The Great Treatise says: Words cannot fully express meaning, and meaning cannot fully convey the intent.

子曰：書不盡言，言不盡意。然則聖人之意，其不可見乎？

Confucius said: Written characters cannot express all that needs to be said, and words cannot fully convey the meaning in the heart. If this is the case, how could the intentions of the sages ever be understood?

義曰：自此以下至「黙而成之」，是夫子總言大易之道，當連上文為一章。書不盡言者，言聖人之言出則為天下之則、為天下之令，然於簡牘之中所載，必不能盡聖人之言也。言不盡意者，言聖人之意思慮宏達，無逺無近，無幽無隱，故三百八十四爻之間雖皆聖人之言，必不能盡其聖人之意也。如是則書不盡言，言不盡意，於聖人之意其不可見乎？此孔子嘆美聖人之言、聖人之意幽深宏逺，不可以見之耶，故假發問之辭疑而問之。

Hu Yuan explains: From here on, until the text 「黙而成之」, is Confucius summarizing the way of the Zhou Changes. It should be combined with the previous text as one chapter. What is meant by 'the words cannot fully express the meaning' is that the words spoken by the sage become the standard for the world and the command of the world. However, what can be recorded on bamboo slips or silk cloth is certainly not enough to fully express the words of the sage. What is meant by 'the meaning cannot be fully expressed by words' is that the sage's thoughts and intentions are vast and penetrating, without regard for near or far, or hidden or open. Therefore, although the 384 lines of the Zhou Changes are all spoken by the sage, they certainly cannot fully express the sage's thoughts and intentions. Since written words cannot fully express words, and words cannot fully express meaning, then is the sage's meaning not invisible? This is Confucius praising the profound and vast words and thoughts of the sage. How could they really be inaccessible? Therefore, he deliberately sets up a question to begin.

子曰：聖人立象以盡意。

Confucius said: The sage established the hexagrams to fully express his thoughts.

義曰：此夫子釋聖人之意有可見之理也。言聖人之言書不能盡其言，言又不能盡其意，惟是大易之道六十四卦之中可以明之。至如天之道以乾為名，取其天體剛健、生成不息；地之道以坤為名，取其地體柔順、能承順於天。是聖人設乾坤之象以盡聖人之意，宏功妙用惟乾坤之象可以盡之。

Hu Yuan explained: This is Confucius explaining that the intention of the sage can be understood through visible pathways. The words of the sage are not enough to fully express; the meaning itself cannot be fully conveyed through speech. Only the way of the Zhou Changes, with its sixty-four hexagrams, can fully explain it. For example, the heavens are named Qian, taking the meaning of the heavens' strength and vitality, their ceaseless generation. The earth is named Kun, taking the meaning of the earth's gentleness and its ability to receive and follow the heavens. This is how the sage established the Qian and Kun images to fully express his own mind: that grand achievement and profound function can only be contained within the images of Qian and Kun.

設卦以盡情偽。

The sixty-four hexagrams are arranged to exhaust the true and false aspects of human affairs.

義曰：言聖人之言出則為天下之則，然既言不能盡意，又立象以盡意。既立物之形象以盡其意，又觀萬物之象、萬事之理、天下得失之跡，設為其卦，以盡人之情偽，以盡物之得失也。

Hu Yuan explained: The words of the sage, once spoken, become the standard for the world. However, since words cannot fully express the mind, additional hexagrams were established to supplement them. After establishing symbolic representations to convey meaning, further observation of the forms of all things, the principles of all affairs, and the traces of gain and loss in the world was made. Based on these, the hexagrams were arranged to exhaust the true nature of human feelings and to fully understand the gains and losses of things.

繋辭焉以盡其言。

The words attached below each line of the trigrams are used to fully express the meaning.

義曰：言聖人雖立象以盡其意，設卦以盡其情偽，又於三百八十四爻之下有得位失位者，有正有不正者，皆繋屬其辭，散於卦爻之下，以盡其言，使人通曉其意也。

Hu Yuan explained: The sage, although having established images to express his mind and set up hexagrams to exhaust truth and falsehood, further explained the fourth lines among the 384 lines, distinguishing those that are appropriate from those that are not, and those that are upright from those that are not, attaching words to each, distributing them beneath each hexagram and line, in order to fully express his meaning and make clear the intention behind it.

變而通之以盡利。

It adapts to changes and ensures smoothness, used to fully realize benefits.

