The Yijing of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties

元明兩代之言《易》學者，無甚發明。著錄者大抵盤旋於程朱腳下為多。元之熊與可、胡一桂、熊良輔、王申之、董真卿，明之黃道周、喬中和，皆其傑出者也。然皆有所依傍，不能成一家之言。黃道周之《易象正》、《三易洞璣》，雖以天象曆數闡明易理，而艱深奧衍，流傳不廣。

During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, scholars studying the Yi Jing did not produce many new ideas. Most of the works recorded were merely interpretations and supplements of those of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi. Among them, Xiong Yuke, Hu Yigu, Xiong Liangfu, Wang Shenzhi, and Dong Zhenqing in the Yuan dynasty, and Huang Daozhou and Qiao Zhonghe in the Ming dynasty, were considered outstanding figures. However, each of them relied on the works of others and could not develop their own independent school of thought. Huang Daozhou's works, the "Yi Xiang Zheng" and "San Yi Dong Ji", although they used celestial phenomena and numerical calculations to explain the principles of the Yi Jing, were written in obscure and complex language, and thus did not spread widely, with few readers.

惟來知德氏崛起川中，以二十九年之功，成《來氏集註》一書，風行大江以南，三百年來未絕。雖其錯綜之說，頗貽人口實。然取象說理，淺顯明白，惟恐人之不易索解，恆罕譬曲喻以明之。視故作艱深以文其淺陋者，自勝一籌。初學者得此，尚為善本也。

Only Lai Zhide rose to prominence in Sichuan, spending twenty-nine years to compose the book "Lai's Commentary on the Book of Changes." It became widely circulated throughout southern China and has been passed down continuously for three centuries. Although his theories on "opposite hexagrams" and "inverted hexagrams" have drawn much criticism, his method of using imagery and reasoning is simple and clear, and he feared that readers might find it difficult to understand, so he often used many analogies and gentle metaphors to explain. Compared to those who deliberately write in a complicated manner to conceal their own lack of depth, he naturally stands out. For beginners, this book is still considered a good edition.

有清一代，經學之盛，遠過宋明。其治易學專家，如刁氏包、李氏光地、胡氏、胡氏渭、任氏啟運、惠氏奇、惠氏棟、萬氏年淳、姚氏、張氏、彭氏，皆能獨抒己見，各有心得。而顧亭林、毛大可、錢辛楣、王引之、江慎修、段懋堂、王蘭泉諸氏，雖不專治《易》，其音韻訓詁考據，於吾《易》亦多所發明。

The flourishing of Confucian scholarship during the Qing dynasty far surpassed that of the Song and Ming dynasties. Specialists in the study of the Book of Changes, such as Diao Bao, Li Guangdi, the Hu family, Hu Wei, Ren Qiyun, Hui Shiqi, Hui Dong, Wan Nianchun, and the Yao, Zhang, and Peng families, all managed to break away from old interpretations and express their own views, each with their own insights. As for Gu Yanwu (Tinglin), Mao Qilin (Dakai), Qian Dashen (Xinmei), Wang Yinzhi, Jiang Yong (Shenxiu), Duan Yucai (Maotang), and Wang Chang (Lanquan), although they did not specialize in the study of the Book of Changes, their efforts in phonology, etymology, and textual criticism have also contributed greatly to our understanding of the Book of Changes.

至若焦氏循之《通釋》、紀氏大奎之《易問》與《觀易外編》，一則宗漢學，而能串合六十四卦之爻象，無一辭一字不相貫通；一則講宋學而能闡發性理，與六十四卦之爻象變通化合，尤為歷來講《易》家之所未有。端木國瑚後起，更冶漢宋於一爐，一一以經傳互證，無一辭一字之虛設。視焦紀二氏為更上一層，允足以殿全軍而為勝清一代易學之結束矣。

As for Zhao Xun's "Yi Tong Shi", Ji DaKui's "Yi Wen" and "Guan Yi Wai Bian": the former adheres to the Han learning school, yet manages to connect the sixty-four hexagrams' line images together, with no sentence or character failing to be mutually connected; the latter follows the Song learning school, yet elaborates on principles of nature and morality, and integrates them with the transformation and flexibility of the sixty-four hexagrams' line images. Especially, it accomplishes what no other commentator on the Yi Jing has ever achieved. These two works represent opposite approaches, one following Han learning and the other Song learning, yet both reach the highest level. Du Mu Guo Hu comes later, further combining Han and Song learning, using classical texts and commentaries to cross-verify each other, with no sentence or character being superfluous. Compared to Zhao and Ji, he reaches an even higher level, sufficient to conclude the Yi learning of the Qing dynasty.

兩漢之《易》注，永嘉而後，已無完書。雖經歷朝好古之士，探討搜輯，然皆東鱗西爪。除《李氏集註》外，其能集合成書者，不可概見。濟南馬氏，旁搜博採，更於《太平御覽》、《永樂大典》與《說文》、《爾雅》、《文選》、《水經》諸注，傍及《內經》、《道藏》之所稱引者，悉為編次，共得《易部》之逸書八十餘種。承學之士，亦可略得其梗概矣。

The commentaries on the I Ching from the Han dynasty had already been lost in their entirety after the chaos of the Yongjia Disturbance in the Western Jin dynasty. Although scholars devoted to antiquity have continuously searched and collected fragments throughout the subsequent dynasties, the materials they obtained were only occasional scraps. Apart from Li Dingzuo's Collected Explanations of the Zhou Changes, few complete collections were compiled. Ma Guohan of Jinan made extensive searches and collected materials further from sources such as the Taiping Yulian, Yongle Daidian, Shuowen Jiezi, Erya, Wenxuan, Shuijing, and annotations from various scholars. He also included materials cited in the Huangdi Neijing and the Daozang. He arranged them in order, compiling eighty-some lost works on the I Ching. Thus, later scholars could gain a general understanding of the Han dynasty commentaries on the I Ching.

