Title or designation

號者，名也。稱其名使與實相稱，亦當名辨物之意也。孟長卿曰：“周人五號，帝，天稱，一也。王，美稱，二也。天子，爵號，三也。大君者，興盛行異，四也。大人者，聖明德備，五也。”

"Number" refers to the name. To call something by its proper name so that the name corresponds to the reality is the meaning of what was previously mentioned, "when a name distinguishes an object." The Han dynasty I Ching scholar Meng Xi (style name Changqing) said: the Zhou people had five kinds of titles— "Di" is the term for heaven, which is the first; "Wang" is a term of praise, which is the second; "Tianzi" is the title of rank, which is the third; "Dajun" refers to those who flourish and act excellently, which is the fourth; "Daren" refers to those who are wise and have complete virtue, which is the fifth.

以上五者，皆經之特稱。孔子贊《易》，更廣其義。曰“先王”。豫，“先王以作樂崇德”。曰“後”。泰，“后以裁成輔相之道”。

The above five are special titles unique to the classic text. Confucius praised the Book of Changes and expanded their scope. The first is "Xianwang" (former kings), as mentioned in the Image Commentary of the Yu hexagram: "Xianwang used music to honor virtue." The second is "Hou" (ruler), referring to the reigning monarch, as stated in the Image Commentary of the Tai hexagram: "Hou used resources to complete the way of heaven and earth, and assisted in the suitability of heaven and earth."

經稱爵號，王之下有三：曰“公”。大有，“公用享于天子”。解上六，“公用射隼”。益六三，“告公用圭”。六四，“告公從”。鼎九四，“覆公餗”。曰“侯”。屯，“利建侯”。豫，“利建侯”。晉，“康侯”。曰“子”。明夷，“箕子之明夷”。鼎，“得妾以其子”。言公、候、子而不及伯、男。或曰：“此殷制也。文王演《易》於紂之世，故從殷制。”

The titles mentioned in the text are ranked below "King" into three levels. The first is "Gong" (Duke): in the line "The Duke uses offerings to the Son of Heaven" from the line Nine in the Third of the Qian hexagram, "The Duke uses a bow to shoot a falcon" from the line Six at the Top of the Dui hexagram, "The Duke is informed with a jade tablet" from the line Six in the Third of the Yi hexagram, and "The Duke is informed with a proposal" from the line Six in the Fourth of the Yi hexagram, and "The Duke's food is overturned" from the line Nine in the Fourth of the Ding hexagram. The second is "Hou" (Marquis): in the hexagram Zun, "It is advantageous to establish a Marquis," in the hexagram Yu, "It is advantageous to establish a Marquis," and in the hexagram Jin, "The Healthy Marquis." The third is "Zi" (Prince): in the hexagram Mingyi, "Jizi's brightness is obscured," and in the hexagram Ding, "He obtains a concubine with her son." Only the titles of Duke, Marquis, and Prince are mentioned, without reference to the titles of Bo and Nan. Some people say: this is the system of the Yin dynasty, and King Wen compiled the Zhou Yi during the reign of King Zhou, so he followed the Yin system.

正名之稱有六：曰“大人”。一人為大。孟子日：“大人者，不失其赤子之心者也。”《文言》“與天地合其德”一節，孔子贊大人也至矣。曰“君子”。乾為君，震為子。乾震為無妄，君子者，無妄之稱。

Titles used to establish proper roles include six kinds. The first is "Da Ren" (Great Person): the character "Da" is formed by combining "Yi" and "Ren". Mencius said: "A Da Ren is one who does not lose the innocent heart of a child." The section in the "Wen Yan" of the "Qian Hexagram" that says, "A Da Ren is one who harmonizes with the virtue of heaven and earth," represents Confucius' highest praise of a Da Ren. The second is "Jun Zi" (Gentleman): Qian represents the king, and Zhen represents the son; Qian above and Zhen below form the "Wu Wang" hexagram, so "Jun Zi" is the title of the "Wu Wang" hexagram.

曰“小人”。天大，地大，人亦大。與天地參，故大。違反天地之道，則曰小人。曰“惡人”。睽“見惡人”，人而見惡於人，曰惡人。於象，離為惡人。曰“寇”。寇者悖逆之詞。於象，坎為寇。曰“匪人”。匪同非。“比之匪人”，“否之匪人”，失人道，故曰“匪人”。孟子曰：“無惻隱之心，非人也。無羞惡之心，非人也。無辭讓之心，非人也。無是非之心，非人也。”

Third is 'small person': Heaven is great, Earth is great, and human beings are also great. Humans can be ranked with Heaven and Earth as the three greats, so they are called great. Those who violate the way of Heaven and Earth are called small persons. Fourth is 'evil person': The first line of the Guī hexagram says 'seeing an evil person'; a person who is disliked by others is called an evil person, and according to the hexagram image, the line Li represents an evil person. Fifth is 'bandit': 'Bandit' is a term describing a rebellious person. According to the hexagram image, the line Kan represents a bandit. Sixth is 'non-person': 'Fēi' is the same as 'non'. The third line of the Bi hexagram says 'comparing with a non-person', and the hexagram statement of the Pǐ hexagram says 'Pǐ is non-person'. Both refer to those who have lost the way of being human, so they are called non-persons. Mencius says: 'Without a sense of compassion, one is not a person; without a sense of shame and aversion, one is not a person; without a sense of propriety and humility, one is not a person; without a sense of right and wrong, one is not a person.'

孔子贊《易》，更廣其義。曰“聖人”，曰“賢人”，曰“盜”，亦曰“暴客”，日“吉人”，曰“躁人”，曰“誣善之人”。

Confucius praised the Book of Changes, and further expanded the scope of such titles, thus referring to 'sages', 'virtuous persons', 'thieves', as stated in the Great Treatise, 'careless storage teaches theft'; also called 'violent guests', as in 'keeping heavy doors and striking the tongs to guard against violent guests'; there are 'auspicious persons', as in 'the words of an auspicious person are few'; there are 'impetuous persons', as in 'the words of an impetuous person are many'; there are 'those who slander the virtuous', as in 'the words of those who slander the virtuous are flowing'.

名當而辭可斷矣。爻有等，故曰“物”。辨物當名，名不等也。正言，言不等也。故斷辭亦不等。凶至吉為七等：凶，厲，悔，吝，無咎，無不利，吉。凶不若厲，厲不若悔，悔不若吝，吝不若無咎，無咎不若無不利，無不利不若吉。

The names are appropriate, and thus the judgments can be made. The "Great Treatise" says, "The lines have levels, so they are called things." Since the lines have different levels, they are referred to as things. Distinguishing things and establishing names, names have levels; expressing words properly, words also have levels; therefore, the concluding remarks also have levels. From evil to good, there are seven levels: evil, danger, regret, hardship, no blame, no disadvantage, and good. Evil is worse than danger, danger worse than regret, regret worse than hardship, hardship worse than "no blame," "no blame" worse than "no disadvantage," and "no disadvantage" worse than good. These seven levels, from heavy to light, allow the person asking the question to measure the depth of their situation: evil means disaster has already occurred, danger means peril but not yet failure, regret means there is regret but still recoverable, hardship means slight regret, "no blame" means good correction of mistakes without disaster, "no disadvantage" means everything is feasible, and good is the true perfection.

