The preface to Shang's Studies on the Zhou Changes (by Yu Shenwu)

易卦起源於原始宗教中巫術占驗方法之一的八索之占。古也稱繩為索，八索即八條繩子。金川彝族所保持的原始式八索之占，繫用牛毛繩八條，擲諸地上以占吉凶。《易·繫辭》稱庖犧氏（即伏義氏）始作八卦，乃指八索之占言之。八索這一名稱，最早見於《左傳》、《國語》。八索之占是八卦的前身，八卦是八索之占的繼續和發展。近年來的學者們，都說八卦與伏義氏完全無涉，這就未免「數典忘祖」，截斷了易卦的來源。（詳拙著《伏羲氏與八卦的關係》）

The hexagrams in The Zhou Yi originated from a primitive religious divination method called "eight cords divination." In ancient times, ropes were called "suo," so "eight cords" referred to eight ropes. The Yi people in Jinchuan area of Sichuan still preserve this primitive form of divination: eight cow hair ropes are thrown onto the ground, and the shape they form is used to judge fortune and misfortune. The Great Treatise of The Zhou Yi says that Paoxi (i.e., Fuxi) first created the eight trigrams, referring precisely to this method of throwing ropes. The term "eight cords" first appears in the Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu. This shows that eight cords divination was the precursor to the eight trigrams, and the eight trigrams developed from the continuous evolution of eight cords divination. Recent scholars have universally concluded that the eight trigrams have no relation to Fuxi, which is surely "forgetting one's roots"—using old references but forgetting one's own origin, equivalent to cutting the source of the hexagrams in half. (For detailed arguments, see my article "The Relationship Between Fuxi and the Eight Trigrams.")

原始宗教的八索之占，到了階級社會的西周就發展為八卦；到了戰國時人所作的《易傳》，又以卦爻辭為基礎，進一步作哲學理論的推闡。《易·繫辭傳》說：「剛柔相摩，八卦相蕩」；「日新之謂盛德，生生之謂易」；「易之為書也不可遠，為道也屢遷，變動不居，周流六虛，上下無常，剛柔相易，不可為典要，唯變所適」；「易窮則變，變則通，通則久」。由此可見，作者認為宇宙間的萬事萬物都處於不斷運動、變化和矛盾交互的過程中，誠然具有辯證法的因素。但是，總的說來，還脫離不了否泰、剝復和消息盈虛之說。例如《蠱·彖傳》所說的「終則有始」，《繫辭傳》所說的「原始反終」，仍然是循環論者的論調。

The divination practice of the eight cords in primitive religion developed into the eight trigrams during the Western Zhou period, when society became class-based. By the Warring States period, the "Commentaries on the Changes" written by scholars gave the "Hexagram Statements" and "Line Statements" a philosophical theoretical foundation. The "Great Treatise" in the "Book of Changes" says: hard lines and soft lines rub against each other, and the eight trigrams interact with each other; the constant emergence of new phenomena is called "abundant virtue," and the continuous generation and renewal is called "Change." The "Book of Changes" is indispensable; its principles are always shifting and changing, flowing through the six line positions, moving up and down without fixed place, with hard and soft lines alternating, thus unable to establish fixed rules. Instead, it must adapt to changes. When the way of the "Book of Changes" reaches its limit, it changes, and when it changes, it becomes unblocked and can last long. From this, we can see that the author believed that all things in the universe are constantly moving, changing, and in mutual contradiction, which indeed contains elements of dialectics. However, overall, it still cannot escape the framework of "否" (Obstruction) and "泰" (Prosperity) being opposites, "剥" (Decline) and "复" (Restoration) being successive, and the mutual transformation of yin and yang. "否," "泰," "剥," and "复" are all names of the sixty-four hexagrams; ancient people used them to indicate the blockage and smoothness of the vital energy, the decline and restoration. For example, the "Commentary on the Judgment" of the "Gǔ" hexagram talks about "the end leads to the beginning," and the "Great Treatise" talks about "returning to the origin and concluding," ultimately still expressing the idea of cyclical change.

左昭二年傳敘韓宣子適魯，「見《易象》與《魯春秋》」。其稱《易》為《易象》，足徵《易》之為書是以象為主的。《易·繫辭傳》也說：「是故易者象也，象也者像也。」因為辭由象生，故《易》無象外之辭。《周易》的每一卦辭和每一爻辭，往往在幾句話裡有幾種不同的內容，假若不依象以釋辭，則奇奇怪怪，迷離惝恍，既不知其辭之所本，更不知其義之所由生。但是，《說卦傳》所敘的象頗為簡略，遠遠概括不了易卦中各種各樣的象。於是主漢易以說象者，對於不解之象，則以「卦變」、「爻變」為釋，故尚先生敘清儒解《易》說：「……而以漢人為依歸是矣。乃於漢人之曲說，亦靡不依據以為護符。至求象不得，亦使卦再三變以成其象，奉虞氏為不刊法則，而易學遂故步自封矣。」（見《焦氏易詁凡例》）

In the second year of Duke Zhao of the Zuo Zhuan, Han Xuanzi was sent to Lu and saw the "Yi Xiang" and the "Lu Spring and Autumn." He referred to the Yi directly as the "Yi Xiang," which shows that the book of Yi is mainly based on "Xiang." The "Great Treatise" of the Yi also says: therefore, the Yi is Xiang, and Xiang means taking images and making comparisons. Because the hexagram and line statements come from the hexagram images, there is no sentence in the Zhou Yi that is spoken without reference to Xiang. Every hexagram statement and every line statement in the Zhou Yi often contain several different layers of meaning within a few sentences. If one does not explain the words according to the hexagram images, it will seem strange and unclear, and one will not know where the sentence comes from or how its meaning arises. However, the "Sayings on the Hexagrams" records the hexagram images very briefly, which is far from sufficient to cover the various images in the Yi hexagrams. Therefore, those who advocate for explaining the Yi according to Han dynasty interpretations, when they encounter difficult images, resort to "hexagram transformation" and "line transformation" to explain them. Therefore, Shang先生 commented on the Qing dynasty scholars' interpretation of the Yi, saying: "They take the Han scholars as their model, which is correct; but they take even the Han scholars' misunderstandings as a shield. When they cannot find the image, they let a hexagram transform again and again until they produce the desired image. They regard Yu Fan's method as an unchangeable rule, and thus the study of the Yi becomes stagnant." (See "General Preface" of Jiao's Glosses on the Changes.)

魏晉以前之說《易》者都主象，自王輔嗣掃象不談，專以承乘比應為解，歷唐至宋，便極盛一時。尚先生說：「王輔嗣深知其謬，而不能求得其象，乃倡為得意忘象之說，以掩其短，此端一開，程伊川遂謂得其義則象數在其中，本未顛倒。」（見《焦氏易詁凡例》）這是說程氏不能依象數以解卦爻辭，全憑主觀臆想以為之說，反而說象數在臆想之中，這樣倒末為本，是極其荒謬的。

Before the Wei and Jin dynasties, those who interpreted the Book of Changes focused mainly on "xiang" (images). Since Wang Bi (styled Fusi) discarded all discussion of "xiang", and instead used the relationships between yao positions, such as "cheng", "cheng", "bi", and "ying", to explain the text, this approach became very popular from the Tang to the Song dynasties. Master Shang said: "Wang Bi understood that the Han scholars' interpretations were wrong, but he himself could not find the true meaning of the hexagrams. Therefore, he proposed the slogan 'getting the meaning while forgetting the image' to cover up his shortcomings. Once this idea was introduced, Cheng Yi (Yichuan) claimed that as long as one grasped the principles, the images and numbers would naturally be included, completely reversing the fundamental and the superficial." (See "General Preface" of Jiao's Glosses on the Changes.) This means that Cheng Yi was unable to interpret the yao statements based on images and numbers, and instead relied entirely on his own subjective speculation. He then claimed that the images and numbers were contained within his speculation, which is equivalent to taking the superficial as the fundamental, and is extremely absurd.