魏晉以降，其完全無缺者，推王弼注為最古。今與孔穎達之《正義》，陸德明之《音訓》並傳，與《程傳》、《朱義》，皆歷代官書所刊佈，士林所奉為金科玉律者也。其餘唐宋諸家之《易》注，世罕單行。賴《津逮》、《汲古》、《曠照》、《漢魏》諸叢書刊佈，而以後之聚刻叢書者，必以《易》為甲部之冠。孤本秘錄之藉此僅存者，為不少矣。

After the Wei and Jin dynasties, the most ancient complete commentary on the Yi (I Ching) is Wang Bi's. Now it is transmitted together with Kong Yingda's "The Correct Meaning of the Zhou Changes," Lu Deming's "Commentary on the Classics," and the phonetic and lexical explanations of these works. These are regarded as the standard texts by scholars and have been officially published by successive dynasties. They are also considered the authoritative interpretations by the scholarly community. Other commentaries on the Yi from the Tang and Song dynasties are rarely available in separate editions; they mainly survive through the compilation of anthologies such as "The Complete Collection of Secret Classics," "The Ji Gu Ge Collection of Classics," "The Kuang Zhao Ge Collection of Classics," and "The Han and Wei Collection of Classics." Those who later compiled such anthologies always placed the Yi section at the beginning of the Confucian classics. Many rare and secret manuscripts have been preserved through this method.

納蘭氏之《通志堂經解》，輯刊《易》注至四十餘種，尤為各叢書之所未有。而勝朝《經解》正、續兩編，選錄當時之《易》注，亦皆卓然可傳之書也。綜計清《四庫全書》，《易部》所藏，都一百五十二種。其存目著錄而無書者，約三倍其所藏之數。

Nalan Xingde's "Tongzhi Tang Jingjie" compiled and published over forty different commentaries on the Book of Changes, especially those not found in other anthologies. The main and supplementary parts of the Qing Dynasty's "Huangqing Jingjie" also selected commentaries on the Book of Changes by contemporary scholars, which are all outstanding works worthy of being passed down. In total, the Qing Dynasty's "Siku Quanshu" includes 152 works on the Book of Changes; approximately three times as many were only listed in the catalog without being included in the collection, which amounts to about 450 works.

辛齋自學《易》以後，歷年購求，所得已有四百六十三種。計《四庫》所藏之一百五十二種購求未得者，尚有二十九種。《四庫》存目所錄已購得者，有七十八種。《四庫》編錄於道家及術數類者，如《皇極》、《洞林》、《三易洞璣》等計三十餘種，餘皆為叢書及家刻單行之本，而寫本及辛齋所手抄者亦六十餘種，為日本人所著述者三種。嗣在廣東上海蘇杭揚州，陸續又得一百五十餘種。前後都六百數十種。以視歷代《經籍志》，及陳東塾《朱竹垞》所著錄者，曾不逮十之三四。然以現世所有者而論，則所遺已無幾矣。

Since I began studying the Yi Jing, I have been searching for and collecting various texts, and have already acquired 463 kinds. Among these, 152 kinds are included in the Siku Quanshu, but I have not yet obtained 29 of them. There are 78 kinds that are listed in the Siku Ciyu but have already been acquired by me. Some texts that belong to the Yi Jing studies but were classified under the Daoist and mathematical divination categories in the Siku Quanshu, such as the Huangji Jingshi, Donglin, Sanyi Dongji, etc., amount to about thirty kinds. The rest are mostly from collected series editions and privately printed single volumes, as well as some handwritten copies and copies I have personally transcribed, totaling over sixty kinds. There are also three kinds written by Japanese authors. Later, I have gradually acquired another 150 kinds from places such as Guangdong, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Yangzhou. Altogether, this makes about six hundred and seventy kinds. When compared with the records of the "Jingji Zhi" in historical bibliographies and the book lists compiled by Chen Li (Dongshu) and Zhu Yizun (Zhuca), it is clear that these collected texts account for less than a third or fourth of what others have recorded, indicating the great loss of Yi Jing-related texts throughout history. However, if we consider the texts that still exist today, the ones I have missed are already few.

日本文學，皆我國所津逮。故我國已佚之書，而日本尚保存者甚夥。黎氏《古逸叢書》所刊，未能盡焉。光緒甲午以後，我國新進，厭棄古學。而竺舊之士，又墨守糟粕，不能發揮精義，與新理相調和，而資利用。致精義入神之學，日就澌滅。

The academic and educational traditions of Japan were transmitted from our country. Therefore, many books that have been lost in our country are still preserved in Japan. The edition of "Ancient Miscellaneous Collection" compiled by Li Shuchang did not include all of them. After the Jiawu year (1894), new intellectuals in our country began to discard traditional studies, while the conservatives clung stubbornly to the dross, failing to elaborate on the essence and integrate it with new theories for practical use. As a result, the study of "the essence reaching the divine" has been gradually fading away day by day.

清季以國立大學，求一完全經師而不可得，致羲經竟任缺席。鼎革以後，竟公然廢棄經學，而隸於文科之下，亦可謂臻晦盲否塞之極運矣。而日本既厭飫於物質文明之利，更反而求諸精神。雖舉國喧囂於功利競爭之途，而學術之研究，尚不忘初祖。仍有多數之學子，從事於《易經》。

In the late Qing dynasty, the prestigious national university found it impossible to hire a qualified scholar in the study of classical texts, to the extent that the discipline of the I Ching, as interpreted by Fuxi, was left untaught. After the change of dynasty, they even openly abandoned the study of classical texts, reducing it to a mere branch of the humanities. This can truly be said to have reached the darkest and most closed-minded point. In contrast, Japan, having already experienced the benefits of material civilization, turned its pursuit toward the spiritual realm. Although the whole country was noisy with competition for material gain, in academic research they did not forget their roots, and there were still many students studying the I Ching.

