"The term 'Wu Wang' (无妄) is accurately interpreted as 'without unwarranted expectation' or 'without baseless desire'."

《史記·春申君傳》作無望，言無所期望也。京房則以為大旱之卦，萬物皆死，無所復望。《漢書·谷永傳》「處無妄之卦運」，《後漢書·崔駰傳》「值無妄之世」，亦皆義取無望，後馬、鄭皆從之。虞翻則訓妄為亡，無妄者，無所亡失也，自謂本《序卦》。何妥、崔憬、王弼，則又妄為虛妄，無妄者，言凡物見雷，盡失其虛妄也。

The "Wu Wang" hexagram is cited in the "Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of Chunshen Jun" as "wu wang," meaning there is nothing to hope for. Jing Fang regarded the "Wu Wang" hexagram as one of great drought, where all things die and there is nothing to hope for. The "Book of Han: Biography of Gu Yong" mentions "living through the era of the Wu Wang hexagram," and the "Book of the Later Han: Biography of Cui Yin" refers to "living in the age of the Wu Wang hexagram," both using the meaning of "nothing to hope for." Later, Ma Rong, Zheng Xuan, and others followed this interpretation. Yu Fan, however, interpreted "wang" as "wang" (loss), saying "wu wang" means there is nothing lost. He claimed this interpretation was based on the "Sequence of Hexagrams" statement "after the return, there is no more recklessness." He Tu, Cui Jing, and Wang Bi further interpreted "wang" as "wuwang" (falsehood), saying "wu wang" refers to the idea that when all things hear the sound of thunder, their false thoughts vanish completely.

清儒惠士奇、張惠言、姚配中、焦循用虞義，毛西河、俞樾等用王弼義，祗惠棟用西漢說，以妄為望，議論紛歧，莫衷一是。今案《易林·復之無妄》云：「年歲無有。」又《未濟之無妄》云：「秋飢無年。」皆作無望也。因思《彖傳》云：「無妄之往，何之矣。」亦作無望。

In the Qing dynasty, scholars such as Hui Shiqi, Zhang Huiyan, Yao Peizhong, and Jiao Xun followed Yu Fan's interpretation. Mao Qiling (Xihé) and Yu Yue followed Wang Bi's interpretation. Only Hui Dong followed the Western Han interpretation, reading "wàng" for "wàng." There were many conflicting views, with no single consensus. Now, according to Jiao Yanshou's "Yi Lin" "Fu Zhī Wú Wàng" which says "there is no year," and "Wei Ji Zhī Wú Wàng" which says "autumn famine, no harvest," the two lines of "Yi Lin" both transform into the hexagram "Wú Wàng," and the meaning of the lines is entirely about the failure of harvest and the breaking off of hope. This shows that Jiao read it as "wú wàng." Looking back at the "Commentary on the Judgment" which says "without expectation, where can one go?" it should also be read as "wú wàng" — precisely because there is no hope left, there is nowhere to go further.

初九云：「無妄往吉。」言非所期望而吉也。六三云：「無妄之災。」言非所期望而有災也。九五云：「無妄之疾。」言疾已無望而竟愈也。上九云：「無妄，行有眚。」言事已無望，行必有眚也。若作無亡失、無虛妄解，義皆背戾，祗初九爻詞於二義尚可通，然亦不如無望義長。

The line statement for the first yang line says "Without expectation, going forward is auspicious," meaning something that was not expected turns out auspicious. The line statement for the sixth yin line says "Disaster without expectation," meaning something that was not expected leads to disaster. The line statement for the fifth yang line says "Illness without expectation," meaning the illness had no hope of recovery but unexpectedly heals. The line statement for the top yang line says "Without expectation, action brings misfortune," meaning when there is no hope, further action will certainly bring misfortune. If interpreted by Yu Fan as "without loss" or by Wang Bi as "without falsehood," the meanings of these line statements would contradict each other; only the first line can still be somewhat coherent under those two interpretations, yet it is still far less coherent than the meaning of "without hope."

虞翻謂《序卦》「復則不妄矣」，故以妄為亡，豈知《雜卦》云「無妄，災也」，亦謂無望，無望故災。韓康伯云：「《序卦》之所明，非《易》之縕，蓋因卦之次，託象以明義。」專以孩卦次之亂，故其上下卦綰合之義，非盡可據以解經。如「物不可以久居其所，故受之以《遯》」，「物不可以終壯，故受之以《晉》」，如「傷於外者必反其家」，如「困乎上者必反下，故受之以《井》」，顯為綰合之詞，其不能據以解經，亦明矣，此虞義之失也。

Yu Fan interpreted "wang" as "wang" based on the "Xu Gua" passage "Fu zhe bu wang yi," but he did not realize that the "Za Gua" clearly states "Wu Wang, zai ye," which also means "wu wang," or "without hope." Precisely because there is no hope, there is disaster. Han Kangbo had already said: "The 'Xu Gua' does not reveal the profound meaning of the Zhou Changes, but rather explains the principles by referring to the sequence of the sixty-four hexagrams, using the symbolic images as a basis." It is specifically aimed at reconciling the discrepancies in the sequence of the hexagrams, so the interpretations that combine the upper and lower hexagrams cannot all be used to explain the classics. For example, "wu bu ke yi jiu ju qi suo, gu shou zhi yi Duan," "wu bu ke yi zhong zhuang, gu shou zhi yi Jin," and again "shang yu wai zhe bi fan qi jia," "kun hu shang zhe bi fan xia, gu shou zhi yi Jing," clearly show that these are just concatenated words combining the names of the preceding and succeeding hexagrams, and it is clear that they cannot be used to explain the classics. This is precisely the error in Yu Fan's reasoning.

若如崔、何等解作無虛妄，無虛妄者，信也，《中孚》也。《中孚》而信，天下豈有不利有攸往者哉？尤與《彖傳》不合。若作無望，則皆協也。西漢時無不如是詁也，非祗《易林》也。至東漢末，《易》失傳，始雜說紛歧矣，乃後儒從東漢者多，則不可解。

If interpreted as 'without falsehood' as崔憬 and何妥 did, then 'without falsehood' means sincerity, which is the meaning of the hexagram 中孚. If the heart is sincere, how could there be any reason for 'not advantageous to go anywhere'? This contradicts the explicit statement in the Commentary on the Judgment that 'not advantageous to go anywhere'. Only when interpreted as 'without expectation' does the hexagram statement, the Commentary on the Judgment, and the six lines all fit perfectly. People in the Western Han dynasty all interpreted it this way, not only Jiao's Forest of Changes. It was only after the study of the Book of Changes was lost at the end of the Eastern Han dynasty that various interpretations arose. However, later Confucian scholars mostly followed the views of the Eastern Han, which is puzzling.