先生鑽研《焦氏易林》十餘年，著《焦氏易林注》十六卷，參考各家詁訓，反覆推勘，積疑生悟，因而在《易林》中發現了久已失傳而與《周易》有關的內外卦象、互象、對象、正反象、半象、大象等凡百二十餘象的應用規律。驗之於《左傳》、《國語》的占象而合，驗之於《逸周書·時訓》的準象而合，驗之於《周易》卦象也都基本上相合。先生以《易林》逸象與《周易》交融互證，分條加以闡發，著《焦氏易詁》十一卷。今就此書節錄三條於下：

Master Shang devoted more than ten years to studying Jiao Yanshou's "Jiao's Forest of Changes" and composed sixteen volumes of commentary, "Commentary on Jiao's Forest of Changes." He referred to the interpretations of various scholars throughout history, repeatedly examined and verified them, and when doubts accumulated, he suddenly gained insight. Thus, he discovered a number of long-lost but directly related to the "Zhou Changes" (I Ching) principles of taking symbolic images: the "inner and outer trigrams" formed by the upper and lower parts, the "intermediate images" formed by the second, third, and fourth lines and the third, fourth, and fifth lines, the "opposite images" formed by the complete reversal of the six lines' yin and yang, the "positive and negative images" taking both the original and reversed views, the "half images" taking only half of the trigram, and the "great image" considering the six lines as a single trigram. In total, there are over a hundred and twenty types of such image usage. When these images are compared with divination examples in the "Zuo Zhuan" and "Guoyu," they match; when compared with the symbolic images based on seasonal phenomena in the "Yizhou Shu · Shi Xun," they also match; and when compared with the trigrams themselves in the "Zhou Changes," they are basically consistent. Master Shang compared these preserved "lost images" in "Jiao's Forest of Changes" with the "Zhou Changes," analyzed them in detail, and wrote "Jiao's Glosses on the Changes" in eleven volumes. The following three entries are excerpted from this work.

一、乾日：《易林》「乾之泰云，白日皎皎，泰下乾，乾為日，互震為白，故曰皎皎。又泰之恆云，踰日歷月，恆互兌為月，乾為日，故曰踰日歷月，是《易林》顯以乾為日也。後思易乾九三云，君子終日乾乾，乾為日，三居卦末，故日終日。大畜九三云，日閒輿衛，日亦指乾。」（卷一）

The first point, "Qian represents the sun" (in the text, "Gan" refers to "Qian"). In the "Yilin," the line "Qian to Tai" says "the bright sun shines brightly": the lower trigram of Tai is Qian, which takes the image of "sun"; the trigrams formed by the second, third, and fourth lines include Zhen, which takes the image of "white," hence the phrase "brightly." In the line "Tai to Heng" it says "exceeding days and passing months": the mutual trigrams of Heng include Dui, which takes the image of "moon," and Qian takes the image of "sun," hence the phrase "exceeding days and passing months." Clearly, the "Yilin" explicitly treats Qian as the sun. Later, when reconsidering the "Zhouyi," the line Nine in the Third of Qian says "the gentleman remains diligent all day," where Qian is the sun; Nine in the Third is at the last line of the lower trigram, hence "all day." In the line Nine in the Third of Da Xu it says "the sun between the chariot and the guards," where "sun" also refers to Qian—the upper trigram of Da Xu is Gen and the lower trigram is Qian, with Qian at the lower trigram. The image of Qian as the sun is not recorded in "Shuogua," but is an obscure image recovered from the "Yilin." (See "Jiaoshi Yigu" Volume 1)

二、兌月：「《易林》復之臨云，月出平地，坤為地，兌為月，在下故曰平地。又晉之小過云，月出阜東，小過民為阜，互兌為月，震為東，故月出阜東。……後思易小畜之月幾望，中孚、歸妹之月幾望，恆彖之日月得天久照，蓋皆以兌為月，故《易林》用之，邵子亦用之也。」（卷一）

Rule two, "Dui Represents the Moon." In the "Yi Lin," the line "the moon rises on level ground" comes from the hexagram Ling (Approach), which has Dui below and Kun above. Kun represents "earth," and Dui represents "moon," with Dui in the lower position, hence "level ground." Another line, "the moon rises east of the hill," comes from the hexagram Xiaoguo (Small Crossing), where the lower trigram is Gen (Mountain, originally miswritten as "min"), representing "hill" or "mountain," and trigrams three, four, and five together form Dui, representing "moon." The upper trigram Zhen represents "east," so it is said "the moon rises east of the hill." Later, thinking again about the "Zhou Yi," the line "the moon is almost full" in the upper ninth line of Xiaoxu (Small Accumulation), and in the fourth line of Zhongfu (Sincere Trust) and the fifth line of Guimei (Marriage by Capture), as well as the phrase "the sun and moon receive the heavens and can shine for a long time" in the "Tuan Zhuan" of Heng (Permanence), all seem to take Dui as the moon. The "Shuo Gua" only says Kan represents the moon, but Dui representing the moon is an ancient Han dynasty image preserved in the "Yi Lin." Therefore, the entire "Yi Lin" uses this image, and Shao Yong of the Song dynasty also followed it. (See "Jiao Shi Yi Gu" Volume 1)

三、坤水：《易林》「乾之觀云，江河淮海，天之奧府。按觀下重坤，故曰江河淮海，又坤之升云，憑河登山，升上坤，坤水，故曰憑河。又訟之泰，弱水之西，坤水、坤柔，故曰弱水。」（卷一）「凡易言利往、利涉者，義無不通。特坤水象至東漢失傳，必以坎為大川，遂爾歧誤，而解益之大川尤扞格難通。」（卷五「益、利有攸往利涉大川解」。按「川」字原本誤作「利」）

Third clause, "Kun represents water." In the "Forest of Divination" (Yilin), the line "River, river, Huai, and sea, the hidden treasury of heaven" from the line of Guan (Observation) is given: the lower trigram of Guan is Kun, and the second, third, and fourth lines also form an intercalated trigram of Kun, thus forming two Kuns. Since Kun represents the image of water, the four great rivers, namely the River, the River, the Huai River, and the Sea, are cited. Another line, "Resting by the river and climbing the mountain," from the line of Sheng (Ascent), says: the upper trigram of Sheng is Kun, and since Kun represents water, it says "resting by the river," meaning crossing the river on foot. Another line, "West of the weak river," from the line of Song (Contention) to Tai (Peace), says: since Kun represents both water and the image of "softness," water which is soft and weak is called "weak river." (See Jiao's Glosses on the Changes, Volume 1.) Master Shang also said: "Whenever the Book of Changes speaks of 'favorable to go' or 'favorable to cross a great river,' interpreting it with the image of Kun as water makes sense. However, since the image of Kun as water was lost during the Eastern Han dynasty, later people uniformly took Kan as the great river, leading to many misunderstandings. The interpretation of 'favorable to cross a great river' in the Yi (Benefit) hexagram is especially contradictory and difficult to understand." (See Volume 5, "Explanation of the Yi Hexagram's 'favorable to cross a great river' and 'favorable to go'." Note: the original printed version mistakenly wrote "li" instead of "chuan.")