東京有易學會，有易學演講所，有《易學講義》之月刊。其占筮亦尚用古法。我國二千年來失傳之揲蓍法，經學鉅子所未能決其用者，彼中隨處可購得揲蓍之器也。惟蓍不產於日本，則以竹代之。禮失求野，不僅維繫易學之一助也。

There is an Institute of Yijing Studies in Tokyo, a lecture hall for Yijing talks, and a monthly journal called "Yijing Lectures." They still use the ancient method of divination: the method of divining the hexagrams by casting the yarrow stalks, which has been lost in China for two thousand years, is even uncertain to classical scholars as to how to use it. In Japan, however, one can buy the tools for casting yarrow stalks anywhere. The only problem is that the yarrow plant is not native to Japan, so they use bamboo sticks instead. This is precisely how the rites, when lost in the official institutions, are preserved in the folk traditions. The significance of this is not merely to provide a little help in maintaining the study of the Yijing.

辛齋會購其《易學講義》，其取象悉宗漢學，大抵取資於《李氏集解》者為多。有所謂影象意象者，則為彼所擴而充之者也。有《易學新講義》，為我國北宋人之著述。《四庫》有其書，外間已乏刊本，亦為日本所印行。而近出之《高島易斷》，於明治維新以後五十年間，內政外交諸大事，均有占驗論斷，亦可覘彼國之所尚矣。

I once purchased their "Explanations of the Yi Classic," which largely follows the Han dynasty scholarship in its use of imagery. Most of its materials come from Li Dingzuo's "Collected Explanations of the Zhou Changes." The terms "shadow imagery" and "intentional imagery" are names they have developed beyond the imagery used by Han scholars. There is also a book called "New Explanations of the Yi Classic," which is actually a work from the Northern Song dynasty in China. The "Siku Quanshu" includes this book, but it is now rare in China and has been printed in Japan. As for the recently published "Yi Judgment" by Takahashi Tsunao, it includes interpretations and judgments on various major domestic and foreign affairs in Japan over the fifty years following the Meiji Restoration. From this, one can see the prevailing trends and values of that country.

美國國會圖書館，以四十萬金鎊，專為購買中國書籍之用。除前清殿版各書，為清政府所饋送外，其餘所採購之漢文書籍，亦有數千種之多。皆為日本人所販運，直接購自中國者無幾也。友人江亢虎君，現為其漢文部之管理員。丁巳夏間回國，邂逅於滬上。雲彼中所藏《易部》，亦幾有四百種。因囑其將目錄鈔寄，以較辛齋所藏者未知如何。然彼以異國之圖書館，而其所藏，視本國《四庫》所有，至兩倍有半，殊足令人生無窮之感也。

The United States Library of Congress allocated forty thousand pounds sterling specifically for the purchase of Chinese books. In addition to the various books from the Qing imperial palace editions donated by the Qing government, the library acquired several thousand Chinese texts through purchases. Most of these books were smuggled into Japan by Japanese traders and then sold back, with very few being directly purchased from China. My friend Mr. Jiang Kanghu, who is currently serving as the head of the Chinese section of the library, returned to China in the summer of Dingsi year (1917), when I met him in Shanghai. He said that the library's collection of books on the Book of Changes (Yi Jing) was nearly four hundred volumes. I asked him to send me a list of the books so that I could compare the number of such texts in my own collection. However, I still do not know which collection is larger. It is truly astonishing that a foreign library could have a collection of Yi Jing texts amounting to more than two and a half times the number included in the Four Branches of the State Library (Siku Quanshu). This is indeed a matter of deep reflection.

自來言《易》者，不出乎漢宋二派。各有專長，亦皆有所蔽。漢學重名物，重訓詁，一字一義，辨晰異同，不憚參伍考訂，以求其本之所自。意之所當，且尊家法，恪守師承，各守範圍，不敢移易尺寸。嚴正精確，良足為說經之模範。然其蔽在墨守故訓，取糟粕而遺其精華。且《易》之為書，廣大悉備；網羅百家，猶恐未盡；乃株守一先生說，沾沾自喜，隘陋之誚，雲胡可免？

From the beginning, those who have explained the Book of Changes have been divided into two schools: the Han school and the Song school. Each has its own strengths, but also its own limitations. The Han school places great emphasis on names and objects, and on philological study. They carefully distinguish the differences and similarities of each character and each meaning, are not afraid of repeatedly consulting and verifying sources, in order to clarify the origin and the accurate meaning. Moreover, they revere family traditions and strictly follow the lineage of teachers, each guarding their own domain and not daring to deviate even slightly. This rigorous and precise attitude indeed can serve as a model for interpreting scriptures. However, its flaw lies in rigidly adhering to old interpretations, taking only the coarse parts and losing the refined essence. Moreover, the Book of Changes is vast and comprehensive, encompassing everything. It would be difficult even to include the views of all schools of thought, yet they stubbornly cling to the views of a single scholar, taking pride in it. How could they avoid the criticism of being narrow-minded and shallow?

宋學正心誠意，重知行之合一，嚴理欲之大防。踐履篤實，操行不苟。所謂和順於道德而理於義，窮理盡性以至於命者，亦未始非義經形而上學之極功。但承王弼掃象之遺風，只就經傳之原文，以己意為揣測。其不可通者，不憚變更句讀，移易經文，斷言為錯簡脫誤。此則非漢學家所敢出者也。

Song learning emphasizes cultivating the mind and sincerity, placing importance on the unity of knowledge and action. It strictly distinguishes between heavenly principle and human desire, practicing with diligence and maintaining integrity. The saying in the "Shuo Gua Zhuan" that "harmonizing with moral principles and conforming to righteousness, investigating physical principles and exhausting human nature until reaching heavenly mandate" may not be unlike the highest achievement of the "Yi Jing" in its metaphysical approach. However, Song learning inherited the legacy of Wang Bi, who eliminated the images of the hexagrams, interpreting the text according to one's own understanding based on the surface meaning of the classics. When encountering passages that did not make sense, they would not hesitate to alter punctuation or rearrange the text, asserting that such discrepancies were due to errors or omissions in the original texts. This approach was something that Han scholars would not dare to undertake.

