagrams and are not included in the hexagram diagram. Instead, they are used specifically to express the function of yin and yang, which act in accordance with change and thus produce the changing hexagrams. This is why the hexagrams Qian and Kun specifically mention "use of nine" and "use of six."

《乾鑿度》曰：陽動而進，陰動而退。故陽以七，陰以八為象；陽變七之九，陰變八之六也。晁說之以道曰：古者畫卦之奇耦為陰陽，而卦爻但有六位，而未有七、八之名，因搽曹衍《易》，以老陽之變九、老陰之變六、少陽之變七、少陰之變八。《周易》之七、八，即古之奇耦也。《易》筮之九、六見於卦文則變焉如六位皆九，即《乾》之《坤》；六位皆六，即《坤》之《乾》也。此則用九用六之例，足以明與。今我所見，皇同然也。

The Yi Wei · Gan Zao Du says: When yang moves, it advances; when yin moves, it retreats. Therefore, yang is fixed with seven and yin with eight as their symbolic numbers. When yang changes once, seven becomes nine; when yin changes once, eight becomes six. Zhao Shuo Zhi (with the style name Yidao) says: Ancients drew the hexagrams by distinguishing yin and yang through odd and even numbers, and the hexagrams have only six lines, without the names seven or eight. Later, because of the method of divining with yarrow stalks, there came the idea that old yang becomes nine, old yin becomes six, young yang becomes seven, and young yin becomes eight. The numbers seven and eight in the Zhou Yi are the odd and even numbers mentioned by ancients. The numbers nine and six appearing on the hexagram lines are for change: if all six lines are nine, it becomes the hexagram Qian transforming into Kun; if all six lines are six, it becomes the hexagram Kun transforming into Qian. This is the general rule of 'using nine' and 'using six,' which clearly explains the principle. What I see today is exactly the same as his view.

今之《左傳》之所紀，復有可以相明，而且有不得不究其所注之失者。魯穆姜薨於東宮。始往而筮之，遇《艮》之八也。史曰：是謂《艮》之《隨》。隨其出君必速出。

The events recorded in the present version of the Zuo Zhuan have further corroboration, and some of the old annotations contain errors that must be examined. Duke Mu Jiang of Lu died in the Eastern Palace. When she was moved to the Eastern Palace, she had a divination and obtained the hexagram "Gen" changing to "Suí." The historian said: This is called "Gen" changing to "Suí"; "Suí" means to go away, so you will certainly leave quickly.

姜曰：亡。是於《周易》曰：《隨》，元、亨、利、貞，無咎。元，體之長也；亨，嘉之會也；利，義貞，事之乾也。體仁足以長人，嘉會足以合禮，利物足以和義，固足以乾事。然固不可誣也，是以雖《隨》無咎。今我婦人而與於亂，不可謂無；不靖國家，不可謂亨；作為害身，不可謂利；棄位而姣，不可謂貞。有四德者，《隨》而無咎。我皆無之，豈《隨》也哉？我則取惡，不可作而害，能無咎乎？必死是宮，不得出矣。

Mu Jiang said: No, that is not the case. This passage is from the "Zhou Changes": "The hexagram of Following, has the virtues of originality, prosperity, benefit, and constancy, without blame." Originality refers to the head of the body; prosperity refers to the gathering of beauty; benefit refers to the harmony of righteousness; constancy refers to the backbone of doing things. To take benevolence as the foundation, is sufficient to be the leader of the people; the gathering of beauty is sufficient to conform to propriety; to allow all things to obtain their benefits, is sufficient to harmonize with righteousness; to maintain firm constancy, is sufficient to accomplish things. These four virtues cannot be falsely claimed, so possessing them allows one to "follow without blame" — even though one follows the times, there will be no fault. Now, I, a woman, have participated in the turmoil, occupying a low position without benevolence, so I cannot be called "originality"; I have failed to bring peace to the country, so I cannot be called "prosperity"; my actions have harmed myself, so I cannot be called "benefit"; abandoning the position I should hold and engaging in licentiousness, I cannot be called "constancy." Only those who possess these four virtues are worthy of "following without blame." Since I lack all four, how can I be worthy of the hexagram of Following? I have brought upon myself evil, causing harm to both others and myself, how can I have no fault? I must surely die in this palace and will not be able to leave.

故嘗因是《艮》之八之筮，尤有以審七、八之定畫，不為九、六之動爻，而注則誤矣。《周禮》大卜掌三《易》以行九筮，則日《連山》、《歸藏》、《周易》，謂其經卦皆八，其別皆六十有四。是《易》雖三名，筮則同一法也。其以七、八為卦畫之體，以九六為卦爻之用，是以謂《艮》之八也。

Therefore, I once used this example of divination with the hexagram 「Gèn (Mountain) No. 8」 to clearly see that the lines seven and eight are fixed and do not move, and cannot be treated as the moving lines nine and six. The old annotations were entirely wrong. The Classic of Rites says that the Grand Diviner is in charge of three books of the I Ching to perform nine kinds of divination methods, namely the Lianshan, Guicang, and Zhouyi. It says that all three have eight primary trigrams and sixty-four compound hexagrams. This shows that although the I Ching has three names, the method of divination is the same. It uses the lines seven and eight as the 「body」 of the hexagram, and the lines nine and six as the 「use」 of the hexagram. Hence, there is a saying like 「Gèn (Mountain) No. 8」.