以上所引三條，用《易林》乾日、兌月、坤水之象，與《周易》相證發，六通四辟，若合符契。學者只知離為日，坎為月為水，則多與卦象不相應。先生以《焦氏易詁》為基礎（讀本書者，須參閱《焦氏易林注》、《焦氏易詁》、《左傳國語易象釋》三書），對於歷來的易象和易解，廣搜博採，評判其得失，取長舍短；同時，又結合其師吳摯甫《易說》的「陽遇陰則通、遇陽則阻」的原理（見本書「說例」）而加以發展，謂「易之道如電然，同性則相違，異性則相感」（見《易詁》「同人、利涉大川解」），著《周易尚氏學》二十卷。

The three quotations cited above use the three lost images of the trigram Qian representing the sun, Dui representing the moon, and Kun representing water, preserved in the Forest of Changes, to cross-reference and elaborate with the Zhou Changes, making all directions fully accessible, like a seal and its counterpart fitting perfectly. The term "lost images" refers to trigram images not recorded in the Sayings on the Trigrams, but actually in circulation among Han dynasty scholars of the Changes. Scholars who only know the images of Li representing the sun, Kan representing the moon and water from the Sayings on the Trigrams often fail to match them with the images in the text. Master Shang based his studies on Jiao's Glosses on the Changes (readers must refer to the Commentary on Jiao's Forest of Changes, Jiao's Glosses on the Changes, and Interpretations of the Images in the Changes from the Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu), widely collecting and evaluating past interpretations and various commentaries on the Changes, taking their strengths and discarding their weaknesses. At the same time, he absorbed the principle from his teacher Wu Rulun (Zhipu) in his book "Sayings on the Changes" that "a yang line moving forward meets a yin line and thus proceeds smoothly, but meets a yang line and thus is blocked" (see the "Sayings on Examples" section of this book), and developed it, proposing that "the way of the Changes is like electricity, with like charges repelling each other and opposite charges attracting each other" (see "Explanations of the Trigrams TONGLI and LI SHEXI DACHUAN" in the Glosses on the Changes), and thus wrote the twenty-volume "Shang's Studies on the Zhou Changes."

於是久已晦盲的易象，始昭然若揭，可謂發幽闡微，集象學之大成。《焦氏易林注》仵墉敘引王晉卿說：「此書將二千年易家之盲詞囈說，一一駁倒，使西漢易學復明於世，孟子所謂其功不在禹下。」又引陳散原說：「讀尚氏《焦氏易詁》，嘆為千古絕作。以今世竟有此人著此絕無僅有之書，本朝諸儒見之當有愧色。」

Thus, the obscure and unclear images of the Book of Changes became clearly visible again, which can be said to have unearthed hidden meanings and explained subtle nuances, achieving the culmination of image studies. In the preface to Jiao's Forest of Changes, Wu Yong cited Wang Jinqing's words: "This book refutes the nonsense of diviners and dreamers over two thousand years, restoring the study of the Book of Changes from the Western Han dynasty to clarity in the world. This is exactly what Mencius said: 'Its merit is no less than that of Great Yu.'" The preface also quotes Chen Sanli (Sanyuan), who said: "Reading Shang's Jiao's Glosses on the Changes, I exclaimed that it is an unparalleled masterpiece of all time. In this age, there is someone who has written such an unprecedented book; those scholars of our dynasty should feel ashamed upon seeing it."

以上所述，主要是說明先生對易象的卓越發明。但是，本書也還存在著某些缺點和錯誤，例如：一、關《周易》作者的問題，先生對於書卦者以及卦爻辭、《易傳》的作者，多因襲舊說。在本書「總論」中「第三論古易之類別」說：「伏義既畫卦，必更有書以申明其義。……後人謂黃帝始造字，伏義祇畫卦無文字者，謬也」；「第四論周易誰作」說：「……故夫《周易》卦爻辭，純為文王一人所作，其欲加入周公者，毫無根據，不可信也」；「第六論十翼誰作」說：「…… 故《十翼》非孔子不能為，不敢為，而紀錄《十翼》者，則孔子之門人也」。像以上各種肯定的說法，都脫離不了舊有圈套。先生對於近年來學者們的若干新說，一概置之不理。縱然他們對於舊解有著一筆抹殺的過分主張，未可盡信，可是，伏羲氏既畫卦又重卦，以及文王作卦爻辭，孔子作《十翼》等傳統說法，畢竟是靠不住的。

The above mainly praises Mr. Shang's outstanding contributions to the study of the symbolic images in the Zhou Yi. However, this book also has some shortcomings and errors, as illustrated below. First, regarding the authorship of the Zhou Yi. Mr. Shang mostly follows traditional views concerning the person who drew the hexagrams, the authors of the hexagram lines and the Yi Zhuan. In the section "General Discussion" titled "Third Discussion on the Classification of Ancient Yi," it states: "Since Fuxi had already drawn the hexagrams, there must have been written texts to explain the meanings of the hexagrams. ... Later people said that the Yellow Emperor was the one who first created writing, and Fuxi only drew hexagrams without writing, which is wrong." In the section "Fourth Discussion on Who Composed the Zhou Yi," it says: "Therefore, the hexagram lines and statements of the Zhou Yi were entirely composed by King Wen alone; the idea of including the Duke of Zhou is entirely baseless and cannot be trusted." In the section "Sixth Discussion on Who Composed the Ten Wings," it states: "Therefore, the Ten Wings could not have been composed by Confucius, nor would he have dared to compose them; instead, they were recorded by Confucius's disciples." (The Ten Wings refer to the Upper and Lower Commentary on the Hexagrams, the Upper and Lower Commentary on the Images, the Great Treatise, the Discourse on the Hexagrams, the Explanation of the Changes, the Sequence of the Hexagrams, and the Miscellaneous Hexagrams, which are ten explanatory texts.) Such definitive statements all fall into the old framework—what is called the old view, which is the "three sages of successive generations and three ancient ages" theory in the "Book of Han: Catalogue of Arts and Literature." Mr. Shang ignores entirely the various new views proposed by scholars in recent years. Indeed, those new views have overly dismissive attitudes toward traditional interpretations and cannot be entirely trusted; however, the traditional views that Fuxi both drew the hexagrams and redrew them, King Wen composed the hexagram lines, and Confucius composed the Ten Wings are also unreliable—these all come from Han dynasty accounts, and there is no solid evidence from the pre-Qin period's texts.

二、震象為丘 《說文》謂「四方高中央下為丘」，《淮南子·墜形》的「和丘」，高注謂「四方而高曰丘」。按震作◇，象四方高中央下之形。丘字卜辭作◇，金文作◇，以卦畫有橫無豎驗之，則古文字的丘字正與震象相符洽。《易林》革之頤說：「尼父孔丘」；（尚先生謂反震為孔），頤下震為丘，故曰「尼父孔丘」；又屯之噬嗑說：「營邱（同丘）是適」，噬嗑下震為丘（尚先生謂「震往故日適」），故曰「營邱是適」。這都是《易林》以震為丘之證。

Second, the issue of the Zhen trigram taking the image of "qiu" (hill). The "Shuowen Jiezi" says that "a hill is where four sides are high and the center is low." The "Huainanzi · Zui Xing" mentions "he qiu," and the commentary by Gao You says that "a hill is where four sides are high." According to the diagram of the Zhen trigram (the original text has the diagram here, and the electronic version uses ◇ to represent it), it exactly resembles the shape of four sides high and the center low. The ancient character "qiu" as written in oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, when compared to the diagram of the trigram which has only horizontal strokes and no vertical ones, matches exactly with the shape of the Zhen trigram. The "Yi Lin" in the section "Ge to Yi" says "Ni Fu Kong Qiu" (Master Kong Qiu). Mr. Shang believes that the inverted Zhen trigram takes the image of "Kong." Since the lower part of the Yi trigram is Zhen, and Zhen represents a hill, it is said "Ni Fu Kong Qiu." In another section "Tun to Shihe," it says "Ying Qiu is Shi" ("Qiu" is the same as "Qiu"). The lower part of the Shihe trigram is Zhen, and Zhen represents a hill. Mr. Shang says that Zhen indicates movement forward, so it is said "Shi," leading to the phrase "Ying Qiu is Shi." These are all evidence from the "Yi Lin" that Zhen represents a hill.