物與無妄者，物咸失其所望。京房《易傳》以為大旱之卦，百穀草木咸就枯槁，萬物皆死，無所復望。京氏之解，無一字不從象生：艮為火，大離為火，震為百穀草木，而離為枯槁，無雲而雷，繼以巽風，故萬物咸死。

The phrase "what is called 'things and no misfortune'" means that all things have lost their hopes. Jing Fang's commentary on the Book of Changes classifies the hexagram Wuwang as the hexagram of a great drought, where all grains and plants wither together, and all things die, leaving no hope. Jing Fang's interpretation derives every word from the hexagram's imagery: the middle line of Wuwang forms the trigram Gen, which represents fire; the entire hexagram combines lines two to five to form the trigram Li, which also represents fire. The lower trigram Zhen represents grains and plants, and the fire of Li causes them to wither. The upper trigram Qian and lower trigram Zhen together depict thunder without clouds, followed by the trigram Xun, which represents wind, thus causing all things to wither completely.

是以《易林·復之無妄》云：「踦牛傷暑，不能成畝，草萊不闢，年歲無有。」坤為牛，離亦為牛，伏大坎，坎蹇，故曰踦牛。艮火離火，故傷暑，卽京氏所謂大旱也。年歲無有，卽京氏所謂萬物皆死也，皆以釋物與無望之義也。又《無妄之革》云：「枯旱三年，草萊不生。」《革》通《蒙》，《蒙》上艮為火，互離為火，故曰枯旱，二至上與《無妄》初至四同也。焦、京之言，前後如一，足見京義皆受之焦也。

Therefore, the "Forest of Divination" (Yilin) under the hexagram "Fu" (Return) to "Wuwang" (No Pretense) says: "A crippled ox is harmed by the heat, unable to plow the fields, the grass and weeds are not cleared, and there is no harvest." The hexagram Kun represents an ox, and Li also represents an ox; there is a hidden hexagram of great Kan, which represents difficulty and lameness, hence "a crippled ox." Both Gen and Li represent fire, so it is said "harmed by the heat," which is exactly what Jing Fang called a great drought; "no harvest" is exactly what Jing Fang called all things dying. Both sentences explain the meaning of "things without hope." Again, under the hexagram "Wuwang" (No Pretense) to "Ge" (Change), it says: "Three years of drought, grass and weeds do not grow." The hexagram "Ge" is in mutual opposition with "Meng," and "Meng" has the upper trigram Gen representing fire, and the middle line hexagram Li also representing fire, hence "drought." The structure of "Meng" from the second line to the top line is the same as the structure of "Wuwang" from the first line to the fourth line. Jiao Yanshou and Jing Fang's interpretations are consistent, showing that Jing Fang's meaning was derived from Jiao Yanshou.

乃至東漢，《易》象失傳，虞翻等既不知艮火象，又不識大離象，詫大旱之說之無根，謂京氏及俗儒失之遠矣。獨不思孔子《彖傳》，乃章解句釋卦詞者也，傳明曰「不利有攸往」「無妄之往，何之矣」，若作無亡，尚何之而不利？舍《彖傳》不從，而從《序卦》，是所謂舍近取遠、棄明就暗者也。後李道平作《集解》卷疏，又疑京氏大旱之說本於「無妄災」，仍未得也。

By the Eastern Han dynasty, the images of the Yi hexagrams had been lost. Yu Fan and others did not know that Gen (mountain) could represent fire, nor did they recognize the image of great Li (fire). Therefore, they were surprised that Jing Fang's claim of great drought had no basis, and they criticized Jing Fang and the vulgar scholars for being far off the mark. They failed to consider that Confucius' Commentary on the Judgment explains each chapter and sentence of the Hexagram Statement. The Commentary clearly states, "It is not advantageous to go anywhere," and "Without being reckless, where should one go?" If "wu wang" means "without loss," then where would going be disadvantageous? To abandon the close and clear Commentary on the Judgment and instead follow the Order of Hexagrams is called abandoning the near for the distant and abandoning the bright for the dark. Later, Li Daoping, in his Collected Explanations of the Zhou Changes, also speculated that Jing Fang's claim of great drought was derived from the phrase "wu wang, zai ye" in the Miscellaneous Hexagrams, but he still did not get it right.

彖曰「不利有攸往」，傳曰「無妄之往，何之矣」，皆不利也。震為耕穫，為菑畬，艮止，故不耕穫、不菑畬，不利也。前臨三陰，陰遇陰則阻，亦不利。象曰「未富」，亦不利。乃曰「則利有攸往」，後解此者，無論若何斡旋，若何委曲，總不能協。

The Hexagram Statement of the "彖" says, "It is not advantageous to go somewhere." The Commentary on the Judgment also says, "Going without expectation, where should one go?" Both indicate disadvantage. The lower trigram is Zhen, representing plowing and harvesting, or clearing land, but the middle line forms the trigram Gen, which signifies stopping. Therefore, it says there is no plowing, no harvesting, no clearing of land, which is also disadvantageous. The second line, Six Two, faces forward three yin lines; yin meeting yin meets resistance, which is also disadvantageous. The "Xiao Xiang" says, "Not yet rich," which is still disadvantageous. However, the Line Statement says, "It is advantageous to go somewhere." Later commentators have tried to explain this sentence in various ways, but no matter how they twist or adjust the interpretation, it remains unclear.

案《禮·坊記》引此云：「不耕穫，不菑畬，凶。」多一凶字。既曰凶，則不利也明矣。《坊記》為七十子所述《易》說之最古者，或據此疑則為凶之訛字，或又疑此五字全為衍文，愚則疑仍彖詞之「不利有攸往」也。

The "Line Statement" cited in the "Fang Ji" section of the "Rites" is quoted as "Not plowing and not harvesting, not clearing and not cultivating, misfortune," which includes an additional character "misfortune" compared to the current version. Since it mentions "misfortune," it is clear that it refers to an unfavorable situation. The "Fang Ji" is the oldest among the interpretations of the "Book of Changes" transmitted by the seventy disciples of Confucius. Some people have doubted that the character "then" in the current version is a mistaken substitution for "misfortune," while others have suspected that the five characters "then it is advantageous to go somewhere" were all later additions. I, however, suspect that the original text should still be consistent with the "Tuan" statement of the Hexagram, which says "unfavorable to go somewhere."

