Part Two: The Second Sage - Mencius

易道兼體用，統神形者也；先天卦象，可用以釋道之真體；而明神天之德，成誠明之功；後天卦象，可用以釋道之大用；而明人物之生，成位育之德；合而言之，則內聖外王之道，大學之修齊治平，中庸之中和誠明，莫不在易中也！智者見之謂智，仁者見之謂之仁；以道無大小，所見者有大小耳。

The principles and applications of the Way are both embodied in the Book of Changes, encompassing both the spiritual and the physical. The trigrams of the Earlier Heaven can be used to explain the true essence of the Way, thereby elucidating the divine and the virtue of Heaven, achieving the practice of 'sincerity and clarity'. The trigrams of the Later Heaven can be used to explain the practical applications of the Way, thereby elucidating the transformation of human beings and things, achieving the virtue of participating in the workings of Heaven and Earth, and cultivating all things. In summary, the path of inner sagehood and outer kingship, the Confucian ideals of self-cultivation, family management, state governance, and world peace, as well as the doctrine of the Mean concerning harmony and sincerity, are all found within the Book of Changes! The wise see it and call it wisdom, the benevolent see it and call it benevolence; for the Way itself has no small or great, only the perspective of individuals varies.

易之初，有象無文；象則隨人所解，文則泥於一詮；故以象用，而不重文字也；易之後，兼象與文；象存其真，文釋其例；二者並重，則後天物事可見；從文明象，則先天性亦知；故易在後天藏體於用，猶寓神於形也。

At first, the Book of Changes had only trigrams without textual explanations; the trigrams could be interpreted freely, but the text could easily become fixed in a single interpretation. Therefore, at that time, people used the trigrams rather than focusing on the words. Later, both trigrams and text existed together: the trigrams preserved their true nature, while the text explained their principles. Both were given equal importance, allowing later phenomena to be understood. Through the text, one could grasp the trigrams, and thus understand the principles of the Earlier Heaven. Therefore, in the Later Heaven, the essence is hidden within the application, just as the spirit is embodied in the form.

以人言之，其未生也，無神形可分；迨其既生，形著神隱，神在形中，未嘗無也；神主其真，形達其用；知覺運動俱全，而生育以見焉；易之為用亦然，卦爻形也，氣神也；明其卦爻，得知其氣；知氣始終，得知生化；故必從象求之。

Taking a person as an example, when a person has not yet been born, the spirit and form cannot be distinguished; but once born, the form becomes apparent while the spirit becomes hidden, yet the spirit exists within the form. The spirit governs its true essence, and the form expresses its function; with perception and movement fully present, the ability to produce offspring is also manifested. The function of the Book of Changes is similar: the trigrams are the form, and the qi is the spirit. Understanding the trigrams allows one to know the qi; knowing the beginning and end of the qi enables one to understand the process of generation and transformation. Therefore, one must seek from the "image" or "form."

一卦一爻，象也；合數卦爻，亦象也；總六十四卦，三百八十四爻，無非象也；皆有其氣，則皆有其神。故一易有一易之序：序之異者，象之異；象之異者，氣之異；氣之異者，神之異；神之異者，用之異；用之異者，生與化也，消與息也，往與復也，去與來也，變與不變，靜動也，生與無生，成敗也，吉凶悔吝之事也，從逆反側之道也，上下終始之行也，大小分合之情也。

A single trigram and its line represent an image; when several trigrams and their lines are combined, they also represent an image. In total, the sixty-four trigrams and the three hundred and eighty-four lines all represent images. Since each has its qi, they also have their spirits. Therefore, each type of Yi has its own sequence of trigrams: the sequence differs because the images differ; the images differ because the qi differs; the qi differs because the spirits differ; the spirits differ because the applications differ. By application differing, we mean the differences between generation and transformation, decline and cessation, movement and return, going away and coming back, change and unchange, stillness and motion, existence and non-existence, success and failure, and matters of good fortune, regret, and hardship. It also refers to the differences between following and opposing, right and left, the beginning and end of above and below, and the differences of size, separation, and unity.