以震為丘，於《周易》中之言丘者無一不合。賁卦作◇，六五：「賁于丘園」，丘園指「上互」為震言之；頤卦作◇，六二：「拂經於丘」，丘指內卦為震言之；渙卦作◇，六四：「渙有丘」，丘指渙「下互」為震言之。丘與◆古通用。古人多居丘。《說文》謂「◆、大丘也」，又謂「四邑為丘，丘謂之◆」。升卦作◇，九三：「升◆邑」，馬注謂「◆、丘也」。丘邑指「上互」為震言之。總之，《周易》中言丘者三見，言◆者一見，都取象於震。而先生有的謂艮為山以當丘，有的訓丘為空，又以巽為◆，既不能一以貫之，又均背於易象。此外，鼎卦作◇，《乾鑿度》謂「鼎象以器」。毛奇齡《仲氏易》說：「鼎有足有腹有耳有鉉，而卦文俱象之。下畫偶似足，二三四畫奇皆中實，似腹，五畫偶似耳，上畫奇似鉉。」按毛解甚確，而先生於本書從端木國瑚之說，謂「鼎之象不在鼎，而在伏象屯」，舍鼎形之實象而信伏象，未免疏失。

Using the trigram Zhen (Thunder) to explain "qiu" (hill), there is no inconsistency in the Zhou Changes where "qiu" is mentioned. In the line "Beren yu qiu yuan" (Benevolence in the hill and garden) of the hexagram "Beren" (Brightness), "qiu" refers to the trigram Zhen formed by the interaction of lines three, four, and five. In the line "Fu jing yu qiu" (To brush against the path in the hill) of the hexagram "Yi" (Nourishment), "qiu" refers to the lower trigram Zhen. In the line "Huan you qiu" (Dispersal with a hill) of the hexagram "Huan" (Dispersal), "qiu" refers again to the trigram Zhen formed by the interaction of lines two, three, and four. The characters "qiu" and "xu" (which is the ancient form of "xu", meaning "empty", with the character "hu" minus the lower "er" and replaced by "qiu", represented here by ◆) were commonly used interchangeably in ancient times, as people often lived on hills. The Shuowen Jiezi says "xu is a big hill" and also says "four cities make up a hill, and a hill is also called xu." In the line "Sheng xu yi" (Rising to the empty city) of the hexagram "Sheng" (Progress), Ma Rong's commentary says "xu is the same as qiu," and this qiu yi (hill city) refers again to the trigram Zhen formed by the interaction of lines three, four, and five. In summary, the three instances where "qiu" is mentioned and one instance where "xu" is mentioned in the Zhou Changes all refer to the image of Zhen. However, Shang Sheng sometimes interprets Gen (Mountain) as mountain and uses mountain to represent qiu, and sometimes interprets qiu as empty and uses Xun (Wind) to represent xu. This is inconsistent and does not conform to the imagery of the Zhou Changes. In addition, the "Gan Zao Du" says "the cauldron takes the image of objects." Mao Qilin's "Zhong Shi Yi" says: "The cauldron has a foot, a belly, ears, and a handle, and each line of the hexagram corresponds to these parts: the very first line is an even line, resembling the foot of the cauldron; the second, third, and fourth lines are all odd lines with a solid center, resembling the belly of the cauldron; the fifth line is an even line, resembling the ear of the cauldron; and the top line is an odd line, resembling the handle of the cauldron." Mao's explanation is accurate, but the author of this book adopts the view of Du Mu Guo Hu, saying "the image of the cauldron is not in the cauldron itself, but in its hidden image of Zhun," abandoning the actual image of the cauldron and relying on the hidden image, which is a serious oversight.

三、訓詁和史實 《說卦傳》以坎為月，先生據《易林》逸象以兌為月，用以解易，無一不通。但是，為什麼以兌為月，則未加說明。按《說文》：「月、闕也」，《釋名·釋天》：「月、闕也，滿則闕也」，是月、闕迭韻，以音為訓。再就形言之，古文字月作◇或◇，正像月闕形。兌上偶畫中闕，故以兌為月（其它卦象，與文字形或音有關係者，在此不加詳論）。

Third, problems concerning etymology and historical facts. The "Say Guà Zhuan" takes Kan as representing the moon, but Master Shang, based on the extraordinary imagery in the "Yi Lin," takes Dui as representing the moon, using it to explain the Yi Jing, and there is no place that does not make sense. However, he did not explain why Dui can represent the moon. According to the "Shi Wen Jie Zi," "yue" means "qu" (defect or deficiency). The "Shi Ming · Xi Tian" says, "yue is 'qu,' because when it is full, it must become deficient." This shows that "yue" and "qu" are words with alternating rhymes, which is a phonetic explanation. Furthermore, from the shape of the character, the ancient form of "yue" resembles the shape of the moon when it is deficient. The Dui hexagram has an even line at the top, which is broken and has a notch, so it is taken as representing the moon (other hexagrams that are related to the shape of the characters or their sounds are not discussed in detail here).

小過六二：「過其祖，遇其妣」，先生誤從《爾雅·釋親》「母曰妣」以為之解。按妣為祖母，《詩·斯干》的「似續妣祖」，《豐年》的「烝畀祖妣」，均以祖與妣對稱。《周禮·大司樂》「以享先妣」與「以享先祖」，相偶為文。卜辭和金文均稱祖母為妣，從無以妣為母者。以妣為母，始見於戰國末期的典籍，與易辭不符。否九五：「其亡其亡，繫于苞桑」，陸續訓苞桑為叢桑，甚是。不言繫於桑而言繫於叢桑，自繫就鞏固為言。而先生謂「桑而叢生，其柔可知，繫於柔木，其危可知」，未能允當。

The hexagram Xiao Guo, line six in the second, says "passing by his ancestor, meeting his maternal grandmother." The teacher incorrectly followed the Shī Jīn · Xī Shēn, which says "mother is called bǐ," to interpret the term. Actually, "bǐ" refers to the maternal grandmother. The Shī Jīn · Sī Gān says "like continuing the line of ancestors and maternal grandmothers," and the Fēng Nián says "offering to ancestors and maternal grandmothers," both using "zǔ" and "bǐ" in parallel. The Zhōu Lì · Dà Sī Yuè says "offering to the maternal grandmothers" and "offering to the ancestors," also in parallel. Oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions always refer to the maternal grandmother as "bǐ," never using "bǐ" for mother. The use of "bǐ" for mother appears only in late Warring States period texts, which is inconsistent with the time of the Yi Jing. The hexagram Pǐ, line nine in the fifth, says "its loss, its loss, tied to a bundle of mulberry trees." Lu Ji of the Three Kingdoms (originally "Lù Xù") interpreted "bāo sāng" as a cluster of mulberry trees, which is correct. Saying it is tied to a cluster of mulberry trees rather than a single tree is naturally referring to its firmness. However, the teacher's interpretation that "mulberry trees growing in clusters show their weakness, and being tied to a weak tree shows danger" is not appropriate. Moreover, the line "passing by his ancestor, meeting his maternal grandmother" in Xiao Guo, line six in the second, uses "zǔ" and "bǐ" in parallel, which further proves that "bǐ" should be interpreted as maternal grandmother.

坎六四：「樽酒簋貳用缶，納約自牖」，約為勺的借字，即酌酒之斗。《考工記》鄭注謂「勺、故書或作約」，是其證。《詩·采蘋》：「於以奠之，宗室牖下」，是古奠祭於牖下之證。「納勺自牖」，是說祭時自牖納勺於樽以挹酒。而先生引《周禮·司約》的「治神之約」以為之解，乖於本義。《晉卦辭》：「康侯用錫馬蕃庶」，康侯即《書·康誥》的康叔封，金文作「康侯豐」。而先生誤謂「康侯略如大侯，為諸侯之美稱」。益六四：「利用為依遷國」，依應讀作殷，即《書序》所說的「成周既成，遷殷頑民」。而先生誤據《說文》訓依為倚。升六四：「王用享于歧山」，先生謂「紂能囚文王，何不可到岐山」。其實，紂何曾到過岐山？歸妹六五：「帝乙歸妹」，先生謂「帝乙、湯也」。其實，帝乙謂紂父，太乙何曾有帝乙之稱？