茲再證之。《易林·復之無妄》云：「踦牛傷暑，不能成畝，草萊不闢，年歲無有。」夫不能成畝、草萊不闢，卽不耕穫不菑畬也；年歲無有，卽無望也。又《未濟之無妄》云：「獨立山顛，求麋耕田，草木不闢，秋飢無年。」艮山，巽高，而乾為首，故曰獨立山顛。艮為求，震為麋為耕，麋非耕田之獸而使之耕，故曰草木不闢，釋不耕不菑也。秋飢無年，仍無妄也，凶也，與《坊記》之義如合符契，皆不利也。

Now let us verify with the Lin Ci. The "Yi Lin · Fu Zhi Wu Wang" says: "A single ox is injured by the heat, unable to plow the field, the grass and weeds are not cleared, and there will be no harvest." What is meant by "unable to plow the field" and "the grass and weeds are not cleared" is exactly the line statement "not plowing and not harvesting, not clearing and not tilling." "There will be no harvest" corresponds to "no expectation." Again, in "Wei Ji Zhi Wu Wang" it says: "Standing alone on the mountain peak, seeking to cultivate the field with a deer, the grass and trees are not cleared, and there will be hunger in autumn and no harvest." In the "Wu Wang" hexagram, the yao and mutual trigrams form Gen, which represents a mountain; the hidden Xun trigram represents height, and the upper trigram Qian represents the head, so it says "standing alone on the mountain peak." Gen represents seeking, and the lower trigram Zhen represents a deer and farming; a deer is not an animal used for farming, yet it is forced to do so, so it cannot clear the land, which is exactly explaining "not farming, not tilling." "Hunger in autumn and no harvest" is still "Wu Wang," which is "misfortune." This is consistent with the quotation from the "Fang Ji," all pointing to "unfavorable."

虞翻謂二應五，故利往，然二五皆當位，不能相升降，謂二孚五則可，謂二往五則不可。況《大畜》九三無應，而亦曰有攸往，則利往之不指應予明甚。又《遯》初六有應予，而爻詞曰「勿用有攸往」，陰遇陰則阻，則攸往之與應予無涉益明。此與《未濟》六三爻詞皆有訛誤，不能強說。

Yu Fan said that the line six in the second is in correspondence with the line nine in the fifth, so it is advantageous to go forward. However, the lines two and five are each in their proper positions and cannot rise or fall relative to each other. It is acceptable to say that line six in the second is sincere toward line nine in the fifth, but it is not acceptable to say that line six in the second can go and occupy the position of five. Moreover, in the hexagram Da Xu, line nine in the third does not have a corresponding line, yet the line statement still says "it is advantageous to go forward," which clearly shows that "advantageous to go forward" does not depend on whether there is a corresponding line. Looking further at the hexagram Duan, line six at the beginning has line nine in the fourth as its corresponding line, yet the line statement says "do not go forward," because yin meets yin and is obstructed — this shows clearly that "advantageous to go forward" has nothing to do with whether there is a corresponding line. In this case, the line statement is similar to that of line six in the third of the hexagram Wei Ji, and both contain textual errors, so they should not be forced into a forced interpretation.

此與《蠱》之利涉大川同也。《蠱》彖曰「往有事也」，坤為事，言陽往得二陰為助也；《大畜》彖曰「應乎天也」，五為天位，亦言陽往得五陰為應也。《大畜》《蠱》自三以上體同也，皆以坤陰為大川也。又按《易林》與九家往往以乾為河，《大畜》乾水在下，中爻震為舟，舟在水上，利涉之象，說尤通也。

The phrase "favorable for crossing great rivers" in the hexagram Da Xu is the same as in Gu. The Commentary on the Judgment of Gu says "going to attend to matters," with坤 representing matters, meaning that a yang line proceeds and receives assistance from the yin lines. The Commentary on the Judgment of Da Xu says "responding to heaven," with the fifth line being the heavenly position, similarly indicating that a yang line proceeds and receives the yin line at the fifth position. Da Xu and Gu share the same upper trigram from the third line onward, and both take坤 yin as the "great river." Additionally, the Jiao Forest of Changes and the nine schools of the Book of Changes, including Xun Shuang, often take Qian as the river. In Da Xu, the lower trigram Qian represents water below, the middle trigram Zhen represents a boat, and the boat moving on water is precisely the image of "favorable for crossing," making this interpretation more coherent.

旁通《萃》。《萃》二至四艮，艮為覆震，震為車為輹，震覆，故脫輹。震輹之象，由左氏、《子夏傳》尋得，義則《易林》用覆也。

The hexagram Da Xu is complementary to Cui. In the hexagram Cui, the second to fourth lines form an interchanged Gèn trigram, which is inverted Zhen. Zhen represents a chariot and the hidden rabbit beneath it (fu tu), but since Zhen is inverted, the chariot's fu tu naturally falls off, hence the line statement says "the carriage loses its fu tu." The imagery of Zhen as a chariot and fu tu comes from the Zixia Commentary on the Changes and the Zuo Zhuan. The concept of inversion, however, is a common method used in the Jiao's Forest of Changes.

《晉語》：「震，車也。」《左傳》閔元年《屯》之《比》，卽震變坤，震變坤曰「車從馬」，是以震為車也。《大畜》九三之輿衛，亦以震為車明矣。曰閒輿衛者，乾為日，震利往，故曰日閒。乃自東漢以來，祗知坤為大輿，無以震象詁輿衛者，左氏雖明言，不信也。

The *Guoyu* · *Jin Yu* says: "Zhen means a chariot." In *Zuo Zhuan* · *Min Gong Yuan Nian*, Bi Wan divined about his official career and encountered the hexagram *Zun* changing into *Bi*. This indicates that Zhen changes into Kun, and Xin Liao interpreted the oracle as "a chariot following a horse," showing that Zhen is taken as a chariot. The phrase "Yu Wei" in *Daxu* · *Jiu San* also uses Zhen as a chariot. This is clearly stated. The reason for saying "Xian Yu Wei" is that the upper trigram is Qian, representing the sun, and the middle line Zhen is favorable for movement, so it is said "the sun guards," meaning daily practice of chariot and military affairs. However, since the Eastern Han dynasty, scholars have only known that Kun represents a large chariot, and no one has used the image of Zhen to explain "Yu Wei." Although *Zuo Zhuan* and *Guoyu* clearly explain this, they have not been believed.