《艮》之變其初之《賁》三之《剝》四之《旅》，五之《漸》，上則之《謙》，趨明其筮是《艮》之一卦，凡六爻而爻之變者已。凡五卦之之者，亦五矣。史雜而視之，無所適從於斷也。惟二爻之陰耦無所變，無所之爾，故覆而斷之以《艮》之《隨》也。且即稽其筮而曰：《隨》其出也，君必速出。姜則自審，無以當此卦之德也。因謂是於《周易》曰：《隨》，元、亨、利、貞，無咎。就申其釋之者，如上云耳。曷嘗引《連山》、《歸藏》二《易》，而且有所更筮哉？

This hexagram's transformation is: The first line of the hexagram "Gen" (Mountain) changes to "Ben" (Beauty), the third line changes to "Bo" (Splitting), the fourth line changes to "Lv" (Travel), the fifth line changes to "Jian" (Gradual Progress), and the top line changes to "Qian" (Humility). This indicates that the original hexagram was "Gen," and among its six lines, five have moved and transformed, resulting in five transformed hexagrams. The historian mixed these five hexagrams together and found himself at a loss, unable to make a decision. Only the second line remained as a yin line without transformation, and thus he returned to the original hexagram "Gen" and used "Gen" changing to "Sui" (Following) to make his judgment. Furthermore, based on this divination, "Sui" signifies going out, so he concluded that the person would certainly go out soon. Mu Jiang herself considered whether she was worthy of the four virtues of the hexagram "Sui," and then she explained the meaning of the text in the "Zhou Yi" which says, "Sui: Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen, Wu Jiu." She then elaborated on the previous reasoning. How could she have quoted the "Lianshan" and "Guicang," the other two "Yi" systems, or have divined again?

杜氏不明《周易》之筮，耦之畫本只謂八，乃妄指二《易》以七、八為占，且又謂史疑占《易》遇八為不利，更以《周易》占變爻而論之，何其誤也。由今竅之，則七、八之為卦體之成畫，而不名九、六，不亦明矣哉？

Du Yu did not understand the method of divination in the Zhou Yi, and did not know that the fixed lines of yin and yang are originally called "eight," yet he mistakenly claimed that the use of the Lianshan and Guicang Yi was involved in divination with numbers seven and eight. He also said that the officials doubted that encountering the number "eight" in divination with the Yi was inauspicious, and tried to explain it using the method of changing lines from the Zhou Yi, how wrong he was! From today's perspective, the numbers seven and eight are fixed lines of the hexagram, originally not called nine or six, isn't this very clear?

《國語》晉公子重耳筮尚有晉國。得貞《屯》悔《豫》，皆八。韋昭注：震在《屯》之內卦，兩陰爻不動；震在《豫》之外卦，兩陰爻亦不動，故曰皆八。是其征也。董因又筮之，得《泰》之八，昭又注：《泰》，無動爻，陰爻不動，其數皆八，則為耦畫之不動者皆為八。又其征也。

The Guoyu records that Jin公子 Chong'er consulted a divination to inquire whether he could obtain the state of Jin. The result was "Zhen 'Zun' Hui 'Yu', all eight"—the primary hexagram was 'Zun', the following hexagram was 'Yu', and all were eight. Wei Zhao made a commentary saying: the Zhen trigram is the inner trigram of 'Zun', and its two yin lines are unmoving; the Zhen trigram is the outer trigram of 'Yu', and its two yin lines are also unmoving. Therefore, it is said "all eight." This is a clear evidence. Later, Dong Yin also consulted a divination for him, obtaining "Tai 'eight'". Wei Zhao again commented saying: the Tai hexagram has no moving lines, the yin lines are unmoving, and their numbers are all eight. This shows clearly that any yin lines that are unmoving are universally referred to as eight. This is another clear evidence.

