Volume Six · Middle · Things That Move, Grow, Fly and Run

鷹鵰之類食生，而雞之類不專食生。虎豹之類食生，而貓犬之類食生又食穀，以類推之，從可知矣。馬牛皆陰類，細分之則馬為陽而牛為陰。飛之類喜風而敏於飛上，走之類喜土而利於走下。禽蟲之卵，果穀之類也，穀之類多子，蟲之類亦然。蠶之類，今歲蛾而子，來歲則子而蠶。蕪菁之類，今歲根而苗，來歲則苗而子，此皆一歲之物也。

Eagles and kites eat only live creatures, while chickens do not exclusively eat live creatures. Tigers and leopards eat only live creatures, while cats and dogs eat both live creatures and grains. By following this method of classification, the rest can be understood similarly. Horses and cattle belong to the yin category; when further divided, horses belong to the yang category while cattle belong to the yin category. Those that can fly prefer wind and are good at flying upwards; those that can walk prefer earth and are good at moving downwards. The eggs produced by birds and insects correspond to the fruits and grains of plants; grains produce many seeds, and insects also produce many offspring. For example, silkworms: this year they are moths that lay eggs, and next year the eggs become silkworms; turnips: this year they grow shoots from their roots, and next year the shoots produce seeds. These are all examples of creatures that complete a cycle within one year.

天之氣運北而南則治，南而北則亂，亂久則復北而南矣，天道人事皆然，推之歷代，可見消長之理也。在水者不瞑，在風者瞑。走之類上睫接下，飛之類下睫接上，類使之然也。在水而鱗，飛之類也，龜獺之類，走之類也。

The movement of heavenly energy from north to south brings peace to the world; when it moves from south to north, the world becomes chaotic. When chaos lasts long, it will turn back to moving from north to south. The way of heaven and the affairs of people are like this. By examining the rise and fall of dynasties throughout history, the principle of increase and decrease becomes clear. Creatures living in water close their eyes when they sleep, while those living in wind close their eyes when they sleep; those that walk have their upper eyelashes connected to their lower eyelashes, while those that fly have their lower eyelashes connected to their upper eyelashes. All these are characteristics of the creatures. Creatures living in water but having scales actually belong to the category of flying creatures; creatures like turtles and otters, which live in water but walk, actually belong to the category of walking creatures.

夫四象，若錯綜而用之，日月天之陰陽，水火地之陰陽，星辰天之剛柔，土石地之剛柔。飛之走，雞鳧之類是也，走之飛，龍馬之屬是也。陽主舒長，陰主慘急，日入盈度，陰從於陽。日入縮度，陽從於陰。

The four symbolic figures, when combined and used together, indicate: the sun and moon represent the yin and yang of heaven, while water and fire represent the yin and yang of earth. The stars and constellations represent the firm and flexible aspects of heaven, while soil and stone represent the firm and flexible aspects of earth. Those that belong to the category of flying but are close to walking are like chickens and wild ducks; those that belong to the category of walking but are close to flying are like dragons and horses. Yang governs expansion and growth, while yin governs contraction and urgency. When the sun enters the full phase, yin follows yang; when the sun enters the contracted phase, yang follows yin.

神者人之主，將寐在脾，熟寐在腎，將寤在肝，正寤在心。天地之大寤在夏，人之神則存於心。水之族以陰為主，陽次之，陸之類以陽為主，陰次之，故水類出水則死，風類入水則死。然有出入之類，龜蟹鵝鳧之類是也。

The spirit is the master of a person: when about to fall asleep, the spirit resides in the spleen; when fully asleep, it resides in the kidney; when about to wake up, it resides in the liver; and when fully awake, it resides in the heart. The greatest clarity of heaven and earth is in summer, and the spirit of a person usually resides in the heart. Water creatures mainly belong to yin, with yang as secondary, while land creatures mainly belong to yang, with yin as secondary; thus, water creatures die when they leave water, and wind creatures die when they enter water. However, there are also creatures that can move between water and land, such as turtles, crabs, geese, and ducks.

天地之交十之三。天火無體之火也，地火有體之火也。火無體，因物以為體。金石之火烈於草木之火者，因物而然也。氣形盛則魂魄盛，氣形衰則魂魄亦從而衰矣。魂隨氣而變，魄隨形而止，故形在則魄存,形化則魄散。

Heaven and Earth intersect in a ratio of three parts out of ten. The fire in Heaven is fire without form, while the fire on Earth is fire with form; fire originally has no form, and it takes shape through external objects. The fire produced by striking metal and stone is more intense than the fire produced by burning wood and grass, precisely because the external objects differ. When the qi and form are vigorous, the hun and po are also vigorous; when the qi and form decline, the hun and po also decline. The hun moves with the qi, while the po rests with the form; thus, when the form remains, the po stays, and when the form dissipates, the po vanishes.