茲《易》《大畜之明夷》云：「車馳轊擊。」《明夷》上坤，三至五震，坤車震車，故曰轊擊。又《噬嗑之震》云：「車雖駕。」亦以震為車。可見《大畜》亦以互震為車，不必以坤為車，《易》例有明象卽不用伏也。

Now referring to Jiao's Forest of Changes, the section on "Great Accumulation" changing into "Darkness Abiding" says: "The chariot rushes, the axle collides." The upper trigram of "Darkness Abiding" is坤 (Earth), and the lines three to five form the trigram 震 (Thunder). Both 坤 and 震 represent chariots, so two chariots are running side by side, hence the saying of colliding axles. Again, in "Crushing the Bones" changing into "Thunder," it says: "The chariot is yoked." Here, 震 is taken as the chariot. This shows that in "Great Accumulation," the trigram 震 formed by the interacting lines is also taken as the chariot, and it is not necessary to take 坤 as the chariot. The general practice in The Zhou Changes is that if the primary hexagram already clearly presents a卦象, then the hidden trigram is not used.

《大畜》九三云「利有攸往」，陽遇陰則通也，利往卽利涉大川也，而知者鮮。至小象「上合志」之義，自東漢以來卽晦而不明：三陽，上亦陽，志如何合？虞翻知其然也，謂五已之正為陽，上覆之正為陰，成坎，坎為志，三應上為合志，一變不足而再變，其為曲解，不待辨矣。然後之治漢《易》者，窘無他說，不得不從也。

The Hexagram "Great Accumulation" (Da Xu) line nine in the third says "It is advantageous to go somewhere," because a yang line meets a yin line and thus becomes smooth; here "advantageous to go" is the same as the Hexagram Statement's "advantageous to cross a great river." Unfortunately, few people understand this level. As for the "Small Image" saying "coinciding with the will," since the Eastern Han dynasty, its meaning has been obscure: nine three is yang, and upper nine is also yang; how can the wills of two yang lines coincide? Yu Fan also knew this was not logical, so he said that line six five first changes to yang and becomes correct, and upper nine then changes to yin and becomes correct, thus lines three to five form Kan, which represents will, and nine three corresponds with the upper line, which is called "coinciding with the will." Changing once is not enough, so it has to change again, which is a misinterpretation, and there is no need to argue about it. However, later scholars who studied the Han dynasty version of the Book of Changes were embarrassed by the lack of other interpretations, so they had no choice but to follow his explanation.

茲以《易林》陰陽相遇則吉之義推之，三臨二陰，故利往。上謂四五，非上九也，《易》凡在前者皆曰上。《節》六四亨，象曰「承上道也」，上謂九五，陰遇陽故亨；《升》初六大吉，象曰「上合志也」，言初六與九二九三合志，陰遇陽故吉，在前故謂之上。若六四與上六皆陰，不相應，如何合志？

Now using the principle from Jiao's Forest of Changes that "yin and yang meeting brings good fortune," we can infer that the nine in the third line is close to the six in the fourth and the six in the fifth, both yin lines, so it is favorable to go forward. The "upper" mentioned in the Small Commentary refers to the fourth and fifth lines, not the upper nine. In the Zhou Changes, any line that comes before can be called "upper." In the卦 of "Jie" (Restraint), the six in the fourth line says "favorable," and the Small Commentary says "receiving the upper line," referring to the nine in the fifth line. Yin receiving yang brings smoothness. In the卦 of "Sheng" (Ascent), the initial six says "great good fortune," and the Small Commentary says "joining with the upper," meaning the initial six shares the same aspirations with the nine in the second and the nine in the third lines. Yin meeting yang brings good fortune. Since the second and third lines are before it, they are called "upper." If "upper" were forced to mean the upper line, then in the卦 of "Sheng," the six in the fourth line and the upper six, both yin lines, would not correspond with each other, and how could they be said to share aspirations?

知《升》上之指二三，則知《大畜》之上之確指四五也明矣。《升》互坎，故曰志；《大畜》互離，伏坎，故亦曰志。後人不知《易》能解《易》，必以上為上九，故永不能通。又《無妄》初九云「往吉得志」，往吉卽利有攸往，得志卽合志，亦以前臨二陰，非謂應四也。《無妄》初至四，與《大畜》三至上，體同也，仍以《易》解《易》也。

Understanding that the "upper" in the "Ascending" hexagram refers to the second and third lines, nine two and nine three, it becomes clear that the "upper" in the "Great Accumulation" hexagram specifically refers to the fourth and fifth lines, six four and six five. In the "Ascending" hexagram, the inner trigrams form Kan, which represents will, hence the term "will." In the "Great Accumulation" hexagram, the inner trigrams form Li, with Kan hidden within, so it can also be said to represent "will." Later scholars failed to use the Zhou Yi itself to explain the Zhou Yi, insisting on interpreting "upper" as nine at the top, thus never fully understanding it. Now consider the "Initial Nine" in the "Without Rashness" hexagram, which says "going is auspicious, achieving will," where "going is auspicious" corresponds to "favorable to go," and "achieving will" corresponds to "coinciding will." This is because the line is adjacent to the two yin lines six two and six three ahead, not because it corresponds with nine four. The hexagram structure from the initial line to the fourth line in "Without Rashness" is the same as the structure from the third line to the top line in "Great Accumulation"—this remains a method of using the Yi to explain the Yi.

先天震東北，後天艮東北，故取象上下相合，先動而後止，卽先震後艮也。《易林》說《坎》云：「丑寅不徙。」卽震艮合居，震艮合居卽頤也。

The Earlier Heaven Trigrams place Zhen (Thunder) in the Northeast, while the Later Heaven Trigrams place Gen (Mountain) in the Northeast. Since they occupy the same position, the hexagram Yi (Nourishing) takes its image from the union above and below. This reflects the sequence of first movement and then stillness, with the lower trigram Zhen representing movement and the upper trigram Gen representing stillness. The Jiao Forest of Changes states that the hexagram Kan has a line: "Chou and Yin do not move." Chou and Yin correspond to the position of Gen, and Zhen also shares the same trigram group, which is why Zhen and Gen are combined. When Zhen and Gen are combined, they form the hexagram Yi. This shows that Jiao Yanshou's naming and imagery are based on the principle of combining the positions of the Earlier Heaven and Later Heaven Trigrams.