元明以來，兩派對峙，門戶攻擊之陋習，雖賢者亦或不免。甚者以意氣相爭尚，視同異為是非。不但漢學與宋學相爭訟也。同漢學焉，尊鄭者則黜虞，是孟者則非荀。同宋學焉，而有洛蜀之辯駁，朱陸之異同。其下者更或依巨儒之末光，蒙道學之假面，為弋名乾祿之具者，尤不足道矣。

From the Yuan and Ming dynasties onwards, there have been two opposing schools of thought that have been at odds with each other, attacking one another. Even virtuous scholars sometimes cannot escape this bad practice. In severe cases, they act on impulse, taking whether their views agree or disagree as the standard of right and wrong. This is not only a dispute between Han learning and Song learning: among Han learning, those who revere Zheng Xuan condemn Yu Fan, while those who affirm Meng Xi criticize Xun Shuang; among Song learning, there are also debates between the Luo school and the Shu school, as well as differences between Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan. As for those of even lower standing, there are those who follow the residual influence of great scholars, wear the mask of Neo-Confucianism, and treat scholarship as a means to gain reputation and seek official positions. These are even less worth mentioning.

國學淪亡，書局盡廢。承學之士，求一善本之經書，已不可得。近日坊間石印之《易經》，其謬誤尤甚。校對之疏略，姑置不論。序文則《程傳》也，目錄之標題則《本義》也。目錄之卷帙則《程傳》也，首列河圖、洛書，及先後天八卦六十四卦各圖，亦《本義》也。而上、下《經》與《繫傳》之篇第，則又皆《程傳》也，其注則又皆《本義》也。可謂極參伍錯綜而莫明其妙者矣。

Confucian learning has declined, and the official publishing houses have all ceased operations, making it impossible for scholars to obtain a good edition of classical texts. Recently, bookshops have been using stone printing to reproduce the Book of Changes, but the errors are especially severe. One may overlook the careless mistakes in proofreading; however, even considering only the preface, which uses the preface from the Cheng氏 Commentary on the Book of Changes, while the title of the table of contents is "Benyi" (Original Meaning); the sequence of the volumes in the table of contents follows the Cheng Commentary, yet the front matter includes diagrams of the Yellow River Chart, the Luo Writing, the Earlier Heaven and Later Heaven Trigrams, and the sixty-four Trigrams, following the format of the Benyi; furthermore, the arrangement of the sections of the Upper and Lower Classics and the Great Treatise on the Trigrams also follows the Cheng Commentary, while the annotations are entirely from the Benyi. A single book combines the styles of both Cheng and Zhu schools in a haphazard manner, truly resulting in a confusing and incoherent presentation.

觀其封面所署，則又曰“監本《易經》”。推求其故，則謬誤相仍，已非一日。蓋明刻永樂之監本，固程子之《傳》與朱子《本義》並列者。而篇第章句，悉依《程傳》，而以《本義》之注，錄於《程傳》之後。清刻《易經》傳義音訓亦猶是也。

Looking at the title on the cover, it is also called the "Supervised Edition of the Book of Changes." Investigating the reasons, such errors have been passed down and continued for a long time. Originally, in the Yongle period of the Ming dynasty, the edition printed by the Imperial Academy was supposed to have Cheng Yi's "Commentary on the Book of Changes" and Zhu Xi's "Original Meaning" placed side by side: the order of chapters and sentences was entirely based on the "Cheng Commentary," while the "Original Meaning" was recorded after the "Cheng Commentary." The edition of the "Book of Changes" printed in the Qing dynasty, called the "Transmission, Meaning, and Pronunciation Guide Edition," was also the same.

後以考試功令，專重朱義。坊賈射利，為節減篇幅計，以去《傳》留《義》，而篇帙則仍未之改。明嘉靖間蘇州學官成某，復即是本而刊佈之，成此非驢非馬之怪象，公然流佈。讀者既不求甚解，而所謂教育部教育廳教育會者，皆熟視無睹，不加糾正。嗚呼！易世而後，將不知經書之為何物矣！

Later, because the imperial examination system placed great emphasis on Zhu Xi's "Original Meaning," book merchants, in order to make profits and save space and reduce costs, deleted the "Cheng Transmission" and kept only the "Original Meaning," while keeping the original order of chapters and volumes unchanged. In the Jiajing period of the Ming dynasty, a local official in Suzhou named Cheng again printed and circulated this edition following the same format, thus creating this bizarre situation of something that is neither horse nor donkey, which spread openly. Readers themselves did not seek deep understanding, and so-called education departments, education bureaus, and education associations all turned a blind eye and never took corrective action. Alas! In another generation or two, people may no longer know what the classics are!

歷來講《易》家，無論其為漢學，為宋學，而有一宗牢不可破之錮蔽：即將“經學”二字橫梗於胸中是也。埋其龐然自大之身於故紙堆中，而目高於頂，不但對於世界之新知識、新思想，深閉錮拒；而於固有之名物象數氣運推步之原本於《易》者，亦皆視為小道，而不屑措意。

Those who have ever interpreted the Yi Jing, whether they belong to the Han learning or Song learning schools, all share an unbreakable illness: they insistently place the term "classical studies" in their minds as an insurmountable boundary. They bury their own arrogant bodies in old texts, yet their eyes are on top of their heads. Not only do they tightly shut the door to new knowledge and ideas in the world, rejecting them altogether; they also regard the traditional interpretations of names and objects, the reasoning of figures and numbers, the changes of destiny, and the calculations of calendars, which originally come from the Yi Jing, as mere side paths, and show no interest in them.