海寧先生之於《易》，得異人傳授，又博極諸家傳注，故能竟委窮源，而獨見其大。先生於書，無所不讀，故能探賾索隱，鉤貫於新舊之學，而獨得其通。昔嘗聞之先生曰：《易》始於包犧氏，備於神農、黃帝，大明於文王、周公、孔子。漢人去古未遠，其卦氣、飛伏、陰陽、消息，皆有所授受，非能自創。孔子贊《易》，專重人道，以明立教之旨。故三陳九德，以人合天，而筮法僅略言及之。

Master Hang Xinzhai of Haining studied the Yi Jing thoroughly, having received personal instruction from a rare master and extensively reading the commentaries and annotations of various scholars throughout history. Therefore, he was able to trace the origins and fully understand the main principles of the Yi. Since he had studied widely, he could grasp profound meanings and connect old and new schools of thought, thereby comprehending the common thread within them. I once heard Master Hang say that the Yi originated with Fuxi, became complete during the time of Shen Nong and the Yellow Emperor, and was fully elucidated by King Wen, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius. The Han dynasty scholars were not far from the ancient times, and their discussions on "gu qi," "fei fu," "yin and yang," and "xi xiao" were passed down from teacher to student with a clear lineage, not invented out of nowhere. When Confucius composed the Yi Zhuan, he focused especially on the human aspect, using it to explain the purpose of education and moral instruction. Therefore, in the Great Treatise, he three times discussed the virtues of the nine trigrams, urging people to harmonize human principles with heavenly principles. As for the method of divination using the yarrow stalks, he only briefly mentioned it.

朱子乃謂“《易》為聖人教人卜筮之書”，豈知方耶？然河、洛為《易》象所取則，漢學只詆為偽造，朱子獨取以冠經首，是其卓識，亦有不可及者。又曰：“道家祖黃老，淵源悉出於《易》。”其七返九還，六歸八居，度數與卦象悉合無論矣。所異者佛產印度，耶穌生於猶太，而《華嚴》之乘數，《金剛》之相數，一八、三六、百零八之數，及“七日來復”、“十三見凶之數”，亦無不得。僅以素所聞於先生者，弁諸簡端，並志其緣起如此云。

Zhu Xi said that the Book of Changes is a book that the sage used to teach people how to divinate, is this not understanding the fundamental approach? However, the Yellow River Chart and the Luo Writing were originally the basis for the symbolic images of the Book of Changes. Han scholars universally rejected them as later forgeries, but Zhu Xi alone took them and placed them at the beginning of the classic text, and this insight is something others cannot match. You also said that Daoists revere the Yellow Emperor and Laozi as their ancestors, and their origins are entirely from the Book of Changes. The Danists' discussions of 'seven returns and nine returns' and 'six returns and eight dwellings' have numbers that correspond with the hexagrams in every aspect, so there is no need to mention them further. What is strange is that Buddhism originated in India, Jesus was born in Judea, yet the numerical concepts in the Avatamsaka Sutra, the numerical concepts in the Diamond Sutra, as well as numbers like one and eight, three and six, one hundred and eight, and numbers such as 'seven days to return' and 'thirteen days to see misfortune' also do not have any that do not correspond with the numbers of the Book of Changes. I merely wrote down what I heard from you on the first page of this volume, and recorded the origin of this book as above.

《易》道至大，《易》理至遂；辛齋之愚，何敢妄談？顧念吾師忍死狴犴，剋期以待，密傳心法，冀綿絕學，又曷敢自棄？丙辰出獄，爰蒐集古今說《易》之書，惟日孳孳，寢饋舟車，未嘗或輟。丁巳以後，國會蒙塵。播越嶺嶠，議席多暇，兩院同人，合組研幾學社於廣州之迥龍社。謬推都講，計日分程，商兌講習。雖兵戈擾攘，而課約罔閒。

The Way of the Book of Changes is extremely vast and profound; its principles are extremely deep. I, Hang Xinzhai, with my shallow intellect and limited knowledge, dare not speak casually about it. However, thinking of my late teacher who was imprisoned, enduring suffering and waiting patiently, agreeing on a time to secretly pass on his inner teachings to me, hoping that this nearly extinct discipline could be continued, how could I then give up and be defeated? After my release in the year Bingchen, I began to collect books from ancient times explaining the Book of Changes, working diligently every day without ceasing, not even pausing during sleep, meals, travel or other activities. From the year Dingsi onwards, the National Assembly was forced to relocate, and I was stranded in Lingnan. With much spare time in the legislative sessions, the members of both houses formed the "Yanjixue She" (Society for the Study of the Subtleties) together in the Jionglong Society in Guangzhou. They mistakenly elected me as the main lecturer, setting daily schedules and discussing and studying together. At that time, although there was turmoil and warfare, the scheduled lectures were never abandoned.

講義纂輯，得書若干，名曰《易楔》。而晨昏餘晷，切磋問難，隨時筆錄者，又積稿盈尺。同人艱於傳寫，乃謀刊印。釐為四卷，名曰《筆談》，蓋紀實焉。己未庚申，由粵而滬。同志之友，聞聲畢集。風雨一廬，不廢討論。以續前稿，又得四卷，另為《二集》。借閱傳鈔，恐多遺失。適前印之書，久已告罄。同人請合兩《集》與《易楔》、《易數偶得》、《讀易雜記》諸稿，均以聚珍板印行。始於壬戌八月，至十月抄，《筆談》八卷工竣。爰紀顛末，並述旨如左。

The collected notes were compiled into several volumes, and the book was named "Yi Xie." In the remaining time of the day and night, they discussed and questioned each other, and the notes taken down at any time piled up to a height of about a foot. The colleagues found it inconvenient to copy and circulate the notes, so they discussed printing them, dividing them into four volumes and naming the collection "Bitan," meaning to record the actual events. In the years Jiwei and Gengshen, I moved from Guangdong to Shanghai, and friends with similar aspirations heard the news and gathered together, living in the same house even through storms and continuous discussions. Continuing from the previous drafts, they wrote another four volumes, compiling them as the "Second Collection." These notes, when lent out for copying, were feared to be lost. Fortunately, the earlier printed books had already been sold out, so the colleagues requested that the two collections, along with the drafts of "Yi Xie," "Yi Shu Ou De," and "Du Yi Za Ji," be printed together using the JuZhen movable type. This project started in the eighth month of Renxu year and was completed by the end of the tenth month, when all eight volumes of "Bitan" were printed. Then, the entire process was recorded, and the purpose of this book was explained as follows.