荀爽謂：「雷為號令，今在山中閉藏，故慎言語。雷動於下，以陽食陰，艮以止之，故節飲食。言出乎身，加乎民，慎言語，所以養人也。飲食不節，殘賊群生，故節飲食以養物。」其詁既膚淺不當，清儒多祖述荀氏者，更無他解。

Xun Shuang's explanation is: "Thunder is a command, now the thunder is hidden in the mountain, so one should be cautious in speech. Thunder moves below, using yang energy to consume yin energy, and the upper part, Gen, adds restraint, so one should regulate food intake. Speech comes from oneself and affects the people; being cautious in speech is used to nourish people. Unregulated food intake harms all creatures, so regulating food intake is used to nourish things." This interpretation is both shallow and inappropriate, yet most Qing dynasty scholars followed Xun Shuang and could not offer other explanations.

茲以《易林》證之。宜慎宜節之故，則以正覆兩震相對也。震為言語，人知之；震為口舌，能飲食，或疑之。乃《易林·井之師》云：「長舌作凶。」是震亦為舌，與兌同，特形較長耳。言語飲食之象既定，則慎節可得言矣。

Now let us verify this with the "Jiao's Forest of Changes." The reason for being "cautious" and "frugal" is because the "Yi" hexagram contains one upright and one inverted Zhen trigrams facing each other. Zhen represents speech, which is well known to everyone; saying that Zhen represents the mouth and tongue and can govern food and drink, some people may doubt. However, the "Forest of Changes" under the "Well" hexagram to "General" says: "A long tongue brings misfortune." The "General" hexagram has Zhen trigrams from the second to the fourth lines, showing that Zhen also represents the tongue, similar to Dui, but its shape is longer. Since the images of speech and food are confirmed, the principles of being "cautious" and "frugal" can be discussed.

按《易林·復之頤》云：「噂噂所言。」《詩》毛傳：「噂，對語也。」頤象也。《晉之艮》云：「學靈三年，聖且聰明。」學靈者，小兒學言語也，艮為小子，艮三至上兩震相對，亦頤也。下言一出，上卽如言而反，君子出言為天下法，安得不慎？

According to the *Yi Lin* (Commentary on the Changes) under *Fu* (Return) to *Yi* (Nourishment), it says: "Tuan tuan su yan." The *Mao Transmission* of the *Shijing* (Book of Songs) explains "tuan" as face-to-face conversation. Two mouths facing each other speaking is precisely the image of the *Yi* hexagram. Again, in the *Jin* (Progress) to *Gen* (Obstruction), it says: "Xue ling san nian, sheng qie ceng ming." The term "xue ling" refers to a child learning to speak; *Gen* represents the young person, and the third line to the top line of the *Gen* hexagram consist of two *Zhen* (Thunder) trigrams facing each other, which is the structure of *Yi*. When something is spoken below, it is immediately echoed back above. Therefore, a gentleman's words should be a model for the world; how could he not be cautious? This is the origin of the image of "shen yuyan" (cautious speech).

又《履之蒙》云：「兩人相伴。」震為人，正覆震，故曰兩人。「相與悖戾，心乖不同，訟爭訩訩。」《蒙》二至上亦兩震相對，亦頤也，相對卽相背，故曰背戾、曰訟爭。悖戾訟爭，又安得不慎？故曰慎言語。

Another passage from "The Fulfillment of the Foot" says: "Two people accompanying each other." Zhen represents people, and there are two Zhen trigrams, one upright and one inverted, hence the phrase "two people." Lin's commentary continues: "They are in conflict, their hearts are not in agreement, and there is contention and strife." The second line to the top line of the Meng hexagram also consists of two Zhen trigrams facing each other, forming the structure of the Yi hexagram. Facing each other means being opposed, hence the terms "conflict" and "contention." Since opposing mouths lead to conflict and contention, how can words not be spoken with caution? Therefore, the great image says "be cautious with words."

至節飲食，按《易林·未濟之頤》云：「齗齗囓囓，貧鬼相責。」以上下兩震口相對，故曰齗囓。又《豐之坎》云：「兩狗同室，相囓爭食。」以《坎》二至五正反兩艮，卽兩震，亦頤也，故曰兩狗，故曰相齧。蓋飲食者，人之所爭，兩口相對，爭象尤著，爭則怒，怒則斗，能節則爭端息矣，故節飲食。

Now talking about "regulating diet." The "Forest of Divination" under the "Yi Lin" section, "Wei Ji to Yi," says: "Clashing teeth, poor ghosts blaming each other." This is because the two Zhen trigrams above and below form facing mouths, hence the image of clashing teeth. Again, in "Feng to Kan," it says: "Two dogs in the same room, biting each other for food." The Kan hexagram's second to fifth lines consist of one Yang and one Yin艮, which are also two Zhen trigrams, forming the structure of Yi, hence the term "two dogs" and "biting each other." Diet is something people often compete for; two mouths facing each other make the image of competition very clear. Once there is a struggle, anger arises, and anger leads to conflict. If one can control oneself, the conflict will cease, hence the great image says "regulate diet."

至慎與節之象，艮多節，見《說卦》；艮止為慎，學《易》者類能知之。然謂慎與節之象由艮而取則可，專以艮為義則膚末矣。《損》象云：「君子以懲忿窒欲。」懲忿卽慎言語，窒俗卽節飲食，《損》二至上亦頤也，可互為註腳也。焦循作《易通釋》，徒牽攣卦變，至於《易》旨真通者，反多不釋，豈不異哉！《頤》象曰「道大悖也」，卽謂正反兩艮震相背。

As for the symbolic representations of "caution" and "frugality," the "Sayings on the Trigrams" states that Gen (Mountain) represents a tree with many joints, and since Gen also signifies stopping, it carries the meaning of caution. This is well known among those studying the Book of Changes. It is correct to say that the images of caution and frugality can be derived from Gen; however, if one relies solely on Gen to establish the meaning, it is too superficial. The "Loss" hexagram says, "The superior man uses it to restrain anger and suppress desires." Restraining anger corresponds to being cautious in speech, and suppressing desires corresponds to practicing frugality in diet. Moreover, the second line to the top line of the "Loss" hexagram also forms the structure of the "Nourishment" hexagram, and these two grand images can serve as mutual explanations. Jiao Xun, in his work "Easy Interpretations of the Book of Changes," only focused on the transformation of hexagrams, and for the truly comprehensive understanding of the Book of Changes, he often failed to provide explanations, which is quite strange! The "Nourishment" hexagram's sixth line says, "The path is greatly contrary," which precisely refers to the mutual opposition between the Gen and Zhen trigrams.