而皆歸於陰陽，辨於五行；存於二氣，通於微顯；孚於人天，以究其性情；探其數命，而致其德；立其道，此易之大用。有各易，而無不通；用各象，而無不達者也；智者察同，昏者察異；異其初，同其終也；何哉？為其不越於道耳。道之用或有異，其本大同；易雖多種，原始反終，則歸於一；一者道也，故曰：易以道陰陽，言由陰陽而歸於道；二者為一，此則易之真用也。

All these things are reduced to yin and yang, and distinguished by the Five Phases; they exist within the two energies of yin and yang, and run through both subtle and manifest aspects; they harmonize between human beings and heaven, used to investigate the nature of all things, explore their numbers and destinies, thus cultivating virtue and establishing the Way. This is the great use of the Book of Changes. Although there are many schools of the Book of Changes, none are completely separate; although the images used may differ, none are entirely unconnected. The wise see their commonality, while the dull see their differences; in fact, although they may initially seem different, they ultimately converge. Why is that? Because none of them go beyond the scope of the Dao. The application of the Dao may vary, but its fundamental nature is largely consistent. Although the Book of Changes has many forms, tracing its origin and returning to its end, it still comes back to one; this one is the Dao. Therefore, the "Zhuangzi · Tianxia" says, "The Book of Changes uses the Dao of yin and yang," meaning that it leads from yin and yang back to the Dao; uniting yin and yang into one is the true use of the Book of Changes.

夫子以周易為本，而於各易略採其一二，列之於傳，明易之為用無二也；文王之易，所異於眾者，為其取象；極變化之例，明循環之道；言無道無往不復，而人事應之；人事無處不交，而天道順之；如人物生化，此往復也；氣候遞嬗，此交錯也；有陽必有陰，有陰必有陽，此交錯也；陰窮則陽生，陽盡則陰息，此往復也。

The Master took The Zhou Changes as the foundation, and included a few points from various schools of the Yi into the "Transmission," to show that the function of the Yi is the same. The unique aspect of King Wen's Yi lies in its use of images: it pushes the principles of change to their extreme and clearly explains the cycle. It says that the heavenly way has no going forward without returning, and human affairs correspond accordingly; human affairs have no place without interaction, and the heavenly way follows accordingly. For instance, the continuous generation and transformation of things and objects is called "reciprocal movement"; the alternating changes of climate are called "interweaving." Where there is yang there must be yin, and where there is yin there must be yang, this is interweaving; when yin reaches its limit, yang arises, and when yang reaches its limit, yin grows, this is reciprocal movement.

日往則月來，寒往則暑來；一交一錯，而成紀焉；冬盡則春回，夜盡則朝回；一往一復，而成度焉；不得有失，有數可數；不得有差，有氣可候；天道如是，萬物亦然；故今之是者，昨之非；往之得者，來之失；此成則彼敗，早生則晚殺。

As the sun sets, the moon rises; after the cold comes the heat, alternating in order to establish a pattern; when winter ends, spring returns; when night ends, day comes again, alternating to form a measure. There will be no mistakes, because there is a number that can be calculated; there will be no errors, because there is a qi that can be observed. The way of heaven is like this, and all things are the same. Therefore, what is considered correct today was thought incorrect yesterday; what was gained before will be lost later; where one side thrives, the other declines; what grows in the morning withers in the evening.

有見於前，必應於後；有開於舊，必復於新；日久則移，風久則改；滿者則傾，中者則側；昔之壯者今則老，今之微者後則盛；盛衰倚伏，成敗推移；吉凶無定時，悔吝無定位；生死相續，榮枯相聯；莫不自成循環往復之象，自合交錯來去之數；象數如是，卦乃應之；故文王之易，純取此義，而異乎各易也。

What is revealed at the beginning will surely be fulfilled later; what is opened in the past will surely be continued in the present. When time is long, there will be change; when customs are long established, they will change. When fullness is reached, there will be collapse; when centered, there will be deviation. What was once strong now becomes old; what is now weak will become strong in the future. Prosperity and decline depend on each other; success and failure shift from one to the other; good fortune and misfortune have no fixed time; regret and hardship have no fixed position; life and death follow each other continuously; glory and withering are connected. Nothing is not naturally formed in a cycle, naturally conforming to the numbers of mutual interaction and movement. Since the images and numbers are like this, the hexagrams will correspond accordingly. Therefore, King Wen's Book of Changes purely takes this meaning, hence differing from the interpretations of other schools.