一、承學之士，不廢筆札，談論所及，擇要綴錄，聊以備忘。除《初集》第一卷，於臨印時略有增減，以明源流外，餘悉隨時編訂，並無先後次序。二、講《易》與詁經不同。詁經當有家法，有體例，義不容雜。而講《易》則以闡明卦爻象數之原理原則，但以經文為之證明。故凡與象數有涉，足與《易》道相發明者，博採旁搜，不限時地，更無所謂門戶派別也。

First, those who study should not neglect taking notes. Whenever they discuss something, they should select the key points and record them, to prevent forgetting. Except for the first volume of the first collection, which was slightly revised just before printing to explain the academic lineage, all other entries were compiled as they went along, without any particular order. Second, explaining the Book of Changes differs from interpreting classical texts. Interpreting classical texts requires discussing 'family methods' and following a fixed format, with interpretations not mixed together. In contrast, explaining the Book of Changes focuses mainly on clarifying the principles and rules of the hexagram and line symbols and numbers. Therefore, any materials related to the symbolic and numerical aspects that can elucidate the principles of the Book of Changes are collected broadly and extensively, without restriction of time, place, or school of thought.

三、《易》本法象於天地。乾易坤簡，易知易能，雖見仁見智，各隨學識之深淺而異，要無不可知之理。自象義不明，學者無所適從，幾視《易》為絕學，而不敢問津。致《易》簡之理，日即湮晦。本編有鑑於斯，立說皆取淺顯明白，務期盡人能解，不敢以艱深文淺陋也。

Third, the Book of Changes originally established its images by following the principles of heaven and earth. The principle of heaven is straightforward and easy to understand, and the principle of earth is simple and effective, making them easy to comprehend and practice. Although readers may have different interpretations based on their varying levels of knowledge, there is no principle that is unknowable. Since the meanings of the hexagrams have become obscure and difficult to explain, those who study the Book of Changes have been at a loss, almost treating it as a lost discipline and avoiding it altogether. As a result, the simple and straightforward principle of "easy and simple" has gradually become obscured and forgotten. In view of this, this book adopts an explanation that is clear and easy to understand, striving to ensure that everyone can comprehend it. I dare not use obscure language to conceal the simplicity of its content.

四、孔子贊《易》，身逢亂世，行危言遜。有因時忌不能顯言者，不得不以微言大義，隱寓於象數之中，與春秋同一例也。後人不察，悉以文字求之，孔子憂天憫人之苦心湮沒盡矣。歷代學者，如邵康節，如劉青田、黃姚江，均抱此隱痛而未敢昌言者也。鼎革以後，世雖亂而言可無諱。發歷聖之心傳，彌前賢之遺憾，維世道而存絕學，不可謂非千載一時之良機。剝極必復，時乎不再，幸我同人勿自暴棄以負天心也。

Fourth, when Confucius wrote the commentary on the Book of Changes, he was living in a time of chaos, acting with integrity and speaking with humility. Some things he could not openly express due to the prevailing taboos, so he secretly conveyed profound meanings through the images and numbers. This is similar to the way he wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals. Later scholars failed to understand this, and instead sought meaning only from the text, thus completely missing Confucius' heartfelt concern for the world. Scholars throughout history, such as Shao Yong (Kangjie) of the Song Dynasty, Liu Ji (Qingtian) and Huang Zongxi (Yaohang) of the Ming Dynasty, all carried this hidden sorrow but dared not express it openly. After the change of dynasties, although the world remained chaotic, speech was no longer restricted. Now is a rare opportunity to uncover the true teachings of the sages, to make up for the shortcomings of previous scholars, to maintain the world's order and preserve the lost learning. It cannot be said that this is an opportunity that comes once in a thousand years. The hexagram of "Breaking Up" reaches its extreme, and inevitably turns into the hexagram of "Reversion." Once the opportunity is gone, it will never return. We hope our fellow scholars will not give up on themselves and辜负 the will of heaven.

五、卦因數衍，數緣象起，象由心生。《易》準天地，廣大悉備。雖人事遞演，世變日繁，要不能出乎此象數之外。故洲殊種別，文字語言，萬有不齊，維數足以齊之。宗教俗尚，各有不同，惟數足以同之。兩千年來，數學失傳。宋後言《易》者，往往以邵子先天數為《易》數。數理繁嘖，固非短扎所能盡。然於舊說之顯然挑牴牾者，不能不援據象數以為商榷，非敢故翻成案也。

Fifth, hexagrams are derived from numbers, which are based on images, and images arise from the mind. The Book of Changes takes heaven and earth as its standard, being vast and comprehensive, encompassing everything. Even though human affairs keep changing and the world becomes increasingly complex, they ultimately cannot go beyond this system of images and numbers. Therefore, despite the differences among human races across continents and the vast variations in writing and languages, only "numbers" can bring them together. Likewise, although various religions and customs differ from each other, only "numbers" can unify them. The study of divination numbers has been lost for two thousand years. Since the Song dynasty, those who study the Book of Changes often take Shao Yong's "Earlier Heaven Numbers" as the numbers of the Book of Changes. The numerical reasoning is complex and cannot be fully explained in a short note. However, for clearly contradictory points in the old interpretations, it is necessary to refer to the theory of images and numbers for discussion, not intentionally overturning previous established views.

六、占筮固《易》之一端，而聖人修《易》以明道，實非盡為占筮。孔子贊《易》，紹述文周，以人合天，兢兢寡過，豈導人於趨吉避凶哉！朱子以占筮為《易》之本義，未免偏見。而《大衍》揲蓍之法，自唐以後，於掛一再扐兩端，立說互歧。往諸數理，並多遺憾。未敢盲從，以誤後人。

Sixth, although divination is indeed one aspect of the Book of Changes, the sages compiled the Book of Changes to elucidate the great principles, not solely for divination. Confucius wrote the Commentary on the Changes, continuing the tradition of King Wen and the Duke of Zhou, teaching people to harmonize human ways with the ways of Heaven, being cautious and striving to commit few errors. How could this be considered guiding people to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune? Zhu Xi regarded divination as the fundamental meaning of the Book of Changes, which seems to be a prejudice. As for the method of divining by counting the yarrow stalks described in the Great Treatise, since the Tang dynasty, there have been differing interpretations regarding the steps of "taking one" and "gathering two." Investigating the numerical reasoning behind these steps, many explanations are not convincing. I dare not blindly follow them, for fear of misleading future generations.

七、至誠之道，雖可前知，惟道本一貫，學無躐等。必正心修身，能盡人之道以合天，斯天人契合，感而遂通，百世可知。初無二理。若一知半解，妄談禍福，自欺欺人，實學《易》之大戒。兢兢自箴者，竊願以此勉人。

The seventh point is that the Doctrine of the Mean says that the way of utmost sincerity can foresee the future. However, the principle is fundamentally consistent, and one cannot advance in learning by skipping stages. One must first correct the mind and cultivate oneself, fully fulfilling human morality to harmonize with the way of Heaven. In this way, Heaven and humanity are in harmony, and a single feeling can connect with the heavens. Thus, even matters of a hundred generations later can be inferred. There is no distinction between two different principles here. If one only grasps partial knowledge and then rashly discusses good fortune, misfortune, blessings, and calamities, this is self-deception and a serious fault in studying the Book of Changes. This is something I constantly remind myself of, and I wish to use it to encourage my fellow students.