凡經傳所未明言，註疏所未闡發者，悉目為妄談，為異端。排斥攻擊，不遺餘力。而不知《易》之為書，廣大悉備。上自天地之運行，下及百姓所日用，無不彌綸範圍於其中。孔子贊《易》已明白言之，曰“書不盡言，言不盡意”，故聖人立象以盡意，變而通之以盡利，鼓之舞之以盡神。

Anything not clearly stated in the classics and not elaborated upon in annotations is altogether condemned as nonsense and heresy, vigorously rejected and attacked. They do not understand that the Book of Changes is vast and comprehensive, covering the operation of heaven and earth above, and the daily applications of common people below, nothing being excluded. Confucius, in his Commentary on the Changes, has already explained clearly that words cannot fully express what needs to be said, and speech cannot fully convey one's thoughts. Therefore, the sage established hexagrams to exhaust meaning, changed and transformed the lines of the hexagrams to exhaust practical utility, and stirred up and inspired to exhaust the marvelous.

是書之所未言者，固當求之於意。意有所未得者，當求之於象。象有所未盡者，當變通之以盡其利。而《易》之道始應用而不窮。今乃盡反孔子之言，曰“吾言義不言利”，曰“得意而忘象，得象而忘言”。目光之盤旋，不出於書外一寸。此《易》道之所以終古長夜也夫！

It is evident that what is not expressed in words should be sought in the meaning; what is not yet understood in meaning should be sought in the images; and what is not yet exhausted in the images should be pursued by flexible methods to exhaust its utility. In this way, the Way of the Book of Changes can be applied endlessly. But nowadays those who talk about the Book of Changes have completely reversed Confucius' words. They say on one hand, "I only talk about righteousness and not about benefit," and on the other hand, "once you have grasped the meaning, you forget the image; once you have grasped the image, you forget the words." Their vision circles around, never going beyond the pages of a book. This is why the Way of the Book of Changes has remained as dark as a long night throughout the ages.

《易》窮則變，變則通，通則久。黃帝堯舜，通其變使民不倦，神而化之，使民宜之。蓋民之情，恆厭故而喜新。厭則倦，倦則精神懈弛，而百事皆墮壞於無形。此蠱之象也，故君子以振民育德而變化之。蠱成隨，則元亨而天下治。隨元亨利貞而天下隨時，隨時之義大矣哉！

The Way of the Book of Changes reaches its limit and then changes, only through change can it become smooth and unimpeded, and only through smoothness can it endure long. The Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun understood the changes of things and guided the people without making them weary; they subtly nurtured and cultivated, enabling the people to each find their proper place. Because human feelings always dislike the old and favor the new: disliking the old leads to weariness, weariness leads to slackness, and all affairs gradually deteriorate in the unseen. This is precisely the image of the Hexagram Gu. Therefore, the Image Commentary of Gu says that a gentleman should invigorate the people and cultivate virtue in order to bring about transformation. When Gu changes into Suí, it becomes greatly smooth and the world is governed well. The Hexagram Suí discusses the principles of originality, smoothness, benefit, and uprightness, and the meaning of 'following the times' is truly profound!

今之時何時乎？五洲交通，天空往來，百礦並興，地寶盡發。所謂萬物皆相見，其重明繼照之時歟！離火之功用，遍於坤輿，極則為災。或致突如其來如焚如死如棄如之占，果能神而化之，變通盡利，則將由物質之文明，而進於精神之文明。是明出地上，火地為晉，受茲介福之時矣。

What era are we in now? With transportation across all five continents, the sky is traversable by flight, and various mining industries are flourishing, fully developing the treasures beneath the earth. This is precisely the era described in the hexagram Li (Fire), which says, "All things are revealed to each other," and light continues to shine brightly. However, the function of fire spreads throughout the land, and when it reaches its extreme, it can become a disaster. Perhaps this will result in the omen of the fourth line of Li hexagram, "Suddenly appearing, burning, dying, and being cast away." If we can truly skillfully cultivate and transform, gaining the full benefits, we will progress from material civilization to spiritual civilization. That is when the light rises above the ground, and fire on the ground becomes the hexagram Jin (Progress), "Receiving this great blessing," the time when great blessings are received.

《易》道於此，必有大明之一日。吾輩丁茲世運絕續之交，守先待後，責無旁貸，亟宜革故鼎新，除門戶之積習，破迂拘之謬見。以世界之眼光觀其象，以科學之條理玩其辭，集思廣益，彰往察來，庶五千年神秘之鑰可得而開。興神物以前民用，必非尼父欺人之語也。

At this point, the Way of the Book of Changes is sure to shine brightly again. We are now in a time of transition between eras, inheriting the legacy of our predecessors and preparing for the future, which is our responsibility. We should urgently eliminate outdated practices, create new situations, remove entrenched family traditions, and break through mistaken and rigid views. We should observe its hexagrams with a global perspective and contemplate its texts with scientific reasoning. By pooling wisdom, we can clarify past teachings and foresee the future. Perhaps, with this key to mystery, the five thousand years of tradition can be unlocked. The Great Treatise says that sages used divination tools like yarrow stalks and tortoise shells to guide the people, which certainly was not a lie by Confucius.