夫文王作易，有為而作之也；當商紂無道，湯德既衰；暴政虐民，汙吏乾位；時非俗敝，上下交困；天怒民怨，神鬼同愁；文王身在憂囚，處地艱險；救民之志未已，切膚之痛且深；鑑諸天道之推遷，欲期人事之改革；故明志於易，易者變易也，言當變易之際，必有以處變易之道，而成變易之功。時之變易，即天之變易；天之變易，則人事不得不變易之，以順承天。

King Wen composed the Book of Changes with a specific purpose in mind. At that time, King Zhou of Shang was tyrannical and lawless, and the virtue of King Tang of Shang had already declined. Oppressive government harmed the people, and corrupt officials occupied high positions. The world was unjust, morals were deteriorating, and everyone was in distress. Heaven was angry and people were resentful, even the spirits and ghosts felt sorrow. King Wen was imprisoned in hardship and faced dangerous circumstances; his determination to save the people never ceased, and his deep suffering was especially intense. He observed the changes in the heavenly way, hoping for reform in human affairs, so he expressed his aspirations in the Book of Changes. "Yi" means change; it refers to the necessity of having methods to deal with change in order to achieve the effectiveness of change. The change of circumstances is the change of heaven; when heaven changes, human affairs must also change accordingly, to conform to the will of heaven.

故其取義重於鼎革二卦，而明變足以適道；撥亂反正，足以順天應民；故明易之道，以寓其教，而在以天時示人事之則；如秋冬肅殺，萬物皆殘；若不易以春和，則生機且息；如子夜暗澹，萬物同昧，若不易以朝陽，則大道莫明；此皆天之必變易者，而人事亦當應之；故卦象重在明變，變則通，通則道，而往復循環者，變之所由來；交錯消息者，變之所自至。

Therefore, King Wen particularly emphasized the hexagrams of "Ding" (Cooking Vessel) and "Ge" (Revolution), to illustrate that change is sufficient to conform to the Way. To rectify chaos and restore order, it is enough to align with the will of Heaven and respond to the people's will. Therefore, he explained the principles of the Book of Changes, embedding moral education within it. The key point lies in using heavenly timing to demonstrate the principles of human affairs: for example, in autumn and winter, when all things wither and decay, if they are not transformed into the warmth of spring, vitality would be cut off; or at midnight, when all things are dark and obscure, if they are not transformed into the brightness of morning, the Great Way would remain hidden. These are all natural changes that Heaven necessarily undergoes, and human affairs should correspond accordingly. Therefore, the hexagrams focus on elucidating "change": only through change can things become unblocked, and only when unblocked can they conform to the Way. The cyclical alternation is the source of change, while the intermingling and waxing and waning are the manifestations of change.

故綜論卦象之旨，不過明易之為易，而推衍其變；以教天下後世，知道在變；則變為道，不復以天不變，道不變為言；蓋變者、變而復於不變，非永變不亡也；故變亦道也。試當桀紂之時，果無湯武之變？天下尚有人類乎？故其變，天也；天之宜變，則變為天，豈悖天哉？故易道至文王為一大變，自商湯至紂，為數之窮，窮則變耳；而夫子之時，周德既衰，諸候僣竊；人民塗炭，政教乖違；以易言之，毋亦應變之世乎！故夫子取其義也。