八、盡性至命，乃易學之極功。孔子之聖，猶韋編三絕，但云寡過，罕言性命。後生末學，更宜踐履篤實，下學上達。同學講習，竊本斯旨。《初集》刊佈，朋自遠來，往往以只言象數，不談身心性命相責。但愚尚以象數之未能盡明為憾。果象數通解，則身心性命之理，胥在其中，更無待言說為也。

The eighth point is that to exhaust one's mind and nature, and to reach the Mandate of Heaven directly, is the highest achievement in the study of the Book of Changes. Even a sage like Confucius, when studying the Book of Changes, broke the leather thongs of the bamboo slips three times, and he only said he sought to reduce his mistakes, rarely discussing nature and destiny. Later scholars and learners should even more diligently practice, starting from the immediate and practical, and then proceed to the higher. In our discussions, I have privately followed this principle. After the first collection was published, friends from afar often criticized me for only discussing the images and numbers, and not talking about the body, mind, nature, and destiny. But I still regret that the images and numbers were not thoroughly explained. If the images and numbers could indeed be fully understood, then the principles of body, mind, nature, and destiny would already be contained within them, and there would be no need to discuss them separately.

九、形而下者謂之器，形而上者謂之道。凡有形可指者皆器。道本於心，未可以言盡焉。故八卦因重，羲農法天以垂象；兩編《十翼》，周孔立言以明道。然未可遽執卦象經傳以為道也。譬諸升高必以梯，而梯非高。求飽必以飯，而飯非飽。宋後講《易》，開口言性理，言道統，是猶指梯而稱高，看飯而說飽也。今之談道者，無宋人之學，而立說更高出宋人。自誤誤人，更不待言。願學者共明斯旨，各求實學，返諸身心。勿好高鶩遠，循前車之覆轍焉。

Chapter Nine, the Great Treatise says that what has form is called "qi," and what is formless is called "Dao." Anything that can be pointed to with form is considered "qi"; "Dao" originates from the human mind and cannot be fully expressed in words. Therefore, the eight trigrams combined to form the sixty-four hexagrams, which was the method used by Fuxi and Shen Nong to follow the heavenly Dao and reveal the hexagrams. The two sets of commentaries, the Ten Wings, were composed by the Duke of Zhou and Confucius to explain the great Dao. However, one must not take the hexagrams and their commentaries as the Dao itself. For example, climbing a high place must use a ladder, but the ladder itself is not the height. To satisfy hunger one must eat, but food is not hunger itself. After the Song dynasty, those who discussed the Book of Changes often began by talking about nature and principle, and the transmission of Dao, which is like pointing at the ladder and claiming to have reached the height, or looking at the food and claiming to be full. Today, those who talk about Dao lack the scholarly depth of the Song Confucians, yet their theories are even more lofty and distant. This is self-deception and misleading others, and even more so, it is unnecessary. I hope those who study the Book of Changes will all understand this principle, pursue solid learning, and verify it through their own body and mind, without being overly ambitious, and avoid repeating the mistakes of previous scholars.

十、潔淨精微之學，非潛修靜養，未能深造。勞人草草，敢言心得？惟匯積年涉獵所得，聊供同學參考之便。深望海內鴻碩，時加匡正。幸得學與年進，尚擬續，以供採擇。十一、世道陵夷，聖學中絕。人慾橫流，罔知紀極。謹願之士，苦身心之無所寄託，蒿目時艱，恆懷消極。或附托西教，或皈向佛門。而仙靈神鬼，導引修養，及飛鸞顯化之壇宇，遂遍於域中。影附風從，是丹非素。不知我國固有之學，貫澈天人，足以安身立命。保世滋大，概群藉而羅萬有者，悉在此一畫開天，人文肇始之《易經》。存人道，挽世運，千鈞一髮，絕續在茲。弘道救世，責無旁貸。惟我同人，自奮勉焉。

Tenth, the "Book of Rites" refers to the study of the "I Ching" as "pure, refined, and subtle." Without earnest study and quiet cultivation, one cannot deeply understand it. I have been busy and rushed, hastily writing this book; how dare I claim to have any insights? It is merely a collection of what I have learned over the years, offered here for my fellow scholars to refer to. I sincerely hope that learned scholars throughout the land will correct me at any time. If knowledge can continue to grow with age, I intend to write more continuously, for others to choose from. Eleventh, the world is gradually declining, the learning of the sages has been interrupted, desires run rampant without end. Those who are cautious, honest, and sincere suffer from having nowhere to place their minds and bodies. Observing the difficult circumstances of the times, they often feel pessimistic. Some turn to Western religions, others to Buddhism; while places that talk about immortals, ghosts, spirits, qigong, and divination, such as乩 and坛, are widespread throughout the country. People follow the crowd blindly, confusing red with white, unable to distinguish right from wrong. They do not realize that our native learning originally connects heaven and humanity, sufficient to establish one's life and maintain stability. The ability to preserve the world's order, promote its development, encompass all schools of thought, and include everything, lies entirely within this "I Ching," which began with the creation of the world and initiated human culture. Preserving human ways and reversing the trend of the times is now at a critical moment, and the continuation or interruption depends on this. Promoting the great path and saving the people is our responsibility, and we hope that all of us will strive hard.

上古之世，無所謂《易》也。但後世之《易》，實本於伏羲，故《周官》掌太卜者有“三《易》”之稱。因周以《易》名，遂追諡《連山》、《歸藏》皆謂之《易》。餘所謂上古之《易》者，亦援斯義而追稱之耳。

In ancient times, there was no name called "The Book of Changes" ("Yi"). However, the later "Yi" indeed originated from Fuxi. Therefore, the "Zhou Li" (Record of Rites) mentions that the Grand卜 (diviner) was in charge of "three Yis." Since the Zhou dynasty called their own version "Yi," they added the title, and also referred to "Lianshan" and "Guicang" as "Yi" as well. What I refer to as "the ancient Yi" here is also using this meaning to give them the same name.

溯自伏羲一畫開天，其時雖文字未興，而結繩為治，已有等秩倫紀之可觀。《繫傳》稱仰則觀象於天，俯則觀法於地，觀鳥獸之文與地之宜，近取諸身，遠取諸物，於是始作八卦，以通神明之德，以類萬物之情。其條理井然，而觀法於地暨觀鳥獸之文與地之宜，已能將地之所有，分析觀察，頗如近世科學家，區地文地質學為二類。

Tracing back to the time when Fuxi drew the first diagram to create the heavens and the earth, although writing had not yet been invented, he used the method of tying knots to govern the world, and there were already observable levels of hierarchy and human relationships. The Great Treatise says that he looked up to observe the forms of heaven, looked down to observe the principles of earth, observed the patterns of birds and beasts and the suitability of the land, taking close examples from himself and distant ones from all things in the world. Thus he began to draw the Eight Trigrams, to communicate with the virtue of the divine and to compare and classify the forms of all things. This was a well-ordered system; among these, "observing the principles of earth" and "observing the patterns of birds and beasts and the suitability of the land" already showed a clear distinction in observing all things on the earth's surface, very much like modern scientists who divide "geography" and "geology" into two separate disciplines.