義曰：夫萬事之理、萬物之情，若無其通變之道，以至窮極，必至於敗壊也。惟是聖人立象以盡意，設卦以盡情偽，繋辭焉以盡其言，而又裁制創立，千變萬化，隨時措置，立成其事，無有壅滯，量時制宜，變而通之，以盡天下之利也。

Hu Yuan explained: The principles of all things and the actual conditions of myriad things, if there is no way of flexibility and adaptability, will inevitably lead to failure when they reach their limits. Only the sage can establish images to fully express meaning, set hexagrams to fully reveal the true nature of things, and use the Great Treatise to fully express words. Moreover, the sage can make decisions and create new systems, achieving countless transformations and adaptations according to the circumstances, thus accomplishing things without obstruction. By assessing the situation and determining appropriate measures, the sage can adapt and transform, thereby fully realizing the benefits for the world.

鼓之舞之以盡神。

Stimulate and inspire people throughout the world, to fully manifest the profound functions.

義曰：此總結立象盡意、設卦盡情、繋辭盡言之意。言聖人以其仁義之道以盡天下之情偽，以說天下之心，又鼔發之，致天下舞樂之。然則鼓舞何以為發樂之義？蓋聖人以仁義之道、敎化之術漸染於天下之人，天下之人雖然無所知識，然被上之敎化，其心康樂，不知手之舞之、足之蹈之也。既不知手之舞之、足之蹈之，自不知聖人之道所以然而然，是聖人之道漸染於人如神之功。

Hu Yuan explained: This is a summary of the previous layers of meaning, namely establishing images to convey the mind, setting up hexagrams to express the fullness of human sentiment, and attaching words to the hexagrams to exhaust all expressions. The sage uses the way of benevolence and righteousness to exhaust the true and false of human feelings throughout the world, making people in the world happy in their hearts, and also inspiring and motivating them, so that people throughout the world rejoice and dance. Then why is encouragement equivalent to expressing joy? Because the sage gradually infuses the people with the way of benevolence and righteousness and the methods of education. Although the people may not have much knowledge, they find peace and happiness in the education of those in authority, and without realizing it, their hands begin to dance and their feet begin to step. Since they do not even realize their own dancing and stepping, they naturally cannot explain why the way of the sage is like this. This shows that the way of the sage permeates the hearts of people, and its effect is like that of a divine being.

乾坤其易之縕邪。

Qian and Kun are probably the fundamental sources contained within the Zhou Changes.

義曰：上既言聖人立象盡意，此又言大易之道本始於天地。縕者，藏縕也。言天地初判之時，而大易之道已縕藏於天地之間；然天地之道、萬物之形象、萬事之理皆藏縕於大易之道，是大易之道本始於乾坤，故乾坤為大易縕積之根源也。

Hu Yuan explains: The previous passage has already discussed how the sage established images to convey meaning. Here it is said that the way of the Zhou Changes originates from heaven and earth. "Yun" means to be concealed or hidden. When heaven and earth first differentiated, the way of the Zhou Changes was already concealed within the space between heaven and earth. Also, the movement of heaven and earth, the forms of all things, and the principles of all affairs are all concealed within the way of the Zhou Changes. This shows that the way of the Zhou Changes originates from Qian and Kun, so Qian and Kun are the fundamental sources from which the Zhou Changes accumulate.

乾坤成列，而易立乎其中矣。

Once the trigrams Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth) are arranged in sequence, the principles of The Zhou Changes are established within them.

義曰：言天地設立陰陽之端，萬物之理，萬事之情，以至寒暑徃來、四時代謝、日月運行，皆由乾坤之所生。然乾坤既設，而大易之道、變通之理以立乎中矣，是大易之道本始於天地也。

Hu Yuan explained: Once heaven and earth are established, the beginning of yin and yang, the principles of all things, the actual circumstances of all affairs, as well as the coming of cold and heat, the changing of the four seasons, and the movement of the sun and moon, are all generated from the trigrams Qian and Kun. Since Qian and Kun have already been established, the principles of change and transformation in the Zhou Changes (I Ching) are contained within them. Thus, the way of the Zhou Changes originates from heaven and earth.

乾坤毀，則無以見易；易不可見，則乾坤或幾乎息矣。

If Qian and Kun are destroyed, there would be no way to see the Zhou Changes; if the Zhou Changes cannot be seen, then the generation and transformation of Qian and Kun would almost come to a halt.