星為日餘，辰為月餘。星之至微如沙塵者，隕而為堆阜。藏者天行也，府者地行也，天地並行則配為八卦。八卦相錯者，相交錯而成六十四卦也。夫易,根於乾坤而生於姤復，蓋剛交柔而為復，柔交剛而為姤，自茲而無窮矣。

Stars are the residual energy of the sun, and the constellations are the residual energy of the moon; the finest particles of stars, like sand, falling down accumulate into hills. The five internal organs correspond to the movements of heaven, and the six external organs correspond to the movements of earth; when heaven and earth proceed in harmony without contradiction, the internal and external organs correspond to the eight trigrams. The phrase "the eight trigrams intermingle" means that the eight trigrams intertwine to form the sixty-four hexagrams. The root of the Book of Changes lies in the trigrams Qian and Kun, and its development arises from Gu and Fu: when yang enters yin, the hexagram Fu is formed, and when yin enters yang, the hexagram Gu is formed; from here, the derivation is endless.

龍能大能小，然亦有制之者，受制於陰陽之氣，得時則能變化，變變則不能也。一歲之閏六陰六陽，三年三十六日，故三年一閏。五年六十日，故五歲再閏。先天圖中，環中也。月體本黑，受日之光而白。水在人之身為血，土在人之身為肉。

Dragons can grow large or small, but there are things that can control them; they are always subject to the regulation of yin and yang energies. When the proper season comes, they can change; when the season is inappropriate, they cannot. The surplus of a year consists of six yin and six yang days, totaling twelve days. Over three years, this accumulates to thirty-six days, so a leap month is added every three years. Over five years, this accumulates to sixty days, so another leap month is added within five years. The key point of the diagram of the Supreme Origin lies in the central point, which is called the "circle in the center." The moon itself is originally black, but it appears white when illuminated by sunlight. Water in the human body becomes blood, and earth in the human body becomes flesh.

膽與腎同陰，心與脾同陽，心主目，脾主鼻。陽中陽日也，陽中陰月也，陰中陽星也，陰中陰辰也。柔中柔水也，柔中剛火也，剛中柔土也，剛中剛石也。鼻之氣目見之，口之言耳聞之，以類應也。

The liver and kidney belong to yin, while the heart and spleen belong to yang; the heart governs the eyes, and the spleen governs the nose. Yang within yang is the sun, yang within yin is the moon, yin within yin is the star, and yin within yin is the hour. Softness within softness is water, softness within firmness is fire, firmness within softness is earth, and firmness within firmness is stone. The breath exhaled from the nose is visible to the eyes, and the words spoken from the mouth are heard by the ears, because they are of the same kind and correspond to each other.

倚蓋之說，崑崙四垂而為海，推之理則不然，夫地直方而靜，豈得如圓動之天乎？動物自首生，植物自根生，自首生命在首，自根生命在根。海潮者，地之喘息也，所以應月者，從其類也。震為龍，一陽動於二陰之下，震也，重淵之下有動物者，豈非龍乎？

There is a view called "Yi Gai" which holds that Kunlun Mountain hangs down on all four sides to form the sea; but according to rational consideration, this is not the case. The earth is originally square and still, how could it be like the rotating heaven? Animals begin to grow from their heads, while plants begin to grow from their roots; those that grow from the head have their life tied to the head, and those that grow from the root have their life tied to the root. Sea tides are the breathing of the earth, and they correspond with the moon because they belong to the same category. The Zhen trigram is symbolized as a dragon, with one yang line moving beneath two yin lines, exactly matching the shape of the Zhen trigram; beneath the deep abyss there are things that move, are they not dragons?

風類水類，大小相反。天之陽在東南，日月居之。地之陰在西北，火石居之。起震終艮一節，明文王八卦也。天地定位一節，明伏羲八卦也。八卦相錯者，明交錯而成六十四也。數往者順，若順天而行，是左旋也，皆已生之卦也，故云數往也。知來者逆，若逆天而行，是右旋也，皆未生之卦也，故云知來也。夫易之數，由逆而成矣。

Wind and Water are of two kinds, and their sizes are exactly opposite. The Yang of Heaven is in the Southeast, so the sun and moon reside there; the Yin of Earth is in the Northwest, so fire and stone reside there. The passage in "Shuo Gua" that says "The Emperor comes forth from Zhen... and is completed in Gen" refers to the King Wen's eight trigrams. The passage that says "Heaven and Earth are positioned" refers to the Fuxi's eight trigrams. When it says "the eight trigrams are intermingled," it refers to the eight trigrams being interwoven to form the sixty-four trigrams. "Counting the past is in accordance with the way" means following Heaven's movement, which is left rotation, referring to already formed trigrams, hence "counting the past." "Knowing the future is in opposition to the way" means opposing Heaven's movement, which is right rotation, referring to trigrams that have not yet been formed, hence "knowing the future." The numbers of the Book of Changes are established through reverse reasoning.