The hexagram Kan, line six in the fourth, says, "A cup of wine, two bowls, and a jar are used, and the covenant is brought in from the window." The term "yue" is a variant character for "shao," which refers to a vessel used for measuring or pouring wine. The commentary by Zheng Xuan on the "Record of Craftsman" states, "Shao was sometimes written as yue in old texts," which serves as evidence. The "Poetry · Collecting Water Plants" says, "Where is it placed? In the hall beneath the window," showing that ancient people performed sacrifices beneath the window. "Bringing the shao in from the window" means that during the sacrifice, the wine vessel was brought in through the window to pour wine into the wine jar. However, the scholar's interpretation of "yue" as referring to the "Zhou Li · Officer of Covenants" "treatments for the gods" contradicts the original meaning. The hexagram Jin says, "The virtuous lord uses bronze horses and numerous offspring." "Kanghou" refers to Kang叔封, a vassal lord who was first granted the territory of Kang, the brother of King Wu, and is written as "Kanghou Feng" in bronze inscriptions. However, the scholar mistakenly says "Kanghou is roughly equivalent to Da Hou, a respectful term for a vassal lord." The hexagram Yi, line six in the fourth, says, "It is advantageous to rely on and move the state." "Yi" should be read as "Yin," as the two characters had the same ancient pronunciation and were used interchangeably. This is what the "Book of Documents · Book Order" mentions, "After the completion of the capital of Chengzhou, the migration of the stubborn remnants of the Yin dynasty took place." However, the scholar incorrectly interprets "yi" as meaning "to lean on" based on the "Shuowen Jiezi." The hexagram Sheng, line six in the fourth, says, "The king uses a sacrifice at Mount Qi." The scholar says, "Since King Zhou could imprison King Wen, why couldn't he go to Mount Qi?" This is equivalent to interpreting the sentence as King Zhou personally attending the sacrifice at Mount Qi. In reality, King Zhou never went to Mount Qi. The hexagram Gui Mei, line six in the fifth, says, "Di Yi marries off his daughter." The scholar says, "Di Yi is the same as Cheng Tang." In fact, Di Yi was the father of King Zhou, while Cheng Tang was called Tai Yi, and there was never a title called "Di Yi."

總起來說，先生的主要成就是通過對《焦氏易林》的多年鑽研，在極為錯綜複雜的情況下，用歸納方法，分析和總結了各種逸象的應用規律，進一步以之詮釋《周易》，基本上都是吻合無間的。因此，《左傳》、《國語》、《易林》和《易卦》的用象，才由前此的對立得到統一。由於《周易》無象外之辭。而先生的絕大發明則在乎象，解決了舊所不解的不可勝數的易象問題，可以說，先生對易象的貢獻是空前的。

In summary, Mr. Shang's main achievement lies in his years of study on the Jiao's Forest of Changes, where he used归纳 methods to analyze and summarize the usage patterns of various '逸象'—that is, hexagram images not recorded in the Shuo Gua Zhuan but actually in circulation during the Han dynasty. He further used these to interpret the Zhou Changes. His findings are largely consistent. Because of this, the use of images in the Zuo Zhuan, Guoyu, Yi Lin, and the hexagram line statements of the Zhou Changes, which were previously contradictory, have now been unified. Scholars used to think that the divination examples in the Zuo Zhuan and the imagery used in the Yi Lin did not match the classical text, but now it is clear that they belong to the same system. Since the Zhou Changes have no statements that are independent of hexagram images, and Mr. Shang's greatest contribution was precisely in the realm of imagery, solving countless previously incoherent issues in the study of Yi Xiang, his contribution to Yi Xiang is unprecedented.

但是，也無可諱言，先生對《周易》的作者，只沿襲傳統舊說；並且，對某些卦象，以及文字、聲韻、訓詁和史實方面，仍有許多可議之處。不過，前者的若干發明是主要的，後者的某些缺點和錯誤是次要的。由於是非得失繫客觀存在，不以個人愛憎為轉移，有關本書的某些缺點和錯誤，與其使讀者勞神筆墨，一一加以指責，不如先事擇要說明之為愈。因此，本文不敢阿其所好，為先生回短護非，遂不自量地舉出一些事例，評論其得失（當然限於篇幅，很不全面）。庶幾瑕不掩瑜，晶光赫露，而先生的苦心孤詣和一繫列的發明，也可以信今而傳後了。一九六三年四月於長春。

But it should not be concealed that the author of this work follows the traditional view regarding the authorship of the Zhou Changes. Moreover, in certain hexagrams, as well as in aspects of text, phonology, etymology, and historical facts, there are still many points that can be discussed. The examples mentioned above, such as the reasoning for taking the image of a hill for Zhen, the image of the moon for Dui, and the terms bi, bao sang, na yue, kang hou, yi, qi mountain, and di yi, illustrate these points, which belong to the categories of imagery, etymology, and historical facts respectively. However, the previous discoveries are the main points, while these shortcomings and errors are secondary. Right and wrong, gains and losses are objective realities, not affected by personal likes or dislikes. Rather than letting readers later spend time and effort to point out these shortcomings one by one, it is better to first summarize them. Therefore, this article dares not一味 follow the author's views to cover up his shortcomings or defend right and wrong. Instead, I have, without measuring my own ability, cited some examples to comment on the merits and demerits (of course, limited by the scope of this article, it is by no means comprehensive). I hope this can help to highlight the book's merits, making its brilliance more evident, and allowing the author's painstaking efforts and series of discoveries to be trusted by later generations. Written in Changchun in April 1963.

易理至明也，而說者多誤。說何以誤？厥有二因。一因易理之失傳。太史公曰：易以道陰陽。陰陽之理，同性相敵，異性相感。《艮》傳云「上下敵應，不相與也」，謂陽應陽、陰應陰為敵也；《中孚》六三云「得敵」，《同人》九三曰「敵剛」，謂陰比陰、陽比陽為敵也。陰遇陰，陽遇陽，既為敵而不相與，則不能為朋友為類明矣。《咸》傳曰「二氣感應以相與」，《恆》曰「剛柔皆應」。夫陰陽相與相應，則必相求而為朋友為類明矣。《復》曰「朋來無咎」，謂陽來也，陰以陽為朋也；《損》曰「一人行則得其友」，謂陽行至上而據二陰也，陽以陰為友也；《頤》六二曰「行失類也」，謂陰不遇陽也。至明白也。

The principles of the Zhou Yi are originally very clear, but those who explain them often make mistakes. Why is this so? There are two reasons. The first is the loss of the transmission of the 'principles of the Book of Changes'. Sima Qian said that the Yi is used to explain the principles of yin and yang. The principle of yin and yang is that like elements are enemies to each other, while opposite elements respond to each other. The Commentary on the Judgment of the Gen hexagram says, "the upper and lower are enemies and do not interact," referring to the positions of the first and fourth, second and fifth, and third and top lines, where yang meets yang and yin meets yin, thus becoming "enemies." The line six in the third position of Zhongfou says, "meeting an enemy," and the line nine in the third position of Tongren says, "opposing a strong line," referring to adjacent lines where yin meets yin and yang meets yang, also becoming "enemies." When yin meets yin and yang meets yang, since they are enemies and do not relate to each other, they cannot be considered "friends" or "like," which is clear. The Commentary on the Judgment of the Xian hexagram says, "two energies respond to each other and interact," and the Commentary on the Judgment of the Heng hexagram says, "the strong and the weak both respond to each other." When yin and yang respond to each other and interact, they must seek each other and become friends and like, which is also clear. The hexagram statement of Fu says, "friends come without blame," referring to yang lines returning, and yin treating yang as "friends." The line six in the second position of Yi says, "moving away from the class," referring to a yin line moving forward and not meeting yang. The principle is clear to the extreme.