義曰：言大易之道皆本起於乾坤，凡是天地之道、萬物之理、變化之道皆在大易之中。至如乾生三男，坤生三女，而為八卦，變而相重為六十四，分為三百八十四爻，易之根源皆自乾坤而來，故乾坤成而易道變化建立乎其中矣。若乾坤毀棄，則無以見易之用；夫易既毀，則無以見乾坤之用；如是則乾坤或幾乎息矣。

Hu Yuan explained: The principles of The Zhou Changes (I Ching) all originate from Qian and Kun. All the operations of heaven and earth, the principles of all things, and the rules of change are contained within The Zhou Changes. For example, Qian gives rise to three male trigrams: Zhen, Kan, and Gen; and Kun gives rise to three female trigrams: Xun, Li, and Dui, forming the eight trigrams. When the eight trigrams are combined two by two, they form the sixty-four hexagrams, and when separated, they constitute the 384 lines. The origin of The Zhou Changes comes entirely from Qian and Kun. Therefore, once Qian and Kun are established, the transformations of The Zhou Changes are contained within them. If Qian and Kun were destroyed, there would be no way to see the function of The Zhou Changes; and if The Zhou Changes were destroyed, there would be no way to see the function of Qian and Kun. In this way, the generation and transformation of Qian and Kun would almost come to a halt.

是故形而上者謂之道。

Therefore, the layer above the form, which has not yet taken shape, is called the Dao.

義曰：言天之道始於無形而終於有形，皆由道之所生。道者，人可以為之法，由而通之，謂之道。前乎天地則混於元氣，散乎方隅則潛於象類，浩然而不局於器用，推於天下則無所不通，舉而措之則曲盡其變，茲乃道之本也，然始於無形而終於有形也。

Hu Yuan explained: The heavenly way begins with the formless and ends with the formed, and everything is generated from the way. The way is something that people can take as a standard and follow to proceed smoothly, hence it is called the way. It was mixed with the original qi before the creation of heaven and earth, and when it spread to all directions, it was hidden in various forms of things. It is vast and not confined by specific objects, and when it is applied throughout the world, it reaches everywhere without obstruction. When used, it is flexible and thorough, exhausting all changes. This is the fundamental nature of the way, which begins formless and ends formed.

形而下者謂之器。

The form that has taken shape and is ready for use is called the vessel.

義曰：器者是有形之實。言天始於無形而生於有形，故形於下者則為其器。器者則為有形之用，但可止一而用之也。故在形之外者謂之道，在形之內者謂之器也。

Hu Yuan explained: "Qi refers to tangible objects. Heaven begins from the formless and produces the formed, so what falls below the form becomes qi. The function of tangible things is limited to a single use. Therefore, what is outside the form is called Dao, and what is within the form is called qi."

化而裁之謂之變。

By nurturing and transforming and then cutting off and restraining, this is called change.

義曰：言聖人因其無形之道、有形之器，推而化之，裁制創立，設為仁義敎化，以至凡所器用以利天下，無有窮極，無有凝滯，故謂之變。

Hu Yuan explained: The sages, relying on the invisible Dao and the tangible objects, deduced and cultivated, decided and created, establishing benevolence, righteousness, education and moral guidance, as well as the use of all things, to benefit the world, without end or obstruction, so it is called transformation.

推而行之謂之通。

It is called communication when it is widely implemented.

義曰：言聖人因其天地陰陽之道，思之於心，縕之為事業，推而行之，無有壅滯，皆得其亨，故謂之通。

Hu Yuan explained: The sages follow the yin and yang principles of heaven and earth, contemplating them repeatedly in their hearts, accumulating into a great achievement, then extending and applying them, so that there is no obstruction everywhere and everything goes smoothly. Therefore, it is called communication.

舉而措之天下之民謂之事業。

He placed it upon the people of the world, which is called a career.

義曰：言聖人因其變通之道，措置其用，施之於天下，各從其時，以成天下之功業也。

Hu Yuan explained: The sages relied on the principle of change and adaptability, arranging its functions and applying them throughout the world, each adapting to the circumstances of their time, thus achieving the great accomplishments of the world.

是故夫象，聖人有以見天下之賾，而擬諸其形容，象其物宜，是故謂之象。

Therefore, when speaking of the image (xiàng), the sage observed the myriad complexities of all things under heaven, and by analogy, depicted their forms, portraying the appropriate appearances of each thing, hence calling it the image.

義曰：此以下皆覆言上文聖人立象以盡意、設卦以盡情偽、繋辭以盡其言，明言以為教化之術也。象者，萬物之形象也。言聖人推其天地之理、萬物之形容，以象萬物之宜，故謂之象也。至如乾為龍之象，坤為地之象，離為日之象，艮為山之象，如此之類，皆是推廣形容而為之也。

Hu Yuan explains: From here on, all of it is a restatement of the previous discussion about establishing images to convey meaning, setting up hexagrams to express the true nature of things, and attaching words to fully express their meaning. These are precisely the methods used for implementing education and guidance. The image refers to the forms of all things. The sage investigated the principles of heaven and earth and the forms of all things, using them to depict the appropriate appearances of each thing. Therefore, it is called the image. For example, Qian uses the image of the dragon, Kun uses the image of the earth, Li uses the image of the sun, and Gen uses the image of the mountain. All of these are forms that have been extended and established.