堯典三百六旬有六日，夫日之餘盈也六，則月之餘盈也亦六，若去日月之餘十二，則有三百五十四，乃日行之數，以十二除之，則得二十九日。

The Shangshu · Yaodian says that a year consists of 366 days. The excess on the sun's side is six days, so the excess on the moon's side is also six days. If the excesses from both the sun and the moon, totaling twelve days, are subtracted, then 354 days remain, which is the number of days the sun travels through. Dividing this by twelve gives twenty-nine days per month.

素問肺主皮毛，心脈，脾肉，肝筋，腎骨，上而下，外而內也。心血腎骨交法也，交即用也。乾為天之類，本象也。為金之類,別象也。天地並行則藏府配，四藏天也，四府地也。

The *Su Wen* says that the lung governs the skin and hair, the heart governs the blood vessels, the spleen governs the muscles, the liver governs the tendons, and the kidney governs the bones; this is an order from top to bottom, from outside to inside. The heart is paired with blood and the kidney with bone, using a method of mutual pairing, where "intersection" means "use." The乾 trigram taking the image of heaven is its original image, while taking the image of metal is its secondary image. Heaven and earth operate in parallel without contradiction, and the zang organs are paired with the fu organs: the four zang organs belong to heaven, and the four fu organs belong to earth.

乾奇也，陽也，健也，故天下之健莫如天。坤耦也，陰也，順也，故天下之順莫如地，所以順天也。震起也，一陽起也，起動也，故天下之動莫如雷。坎陷也，一陽陷於二陰，陷下也，故天下之下莫如水。艮止也，一陽於是而止也，故天下之止莫如山。巽入也，一陰入二陽之下，故天下之入莫如風。離麗也，一陰離於二陽，其卦錯，然成文而華麗也，故天下之麗莫如火，又如附麗之麗。兌說也，一陰出於外而說於物，故天下之說莫如澤。

Qian is the odd trigram, belonging to yang, with a nature of being strong and vigorous. Therefore, nothing in the world is more strong and vigorous than heaven. Kun is the even trigram, belonging to yin, with a nature of being gentle and compliant. Therefore, nothing in the world is more gentle and compliant than earth, which follows and supports heaven. Zhen is "movement," with one yang rising from below. Movement means action, so nothing in the world is more active than thunder. Kan is "sinking," with one yang sinking between two yins. Sinking means going downward, so nothing in the world is more downward-moving than water. Gen is "stopping," with one yang stopping here. Therefore, nothing in the world is more capable of stopping than a mountain. Xun is "entering," with one yin entering beneath two yangs. Therefore, nothing in the world is more capable of penetrating than wind. Li is "adhering," with one yin adhering between two yangs. The trigram lines interweave and form patterns, appearing beautiful and splendid. Therefore, nothing in the world is more splendid than fire. The character "丽" also implies the meaning of attachment. Dui is "joy," with one yin revealing itself externally, causing all things to be joyful. Therefore, nothing in the world is more capable of bringing joy than a marsh.

火內暗而外明，故離陽在外，火之用，用外也。水外暗而內明，故坎陽在內，水之用，用內也。人寓形於走類者何也，走類者，地之長子也。自泰至否，其間則有蠱矣。自否至泰，其間則有隨矣.

Fire is dark inside and bright outside, so the Yang line of the Li hexagram is outside, and the function of fire is to radiate outward. Water is dark outside and bright inside, so the Yang line of the Kan hexagram is inside, and the function of water is to conceal inwardly. Why do people寄托 their bodies in the category of quadrupeds? Because quadrupeds are the eldest son born from the earth. From the Tai hexagram to the Pi hexagram, one must pass through the Gu hexagram; from the Pi hexagram back to the Tai hexagram, one must pass through the Sui hexagram.

天有五辰，日月星辰與天為五。地有五行，金木水火與土為五。有溫泉而無寒火，陰能從陽而陽不能從陰也。有雷則有電，有電則有風，雨生於水，露生於土，雷生於石，電生於火，雷與風同為陽之極，故有電必有風。木之堅非雷不能震，草之柔非露不能潤。

Heaven has five stars: sun, moon, stars, and the celestial sphere, together with heaven itself, making five. Earth has five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and soil. In the world there are hot springs but no cold fire, showing that yin can obey yang, but yang cannot obey yin. When there is thunder, there must be lightning; when there is lightning, there must be wind. Rain comes from water, dew comes from soil, thunder comes from stone, and lightning comes from fire. Thunder and wind are both products of yang reaching its extreme, so lightning must be accompanied by wind. Wood is hard, so it cannot be moved unless by thunder; grass is soft, so it cannot be moistened unless by dew.