Therefore, the overall purpose of discussing the hexagram images is merely to clarify why the Book of Changes is called the Book of Changes, and to explore its transformations, using them to instruct future generations. One should understand that "the Way" lies in change, so change itself is the Way, and one should not cling to the notion that "heaven remains unchanged, and so does the Way." For change is change that returns to unchangeable order; it is not an endless change without end. Thus, change itself is part of the Way. Consider the time of King Jie of Xia and King Zhou of Shang: if there had not been the reforms of King Tang of Shang and King Wu of Zhou, would there still be human beings in the world? Clearly, that reform was in accordance with heaven's will. Since heaven itself required change, that change was in harmony with heaven, how could it be considered a violation of heaven? Therefore, the Way of the Book of Changes underwent a great transformation in the hands of King Wen. From King Tang of Shang to King Zhou of Shang, the era had reached its end, and when an era reaches its end, change is inevitable. And the time when Confucius lived, the virtue of the Zhou dynasty had already declined, the feudal lords acted beyond their proper roles, and the people were suffering in misery, with political and moral order disrupted. In terms of the Book of Changes, was this not also a time that required change? Hence, Confucius adopted the meaning and intent of King Wen.

夫周易之用，雖重明變，亦非有背於伏羲之旨；伏羲之易，重常道，以道為本，而人事隨之；其用主常。文王之易，以用為本，其羲主變；然二者一也，一由上而下，一由下而上；文王以人事明天道，其終亦歸於天道；故變而不失其常，其卦序始乾坤，終坎離；始咸恆，終既未濟；仍以伏羲之序為本。

The Zhou Changes focus on explaining change, yet they do not contradict the purpose of Fuxi's approach. Fuxi's Yi emphasizes the constant way, taking the Dao as its foundation, with human affairs following accordingly; its use is based on "constancy." Wen Wang's Yi takes utility as its foundation, with its meaning centered on "change." However, the two are actually one, differing only in direction: one proceeds from above to below, the other from below to above. Wen Wang used human affairs to explain the heavenly Dao, ultimately returning to the heavenly Dao, so although it involves change, it does not lose its constancy. Its sequence of hexagrams begins with Qian and Kun, and ends with Kan and Li; the lower part of the sequence begins with Xian and Heng, and ends with Ji Ji and Wei Ji: it still follows the original sequence of Fuxi's hexagrams.

乾坤定位，故首上經；坎離代用，故終上經；乾坤交錯，故咸恆首下經；坎離往來，故既未濟終下經；合而言之，仍以乾坤為經，坎離為緯，與伏羲卦象同；分而言之，則多一交錯之用，即所以見其變也。

Heaven and Earth establish the positions of the universe, so they are placed first in the Upper Classic; Kan and Li take the place of Heaven and Earth and come into use, so they are placed last in the Upper Classic; Heaven and Earth intermingle to form Xian and Heng, so Xian and Heng are placed first in the Lower Classic; Kan and Li move back and forth to form Ji Ji and Wei Ji, so Ji Ji and Wei Ji are placed last in the Lower Classic. When viewed as a whole, it still takes Heaven and Earth as the main axis and Kan and Li as the cross axis, the same as Fuxi's hexagrams; when viewed separately, there is an additional layer of intermingling, which precisely demonstrates its 'change'.

既未濟坎離二卦交錯，以終全易；而取未濟，不用既濟者；明人事雖合終分，雖交終離；以復於先天之不生不滅，猶本天道立言，為天道由無入有；雖人事紛紜，時時交錯，及其至也，終返其本來，有仍歸無；如首之乾坤定位，上下不侔；而終未濟之水火不相射，即伏羲八卦位次也；水自下，火自上；水火相離，天地大定；此由有反無之道，而不生不滅之觀；至此生機已息，天地終老；萬物入定，世界將傾。