此豈歐洲人所謂上古時代野蠻酋長之可比擬哉！以佃以漁，雖未脫游牧之風，而政治亦已斐然可觀矣。況八卦成列，有形，有象，有聲，實已備具文字之作用。因而重之為六十四卦。益之以變化，固已肆應而不窮矣。此伏羲之《易》，所以為我中國文化之初祖也。

This is not comparable to the primitive tribes of Europe where chieftains ruled in the ancient times. At that time, people were still hunting and fishing, though not yet fully separated from a nomadic lifestyle, but their politics were already quite developed. Moreover, the eight trigrams were arranged in order, having form, imagery, and sound, and in fact already possessed the function of writing. Furthermore, by combining the eight trigrams two by two to form the sixty-four trigrams, and adding the changes of the lines, it was already sufficient to deal with infinite changes. This is why the Book of Changes, created by Fuxi, became the original source of our Chinese culture.

伏羲氏沒，神農氏作。斫木為耜，揉木為耒。耒耨之利，以教天下。日中為市，致天下之民，聚天下之貨，交易而退，各得其所，是已由游牧時代而進於農商。且規模宏遠，政教並行。又嘗百草以御疾災，民無夭折，創制顯庸，澤及萬世。然其時文字未興，所賴以為政治之具者，實維伏羲所遺傳之卦象。度神農氏必有所增益而變通之，是名《連山》。相傳以重艮為首，經卦皆八，重卦皆六十四者也。故神農為炎帝，亦號列山氏。

After Fuxi died, Shen Nong came to power. He carved wooden plows and bent wood to make耒, teaching the people the convenience of farming tools; he also set up markets at noon to gather people from all over, collect goods from everywhere, and exchange them, so that everyone could obtain what they needed. This marked the transition from a nomadic era to an age of agriculture and commerce. Moreover, his endeavors were grand and far-reaching, with both governance and education carried out simultaneously. He also tasted hundreds of herbs to prevent and treat diseases, ensuring the people did not die prematurely, and he invented tools and demonstrated their uses, bringing benefits to generations. However, at that time, writing had not yet emerged, and the only means of governing the world was the hexagrams passed down by Fuxi. It is said that Shen Nong must have made some additions and modifications to the hexagrams, which is called the "Lianshan" (Continued Mountain). It is traditionally believed that the "Lianshan" begins with the hexagram of Gen (Mountain) repeated, while the single trigrams remain eight and the compound hexagrams remain sixty-four. Therefore, Shen Nong is also called the "Lieshan" (Mountain Ruler).

神農氏沒，黃帝堯舜氏作。通其變使民不倦，神而化之使民宜之。《易》窮則變，變則通，通則久。蓋至是文明日進，制器尚象，人事日繁。而舊有之八卦，不足以應用。於是廣卦象為六畫，而文字以生。益以天干地支，而陰陽五行之用愈精。

After Shen Nong died, the Yellow Emperor and Yao and Shun took turns to rise to prominence. They understood the changes of things and made the people not feel tired; they subtly nurtured the people so that each could find what was suitable for them. The Great Treatise says: The Way of the Book of Changes reaches an end and then changes, only through change can it be unblocked, and only through unblocking can it last long. At this time, civilization gradually advanced, and the making of objects was based on the trigrams. Human affairs became more complex, and the original eight trigrams were no longer sufficient for use, so the trigrams were expanded into hexagrams with six lines, and writing was then created. In addition, the heavenly stems and earthly branches were added, making the application of yin and yang and the Five Phases even more precise.

吹律定聲，民氣以和。而禮樂以興，本黃鐘以定度量權衡。治曆明時，定璇璣玉衡以齊七政。絕地天通，百官以治，萬民以察。而《易》之為用，益無乎不備。故黃帝之《易》曰《歸藏》，以坤乾為首者也。堯舜繼黃帝之後，於變時雍，垂衣裳而天下平。今讀《繫辭下傳》之二章，上古進化之歷史，與三《易》之源流，可概見矣。此上古之《易》也。

Blowing the tuning pipes to determine pitch, the people's qi thus harmonized, and rites and music emerged; also using the Huangzhong pitch standard to set the measures of length, capacity, and weight. Establishing the calendar to clarify the seasons, and setting up the Xuanji Yuheng to correct the movements of the sun, moon, and five stars. Ending the chaotic situation where everyone could communicate with ghosts and spirits, with officials each having their own duties and governance being well maintained, the people could be properly regulated. The function of the Book of Changes reaches this point, becoming fully comprehensive. Therefore, the Yellow Emperor's Book of Changes was called the Guicang, with the Kun and Qian trigrams as the first ones. Yao and Shun came after the Yellow Emperor, and the world became harmonious and peaceful, requiring only to hold robes and rest hands, and the whole country would be tranquil. Today, reading the second chapter of the Xici Xia Zhuan, the historical development of the ancient times and the origins of the three Books of Changes can be roughly understood. This is the ancient Book of Changes.

夏易《連山》，蓋繼述神農氏者也。商易《歸藏》，蓋繼述黃帝氏者也。周曰《周易》，或曰“祖述堯舜”。孔子曰：“《易》之興也，其於中古乎？作《易》者，其有憂患乎？”雖指《周易》，以文王與紂之事當之。然帝降而王，德不如古。神禹受命，開家天下之局。湯武革命，《易》揖讓而征誅，均不能無慚德焉。故三代之《易》，皆可謂之中古，所謂“於稽其類其衰世之意”邪？上視羲皇，已不無今昔之感矣。

In the Xia dynasty, the Book of Changes was called the "Lianshan" (Continuous Mountains), probably continuing the tradition of the Yellow Emperor; in the Shang dynasty, it was called the "Guicang" (Return to the Treasury), probably continuing the tradition of the Yellow Emperor; and in the Zhou dynasty, it was called the "Zhouyi" (Book of Changes), and some say it "follows the ways of Yao and Shun." Confucius said, "The origin of the Book of Changes probably dates back to the middle ancient times. The person who composed the Book of Changes must have been troubled by worries." Although these words refer specifically to the Zhouyi, they are used to confirm the idea by referring to the events between King Wen and King Zhou of Shang. However, since the imperial way has declined from the way of the emperors to the way of the kings, virtue is no longer as it was in the ancient times. Da Yu received the mandate, establishing the system of a hereditary dynasty; King Tang of Shang and King Wu of Zhou used military force to overthrow the previous dynasties, changing the system of abdication into one of conquest, and none of these actions can be said to be without regret. Therefore, the Book of Changes of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties can all be called the Book of Changes of the middle ancient times, which is what the Great Treatise says, "Examining these words, they probably express the meaning of a declining age." Compared to the time of Fuxi, there is already a sense of the past and present.