陽尊而神，尊故役物，神故藏用，是以道生天地萬物而不自見也，天地萬物亦取法乎道矣。陽者道之用，陰者道之體，陽用陰，陰用陽，以陽為用則尊陰，以陰為用則尊陽也。

Yang is both noble and mysterious: because it is noble, it can control all things; because it is mysterious, it conceals its function and does not reveal itself. Just as the "Dao" generates heaven and earth and all things without revealing itself, heaven and earth and all things take their pattern from the Dao. Yang is the function of the Dao, and Yin is the essence of the Dao; Yang uses Yin, and Yin also uses Yang. When Yang is used, Yin is revered; when Yin is used, Yang is revered.

陰幾於道，故以況道也。六變而成三十六矣，八變而成六十四矣，十二變而成三百八十四矣，六六而變之，八八六十四變而成三百八十四矣，八八而變之，七七四十九變而成三百八十四矣。

Yin is close to the Dao, so it is used to compare with the Dao. Six changes make thirty-six, eight changes make sixty-four, and twelve changes make three hundred eighty-four. If we use six and six to calculate, eight times eight makes sixty-four changes resulting in three hundred eighty-four; if we use eight and eight to calculate, seven times seven makes forty-nine changes resulting in three hundred eighty-four: the paths differ but the outcome is the same.

無極之前陰含陽也，有象之後陽分陰也，陰為陽之母，陽為陰之父，故母孕長男而為復，父生長女而為姤，是以陽起於復而陰起於姤也。性非體不成，體非性不生，陽以陰為體，陰以陽為體，動者性也，靜者體也。在天則陽動而陰靜，在地則陽靜而陰動。性得體而靜，體隨性而動，是以陽舒而陰急也。

Before the ultimate principle was divided, yin contained yang; after forms had already taken shape, yang divided yin. Yin is the mother of yang, and yang is the father of yin. Therefore, the mother nurtured the eldest son to form the Fu hexagram, and the father gave birth to the eldest daughter to form the Guo hexagram. Thus, yang begins with the Fu hexagram and yin begins with the Guo hexagram. Nature without form cannot exist, and form without nature cannot manifest; yang uses yin as its form, and yin also uses yang as its form. The active aspect is nature, and the static aspect is form. In the heavens, yang is active and yin is static; in the earth, yang is static and yin is active. When nature is united with form, it becomes stable; when form follows nature, it becomes active. Therefore, yang is slow and yin is quick.

陽不能獨立，必得陰而後立，故陽以陰為基。陰不能自見，必待陽而後見，故陰以陽為唱。陽知其始而享其成，陰效其法而終其勞。

Yang cannot stand alone; it must rely on Yin to be stable, so Yang regards Yin as its foundation. Yin cannot manifest by itself; it waits for Yang before it can appear, so Yin regards Yang as its leader. Yang knows the beginning and enjoys the results, while Yin follows Yang's pattern and bears the final labor.

陽能知而陰不能知，陽能見而陰不能見也。能知能見者為有，故陽性有而陰性無也。陽有所不遍而陰無所不遍也，陽有去而陰常居也，無不遍而常居者為實，故陽體虛而陰體實也。天地之本，其起於中乎！是以乾坤屢變而不離乎中。人居天地之中，心居人之中，日中則盛，月中則盈，故君子貴中也。本一氣也，生則為陽，消則為陰，故二者一而已矣。四者二而已矣，六者三而已矣，八者四而已矣。是以言天不言地，言君不言臣，言父不言子，言夫不言婦也。然天得地而萬物生，君得臣而萬化行，父得子，夫得婦而家道成。故有一則有二，有二則有四，有三則有六，有四則有八。

Heavenly energy can be known and seen, while earthly energy cannot. Those that can be known and seen are called "having existence," so the nature of heavenly energy is "having existence" and the nature of earthly energy is "non-existence." Heavenly energy has areas it cannot cover, while earthly energy is everywhere present; heavenly energy has times when it departs, while earthly energy remains constantly. Being everywhere present and constantly remaining is called "real," so the body of heavenly energy is empty and the body of earthly energy is real. The fundamental principle of heaven and earth probably originates from "center." Therefore, the trigrams Qian and Kun constantly change but never depart from the center. A person is located in the center of heaven and earth, and the heart is located in the center of the body. The sun reaches its peak at noon, and the moon is fullest at the midpoint of the month, so the gentleman values the concept of "center" most. Originally, it was just a single qi; when it grows it is called yang, and when it declines it is called yin, so the two are actually one. Four is merely two twos, six is merely two threes, and eight is merely two fours. Therefore, once heaven is mentioned, there is no need to mention earth again; once the ruler is mentioned, there is no need to mention the subject again; once the father is mentioned, there is no need to mention the son again; once the husband is mentioned, there is no need to mention the wife again. However, heaven cannot produce myriad things without earth, and the ruler cannot achieve myriad transformations without the subject, and the father cannot establish family order without the son, and the husband cannot maintain the household without the wife. Therefore, there is one, then two; there is two, then four; there is three, then six; there is four, then eight.