乃說者於《坤》上六，謂陰陽相戰爭，相傷而出血矣；於《文言》謂陰陽相忌相疑矣；以陽遇陽為朋，陰遇陰為友為類矣。同性相敵、異性相感之理一失，於是初四、二五、三上陽應陽、陰應陰者謂之失應，人尚知之；至於陽比陽、陰比陰，如夬、垢之三四，如《頤》之六二，說者則茫然。於是全部《易》，如「征凶」、「往吝」、「往不勝」、「壯于趾」、「其行次且」，及「慎所之」等辭，全不知其故矣。又如陽遇重陰、陰遇重陽而當位者，所謂「往吉」、「征吉」、「利涉」、「利往」、「上合志也」，此其義宋蔡淵曾創言之，而未大行。於是全部易爻象若是者，自漢迄清，說者亦莫明其故，而用爻變矣。

But those who explain the Yi say that in the upper sixth line of the Kun hexagram, "The dragon fights in the fields, its blood is black and yellow," they interpret it as yin and yang fighting each other, injuring one another and bleeding. In the Wenyan, they interpret it as yin and yang being suspicious of each other. Conversely, they regard yang meeting yang as "friends" and yin meeting yin as "companions" or "like-minded ones." Once the fundamental principle of "like elements are hostile, unlike elements are responsive" is discarded, then when yang meets yang or yin meets yin in corresponding positions such as the first and fourth lines, the second and fifth lines, and the third and upper lines, they still call it "losing the response." But when adjacent lines have yang meeting yang or yin meeting yin, such as the third and fourth lines of the Guai and Gou hexagrams, or the sixth line of the Yi hexagram, the interpreters are completely confused. As a result, all the statements in the Zhouyi such as "traveling is dangerous," "going leads to regret," "going is not victorious," "strength is in the toes," "movement is hesitant," and "be cautious about where you go" are all unclear in their reasons. For example, when a yang line meets two yin lines or a yin line meets two yang lines and the positions are appropriate, the line statements often say "going is auspicious," "traveling is auspicious," "favorable to cross," "favorable to go," and "the upper line agrees with the will." This meaning was first proposed by the Song dynasty scholar Cai Yuan, but it did not spread widely. Thus, all such line images in the Yi from the Han dynasty to the Qing dynasty have been misunderstood by interpreters, and they have only resorted to "line change" to explain them.

又如陽爻，下乘重陰者亦多吉，與前臨重陰同也。《蹇》九三日「內喜之也」，說甚明也，乃亦失傳。於是《頤》上九之「利涉」，《蒙》上九、《漸》九三之「利禦寇」，皆不知所謂矣。有此一因，於是易解之誤者，十而四五。其次則象學失傳。《說卦》乃自古相傳之卦象，祗說其綱領，以為萬象之引伸，並示其推廣之義。如干為馬，坤、震、坎亦可為馬；乾為龍，震亦可為龍；巽為木，艮、坎亦可為木。非謂甲卦象此物，乙卦即不許再象也，視其義何如耳。

For example, when a yang line is covered by two yin lines below it, it is often auspicious, and the reasoning is the same as when a yang line is preceded by a heavy yin line. The "Small Image" of "Guan" (Obstruction) at "Nine in the Third" says, "The yin lines below are pleased with it" (the yin lines in the lower trigram welcome it). The explanation is clear, but this meaning has been lost. Therefore, phrases like "favorable for crossing great rivers" in "Yi" (Nourishment) at "Nine at the Top," and "favorable for repelling bandits" in "Meng" (Youth) at "Nine at the Top" and "Jian" (Gradual Progress) at "Nine in the Third" are no longer understood. With this first reason, out of ten explanations of the "Book of Changes," five or six are wrong. The second reason is the loss of the "Image Learning." The "Discourse on the Hexagrams" contains the traditional hexagram images passed down from ancient times. It only outlines the main points as the basis for extending to all phenomena and also indicates the way to expand further. For example, the hexagram "Qian" (Heaven) is associated with a horse, and "Kun," "Zhen," and "Kan" can also be associated with a horse. The hexagram "Qian" is associated with a dragon, and "Zhen" can also be associated with a dragon. The hexagram "Xun" (Wind) is associated with wood, and "Gen" (Mountain) and "Kan" can also be associated with wood. It is not that once a hexagram has symbolized an object, another hexagram cannot symbolize it; it depends on the specific meaning.

至文王時，又曆數千年，其所演易象，必益廣益精，故《周易》所用象，往往與《說卦》不同。《說卦》以坎為月，經則多以兌為月，月生西，坎、兌皆位西也；《說卦》以離為龜，經則以艮為龜，離為龜取其外堅，艮亦外堅也。此推而益廣也。且有與《說卦》相反者：《說卦》以兌為少女，以艮為少男，而經則以兌為老婦，以艮為祖、為丈夫；《說卦》以震為長男，巽為長女，經則以震為小子，巽為少女（女妻即少女）。蓋以甲乙言，先生者長，後生者少；而以一人言，則初生者少，行至上而老也。此演而益精也。自東漢迄清，於此等義例，都未能明，見經所用象為《說卦》所無，則用卦變、爻變或爻辰以求之，謬法流傳，二千年如一日。加此一因，於是易解之誤者，十而七八矣。

When King Wen compiled the Yi, several thousand years had passed since Fuxi created the trigrams. Therefore, the images he developed must have been broader and more precise. Hence, the images used in the classic text of the Zhou Yi often differ from those recorded in the Shu Guan Zhuan. The Shu Guan Zhuan takes Kan as the moon, but the classic text mostly uses Dui as the moon—since the moon rises in the west, and both Kan and Dui are located in the west. The Shu Guan Zhuan takes Li as the turtle, but the classic text uses Gen as the turtle—Li is taken as the turtle because of its hard shell, and Gen is also taken as the turtle because its outer line is yang and thus hard. This is extending the principles of the Shu Guan Zhuan outward. There are also cases that are exactly opposite to the Shu Guan Zhuan: the Shu Guan Zhuan takes Dui as the young girl and Gen as the young boy, but the classic text takes Dui as the old woman and Gen as the grandfather or husband. The Shu Guan Zhuan takes Zhen as the elder son and Xun as the elder daughter, but the classic text takes Zhen as the young boy and Xun as the young girl (the term "female wife" in the line statements refers to the young girl). This is because when comparing two people, the elder is the long and the younger is the short; but when considering a single person, the first line is the youngest and the top line is the oldest. This is refining the principles of the Shu Guan Zhuan into finer details. From the Eastern Han dynasty to the Qing dynasty, scholars failed to understand these principles. Whenever they saw an image used in the classic text that was not found in the Shu Guan Zhuan, they resorted to concepts like "changing trigrams," "changing lines," or Zheng Xuan's "changing lines of yao." These incorrect methods were passed down through the centuries, making two thousand years seem like one day. Adding this second reason, out of ten interpretations of the Yi, seven or eight are wrong.

以二千年相承之易說，今忽謂其誤；以一人之是，謂千百人皆非，毋乃駭眾。然而易象固在也，易理固存也。本易理以詁易辭，如磁鐵之吸引；由易辭以準易象，如規鑿之相投，固不誣也。以為之者少，旁無師友之助；以違之者眾，更無聲氣之同。然而我見固如斯也，我說無一創也。以我之說，仍以《周易》所言之理，推而正說者之誤，俾卦爻辭復其本有之易理也。其先儒舊說與易理合者，如許慎、荀爽、九家之詁「龍戰」，如《子夏傳》、荀爽之詁「得敵」，靡不因也；其與易理盩者，雖千百人皆如此言，而必反之，如虞翻以陽遇陽為朋、陰遇陰為類等是也。

For two thousand years, the interpretations of the Changes have been passed down from one generation to another. Now, I suddenly say they are wrong; relying on my own opinion to declare that hundreds of others are incorrect seems shocking and unconventional. However, the hexagrams are there, and the principles of the Changes exist. If we explain the line statements according to the principles of the Changes, it is as natural as a magnet attracting iron. If we go back from the line statements to verify the hexagrams, it is as precise as a compass fitting a circle or a榫 fitting a卯, and this is no empty talk. Few people agree with this path, and I have no friends or teachers to help me. Many oppose it, and there are no companions who share my views. However, my understanding is like this, and none of my statements are made up. What I do is still to deduce from the principles of the Zhou Changes itself, correct the errors of interpreters, and restore the line statements to their original principles of the Changes. All previous scholars' old interpretations that agree with the principles of the Changes, such as Xu Shen, Xun Shuang, and the "Nine Schools of the Changes" explanation of the line "dragon struggles" in the upper sixth line of the Kun hexagram, as well as Zixia's Commentary on the Changes and Xun Shuang's explanation of the line "meeting an enemy" in the Zhongfou hexagram, I have all adopted. Any interpretations that contradict the principles of the Changes, even if hundreds of people say so, I must definitely refute. For example, Yu Fan's explanation of "companions" as yang meeting yang and "kindred" as yin meeting yin belongs to this category.