制度文物，皆出於《易》。故曰“觀其會通以行其典禮”。《易》在三代，不啻為政治之書。夏宗《連山》，其禮樂政刑胥以《連山》為則。殷宗《歸藏》，其禮樂政刑胥以《歸藏》為則。故紀曆有人統地統天統之殊。而尚忠尚質尚文，亦各有所專重。蓋變通損益以蘄合于時宜，而成一代之制。必統系分明，而後綱舉目張，有條不紊。今夏殷之制不可悉睹，而《周禮》一書，雖經竄改，而周家之典章文物，猶可得其梗概，足與《周易》相印證。自秦漢以降，目《易》為卜筮之書，政失其綱也久矣。

In every dynasty, the system of institutions and objects were derived from the Book of Changes. Therefore, the Great Treatise says, "Observe its converging and permeating aspects, and use them to promote the rites and regulations." The Book of Changes in the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties was essentially a political text. In the Xia dynasty, they revered the "Lianshan" (Continuous Mountains), and all rites, music, punishment, and government were based on the Lianshan. In the Shang dynasty, they revered the "Guicang" (Return to Storage), and all rites, music, punishment, and government were based on the Guicang. Hence, the three dynasties had different systems of calendars, namely "ren tong" (human system), "di tong" (earth system), and "tian tong" (heaven system). Their emphasis on loyalty, sincerity, and culture also had different focuses. These were all adaptations according to the times, with additions and subtractions, in order to meet the needs of the time, thus forming the institutions of each dynasty. It was necessary to have clear distinctions, so that the main points could be grasped and the details could be arranged in an orderly manner. Now, the systems of the Xia and Shang dynasties can no longer be fully seen. However, the book of Zhou Li, although altered by later generations, still allows us to see the general outlines of the Zhou dynasty's institutions, which can be verified with the Book of Changes. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the Book of Changes has been regarded as a book for divination, and the political system has lost its framework for a long time.

我國學術，約可分為三派：曰儒，曰道，曰墨。其餘諸子百家，名類雖多，要無不可以此三派歸納之。道家宗老氏，而實導源於黃帝，故相傳曰“黃老”。墨家出於禹，而實濫觴於神農。《孟子》有為神農之言者許行，主並耕之說，亦墨之別派也。儒家集大成於孔子，《論語》曰：“文王既沒，文不在茲乎？”則孔子固自承為繼續文王者也。故儒家之學出於《周易》，道家之學出於《歸藏》，墨家之學出於《連山》，各有所本。

The academic traditions of our country can generally be divided into three schools: Confucianism, Taoism, and Mohism. The other hundred schools of thought, although they have many names, can ultimately be included within these three. Taoism reveres Laozi as its master, but its origin actually dates back to the Yellow Emperor, so it has always been collectively called "Huang-Lao" (Yellow Emperor and Laozi). Mohism advocates frugality and practical action; it is said to have originated from the Xia Yu, but in fact it began with Shen Nong. The Xu Xing mentioned in "Mencius · Teng Wengong" who is said to have spoken the words of Shen Nong, advocated that the ruler should also work with the people in farming to support himself, which is an offshoot of Mohism. Confucianism reached its culmination with Confucius. The "Analects" records Confucius saying, "King Wen has already passed away, is not the rites and music culture now in my possession?" This shows that Confucius himself regarded himself as the one continuing King Wen's tradition. Therefore, the study of Confucianism originates from the "Zhou Yi" (Book of Changes), the study of Taoism originates from the "Guicang" (Book of Changes attributed to the Yellow Emperor), and the study of Mohism originates from the "Lianshan" (Book of Changes attributed to Shen Nong). Each has its own origin and is not born out of nowhere.

自漢而後，雖罷斥百家，獨崇儒道，而道與墨之學，亦實有不可磨滅之精神。歷代之治，舍其名而用其實者，不可枚舉。至於今日，儒術亦掃地盡矣。而老氏墨氏之學，則因與歐西之哲學，及其他科學之相契合者頗多，崇尚新學之士，漸有取而研究之者。禮失求野，循末反本，則吾文明初祖之羲《易》，或尚有大明之一日乎？

After the Han dynasty, although the government suppressed all schools of thought except Confucianism, the spirit of Daoism and Mohism could not be entirely erased. Throughout history, many rulers implemented policies that were in line with the actual ideas of these schools, though they did not openly acknowledge them. Today, Confucianism has been completely discarded; however, the teachings of Laozi and Mozi have gradually attracted attention from those who favor new learning, because they share many similarities with European philosophy and other scientific disciplines. An old saying goes that when the rites and rituals are lost, one should seek them from the people. Following the current trends back to their origins, perhaps the Yi Jing, passed down by the ancient sage Fuxi, may once again shine brightly.

《易》者，明道之書也。五帝之治天下也以道，三王以德，五霸以功。世運自帝降而王，王降乎而霸，道之不明也久矣。孔子生當衰周，五霸之功已杳，浸浸乎由功而降而尚力。至惟力是尚，弱肉強食，人道或幾乎悉矣。故孔子贊《易》以存道，又以道之未可驟幾焉，乃取中爻以明功，陳九卦以崇德。循序而進，由功而德，其庶幾乎與道近矣。

The Book of Changes is a book that explains the great Dao. The Five Emperors governed the world by following the Dao, the Three Kings by virtue, and the Five Hegemons by their achievements. The way of the world has gradually declined from the imperial way to the royal way, then to the hegemonic way, and the great Dao has been obscure for a long time. Confucius was born in the era when the Zhou dynasty was declining, and even the achievements of the Five Hegemons had already become distant. The prevailing trend of the times gradually shifted from valuing achievements to emphasizing power; once power became the main concern, the weak were preyed upon by the strong, and humaneness was almost about to be extinguished. Therefore, Confucius wrote the Commentary on the Changes to preserve the great Dao. Since the great Dao cannot be attained suddenly, he selected several middle lines among the six lines of the hexagram to explain achievements, and explained nine hexagrams such as Guan and Qian to promote virtue. This allows people to proceed step by step, from achievements to virtue, thus approaching the Dao to a great extent.

孔子傳《易》於商瞿。商瞿字子木，其行事不見於《論語》，蓋孔子晚年之弟子也。商瞿授魯橋庇子庸，子庸授江東對馯臂子弓，子弓授燕周丑子家，子家授東武孫虞子乘，子乘授齊田何子莊。凡六傳，而周滅於秦。

Confucius passed on the Book of Changes to Shang Qu, whose given name was Zi Mu. His deeds are not recorded in the Analects, and he was probably a student Confucius took in during his later years. Shang Qu passed it on to Qiao Bi Zi Yong of Lu, who passed it on to Han Bi Zi Gong of the Jiangdong region, who passed it on to Zhou Chou Zi Jia of Yan, who passed it on to Sun Yu Zi Cheng of Dongwu, who passed it on to Tian He Zi Zhang of Qi. In total, it was passed down through six generations, and by then the Zhou dynasty had been destroyed by the state of Qin.

秦焚書，而《易》以卜筮獨免。漢興，田何以齊之公族徙杜陵，號杜田生。授東武王同子中，及洛陽周王孫、丁寬，齊伏生。王同子中授淄川楊何，丁寬授同郡田碭王孫，王孫授沛施讎，蘭陵孟喜，琅邪梁丘賀，是為三家之《易》，皆立於學官置博士。

Qin Shihuang burned books, but the Book of Changes was exempted from destruction because it was regarded as a book for divination. During the Han dynasty, Tian He, who was a member of the royal family of the state of Qi, moved to Du Ling and was called "Du Tian Sheng." He passed it on to Wang Tongzi of Dongwu, Zhou Wangsun of Luoyang, Ding Kuan, and Fu Sheng of Qi. Wang Tongzi passed it on to Yang He of Zichuan, Ding Kuan passed it on to Tian Wangsun of the same county in Dang, and Tian Wangsun passed it on to Shi Chou of Peixian, Meng Xi of Lanling, and Liang Qiu He of Langya. These three were the main schools of the Book of Changes in the Han dynasty, all of which were established as official schools and set up doctoral positions.