有意必有言，有言必有象，有象必有數，數立則像生，像生則言著彰，言著彰則意顯，像數則筌蹄也，言意則魚兔也，得魚兔而忘筌蹄可也，舍筌蹄而求魚兔，則未見其得也。

Whenever there is a thought, there must be words; whenever there are words, there must be an image; whenever there is an image, there must be a number. When the number is fixed, the image arises; when the image arises, the words become clear; when the words become clear, the thought becomes evident. The image and number are merely the bamboo traps used to catch fish and the nets used to catch rabbits. The words and thoughts are the fish and rabbits themselves. It is acceptable to obtain the fish and rabbits and forget the traps. But if one abandons the traps and tries to seek the fish and rabbits in vain, then no one has ever succeeded in obtaining them.

天變而人效之，故元亨利貞，易之變也。人行而天應之，故吉凶悔吝，易之應也。以元亨為變，則利貞為應，以吉凶為應，則悔吝為變。元則吉，吉則利應之，亨則凶，凶則應之以貞，悔則吉，吝則凶，是以變中有應，應中有變也。變中之應，天道也，故元為變則亨應之，利為變則應之以貞。應中之變，人事也，故變則凶，應則吉，變則吝，應則悔也。悔者吉之先，而吝者凶之本，是以君子從天不從人。

Heaven changes first and people follow it, so yuan, heng, li, and zhen are the "change" in the Book of Changes. People act first and Heaven responds to them, so ji, xiong, hui, and lin are the "response" in the Book of Changes. If we take yuan and heng as change, then li and zhen are response; if we take ji and xiong as response, then hui and lin are change. Yuan leads to ji, and ji is responded to by li; heng contains xiong, and xiong is responded to by zhen. Hui eventually leads to ji, and lin eventually leads to xiong. Therefore, change contains response, and response contains change. The response within change belongs to the way of Heaven, so when yuan is change, heng responds to it; when li is change, zhen responds to it. The change within response belongs to human affairs, so change leads to xiong, and response leads to ji; change leads to lin, and response leads to hui. Hui is the prelude to ji, and lin is the root of xiong. Therefore, the gentleman follows Heaven and not human beings.

元者，春也，仁也，春者時之始，仁者德之長，時則未盛而德足以長人，故言德不言時。亨者，夏也，禮也，夏者時之盛，禮者德之文，盛則必衰而文不足救之，故言時不言德。故曰。大哉乾元而上九有悔也。利者，秋也，義也，秋者時之成，義者德之方，萬物方成而獲利，義者不通於利，故言時不言德也。貞者，冬也，智也，冬者時之末，智者德之衰，貞則吉，不貞則凶，故言德而不言時也。故曰。利貞者，性情也。

"Yuan" corresponds to spring and benevolence. Spring is the beginning of the four seasons, and benevolence is the leader of all virtues; at this time the season has not yet reached its peak, yet virtue is sufficient to sustain people, so it is spoken of in terms of virtue rather than season. "Heng" corresponds to summer and ritual. Summer is the peak of the four seasons, and ritual is the adornment of virtue; when something reaches its peak it must inevitably decline, and adornment cannot save it, so it is spoken of in terms of season rather than virtue. Therefore, the "Wenyan" both praises "Great is Qian Yuan" and mentions the upper ninth line having regret. "Li" corresponds to autumn and righteousness. Autumn is the maturity of the four seasons, and righteousness is the uprightness of virtue; when all things have just matured and there is harvest, righteousness does not align with benefit, so it is spoken of in terms of season rather than virtue. "Zhen" corresponds to winter and wisdom. Winter is the end of the four seasons, and wisdom is the decline of virtue; to hold to correctness brings good fortune, while failing to do so brings misfortune, so it is spoken of in terms of virtue rather than season. Therefore, the "Wenyan" says "Li Zhen refers to nature and disposition."

道生天，天生地，及其功成而身退，故子繼父禪，是以乾退一位也。象起於形，數起於質，名起於言，意起於用。天下之數出乎理，違乎理則入於術，世人以數而入術，故失於理也。

The Dao gives rise to Heaven, and Heaven gives rise to Earth; when achievements are completed, it steps back into a secondary position, just as a son inherits and the father transfers power. Therefore, in the later Heaven's position, Qian (Heaven) steps back one position. Forms give rise to images, qualities give rise to numbers, words give rise to names, and usage gives rise to meaning. All numbers in the world originate from 'principle' (li); once principle is violated, it falls into 'technique' (shu). People treat numbers merely as techniques, thus losing them in terms of principle.