聖人有以見天下之動，而觀其通，以行其典禮，繋辭焉以斷其吉凶，是故謂之爻。

The sage observed the changes in all things under heaven, and identified the common principles within them, using these to establish the regular rites and rituals. He also connected them with words to determine good fortune and misfortune, hence calling them yao.

義曰：言聖人以見天下之變動，觀萬物之形容，有會合通變之道，以行典常之禮，又於諸卦之下繋屬其文辭，有合於道則為吉，有悖於理則為凶，以定其吉凶得失之理以示於人，故謂之爻也。爻者，效此者也。

Hu Yuan explained: The sages observed the changes in the world and examined the forms of all things, thereby understanding the principles of connection and integration, and used these to implement the constant rites and regulations. They also attached words to each hexagram: those in accordance with the right path were judged as auspicious, while those contradicting reason were judged as inauspicious. This was done to determine the principles of good and bad fortune and to make them known to people, hence they are called yao. The term yao refers to the imitation of these changes.

極天下之賾者存乎卦。

To thoroughly investigate all the complexities of the world, one relies on the hexagrams.

義曰：言聖人窮極天下之幽賾、萬物之情偽，以存諸卦之中，使人觀之以為法則也。

Hu Yuan explained: The sages investigated thoroughly the profound and complex aspects of the world and the true and false nature of all things, and stored them all within each hexagram, so that people may observe them and take them as a standard.

鼔天下之動者存乎辭。

To mobilize people across the world to take action, one relies on words.

義曰：鼓謂發揚天下之動，有得有失，有吉有凶，存於爻辭之間，使人觀之知其吉凶之如此也。

Hu Yuan explained: "Gǔ" means to bring forth the changes in the world. Within these changes there are gains and losses, good fortune and misfortune, all of which are recorded in the line statements, so that people can immediately understand that good fortune and misfortune are inherent in these changes.

化而裁之存乎變。

Heaven nurtures and transforms all things, and in doing so, it also makes distinctions and judgments. The key lies in the concept of change.

義曰：言聖人觀此萬事之理、萬物之情、天地之道、日月之經，創制裁度，立成其器，施為仁義道徳，千變萬化以及於天下，故存乎變也。

Hu Yuan explained: The sages observed the principles of all things, the actual conditions of myriad creatures, the operation of heaven and earth, and the constant paths of the sun and moon. Based on these, they established regulations, created objects, practiced benevolence and righteousness, and extended their actions throughout the world in countless transformations. Therefore, the key lies in change.

推而行之存乎通。

It should be widely implemented, with the key being the word "communication."

義曰：言聖人觀此大易變化之道，推而行之，隨時措置，無有窮極，無有凝滯，故存乎通也。

Hu Yuan explained: The sages observed the changing principles of the Zhou Changes, and extended their application, arranging them according to the circumstances, without end and without obstruction. Therefore, it is said that the key lies in being unobstructed.

神而明之存乎其人。

Whether it can be applied in a profound and enlightened way depends on the person using it.

義曰：言聖人既能極天下之賾存乎卦，鼔天下之動存乎辭，化而裁之存乎變，推而行之存乎通，以成其易。若章顯其功，則其用如神。仁者見之謂之仁，知者見之謂之知，無有窮極，是存乎其人矣。

Hu Yuan explained: The sage was able to investigate all the complexities of the world within the hexagrams, and to express all the changes of the world within the line statements. Cultivation and judgment depend on change, while application and promotion depend on understanding. Thus, the Zhou Changes were completed. If this function is to be made evident, its use would be like that of a divine being: the benevolent would see it as benevolence, the wise would see it as wisdom, and it has no end—this entirely depends on the person who uses it.

黙而成之，不言而信，存乎徳行。

He who accomplishes things silently and without making a sound, and who gains people's sincere conviction without needing to speak, relies on his consistent virtue.

義曰：徳行者，則謂聖人素蓄其徳業行實也。言聖人素積其徳，素蓄其行，內存忠恕，外有全徳，如此則黙而成之，雖不言而人自信從之。故中庸曰：不怒而民威之如鈇鉞者也。此蓋素蘊徳行之如此也。

Hu Yuan explains: What is meant by virtue is the accumulated moral achievements and practical conduct of the sage. The sage constantly accumulates virtue and cultivates conduct, keeping loyalty and forgiveness within, and possessing complete virtue externally. In this way, he can accomplish things silently and without making a sound, and people will naturally follow him without him needing to speak. Therefore, the Book of Rites, Doctrine of the Mean says: Not being angry yet the people revere him, more powerful than seeing the axe and halberd. This is precisely the result of cultivating virtue steadily over time.