施讎授張禹，及琅邪魯伯。禹授淮陽彭宣，沛戴子崇平。魯伯授琅邪邴丹、伏曼容。孟喜授同郡白光少子，沛瞿牧，及焦延壽。延壽授京房。梁丘賀傳子臨，臨授五鹿充宗。充宗授平陵士孫、張仲方，鄧彭祖子夏，齊衡咸長賓。

Shi Chou passed on his teachings to Zhang Yu and Lu Bo from Langya; Zhang Yu passed on his teachings to Peng Xuan from Huaiyang and Dai Chong from Peixian (whose name was Zi Ping); Lu Bo passed on his teachings to Bing Dan and Fu Manrong from Langya. Meng Xi passed on his teachings to Bai Guang (whose name was Shaoyi) from the same prefecture, Qu Mu from Peixian, and Jiao Yanshou; Jiao Yanshou passed on his teachings to Jing Fang. Liang Qiu He passed on his teachings to his son Liang Qiu Lin, who passed on his teachings to Wulu Chongzong; Wulu Chongzong passed on his teachings to Shi Sun Zhang (whose name was Zhongfang) from Pingling, Deng Pengzu (whose name was Zixia), and Heng Xian (whose name was Changbin) from Qi State.

東萊費直，治《易》長於卜筮，無章句，徒以《彖》、《象》、《繫辭》、《文言》，解釋上、下《經》。傳琅邪王璜子中。同時沛高相治《易》，與費略同，亦無章句，說陰陽災異，自言出於丁將軍。授子康，及蘭陵毋將永。高氏費氏之學，皆未立於學官。

Eastern Lake's Fei Zhi devoted himself to studying the Book of Changes, excelling in divination. He did not engage in the method of explaining each sentence of the text, known as chapter-by-chapter commentary. Instead, he used the Commentary on the Judgment, the Image Commentary, the Great Treatise, and the Discourse on the Literary Style to explain the upper and lower parts of the classic text. He passed his teachings to Wang Huang of Langya (whose name was Zi Zhong). At the same time, Gao Xiang from Pei County also studied the Book of Changes, following a similar approach. He did not engage in chapter-by-chapter commentary, but focused on yin and yang, omens, and portents, claiming his learning came from "General Ding" Ding Kuan. He passed his teachings to his son Gao Kang and Wu Jiang Yong of Lanling. The schools of Gao and Fei were never established in the official academies.

漢代易學，以施、孟、梁丘三家為盛。京氏專言災異，高氏亦與京略同。至東漢傳施學者，有劉昆，及子軼。傳孟學者有握丹鮭，陽鴻任安。傳梁丘學者，有范升、楊政、張興、及子魴，皆不甚顯。至漢季獨費《易》盛行，若馬融、鄭玄、荀爽、陸績、劉表、宋衷諸人，皆習費氏古文《易》。孟學獨一虞翻，施梁之學無聞矣。

The study of the Book of Changes during the Han dynasty was most flourishing among three schools: Shi Chou, Meng Xi, and Liang Qiu He. The Jing Fang school specialized in discussing calamities and anomalies, while the Gao Xiang school was similar to Jing Fang's approach. By the Eastern Han dynasty, those who inherited Shi Chou's teachings included Liu Kun and his son Liu Yi; those who inherited Meng Xi's teachings included Wu Dan, Hua Yang Hong, and Ren An; and those who inherited Liang Qiu He's teachings included Fan Sheng, Yang Zheng, Zhang Xing, and Zhang Xing's son Zhang Fang. None of these schools became very prominent. By the end of the Han dynasty, only the school of Fei Zhi's version of the Book of Changes remained influential. People such as Ma Rong, Zheng Xuan, Xun Shuang, Lu Ji, Liu Biao, and Song Zhong all studied Fei Zhi's ancient text version of the Book of Changes. The Meng Xi school was represented only by Yu Fan, while the teachings of Shi Chou and Liang Qiu He schools had no further successors.

魏晉以後，王弼之《易》，盛行江左。弼為劉表之甥，表固治費《易》者。弼之說《易》，不盡宗費，屏棄象數，專以玄理演繹，自謂得意忘象。又分《繫》、《彖》、《象》諸《傳》於經文之下。學者以其清雋新穎，且簡便而易學也，靡然宗之。由是施讎、梁丘諸家之《易》盡亡。費氏之古本，亦為所淆亂，而盡失其本來面目矣。

After the Wei and Jin dynasties, the commentary on the Book of Changes by Wang Bi became very popular in the Jiangdong region. Wang Bi was the nephew of Liu Biao, who had originally studied the Book of Changes according to the Fei school. However, Wang Bi's interpretation of the Book of Changes did not fully follow the Fei school's methods. He rejected the use of images and numbers, and instead used metaphysical reasoning to explain the text. He claimed that "one should grasp the meaning and forget the image." Furthermore, he broke up the commentaries from the Great Treatise, the Commentary on the Judgment, and the Image Commentary, and attached them separately below the main text. Scholars found his explanations fresh, elegant, and easy to learn, so they all followed him as their main authority. From then on, the schools of Shi Chou and Liangqiu completely disappeared, and the ancient version of the Fei school was also disrupted and lost its original form.

然弼年二十有四即死，《繫辭》、《說卦》三篇，均不及注，後人以韓康伯注續之。永嘉之亂，中原板蕩，經籍散失。李唐統一，掇拾燼餘，雖六經本文幸而未闕，而兩漢以來各家之師說傳注，已十亡其七八矣。孔穎達疏《易》，復崇王而黜鄭。太學肄業，一以王注為本，古《易》遂不可復見。

However, Wang Bi died at the age of twenty-four and did not have time to comment on works such as the Great Treatise and the Discourse on the Trigrams. Later scholars therefore used Han Kangbo's commentary to continue the tradition. During the Yongjia chaos of the Western Jin dynasty, the Central Plains were in turmoil and a large number of classic texts were lost. After the Liang dynasty unified the country, they collected the remnants, and although the main texts of the Six Classics were fortunately not damaged, the teachings and commentaries of various schools since the Western Han dynasty had already been lost to a large extent. Kong Yingda, when commenting on the Book of Changes, praised Wang Bi and rejected Zheng Xuan. The Imperial Academy's teachings all took Wang Bi's commentary as the foundation, and the ancient Book of Changes thus became unseen again.