物生而後有象，象而後有滋，滋而後有數。民物之孳乳無窮，而象數之遞演而遞進，遞進而遞繁，無有止境。故在黃帝之時演《易》，伏羲之八卦已不足用，乃益之以干支。文王演《易》，干支已不足用，乃益之以《彖》、《爻》。孔子贊《易》，則《彖》、《爻》又不足以盡世變物情，乃益之以繫辭《十翼》。

After things come into being, they take shape; with shape comes growth; with growth comes numbers. As human beings and things multiply endlessly, the images and numbers also develop layer by layer, increasing continuously without end. Therefore, in the time of the Yellow Emperor, the Book of Changes was divined by inference, but the eight trigrams of Fuxi were insufficient, so heavenly stems and earthly branches were added to complement them. When King Wen divined the Book of Changes, the heavenly stems and earthly branches were still insufficient, so the Tai Cis and Line Statements were added. When Confucius wrote the Commentary on the Book of Changes, the Tai Cis and Line Statements were still inadequate to explain all the changes of the world and the forms of all things, so the ten appendices below the Xici were added.

今距孔子之世又三千年矣！世界大通，事物之紛紜繁變，十百倍蓰千萬於古昔。而所用之文字，乃不能隨世事遞演遞進以應所需。且小學中絕，音移義晦，經典固有之字，因廢置已久，不復為人所識者，十殆四五。

Now three thousand years have passed since the time of Confucius! The world is now interconnected, and the complexity and changes of things have increased by ten, a hundred, even a thousand times compared to ancient times. Yet the characters we use cannot keep up with these developments and adapt to meet the needs of the times. Moreover, the study of textual meaning and phonetics has been interrupted midway, with shifts in pronunciation and obscurity in meaning. Many characters originally present in the classics, having been abandoned for so long that no one recognizes them anymore, now account for nearly four or five tenths of all such characters.

故說《易》者，往往於《易》之一字一義，累千萬言之解釋，而仍不能明。然必待小學既明而說《易》，又如臨渴掘井，不能濟目前之用，且不能令多數之學子盡通小學焉。則雖說亦如無說，而《易》仍不能明。則不如假世界通用之名詞以代之，以補文字之闕憾，而閱者亦《易》於瞭解也。豈非《易》之一助乎？

Therefore, those who explain the Book of Changes often write thousands of words to explain a single character or a single meaning, yet still fail to make it clear. However, if one insists on mastering the study of word meanings and etymology before explaining the Book of Changes, it is like digging a well when thirsty—it cannot solve the immediate problem, and it is also impossible for most students to master the basics of classical Chinese. In such a case, even if one explains it, it is as if nothing has been said, and the Book of Changes remains obscure. It would be better to use universally recognized terms to replace the original words, using them to make up for the shortcomings in the text. This would make it easier for readers to understand. Is this not a great help in explaining the Book of Changes?

如《易》言“坤其靜也翕，其動也闢”，而翕與闢之義，以舊文字釋之，則翕為聚也合也，闢為開也。一開一合，字義雖盡，而於《易》言闢會之妙用，仍未著也。若假新名詞以解之，則闢者即物理學之所謂離心力也，翕者即物理學所謂向心力也。凡物之運動能循其常軌而不息者，皆賴此離心向心二力之作用。地球之繞日，即此作用之公例也。以釋闢翕，則深切著明，而閱者亦可不待煩言而解矣。不僅名詞已也，新思想與新學說，足與吾《易》相發明者甚多。而經學家見之，必又曰穿鑿附會，誣衊聖經，則吾其奈之何哉！

For example, the Great Treatise says, "When the Earth Trigram is still, it is 'xī', but when it moves, it is 'bì'." The meanings of 'xī' and 'bì' can be explained by the old meanings: 'xī' means gathering and uniting, while 'bì' means opening. Although the literal meaning of these words is explained, the subtle function of opening and closing in the Book of Changes has not yet been clearly revealed. If we use modern terms to explain them, 'bì' corresponds to centrifugal force in physics, and 'xī' corresponds to centripetal force. Any motion of an object that can follow a certain path without stopping depends on the action of these two forces, centrifugal and centripetal. The Earth's orbit around the Sun is an example of this: it is attracted and does not scatter, and at the same time, due to its rotation, it does not fall. Using these modern concepts to explain 'bì' and 'xī' makes the meaning clear and explicit, so that readers can understand without further explanation. It is not only about words; there are many new ideas and theories that can complement and illuminate our Book of Changes. However, if scholars of the classics see this, they will surely say it is a forced and misleading interpretation of the sacred text. What can I do about it?

今日所用之字，猶數千年前之字也。然形式雖未改，而精神則非複數千年之舊。音與義，類皆變易。任舉一字而衡論之，若此者蓋比比焉。其僅音變而義未變者，如“下、無”等字，於詁經尚無出入。其訓義變易者，雖古音尚存，於經義已不可通矣。

The characters used today are the same as those from several thousand years ago. However, although the forms of the characters have not changed, their spirit is no longer the same as in ancient times: both pronunciation and meaning have largely changed. Take any character as an example, and this situation is common everywhere. Among them, there are characters whose pronunciation has changed but whose meaning remains the same, such as 「下」 and 「无」. These can still be used to explain classical texts without much discrepancy. However, for characters whose meanings have changed, even if their ancient pronunciations are preserved, they can no longer be used to explain the meaning of classical texts.

如君臣二字，古訓但為主從之別。降及漢魏，猶為普通尊人卑己之謙辭，未嘗專屬諸朝廷也。自宋以後，則專以君為尊無二上之天子，臣為庶司百職之官僚，而君字遂神聖不可侵犯矣。官字之古訓，亦僅為專任職司之名，並未含有尊崇高貴之意。人之耳目口鼻舌曰五官，言其各專所用，不能彼此互代也。故手足則曰肢而不稱官，其義甚明。

For example, the characters "君" and "臣" originally simply meant master and subordinate. During the Han and Wei dynasties, they were still general terms used by people to show respect to others and humility when referring to oneself, such as calling the other person "君" and oneself "臣," without being exclusive to the court. From the Song dynasty onwards, "君" came to be specifically used for the supreme emperor, while "臣" referred to officials in various departments. Thus, the character "君" became sacred and inviolable. The ancient meaning of the character "官" was merely a term for a specific position or duty, without implying respect or high status: the ears, eyes, mouth, nose, and tongue are called "五官," meaning they each have a specific function and cannot replace each other. Therefore, hands and feet are called "肢" but not "官," and this is clear.