至於卦象之誤者，非我能創造新象，仍《周易》原有之象，說者失之。今證以《左傳》《國語》、周公《時訓》與卦氣圖，證以《焦氏易林》、郭璞《洞林》，迴環互證而得其象也。及其既得而求其本，仍在《周易》，如坤之為水為魚，震之為輹等象是也。然而我之說，不敢必謂其是也，更不敢自匿其非也，故名曰《周易尚氏學》，以質世之治易者。經者天下之公物，非一人所得私；理者天地之自然，非偏執所能改。倘學易之君子，見是編而揚搉其是非，糾正其疏漏，則日夜所祈禱者也。

As for the errors in the interpretation of hexagram images, I am not inventing new images out of nowhere, but still using the original images from the Zhou Changes. The problem is that the interpreters have lost them. Now, by using the divination examples from the Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu, the "Shi Xun" attributed to the Duke of Zhou and the hexagram climate diagram, as well as the "Jiao Shi Yi Lin" and the actual divination records of Guo Pu from the Eastern Jin Dynasty called "Dong Lin," I have been able to recover these images. After finding them, I trace their origin, and the origin is still in the Zhou Changes itself. For example, the hexagram Kun takes the image of water and the image of fish, and the hexagram Zhen takes the image of "fu" (a part of the axle of a chariot). The "Shu Guan Zhuan" only says that Kun represents earth and mother, but does not mention the images of water or fish. However, the line six in the fifth of the hexagram "Bao" says "to pass through fish," and the lower trigram of this hexagram is Kun, which shows that the image of fish originally comes from the Zhou Changes itself, and the "Jiao Shi Yi Lin" merely preserved it. However, my interpretation does not claim to be definitely correct, and I do not dare to cover up its mistakes. Therefore, I call it "Shang's Studies on the Zhou Changes," to seek the opinions of those who study the Zhou Changes. The classics are the public property of the world, not something that can be claimed by an individual. The principles are the natural order of heaven and earth, not something that can be altered by personal prejudice. If scholars who study the Zhou Changes see this book and can evaluate its correctness and correct its shortcomings, that would be exactly what I have been praying for day and night.

乾坤二卦為六十四卦之根本。其六爻爻辭，祇以明上下、別貴賤，及卦運之興衰、初終之時位，樹六十四卦之準則。至於有無應與當位不當位之恆例，皆未之及。而六爻之後，復贅以用九、用六數語，皆所以明筮例及用九用六之故。學者須於此先知之。

The hexagrams Qian and Kun are the fundamental ones among the sixty-four hexagrams. The six line statements of these two hexagrams are only used to indicate the position of the lines, distinguish the status of superiority and inferiority, and show the prosperity and decline of the hexagram's energy, as well as the change of time positions from the first line to the top line. These serve as a general principle for the other hexagrams. As for the common conventions found in other hexagrams, such as "having a response or not having a response" (whether the first and fourth lines, second and fifth lines, or third and top lines are yin and yang corresponding to each other), and "being in the right position or not being in the right position" (a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even position is considered being in the right position), these conventions are not mentioned in the hexagrams Qian and Kun. After the six lines, there are additional statements called "use of all nines" and "use of all sixes," which are used to explain the principles of divination and to indicate under what circumstances one should use the statements "use of all nines" or "use of all sixes." Those who study the Book of Changes must first understand this.

易辭本為占辭，故其語在可解不可解之間。惟其在可解不可解之間，故能隨所感而曲中肆應不窮，所謂仁者見仁、智者見智也。此易理也。易理與義理不同。例如程傳說「黃裳元吉」，雲五尊位，臣居之則羿、莽，女居之則女媧、武氏，故聖人著為大戒。陳義可謂正大矣，而於易理則大背，以易辭並無著戒之意也。此編只明易理，至其用則任人感觸之。

The words of the Book of Changes were originally statements for divination, so they are always between being interpretable and not. It is precisely because they are between being interpretable and not that they can adapt to the presentsympathetic response of the person asking the question, and be relevant to infinite situations. This is called "the principle of the Changes." The principle of the Changes is not the same as the "meaning and reason" discussed by the Song dynasty scholars. For example, Cheng Yi in his Yichuan Commentary on the Changes explains the line statement "Yellow Robes and Original Goodness" in the sixth line of the hexagram坤, saying that the fifth line is the supreme position, and if a minister occupies this position, he becomes someone like Houyi or Wang Mang; if a woman occupies it, she becomes Nuwa or Wu Zetian. Therefore, the sage established a great warning here. This argument cannot be called unjust, but it is greatly contrary to the principle of the Changes — because the line statement itself does not contain a warning. This book only discusses the principle of the Changes; as for how to apply it to human affairs, let each person feel it for themselves.

卦名皆因卦象而生。卦名不解，因之卦爻辭亦不解。如睽為反目，謂兩目不相聽，故一目見為此，一目見為彼，三、上爻辭是也。此義不知，遂多誤解。又如節為符節，合以取信，《說文》所謂竹約也，乃說者概釋為樽節、制節，卦義既誤，故卦爻辭甘苦之義均不知。六十四卦如此者甚多。茲編所釋，先及諸卦得名之義，其名有沿革者，亦並考其異同，如睽《歸藏》作瞿，夬《歸藏》作規等是也。

The names of the sixty-four hexagrams are derived from their symbolic images. If the meaning of the hexagram name is not clear, then the statements of its lines will also be difficult to understand. For example, the hexagram "Kui" originally means "looking away" or "turning back," referring to the situation where each eye looks in a different direction, and each sees something different. Thus, the line statement of the third line, "Seeing a cart dragged by oxen, the ox is stuck," and the line statement of the top line, "Seeing a pig carrying mud, a ghost in a cart," vividly illustrate this phenomenon of differing perspectives. Without understanding this meaning, many misunderstandings arise. Another example is the hexagram "Jie," which originally refers to a symbol or token, specifically a bamboo joint used as a seal, as described in the "Shuo Wen Jie Zi" as "zhu jie," meaning a bamboo joint or bamboo token. However, interpreters often interpret it as meaning "frugality" or "restraint," leading to a misunderstanding of the hexagram's meaning and the distinction between "sweet restraint" and "bitter restraint" in the line statements. There are many such cases among the sixty-four hexagrams. In this book, when interpreting the hexagrams, I first explain the reasons for their names. If a hexagram's name has undergone changes over time, I also examine and compare its different forms, such as "Kui" being written as "Qu" in the "Guicang" and "Gua" being written as "Gui" in the "Guicang."

說易之書，莫古於《左傳》《國語》，其所取象，當然無訛，乃清儒信漢儒而遺左、國。坎變巽，左氏曰「夫從風」，以坎為夫也；曰「震，車也」，曰「車有震武」，以震為車、為武也。震變離，曰「車說其輹」，以震為輹也。尤要者，明夷之謙，即離變艮，左氏曰「當鳥」，是以艮為鳥也，鳥，黔喙也，於是小過飛鳥之象有著。乃後人於此象均不識，依漢儒以震為夫，以乾為武。夫易師莫先於左氏，其可信較漢儒為何如。故茲編所取象，除以易證易外，首本之《左傳》《國語》，以明此最古最確之易象。

There are no books explaining the Yi Jing more ancient than the Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu, and the hexagrams they use certainly cannot be wrong. However, Qing dynasty scholars only trusted Han dynasty scholars and discarded the Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu. The Zuo Zhuan contains a passage about the transformation of Kan into Xun, saying "a man follows the wind," which takes Kan as "man." It also says "Zhen is a chariot" and "the chariot has Zhen Wu," taking Zhen as "chariot" and "Wu." Another passage about the transformation of Zhen into Li says "the chariot's fangtu falls off," taking Zhen as "fangtu." Most important of all is the passage from Mingyi to Qian, which is the transformation of the lower trigram Li into Gen. The Zuo Zhuan says "a bird," indicating that Gen is taken as "bird" — in Shuogua, Gen is indeed "qianhui zhi zu," meaning birds with sharp beaks. With the image of Gen as bird, the bird image in Xiaoguo "a flying bird leaves its sound" becomes clear. Later scholars did not recognize these images, instead following Han dynasty scholars to take Zhen as "man" and Qian as "Wu." One must know that there are no teachers of the Yi Jing more ancient than the Zuo Zhuan, and how can its reliability be compared with that of Han dynasty scholars? Therefore, in this book, in addition to using the Yi Jing to verify the Yi Jing, the first reference is made to the Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu, to explain these most ancient and definite images of the Yi.