自《易》象失傳，於是虞翻等拘於《說卦》：以坎為水，不知坤亦為水；以乾為金，不知艮亦為金；以坎為月，不知兌亦為月；以坤為牛，不知離亦為牛，離牛雖見於卦辭、見於《左傳》，不信也；以坤為輿，不知震亦為輿，震車雖見於爻辭、見於左氏內外傳，不信也。

Since the images of the Book of Changes were lost, Yu Fan and others have clung to the existing entries in the "Commentary on the Hexagrams," only knowing that Kan represents water but not that Kun also represents water; only knowing that Qian represents metal but not that Gen also represents metal; only knowing that Kan represents the moon but not that Dui also represents the moon; only knowing that Kun represents an ox but not that Li also represents an ox—the idea that Li represents an ox is mentioned both in the hexagram statement of Li, "raising a female ox is auspicious," and in the divination examples in the "Zuo Zhuan," yet they still do not believe it; only knowing that Kun represents a carriage but not that Zhen also represents a carriage—the idea that Zhen represents a carriage is mentioned both in the line statements and in the "Zuo Zhuan" and "Guoyu," yet they still do not believe it.

以離為甲兵，因而以離為斧為矢，不知《易》凡言斧者皆指兌，言矢皆指坎；以離為雉，因而以離為鴻為鶴，不知《易》之言鴻指艮震，言鶴專指震；以離為火，不知艮亦為火；以離為日，不知乾亦為日；以離為龜，不知艮陽在上亦為龜。

They took Li as armor and weapons, thus deducing that Li represents an axe and arrows. But they do not realize that in The Zhou Changes, whenever an axe is mentioned, it refers to Dui, and whenever arrows are mentioned, it refers to Kan. They took Li as a pheasant, thus deducing that Li represents a wild goose and a crane. But they do not realize that in The Zhou Changes, a wild goose refers to Gen and Zhen, and a crane is specifically associated with Zhen. They know only that Li represents fire, but they do not know that Gen also represents fire. They know only that Li represents the sun, but they do not know that Qian also represents the sun. They know only that Li represents a turtle, but they do not know that Gen, with one yang over two yin, is also a turtle image.

至於《易》用旁通，漢魏人察見者已少，然尚偶有之；若覆象，則無一人能知矣。自覆象失傳，於是《革》九四改命之改字、《巽》上九喪斧之喪字、《隨》初九官有渝之渝字、《頤》初九舍爾靈龜之舍字，其義遂無有通者。

As for the method of using the opposite trigrams in the Zhou Changes, only a few people in the Han and Wei periods were aware of it, though occasionally there were still some who understood it. But when it comes to the method of taking images by inverting the trigrams, no one has ever understood it. Since the method of inverted images was lost, the meanings of certain words in the hexagrams have become obscure. For example, the word "change" in the ninth line of the hexagram Gé (Revolution), the word "loss" in the top line of the hexagram Xùn (Wind), the word "change" in the first line of the hexagram Suí (Following), and the word "abandon" in the first line of the hexagram Yí (Nourishment) all derive from the inverted images, and no one has been able to explain them properly anymore.

茲按《易林》靈龜之象，正以艮耳。《易林·歸妹之剝》云：「靈龜陸處。」以艮為龜也。又《需之觀》云：「魚鱉傾倒。」則以《觀》之互艮為鱉。又《復之咸》云：「買鱉失魚。」則以《咸》之下艮為鱉。又《乾之井》云：「黿鳴歧山，鱉應山淵。」《井》通《噬嗑》，《噬嗑》初至四正覆震，故曰鳴、曰應；正覆艮，故曰黿、曰鱉、曰山；坤為淵，陽居在下，故曰山淵。

Now according to the imagery of the spiritual turtle used in Jiao's Forest of Changes, it is precisely taking the trigram Gen (Mountain). In the Forest of Changes, the hexagram "Guimei" changing to "Bo" says: "The spiritual turtle lives on land." The upper trigram of "Bo" is Gen, so Gen is taken as the turtle. Again, in the Forest of Changes, the hexagram "Xu" changing to "Guan" says: "Fish and turtles overturn." Here, the mutual trigram Gen in "Guan" is taken as the turtle. Again, in the Forest of Changes, the hexagram "Fu" changing to "Xian" says: "Bought a turtle but lost a fish." Here, the lower trigram of "Xian" is Gen, so Gen is taken as the turtle. Again, in the Forest of Changes, the hexagram "Qian" changing to "Jing" says: "A tortoise cries out on Qishi Mountain, and the turtle responds from the mountain and the deep." "Jing" and "Shihè" are complementary hexagrams. "Shihè" has the first to fourth lines as one upright and one inverted Zhen (Thunder), so it says "cry" and "respond." It also has one upright and one inverted Gen, so it says "tortoise" and "turtle" and "mountain." Kun (Earth) is the deep, and the yang line is in the lower position, so it says "mountain and deep."