天可以理盡而不可以形盡，渾天之術以形盡天，可乎？精義入神以致用也，不精義則不能入神，不能入神則不能致用。為治之道必通其變，不可以膠柱，猶春之時不可行冬之令也。

Heaven can be fully understood through principles, but not through form; the method of the浑天 school, which tries to understand Heaven through physical forms, is it feasible? Only after thoroughly studying the meaning and principles can one reach the profound and subtle realm, and then can one talk about practical application: without thoroughly studying the principles, one cannot reach the profound, and without reaching the profound, one cannot apply it practically. The principles of governing the world must be flexible and adaptable, and one cannot be rigid like fixing the tuning pegs of a zither. Just as one cannot apply the policies of winter in spring.

自然而然，不得而更者，內象內數也，他皆外象外數也。天道之變，王道之權也。卦各有性有體，然皆不離乾坤之門，如萬物受性於天，而各為其性也。其在人則為人之性，在禽獸則為禽獸之性，在草木則為草木之性。

All that is natural and unchangeable belongs to the internal phenomena and internal numbers; everything else is external phenomena and external numbers. The changes of heaven's way serve as the basis for the king's need to exercise flexible governance. Each trigram has its own nature and its own essence, yet none can be separated from the gate of the way of heaven and earth; just as all things receive their inherent nature from heaven and thus become a particular nature: human beings have the nature of humans, animals have the nature of animals, and plants have the nature of plants.

天以氣為主，體為次。地以體為主，氣為次，在天在地者亦如之。氣則養性，性則乘氣，故氣存則性存，性動則氣動也。堯之前，先天也。堯之後，後天也。後天乃效法耳。

Heaven takes priority in terms of qi and then in terms of form, while Earth takes priority in terms of form and then in terms of qi; all things in Heaven and Earth are similarly distinguished in this way. Qi nourishes nature, and nature controls qi. Therefore, if qi exists, nature exists, and if nature moves, qi moves. Before Yao it was considered "before Heaven," and after Yao it was considered "after Heaven"; after Heaven is merely imitating before Heaven.

天之象數則可得而推，如其神用則不可得而測也。自然而然者，天也，唯聖人能索之。效法者，人也，若時行時止，雖人也，亦天也。生者性，天也。成者形，地也。日入地中，交精之象。

The phenomena and numbers of Heaven can be calculated, but its mysterious functions are beyond measurement. Naturally inherent and originally so, belonging to Heaven, can only be explored by the sage; those who follow laws and regulations and act accordingly belong to humanity. However, if one acts when appropriate and stops when appropriate, even though it comes from human action, it is actually in harmony with Heaven. The nature that brings forth all things belongs to Heaven; the form that shapes all things belongs to Earth. When the sun sinks into the earth, it represents the image of Heaven and Earth meeting and their vital energies intermingling.

體四而變六，兼神與氣也。氣變必六，故三百六十也。凡事為之極，幾十之七則可止矣。蓋夏至之日止於六十，兼之以晨昏，分可辨色矣。庶幾乎十之七也。圖雖無文，吾終日言未嘗離乎是，蓋天地萬物之理盡在其中矣。

The fundamental principle is four, while transformation involves six, incorporating both spirit and qi; the changes of qi must be six, hence forming a total of three hundred and sixty. Whenever doing something, once it reaches about seven-tenths completion, one should stop. On the day of Summer Solstice, sunlight stops at sixty units, and adding the morning and evening periods, the sky is still distinguishable, which is about seven-tenths. Although the diagram of the Primordial Heaven has no characters, I have never left it, because the principles of heaven and earth and all things are included in this diagram.

氣一而已，主之者乾也，神亦一而已，乘氣而變化，出入於有無死生之間，無方而不測者也。不知乾，無以知性命之理。時然後言，乃應變而言，言不在我也。仁配天地謂之人，唯仁者真可以謂之人矣。生而成，成而生，易之道也。

Qi is a single entity, and it is governed by Qian. The spirit is also a single entity, which rides upon Qi and changes, entering and exiting between existence and non-existence, life and death, without a fixed place and thus unpredictable. Without understanding Qian, one cannot comprehend the principles of life and death. Speaking at the right time is to speak in accordance with change, and the words are not under my control. Only those who can match "ren" with heaven and earth can be called human, and only the virtuous truly deserve to be called a person. Being born and then becoming, becoming and then being again, this is the principle of the Book of Changes.