自漢後天子曰縣官，曰官家，而官之義遂混。後世官之權位浸大浸崇，而官字漸成尊崇高貴之稱。今之俗尚，凡物美者，轍加一官字以為標幟，其去官字之本義，不可以道里（理）計矣。於是龍飛九五，遂為帝王之祥；惟闢作威，亦附卦爻之義。兢兢乎僭越之虞，凜凜乎生殺之柄。如《周易折中》者，《易》竟為專制帝王之護符矣。非以今義釋經階之厲哉！

After the Han dynasty, the term "xuanguan" and "guan jia" were used to refer to the Son of Heaven, which caused the meaning of the character "guan" to become confused. As the power and status of officials grew increasingly greater over later generations, the character "guan" gradually became a term of respect and reverence. Nowadays, the trend is that whenever something is of good quality, the character "guan" is added to it as a mark, and the original meaning of "guan" has long since been lost, beyond the reach of measurement. Thus, the line "fei long zai tian" from the "Qian" hexagram of the "Zhou Yi" has become a symbol of the emperor's auspiciousness, and the phrase "wei bi zuo wei" from the "Shang Shu · Hong Fan" has also been connected to the meaning of the hexagram lines. Scholars interpreting the "Zhou Yi" now tread carefully, fearing they might commit the offense of overstepping their bounds, and they are filled with awe towards the power of life and death, reward and punishment. Books like "Zhou Yi Zhe Zhong" have turned the "Zhou Yi" into a talisman for autocratic emperors. This is precisely the disaster caused by interpreting the classics with modern meanings!

《下繫》一章，“天地之大德曰生，聖人之大寶曰位，何以守位曰人，何以聚人曰財，理財正辭，禁民為非曰義”，意義本相聯貫，而文字亦緊相銜接。乃中間插一“位”字，便為上下辭意之梗。宋儒遂改“何以守位曰人”之“人”字為“仁”，以迴護“位”字，而與下“聚人”一句又不相貫。

The Great Treatise of the Lower Transmission says: "The great virtue of heaven and earth is to give birth, and the great treasure of the sage is position; by what means can one maintain position? It is called humaneness; by what means can one gather people? It is called wealth; managing wealth, regulating speech, and preventing the people from doing evil, is called righteousness." These sentences originally flow smoothly and are closely connected, but the insertion of the word "position" in the middle blocks the meaning. Therefore, the Song dynasty scholars changed the word "human" in "by what means can one maintain position? It is called human" to "humaneness," to explain away the word "position." However, this change makes it difficult to connect with the next sentence about gathering people.

於是呂氏本又改從古本作“人”，而曲為之說，亦終不可通。其實誤不在“人”字而在“位”字。“人”字不當改“仁”字，而“位”字當改作“仁”字。蓋“仁”字與“位”字形式相近，以致傳訛。古訓相傳，“所寶惟仁”，未有以位為寶者也。況以位為天下之公器耶？則不必寶；以位為一人之私有耶？則不能寶。晉文之答秦使曰：“亡人無以為寶，仁親以為寶。”詎作《易》之聖人，見出重耳下哉！

Therefore, the original version of the Lü family's text was again changed back to "person" according to the ancient version, and then explained in a roundabout way, but ultimately it still did not make sense. In fact, the mistake lies not in the character "person" but in the character "position": the character "person" should not be changed to "benevolence", but rather the character "position" should be changed to "benevolence". This is because the characters "benevolence" and "position" are similar in form, leading to errors in transmission. The traditional teaching passed down is "the only treasure is benevolence", and there is no mention of "position" being considered a treasure. Moreover, how can "position" be regarded as a public possession of the world? Then there would be no need to treasure it; if "position" is regarded as a private possession of an individual, then it cannot be treasured. In the past, Duke Wen of Jin, Prince Chong'er, answered a Qin envoy saying: "A person in exile has nothing to treasure, but only benevolence and affection are treasured." How could the sage who composed the Book of Changes have a lesser insight than Prince Chong'er!

按：此說初創，同人善其新穎，慫恿存錄。嗣閱張之銳氏《易學闡微》，立說相同，更以自信。但數年以來，研窮數理名象，覺此“位”字“人”字皆文所應有，實不當輕議更改。此次重印，原擬將此條削去。惟前書既已傳佈，不能追改，特存之而附註原委，以志吾過。並令閱者得更進一層之研究，未始不足為“筌蹄”之一助焉。

Appendix: When this idea was first proposed, like-minded people found it novel and encouraged me to record it. Later, when I read Zhang Zhihui's "Yixue Chanywei," which presented a similar argument, I became more confident. However, in recent years, after delving deeply into the study of numbers, principles, and symbolic meanings, I have come to believe that the characters "位" (position) and "人" (person) are originally present in the text and should not be lightly altered. This time, when reprinting, I originally intended to delete this passage; however, since earlier editions have already been circulated and cannot be revised, I have specially retained it and added this note to record my own mistake. I hope this will also serve as a basis for readers to conduct further research. Leaving behind this "qutan" (a term referring to a means to an end) may not be without some help.