由耦之畫不動者皆為八，則奇之畫不動者皆為七，校然明甚矣。今《易》之全書，不見七、八，而唯見九、六，學者冥視其用九、用六之文承誤於九、六之分，而未明九、六之例所以用者，其盤如前所論為之卦設也。合《左傳》凡云某卦之某卦者，皆以爻之動，而變者指其所之云爾。所謂唯變所適也，以筮者尚其占，以動者尚其變；爻也者，言乎其變者也。聖人有以見天下之動，而觀其會通，以行其典禮，繫辭焉以斷其吉凶，是故謂之爻。言天下之動而不可亂，故曰：六爻之義易以貢也。

Since the fixed lines of the yin couples are all eight when they do not move, the fixed lines of the yang odd numbers are all seven when they do not move. The reasoning is clear. Now, in the entire text of The Zhou Changes, one does not see the numbers seven and eight, but only nine and six. Scholars have been confused about the words "use nine" and "use six," continuing the mistake of "yao divided into nine and six," without understanding where exactly the general rule of nine and six is applied. In fact, as discussed earlier, this rule is specifically for the "resulting hexagram." Looking at the Zuo Zhuan, whenever it mentions "a hexagram changing into another hexagram," it refers to the movement and change of the yao, indicating where it is going. This is called "changing to adapt": "those who use divination focus on the divination, and those who use movement focus on the change." The term "yao" refers precisely to change. The sage has the ability to observe the changes in the world, examine their convergence and connection, and use them to implement rituals and regulations, attaching words to determine fortune and misfortune. Therefore, it is called "yao." Discussing the changes in the world without confusion, this is why it is said, "the meaning of the six yao is easily presented through change." The meaning of the six yao lies in using change to inform people.

以是研之，定爻之，固自七、八。而於其動，則七乃進為九，而含陰；八乃退而六，而含陽也。《傳》於占之變卦之爻，固悉如前之卦之說，而於蔡墨之答魏獻子之問龍，尤曉然著白也。曰：《周易》有之，在《乾》之《姤》，曰：潛龍勿用。其《同人》曰；見龍在田。其《大有》曰：飛龍在天。其《夬》曰：亢龍有悔。其《坤》曰：見覃龍無首，吉。《坤》之《剝》曰：龍戰于野。

Following this principle to study the hexagrams, the fixed lines are originally seven and eight; once they move, seven becomes nine and contains yin, while eight becomes six and contains yang. The "Zuo Zhuan" explains the changing lines of hexagrams, which are entirely consistent with the previous "original hexagram" statements. In particular, Cai Mo's answer to Wei Xianzi's question about dragons is especially clear and explicit. He said that the "Zhou Yi" contains such statements: in the hexagram "Qian" changing to "Gou," it says "the dragon remains hidden and should not be used"; in the hexagram "Qian" changing to "Tong Ren," it says "the dragon appears in the field"; in the hexagram "Qian" changing to "Da You," it says "the dragon soars in the sky"; in the hexagram "Qian" changing to "Gua," it says "the dragon reaches its peak and incurs regret"; in the hexagram "Qian" changing to "Kun," it says "a group of dragons appears without a leader, which is auspicious"; and in the hexagram "Kun" changing to "Po," it says "dragons fight in the fields."

則足以見七八之動而變，始得謂九且六也。不然，則《乾》之諸爻謂九者，其辭分配固如潛龍勿用等雲；而《坤》之上六，其辭固雲龍戰于野。又何必枚舉《乾》之《姤》、《坤》之《剝》等卦，然後始稱其本爻九、六之下文以為所之之辭，而申見其例也哉？

From this we can see that only when the seventh and eighth lines are activated and transformed can they be called the ninth and sixth. Otherwise, since all the lines of the Qian hexagram are called 'nine,' their line statements are originally different ones such as 'the dragon remains hidden and should not be used,' and the line statement of the sixth line of the Kun hexagram is originally 'the dragon fights in the fields.' Then why would Cai Mo list one by one the hexagrams transformed from Qian's Gou and Kun's Po, and then quote the statements under the ninth and sixth lines as the statements of the transformed hexagrams, in order to explain this general rule?

況《乾》卦於用九之下文曰：見旱龍無首，吉。而墨乃特謂之《坤》，然後釋之方如所云。則凡用九為爻之變畫，例此不約而合，尤未深切著明，可以不言而信矣。其所以每爻先引之卦，而始徵以其辭者，以見七之變，進而始為九、八之變，退而始為六也。由是以夷考於《傳》，凡所舉之卦之辭，則見每爻之為九為六者，必待七、八之動，而變乃然也。

Moreover, the text under "Use of Nine" in the Qian hexagram clearly states "Seeing a group of dragons without a leader, it is auspicious." However, Cai Mo insists on interpreting it as Qian combined with Kun. Then he proceeds to explain it in the manner mentioned above. This shows that all instances of "Use of Nine" refer to the changing lines of the hexagram. Following this example, there is no need for prior agreement; the meaning naturally aligns, making the reasoning even more profound and clear. It is unnecessary to elaborate further to convince people. The reason why he first mentions the changing hexagram for each line and then cites its text as evidence is to demonstrate that seven changes make it nine, and eight changes make it six. Based on this, if we carefully examine the examples in the Zuo Zhuan, we can see that whenever a hexagram is cited, the reason why a line is called nine or six is because it must wait for seven or eight changes to occur before it becomes so.