氣者，神之宅也。體者，氣之宅也。天六地四，天以氣為質，而以神為神，地以質為質，而以氣為神，唯人兼乎萬物而為萬物之靈，如禽獸之聲，以其類而各能其一，無所不能者，人也。推之他事，亦莫不然，唯人得天地日月交之用，他類則不能也。人之生真可謂之貴矣！天地與其貴而不自貴，是悖天地之理，不祥莫大焉。

Qi is the dwelling place of the divine, and the body is the dwelling place of qi. The number for Heaven is six, and the number for Earth is four. Heaven uses qi as its substance and the divine as its spirit; Earth uses substance as its substance and qi as its spirit. Only humans possess all things and thus become the spiritual essence of all things. For example, the calls of birds and beasts can only produce one kind of sound according to their kind; nothing is capable of doing everything, except humans. This is also true in other matters: only humans can receive the function of the union of Heaven and Earth and the sun and moon. Other creatures cannot. To live in the world, humans can truly be considered noble! Since Heaven and Earth have given this nobility to humans, if humans do not value themselves, they are violating the principles of Heaven and Earth, and there is nothing more ominous than this.

燈之明暗之境，日月之象也。月者，日之影也。情者，性之影也。心性而膽情，性神而情鬼。心為太極，又曰道為太極。形可分，神不可分。陰事大半，蓋陽一而陰二也。

Light and darkness have a boundary, which is the image of the sun and moon. The moon is the shadow of the sun, and affection is the shadow of nature. The mind belongs to nature, and the胆 belongs to affection. Nature is close to the divine, while affection is close to the ghostly. The mind is the Taiji, and also the Dao is the Taiji. The physical form can be divided, but the spirit cannot. In the world, things belonging to yin make up most, because yang has only one, while yin has two.

冬至之後為呼，夏至之後為吸，此天地一歲之呼吸也。以物喜物，以物悲物，此發而中節者也。不我物則能物物。任我則情，情則蔽，蔽則昏矣。因物則性，性則神，神則明矣。潛天潛地，不行而至，不為陰陽所攝者，神也。

After the winter solstice, heaven and earth exhale; after the summer solstice, they inhale. This is the inhalation and exhalation of heaven and earth in a year. To be happy because something is worth being happy about, and to be sad because something is worth being sad about, this is what the Doctrine of the Mean calls "expressing feelings in moderation." Only by not claiming things as one's own can one truly master all things. To act according to one's own private desires is emotion; with emotion comes obstruction, and with obstruction comes darkness. To follow the nature of things is the true nature; to see this nature is to connect with the divine, and to connect with the divine is to have clarity. Those who can sink into heaven and earth, who do not need to move yet can reach everywhere, who are not bound by yin and yang, are the divine.

天之孽，十之一猶可違。人之孽，十之九不可逭。先天之學，心也。後天之學，跡也。出入有無死生者，道也。神無所在，無所不在，至人與他心通者，以其本於一也。道與一，神之強名也。以神為神者，至言也。

Heavenly calamities sent down from above, ten parts of them can have one part escaped; calamities caused by human actions, nine parts out of ten cannot be escaped. "The study of the先天" deals with the mind, while "the study of the后天" deals with traces. Those who can move between existence and non-existence, life and death, are following the Dao. The divine does not have a fixed place, yet is present everywhere. The sage can communicate with others' minds because originally they are the same. "Dao" and "One" are both artificial names given to the divine; to say directly "the divine is divine" is the most appropriate expression.

身地也，本靜，所以能動者，血氣使之然也。生生長類，天地成功。別生分類，聖人成能。以物觀物，性也。以我觀物，情也。性公而明，情偏而暗。陽主闢而出，陰主翕而入。

The body belongs to the earth and is originally still; it is the blood and qi that make it move. The continuous generation of all things and the proliferation of their kinds is the achievement of heaven and earth; the classification and distinction of all things is the skill of the sages. Viewing things from the perspective of things themselves is nature; viewing things from the perspective of oneself is emotion. Nature is impartial and clear, while emotion is biased and obscure. Yang is dominant in opening up and extending outward, while Yin is dominant in gathering in and moving inward.

日在於水則生，離則死，交與不交之謂也。陰對陽為二，然陽來則生，陽去則死，天地萬物生死主於陽，則歸之於一也。神無方而性有質。發於性則見於情，發於情則見於色，以類而應也。

The sun lives in water and dies when it leaves the water, which illustrates the distinction between connection and disconnection. Yin and Yang form a pair through their opposition, yet Yang brings life when it comes and causes death when it departs. Since the life and death of all things in heaven and earth are governed by Yang, ultimately it is all one. The spirit has no fixed place, but nature has a tangible quality. From nature comes emotion, and from emotion comes expression in color, which is the principle of mutual correspondence among similar things.