《象傳》曰：“大哉乾元！乃統天。”此“元”字，即“元亨利貞”之元。舊注“元始也”，《本義》“元大也”，何休公羊注曰“變一而為元。元者氣也，無形以起有形，以分造起天地，天地之始也”。邵子亦曰“元者氣之始”。合觀諸家之說，於“元”字之精義，尚有未盡。

The commentary on the Qian hexagram says: "Great is Qian Yuan, which governs the heavens." The character "Yuan" here refers to "Yuan Heng Li Zhen." Old interpretations take "Yuan" to mean "beginning," while Zhu Xi's "Ben Yi" explains it as "greatness." He Xiu's commentary on the "Gongyang Zhuan" says: "Transforming 'one' into 'Yuan'; Yuan is the vital energy, which originates from formlessness and gives rise to form, differentiating and creating to generate heaven and earth, thus being the beginning of heaven and earth." Shao Yong also said, "Yuan is the beginning of the vital energy." Considering the views of these scholars, there may still be aspects of the meaning of "Yuan" that have not been fully explained.

辛齋以為舉“元亨利貞”並言之，為乾之四德。而“元”之一字，不但可包舉“利亨貞”三字，並可舉全《易》而一氣貫注，故曰“大哉乾元乃統天”。超乎無始，以立乎天地之先者也。《文言》“乾元者始而亨者也”，此元字乃天之元焉。《坤·象》“至哉坤元”，乃地之元也。《文言》“元者善之長也”，則人之元也。

I thought that the four characters "yuan, heng, li, zhen" are the four virtues possessed by the hexagram Qian. However, the single character "yuan" not only encompasses the three characters "heng," "li," and "zhen," but also connects the entire Book of Changes in a continuous manner. Therefore, it is said, "How great is Qian Yuan, which governs the heavens." It transcends all beginnings and stands before heaven and earth. The Wenyan says, "Qian Yuan is the beginning and is harmonious," where "yuan" refers to the beginning of heaven. The transmission of the hexagram Kun says, "How profound is Kun Yuan," referring to the beginning of earth. The Wenyan also says, "Yuan is the first of all good things," referring to the beginning of humanity. Thus, the character "yuan" takes on different meanings according to the three categories of heaven, earth, and humanity.

善之長，即仁義禮智之仁。仁從二從人，元亦從二從人，故仁為人之元。所謂天經地義，簡言之即天良也。蓋物各有元，大而天地，小而飛潛動植各物，均莫不具有此元。得之則生，不得則死。顧元之為元，無聲無臭，無形質可見，而其功用所著，亦幾非言語筆墨所能摩寫而形容之。

The term "the beginning of all good deeds" refers to the concept of "ren" among the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. The character for "ren" is composed of "er" and "ren," and the character for "yuan" is also composed of "er" and "ren." Therefore, "ren" is the fundamental essence of a person. This is what is meant by the saying "the way of heaven and earth," simply put, it refers to the inherent goodness of a person. Basically, all things have their fundamental essence: from the vast universe to the smallest creatures, whether flying, swimming, moving, or plants, none lack this fundamental essence. Possessing it leads to life, while lacking it leads to death. However, the essence of "yuan" is intangible, without sound or smell, and cannot be seen in form or substance. Yet the functions it manifests are almost beyond the ability of words or writing to describe.

然元不可見，而仁可見。仁不可見，而仁之寓於事物者可見。古人造字，其精義往往互相鉤貫。而即物定名，亦無不各寓其意。如果實核中之質體，名之曰仁，已可見矣。而元亦即可因仁而顯其用。如果核桃曰桃仁，杏曰杏仁，而桃與杏之元，即在此仁之中。果核之所以能滋生者，實賴有此仁，賴有此仁中之元。

However, although the principle of Yuan is invisible, Ren is visible; Ren itself is invisible, but the form in which Ren is embodied in concrete things is visible. The ancients created characters, and the subtle meanings between characters often connect and communicate with each other; when naming things according to their physical forms, each name also carries an implied meaning. For example, the solid part inside the fruit kernel is called "Ren," which is a visible example; and Yuan is thus revealed through Ren. For instance, the kernel of a peach is called "Taoren" (peach kernel), and the kernel of an apricot is called "Xingren" (apricot kernel); the Yuan of peach and apricot is thus contained within this Ren. The ability of the fruit kernel to sprout and grow is indeed entirely dependent on this Ren, and on the Yuan contained within the Ren.

吾於西人之紀載得一說，足為斯義之確證。西人於埃及地中，掘得四千年之古尸，尸腹中往往實以林禽及小麥等物。以保藏之非常完密，故均歷久久而不壞。取林禽及麥而播種之，仍能發榮滋長，與新者無異。此無他，以其元之尚存在也。

I read from the accounts of Westerners an incident that serves as a confirmation of this principle. Westerners discovered in the desert of Egypt the remains of a person who died four thousand years ago, and often found in the stomachs of these ancient corpses were dried fruits such as pomegranates and wheat. Because they were preserved very carefully, they remained unspoiled for a long time. When these fruits and grains were taken out and planted, they were able to sprout and grow just like newly harvested seeds. This is not due to any other reason, but because their 'original essence' still remained.

若其元已失散無存，則雖當年之果核，種之亦不能發生。因此可證明物各有元之理，而人元所存，則惟此天良。天良不滅，生機亦不滅。天良漸滅，則亦無元之果核，已無萌生之望。雖幸而生，亦行尸走肉而已。剝之上九，“碩果不食”，即此僅存之天良也歟！

If the original essence has already been lost, then even a newly formed fruit kernel would not sprout when planted. This demonstrates the principle that all things have their original essence. For humans, the essence is寄托ed in this single remaining bit of heaven's goodness. As long as heaven's goodness remains, vitality remains; but as heaven's goodness gradually fades away, it is like losing the kernel of the fruit, with no hope of sprouting. Even if one survives by chance, it is merely a walking corpse. The line statement of the Upper Nine in the "Bao" hexagram says, "A large fruit has not been eaten," which refers precisely to this remaining bit of heaven's goodness.