言艮黿鳴用反震於山上，艮鱉用反艮應於坤淵之下也，與《中孚》之「鳴鶴在陰，其子和之」義同也，全用覆也。《頤》初九之舍爾靈龜，艮為龜，初九艮覆，故曰舍爾靈龜，與《巽》上九之喪斧、《革》九四之改命義同也，皆用覆也。至於《損》六五之龜、《益》六二之龜，亦皆以艮為龜，而六五六五皆有應，故曰益。

The image of the tortoise in the hexagram艮 (Gen) is used in a reversed manner. When the tortoise calls out, it is represented by the reversed image of thunder, and the call is made on the mountain; when the tortoise is used in a reversed manner, it is represented by the reversed image of Gen, and the response is given beneath the earth. The meaning is similar to the line Nine in the Second (Nine in the Second) of the hexagram 中孚 (Zhongfou), which says, "The crane calls in the shade, and its young respond in harmony." All of these use the image of reversal. Similarly, the line Nine at the Beginning (Nine at the Beginning) of the hexagram 颐 (Yi) says, "Abandon your spiritual tortoise." Here, Gen represents the tortoise, and the position of Nine at the Beginning is the reversed position of Gen, so the image of the tortoise being overturned signifies abandonment, hence the phrase "Abandon your spiritual tortoise." This is similar to the line Nine at the Top (Nine at the Top) of the hexagram 巽 (Xun), which says, "Lose the axe," and the line Nine in the Fourth (Nine in the Fourth) of the hexagram 革 (Ge), which says, "Change the destiny," all of which use the image of overturning. As for the line Six in the Fifth (Six in the Fifth) of the hexagram 损 (Sun) and the line Six in the Second (Six in the Second) of the hexagram 益 (Yi), both mention "ten tortoises," and they also use Gen to represent the tortoise. However, these two lines each have a responding line, so the image of the tortoise is not overturned, hence the phrase "either increase or decrease."

自艮龜之象失傳，於是虞翻謂《頤》初從《晉》四來，《晉》離象毀，故曰舍；《益》則命三變成成離龜；《損》則先使二變五變，再使三變成離為龜。聖人制詞，不取原有象，而取一變再變三變後之象，非虞氏無此說矣，此亦王弼《易》風行之一因也。然虞氏必如此者，則以《易》無象外字也。《易》無象外字，東漢人尚知之，王弼以後則微茫矣。《鼎》九三當位，虞氏竟背其之正之說，令三變陰。

Since the image of the mountain (Geng) as a turtle was lost, Yu Fan said that the first line of the "Yi" hexagram comes from the fourth line of the "Jin" hexagram changing, and since the fire image of "Jin" is destroyed, it is called "she." When explaining the "Yi" hexagram, he taught that the third line changes to form the fire image of the turtle. When explaining the "Sun" hexagram, he first taught that the second and fifth lines change, then the third line, to form the fire image of the turtle. The sages who composed the line statements did not take existing images, but rather took images that appeared only after one, two, or three changes. Except for Yu Fan, no one would make such a statement. This is also one of the reasons why Wang Bi's interpretation of the "Zhou Yi" became popular later. However, Yu Fan had to do this because he firmly believed that there were no words in the "Zhou Yi" outside of the images. The principle that "the "Zhou Yi" has no words outside of its images" was known to people in the Eastern Han dynasty, but after Wang Bi, it became hard to find. As for the third line of the "Ding" hexagram, which was originally in the correct position, Yu Fan forced the third line to change to yin, contradicting his own principle of "correcting the proper position of those who are not in the correct position."

此與《大畜》三與上合志義通。《大畜》三臨二陰，故利往；上乘二陰，故道大行，陽遇陰則通也。《頤》六二前臨三陰，故征凶；六五下乘三陰，故不可涉，陰遇陰則阻也，故象只戒其順上，順上，陰遇陽也。至上九下乘四陰，故利涉，與《大畜》上九同，陽得陰則通也。

This line is consistent with the principle of "上合志" in "大畜" nine three. In "大畜" nine three, the yang line is above the two yin lines six four and six five, so it is advantageous to move forward; in "小象," it says "the way is widely practiced" because when yang meets yin, the path is smooth. In "颐" hexagram six two, there are three yin lines before it, so it says "a journey is dangerous"; in six five, there are three yin lines below it, so it says "not suitable to cross a great river" — these are cases where yin meets yin, causing obstruction, hence "小象" only advises it to "be compliant and follow the superior," meaning to follow nine nine, which is yin meeting yang. As for nine nine, it is below four yin lines, so it says "advantageous to cross a great river," the same as "大畜" nine nine, because yang meeting yin leads to smoothness.

此以坤為大川，至為明白矣。乃二千年來坤水之象失傳，必以坎為大川：五變不能成坎，上變亦不能成坎，必五上全變乃成坎，坎象成而利涉不利，小不知屬何爻。後儒治漢《易》者雖多，不主虞翻不能解也。《易》義晦茫至此，非《易林》，孰能正之？

Here it is clearly using the Earth (Kun) as "great river," beyond any doubt. However, for two thousand years, the image of Kun as water has been lost, and scholars have insisted on taking Kan as the great river: changing only the fifth line cannot form Kan, nor can changing only the top line. It requires both the fifth and top lines to change to form Kan. Although the image of Kan is thus formed, it remains unclear which line corresponds to "favorable for crossing" and which to "not favorable for crossing." Although many have studied the Han dynasty version of the Book of Changes, without relying on Yu Fan's interpretations, they have no foothold. The meaning of the Book of Changes has become so obscure that without Jiao's Forest of Changes, who else could correct it?

此其義亦二千年長夜矣。因《易》說失傳，旁通之義不明，不知雷風相薄，凝合為一，遇其雌必獲其雄，此立竿而彼必有影也。《大過》對象《頤》，《頤》為大離，離「科上槁」，故曰枯，非以乾老為枯也。

The meaning of these two line statements has remained hidden for two thousand years. The reason is that the teachings of the Book of Changes have been lost, and the concept of mutual transformation is unclear. Scholars do not understand that thunder and wind press against each other, condense into one, and when encountering the yin, the yang is necessarily present at the same time—just as when a pole is raised, a shadow is inevitably formed on the other side. The opposite卦 (mutually related卦) of the Great Excess (Da Guo) is the Cultivation (Yi)卦. The second to fifth lines of the Cultivation卦 form a great fire (Li). The Sayings on the Hexagrams state that fire is associated with the wood that is dry and withered at the top, hollow in the middle and dry at the top. Therefore, the line statement refers to withering, not as Yu Fan interpreted it, by taking the old yang as withering.