以天地生萬物，則以萬物為萬物。以道生天地，則天地亦萬物也。人之貴，兼乎萬物，自重而得其貴，所以能用萬類。凡人之善惡，形於言，發於行，人始得而知之。但萌諸心，發於慮，鬼神已得而知之矣。此君子所以慎獨也。氣變而形化。

From the perspective of the generation of all things from heaven and earth, all things are merely all things; but from the perspective of the Dao generating heaven and earth, heaven and earth are no more than one of the myriad things. The value of human beings lies in their possession of the principles of all things. Only when a person values himself truly can he possess this value and thus be able to control all creatures. Human goodness and evil are expressed through words and actions, and only then do others know about them. But as soon as a thought arises in the mind, even before it is expressed, the spirits already know. This is why the gentleman is careful in his solitude. When the vital energy changes, the form also changes.

人之類，備乎萬物之性。人之神則天地之神，人之自欺，所以欺天地，可不戒哉？人之畏鬼亦猶鬼之畏人，人積善而陽多，鬼亦畏之矣，積惡而陰多，鬼不畏之矣。大人者，與鬼神合其吉凶，夫何畏之有？

Human beings possess the nature of all things. The spirit of a person is the same as the spirit of heaven and earth. If a person deceives himself, he is actually deceiving heaven and earth; how can he not be cautious? People fear ghosts, but in reality, ghosts also fear people: if a person accumulates good deeds, his yang energy is abundant, and ghosts fear him; if he accumulates evil deeds, his yin energy is abundant, and ghosts do not fear him. As for great men, they can harmonize with the auspicious and inauspicious of ghosts and spirits; what then is there to fear?

至理之學非至誠則不至，物理之學或有所不通，不可以強通，強通則有我，有我則失理而下入於數矣。心一而不分，則能應萬物，此君子所以虛心而不動也。聖人利物而無我。明則有日月，幽則有鬼神。夫聖人六經，渾然無跡，如天道焉。春秋錄實事，而善惡形於其中矣。

The study of the highest principles cannot reach its perfection without reaching the state of utmost sincerity. As for the study of physical phenomena, there are sometimes things that cannot be fully understood, and one should not force understanding. Forcing understanding introduces the self, and when the self is present, reason is lost, and one falls into the realm of numerology and divination. When the mind is focused and not scattered, it can deal with all things, which is why the gentleman must be humble and not act recklessly. The sage benefits all things without preserving a private self. In the bright places, the sun and moon shine; in the dark places, ghosts and spirits observe. The six classics composed by the sage are unified and seamless, like the way of heaven. The Book of Spring and Autumn simply records events truthfully, and good and evil naturally appear within them.

中庸之法，自中者天也，自外者人也。韻法闢翕者律天，清濁者呂地，先閉後開者，春也。純開者，夏也。先開後閉者，秋也。冬則閉而無聲。東為春聲，陽為夏聲，此見作韻者亦有所至也。銜凡冬聲也。

The principles of the Doctrine of the Mean: the natural harmony from within belongs to the heavenly, while the artificial pursuit from outside belongs to humanity. The principles of tonal patterns: the distinction between open and closed syllables belongs to the 'Lu' (laws), corresponding to heaven; the distinction between clear and dull sounds belongs to the 'Lv' (regulations), corresponding to earth. Sounds that first close then open are spring tones, entirely open sounds are summer tones, sounds that first open then close are autumn tones, and winter tones are closed and silent. The 'Dong' rhyme is spring tone, the 'Yang' rhyme is summer tone, thus it can be seen that those who established the rhyme categories had their own understanding; the 'Xian' and 'Fan' rhymes are winter tones.

寂然不動，反本復靜，坤之時也，感而遂通天下之故，陽動於中，間不容髮，復之義也。不見動而動，妄也。動乎否之時，是也。見動而動則為無妄，然所以有災者，陽微而無應也。有應而動則為益矣。精氣為物，形也。游魂為變，神也。又曰。精氣為物，體也。游魂為變，用也。君子之學以潤身為本，其治人應物，皆餘事也。

In a state of stillness and returning to the original nature, returning to quietness, that is the time of the Earth Trigram (Kun); when there is a response, it connects throughout the world, so the Yang force in the middle initiates quickly, without a moment's delay, which is the meaning of "Fu." If there is no sign of movement yet it moves, that is "Wang," which is moving recklessly during a time of blockage. If there is a sign of movement and then it moves, that is "Wu Wang"; however, the hexagram Wu Wang still brings calamity, because the Yang is still weak and there is no corresponding force above. If there is a response and then movement occurs, it becomes the hexagram Yi. "Jing Qi Wei Wu" refers to form, while "You Hun Wei Bian" refers to spirit; it also says, "Jing Qi Wei Wu" refers to body, while "You Hun Wei Bian" refers to function. The gentleman studies with the cultivation of himself as the foundation, and matters of governing people and dealing with things are secondary.