The hexagrams Ji Ji and Wei Ji are the intermingling of the trigrams Kan (Water) and Li (Fire), used to conclude the entire Book of Changes. The final position takes Wei Ji rather than Ji Ji to indicate that although human affairs may seem to converge at the end, they still require separation, and although things may appear to intersect at the end, they still need to part, returning to the state of the Earlier Heaven, which is without origin or cessation. This still follows the principle of the heavenly way: the heavenly way proceeds from non-existence to existence; although human affairs are complex and constantly intersect, when they reach their extreme, they ultimately return to their original state, with existence returning to non-existence. Just as the beginning sees Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth) establishing their positions, with upper and lower not being equal, the end sees Wei Ji, where water and fire do not interact, which is exactly the arrangement of the eight trigrams of Fuxi. Water naturally flows downward, fire naturally rises upward; water and fire are separate from each other, and thus heaven and earth become fully established. This is the path returning from existence to non-existence, and it is the contemplation of non-origin and non-cessation; at this point, vitality has ceased, heaven and earth eventually age, all things enter into stillness, and the world is about to collapse.

故全易之數，至此乃終；而出於乾坤者，仍歸之乾坤；成於陰陽者，仍分於陰陽；坎離不交，而一切同歸於盡；此未濟一卦，為天地大結束；而由生化言之，為生化之氣絕；由修持言之，則因緣之業淨；瞭然無礙，闊然無罣，空然無存；是則無聲無臭之時，而將同於上天之載；故曰大終，以人事無可再續也。

Therefore, all the numbers of the Book of Changes come to an end here. Those originating from Qian and Kun return to Qian and Kun; those formed by yin and yang are again separated back to yin and yang; Kan and Li no longer intersect, and everything returns to complete extinction. This hexagram, Without Completion, represents the great end of heaven and earth. In terms of generation and transformation, it signifies the interruption of the vital energy of generation and transformation; in terms of cultivation, it signifies the purification of karmic conditions: clear and unobstructed, vast and free from attachments, empty and without anything to retain. This is precisely the state described in the Zhongyong as "without sound and without smell," approaching the state of what heaven carries. Hence, it is called "Great End," because human affairs can no longer be continued.

夫人事既盡，易義自終；既無生化可言，更何交錯之跡；故曰：未濟。明其濟則為生，未生將何用哉？文王之易，主於用者也；未濟用窮，故全易至此盡矣；果有續者，則再來天地，仍循環於初始之乾坤，則又一太極矣！

Human affairs have already been fully exhausted, so the principles of the Book of Changes naturally come to an end; there is no more generation and transformation to speak of, and where would the traces of interaction be? Therefore it is called "Not Yet Completed." To understand "completion" means to bring about life, but if life has not yet come into being, what can be used? King Wen's Book of Changes focuses on "use," and "Not Yet Completed" signifies that the use has reached its limit. Therefore the entire Book of Changes ends here. If there were a continuation, it would be another cycle of heaven and earth, returning once again to the original Heaven and Earth, thus forming another Taiji.

此義與先天卦象，自乾至坤，各不相離，正同，如本宮卦，大終於歸妹，其羲亦然；以歸妹之象，地氣已盡；天地分離，與未濟之乾氣盡；水火分離，皆孤陰陽之象也；故傳曰：「未濟男之窮也，歸妹女之終也。」言此二卦，為二氣之大終；終則生化息，而易道盡；易以道陰陽，陰陽既盡，更何易道之存？故易之終，必終於二卦也。

This principle corresponds exactly with the earlier heaven trigrams from Qian to Kun, where each trigram is interconnected. For example, the native trigram of each of the eight palaces ends with Guimiao, and the meaning is similar: in the trigram Guimiao, the earth energy has reached its limit, causing the separation of heaven and earth; this is similar to the trigram Weijì, where the heavenly energy has reached its limit, causing the separation of water and fire. Both are examples of isolated yin and yang. Therefore, the "Zagua Zhuan" says, "Weijì signifies the exhaustion of the male; Guimiao signifies the end of the female." This means these two trigrams represent the ultimate conclusion of yin and yang energies. When the process of generation and transformation stops, the way of the Book of Changes also reaches its end. Since the Book of Changes is about yin and yang, once yin and yang have reached their limits, what remains of the way of the Book of Changes? Therefore, the end of the Book of Changes must necessarily conclude with these two trigrams.