凡《易林》言枯者，無不屬離。《豫之履》云：「枯槁腐蠹。」《謙之漸》云：「萬物空枯。」皆指離象。然猶可曰此非大離也。乃《泰之節》云：「自令枯槁。」《泰之艮》云：「物病焦枯。」《節》二至五、《艮》三至上皆大離，亦皆曰枯。然猶可謂卦象與《頤》與《大過》不同也。

Whenever the "Jiao's Forest of Changes" mentions "枯" (withered), it always refers to the trigram Li (Fire). In "Yu to Liu," it says: "Withered and decayed." In "Qian to Jie," it says: "All things are empty and withered." These all refer to the image of Li. Some may argue that these are only the fundamental Li, not the great Li. Then consider "Tai to Jie" which says: "Self-induced withering." And "Tai to Gen" which says: "Things are diseased and withered." The second to fifth lines of the Jie hexagram and the third to top lines of the Gen hexagram are all great Li, and they also mention "枯." Some might still say that these hexagrams are different from Yi and Da Guo.

乃《泰之咸》云：「老楊日衰，條多枯枝。」《咸》與《損》對，《咸》二至上《大過》，《損》二至上《頤》也。前數卦皆以離為枯，此枯枝亦用《損》之大離也明矣，象同語同，此不啻焦氏之特解《大過》爻詞矣。虞翻等誤用象，以乾老為枯，豈知必以離為枯者，離中虛故枯，乾為實為金玉，雖老不枯也。虞又謂卦為《大過》，故五過二應初，二過五應上，尤為荒謬，失古《易》例。

Then looking at "The Tai and Xian" which says: "Old Yang declines, with many branches withered." The Xian and Shen hexagrams are complementary. The second to top lines of the Xian hexagram form the Da Guo hexagram, and the second to top lines of the Shen hexagram form the Yi hexagram. In previous line statements, the image of Li (Fire) is used to represent withering. The "withered branches" here clearly also use the Li of the Shen hexagram. The hexagram image and the terminology are the same; this is clearly a comment by Jiao Yanshou specifically on the line statements of Da Guo. Yu Fan and others mistakenly used the image of Qian (Heaven) to represent withering. They did not realize that the reason for using Li (Fire) to represent withering is because the middle line of Li is empty, and emptiness leads to withering. Qian represents firmness and solidity, like jade and gold. Even if it is old, it will not wither. Yu Fan also said that because the hexagram is Da Guo, the nine in the fifth line crosses over the nine in the second line to correspond with the six at the beginning, and the nine in the second line crosses over the nine in the fifth line to correspond with the six at the top. This is even more absurd and completely violates the traditional meaning of the Classic of Changes.

至於老夫，則用對象震也。《易林·夬之復》云：「姬姜歡悅，二姓為婚。」《復》震為周，故曰姬；姜者齊姓，巽齊，故曰姜，是《易林》見震卽言巽也。又《坎之革》云：「少女無夫。」《革》互巽，故曰少女；震伏，故曰無夫。又《坤之同人》云：「長男少女，相向共語。」《同人》中爻巽，伏震，故曰長男少女，是《易林》見巽卽言震也。

As for 「old man」, it uses the trigram Zhen (Thunder) from the hexagram Yi (Nourishment). The 「Yi Ling·Guai to Fu」 says: 「The Ji and Jiang families are happy, and the two families marry.」 The Fu hexagram has Zhen as its lower trigram, representing the Zhou dynasty, which was surnamed Ji, hence 「Ji」; Jiang is the surname of the Qi state, and Xun (Wind) represents the direction of Qi, hence 「Jiang」—this shows that the Yi Ling associates Xun with Zhen. Again, in 「Kan to Ge」 it says: 「The young girl has no husband.」 The Ge hexagram has Xun as its middle trigram, which usually represents the elder sister, but here it is taken as the young girl, hence 「young girl」; the hidden trigram Zhen is concealed, hence 「no husband」. Again, in 「Kun to Tong Ren」 it says: 「The elder son and the young girl face each other and speak.」 The Tong Ren hexagram has Xun as its middle trigram, and the hidden trigram is Zhen, hence 「the elder son and the young girl」—this shows that the Yi Ling, when it sees Xun, also mentions Zhen.

震夫巽婦，合而不分，以是推《大過》之老夫女妻，《易》亦見巽卽言震也。震為夫，坤逆行，見前，自上而下，在上者少，在下者老，時有異也，故曰老夫。《易林》云「二姓為婚」，正釋此也。故曰「老夫得其女妻」，女妻者，少妻巽也。

The trigram Zhen represents a husband and the trigram Xun represents a wife; the two are combined and inseparable. Based on this, we can infer the line statement of "old husband" and "young wife" in the line Nine in the Second of the hexagram Da Guo. This shows that the Zhou Changes also associates Xun with Zhen. Zhen represents a husband; however, Kun is described as moving in reverse (as mentioned earlier). When counting from top to bottom, the one above is considered young and the one below is considered old, due to the difference in temporal sequence. Therefore, the line Nine in the Second, being in a lower position, is referred to as "old husband." The "Easy Forest" says "two families marry," which explains this line. Thus, the line statement says "old husband obtains his young wife." The term "young wife" refers to the young wife, taken from the original hexagram Xun.

《易林》《觀之屯》《革之復》皆云：「愧我少姬。」是皆以對象巽為少姬也。他若《同人之渙》云「少齊在門」，《無妄之大壯》亦云，《大壯》通《觀》，是皆以巽為少。少齊者，《左傳》昭二年晉人謂之少齊是也，是巽為女妻之確解也。《易》合本象對象言，《易林》每本之以為常例。二千年來解此者，惟一俞樾知用旁通，識過前儒甚遠，而於老少之故仍不能通，則以乾順坤逆之理不明也。

The "Easy Forest" (Yilin) entries "Observing the Heaven" (Guan) and "Revolution" (Ge) both say: "Shame upon me, the young wife." These all take the trigram Xun as the young wife. Other examples, such as "Harmony with Others" (Tongren) and "No False Expectation" (Wuwang) also mention "the young wife at the gate." Since "Da Zhuang" and "Guan" are opposite trigrams, and "Guan" has Xun as its upper trigram, it is clear that Xun is taken as the young wife. The term "shao qi" refers to the "young wife" mentioned by the Jin people in the "Zuo Zhuan" in the second year of King Zhao's reign. This is the correct interpretation of Xun as "wife." The "Zhou Yi" originally combines the imagery of the primary hexagram and its opposite hexagram, and the "Yilin" often follows this pattern. Among the two thousand years of commentators, only Yu Yue understood the use of opposite trigrams. His insight far surpassed that of previous scholars. Unfortunately, he still failed to explain why the trigram is considered old when it is at the bottom and young when it is at the top. This was because he did not understand the principle that Qian moves forward and Kun moves backward.