賴李鼎祚《集註》，掇拾殘闕，蒐集漢注至三十餘家。窺管一斑，全豹之形，似尚可約略而得。後之言漢學者，莫不循是蹊徑，以為登峰造極之基。至滿清中葉，王（念孫）、惠（棟）、張（惠言）、焦（循）諸家，皆精研漢學。單辭只義，不惜殫畢生之全力以赴之。鄭氏虞氏之《易》，始差堪董理。而施讎、梁丘之學說，終不獲復見於世也。惜哉！

Fortunately, the Tang dynasty scholar Li Dingzuo compiled the Collected Explanations of the Zhou Changes, restoring the fragmented texts and gathering over thirty Han dynasty commentaries. Though only glimpsing through a bamboo tube, the general appearance of the whole seems still somewhat discernible. Later scholars of the Han learning tradition all followed this path, treating it as the ultimate foundation. By the mid-Qing dynasty, scholars such as Wang Niansun, Hui Dong, Zhang Huiyan, and Jiao Xun deeply studied Han learning, devoting their entire lives to pursuing a single word or a single meaning, thus finally managing to properly organize the works of Zheng Xuan and Yu Fan. However, the doctrines of Shi Chou and Liangqiu were never revived, which is truly a pity!

宋人講《易》，自司馬溫公以至程子，大抵皆不出王弼範圍。周子《通書》，發明太極圖，為理學之宗，與易學尚無其關涉也。自邵康節創為先天之說，取《說卦》“天地定位”一章，安排八卦，謂之先天卦。以“帝出乎震”之方位為後天卦。

In the Song dynasty, when people discussed the Book of Changes, from Sima Guang (Wen Gong) to Cheng Yi, they mostly remained within the framework of Wang Bi. Zhou Dunyi's Treatise on the Supreme Ultimate explained the diagram of the Supreme Ultimate, becoming the leader of Neo-Confucianism, but it had little connection with the study of the Book of Changes itself. It was not until Shao Yong (Kangjie) established the theory of "Earlier Heaven," using the passage "Heaven and Earth are positioned, mountains and marshes communicate" from the Sayings on the Trigrams to arrange the Eight Trigrams, which he called "Earlier Heaven Trigrams"; and also arranged the Eight Trigrams according to the directions mentioned in the passage "The Emperor arises from the震 (Thunder)" from the Sayings on the Trigrams, which he called "Later Heaven Trigrams."

又以乾一兌二離三震四巽五坎六艮七坤八，為先天八卦之數。更反劉牧九圖十書之說，以五十五數者為河圖，四十五數者為洛書，為八卦之所自出。於是太極兩儀，四象八卦，而十六，而三十二，而六十四。立說與漢人完全不同，不啻在易學中另闢一新世界。

He also established the numerical sequence for the Eight Trigrams as Qian one, Dui two, Li three, Zhen four, Xun five, Kan six, Gen seven, and Kun eight, as the sequence of the Earlier Heaven Trigrams. He further overturned Liu Mu's previous view that nine numbers represented the Yellow River Chart and ten numbers represented the Luo Writing. Instead, he designated fifty-five numbers as the Yellow River Chart and forty-five numbers as the Luo Writing, arguing that the Eight Trigrams originated from these. Thus, from the Taiji came the two principles, from the two principles came the four images, from the four images came the Eight Trigrams, and then doubled to sixteen, thirty-two, and sixty-four. This theory differs completely from that of the Han dynasty scholars, and it is as if it has opened up a new world within the study of the Book of Changes.

然當其時，並未盛行。如溫公、程子，皆與邵為老友，且極推重其為人，稱為“內聖外王，孔孟沒後之一人”，而未嘗取其說以講《易》。其反對如歐陽文忠諸人，更無論矣。至朱子撰《周易本義》，取河圖、洛書與先天、大、小、方、圓各圖，弁諸卷首。又另著《易學啟蒙》以闡明之，而後邵子之先天學與《易經》相聯綴。

But at that time, this doctrine did not gain widespread popularity. Figures like Sima Guang and Cheng Yi were old friends of Shao Yong and highly esteemed his character, calling him "the first person after Confucius and Mencius to embody both inner sagehood and outer kingship," yet they did not use his theories to explain the Book of Changes. As for Ouyang Xiu and his opponents, they were even less inclined to do so. It was not until Zhu Xi compiled The Original Meaning of the Zhou Changes, placing the Yellow River Chart, the Luo Writing, as well as the large circle diagram, small circle diagram, and square diagram of the Earlier Heaven among the opening sections, and also wrote The Awakening of the Study of Changes to explain them, that Shao Yong's theory of the Earlier Heaven became connected with the Book of Changes.

歷宋元明清，皆立諸學官，定為不刊之程式。後之學者，幾疑此諸圖為《易經》所固有矣。雖漢學家抨擊非難，不遺餘力，而以其理數出自天然，推算又確有徵驗，終非討生活於故紙堆中者，空言所能排斥也。故宋之易學，能有所發揮，獨樹一幟與漢學相對峙者，自當首推邵氏。

Through the dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing, these diagrams were established in the academies and set as unchangeable patterns. Later scholars almost regarded them as inherent parts of the Yijing. Although Han scholars strongly criticized and refuted them, arguing that these diagrams originated from the Daoist master Chen Tuan rather than being part of the classic texts, they could not refute them because the principles and numbers within them came from nature and indeed proved accurate in calculations. Therefore, among the schools of Yijing study in the Song dynasty, those who could develop their own theories and stand out against the Han school naturally had to be Shao Yong.

朱子《本義》，頗能矯王弼以來空談玄理之弊，而注意於象數，故取用邵子之說頗多。顧未能會通全《易》，博採兩漢諸家之說，以明聖人立象之意。又泥於門戶之見，不敢暢所欲言，而以聖人以卜筮教人一言，為立說之本義。此何異以璇璣玉衡為定南北方向之用，不亦隘乎？

Zhu Xi's "The Original Meaning of the Zhou Changes" is quite capable of correcting the flaw of empty discussions on metaphysical principles since Wang Bi, and he pays attention to the symbolic numbers and principles, thus adopting many views from Shao Yong. Unfortunately, he failed to integrate the entire principles of the "Zhou Changes" and widely adopt the views from various schools of the Western and Eastern Han dynasties to clarify the intention of the sage in establishing the hexagrams. Moreover, he was rigid in his factional views and dared not speak freely, only taking the statement "the sage used divination to teach people" as the fundamental principle of his argument. This is similar to using the璇玑玉衡 (a celestial instrument for observing the sky) only as a tool for determining the north-south direction, isn't it also too narrow?

兩宋《易》家之著錄者頗多，以當時鐫版業已發明，流傳較易。今《四庫》所存，及刊入《通志堂經解》，與《惜陰》、《聚珍》諸叢書者，尚有六十餘種。而納蘭氏又彙輯諸儒語錄別集，暨佚書之單辭剩義，為《大易萃言》八十卷，可謂極宋學之大觀已。

There were many recorded Neo-Confucian scholars of the Yi Jing during the Song dynasty, as movable type printing had already been invented, making the spread of books easier. Today, the "Siku Quanshu" includes many works, as well as those collected in the "Tongzhi Tang Jingjie", "Xi Yin Xuan Cunshu", "Ju Zhen Ban Cunshu", and other anthologies, totaling over sixty kinds. Nalan Xingde further compiled the sayings and writings of various Confucian scholars, as well as scattered fragments from lost texts, into an eighty-volume work called "Dai Yi Cuiyan", which can be considered a comprehensive collection of Song dynasty Yi studies.