《時訓》為《逸周書》之專篇，書云周公所作，其氣候皆以卦象為準，故卦氣圖與《時訓》不能相離，其所準易象與《易經》所關最巨。如於屯曰「雁北鄉」，以屯上互艮為雁；於巽曰「鴻雁來」，亦以巽為鴻雁，而漸之六鴻象得解。以艮為蛤、為蜃，艮外堅故與離同象，而易之貝象、龜象得解。以兌為斧，以艮為巢、為鷹，皆賴以解。易而用覆象、半象尤精，如於復曰「麋角解」，震為鹿，艮為角，角覆在地，故日解；於鼎下曰「半夏生」，離為夏，巽為艹，初二半離，故曰半夏，而昔儒無知者（除《易林》外）。茲編所取象，除左、國外，多以《時訓》為本。

"The Shixun" is a chapter in the "Yizhou Shu," said to have been written by the Duke of Zhou. It records the seventy-two "hou" or seasonal signs, all based on hexagram images, so the hexagram qi diagram and "Shixun" are closely connected. The yijing images it relies on are most closely related to the "Zhouyi." For example, in the first "hou" of the Tun hexagram, it says "geese fly north," because the third, fourth, and fifth lines of Tun produce Gen, which takes the image of "geese." Similarly, in the first "hou" of the Xun hexagram, it says "wild geese arrive," using Xun as the image of "wild geese." With this image, the image of "geese" in the Zhen hexagram, which mentions six "ge" characters in its six lines, makes sense. Also, using Gen as the image of clam and shellfish, since the top line of Gen is yang and the shell is hard, it can take the image of a shell like Li, thus explaining the "shell" and "turtle" images in the "Zhouyi." Using Dui as an axe, and Gen as a nest and an eagle, also makes sense only with the help of "Shixun." "Shixun" uses "fu xiang" (inverted hexagram) and "ban xiang" (half hexagram) especially skillfully. For example, in the first "hou" of the Fu hexagram, it says "deer shed their horns," because Zhen represents deer, and when inverted it becomes Gen, which represents horns, and the horns hang down and fall off, hence "shed." In the first "hou" of the Ding hexagram, it says "Banxia grows," because Li represents summer, Xun represents grass, and the first and second lines form half of Li, hence "Banxia." None of the previous scholars understood this (except for the "Jiaoshi Yilin"). In this book, when taking images, besides the "Zuo Zhuan" and "Guoyu," we mostly rely on "Shixun."

《焦氏易林》，後儒皆知其言易象，然以象學失傳之故，莫有通其義者。如以坤為水，以兌為月，以艮為火，以巽為少妻，以兌為老婦，以正反兌、正反震為爭訟（爭訟即有言），為《說卦》所無，而皆為經中所有。說者因誤解經而失其象，故於《易林》亦不能解。愚求之多年，亦無所入。後讀蒙之節云：「三夫共妻，莫適為雌，子無名氏，翁不可知。」因節中爻震、艮，上坎三男俱備，故曰三夫；祇下兌為女象，故曰三夫共妻。震為子，艮為名、為翁，上坎為隱伏，故曰無，曰不可知，字字皆從易象生。由此以推，凡林詞皆豁然而解。故茲編取象，除《左傳》《國語》卦氣圖外，多本《易林》。

Jiao's Forest of Changes is well known among later scholars for its discussion of the images of the I Ching, but because the study of images has been lost, no one can fully understand its meaning. For example, it takes the earth (Kun) as water, the lake (Dui) as the moon, the mountain (Gen) as fire, the wind (Xun) as a young wife, the lake (Dui) as an old woman, and the reverse of the lake (Dui) and the reverse of the thunder (Zhen) as opposing each other, which is regarded as a dispute ("zhengsong"), which corresponds to the "yiyan" in the line statements. These images are not found in the "Shuogua Zhuan," but they are all actually present in the texts of the Zhou Changes. Those who explain the texts have misunderstood the original meanings, thus losing these images, and consequently cannot understand the Forest of Changes. I have searched for a long time, but have never found a way in. Later, when I read the line statement "Meng zhi Jie": "Three husbands share one wife, none can be the female. The son has no name, the father is unknown," I suddenly understood. The Jie hexagram has the middle lines producing Zhen and Gen, and the upper trigram is Kan. Thus, the three male trigrams Zhen, Kan, and Gen are all present, so it is called "three husbands." The entire hexagram has only the lower trigram Dui, which represents a female, so it is called "three husbands share one wife." Zhen represents a son, Gen represents a name and an old man, and Kan represents concealment. Concealment means that it is impossible to identify, hence "no name" and "unknown." Every word comes from the images of the I Ching. Following this approach, all the line statements in the Forest of Changes become clear. Therefore, in this book, besides the "Zuo Zhuan," "Guoyu," and the hexagram diagram, the images are mainly based on the Forest of Changes.

易中古文甚多，如場作易，趑趄作次且，趾作止，佚作失等，不可勝數。先儒除晁說之外，知為古文者甚少，於是竟讀易為難易，失為得失。茲編非好異，凡易之古文，必仍其舊例，如「需于血」，即「需於洫」是也。

In the Zhou Changes there are many ancient characters preserved. For example, the character 场 (field) is written as 易 (easy) in the line "sacrificing a sheep at 易" from the sixth line of the Great Strength hexagram. Similarly, 趑趄 (hesitate) is written as 次且, the character 趾 (toe) is written as 止 (stop), and the character 佚 (lose) is written as 失 (lose). There are countless such examples. Except for scholars like Zhao Yuezi of the Song dynasty, few previous scholars recognized these as ancient characters. Therefore, they mistakenly read the 易 in "sacrificing a sheep at 易" as the easy-hard 易, and the 佚 as the lose-gain 失. This book is not intended to promote controversial views. Whenever ancient characters appear in the Book of Changes, they will be explained according to their original usage. For example, in the line "waiting by blood" from the ninth line of the Need hexagram, it should actually be "waiting by 池" (a ditch), where 血 is an ancient form of 池 (ditch).

古書多音同通用，而易尤甚。如盤，作盤，作盤，作般；邅如，作驙如；甲坼，作甲宅；冶容，作野容；刑剭，作形渥，作刑屋；經綸，作經論，作經倫；羸，作虆，作累，作縲，作累之類，皆音同通借，無是非之可言。而世儒必以習見者為非，罕見者為是，似未觀其通。茲編反是。

In ancient texts, many characters were used interchangeably because they sounded the same. This was especially common in the Zhou Changes (I Ching). For example, the character "盘" in "盘桓" was sometimes written as "盘" or "般"; "邅如" was written as "驙如"; "甲坼" was written as "甲宅"; "冶容" as "野容"; "刑剭" as "形渥" or "刑屋"; "经纶" as "经论" or "经伦"; "羸" as "虆", "累", or "缧", and so on. The term "tongjia" refers to characters that are read the same and were interchangeably used in ancient writing, with no difference in meaning. There was no right or wrong in their usage. However, later scholars insisted on labeling the common form as incorrect and the rare form as correct, failing to understand the general principle of character substitution. This book takes the opposite approach.

易用覆象，如大過九五之枯楊用覆巽，豐上六用覆艮，「重門擊柝」以豫上震為覆艮，荀爽及虞翻皆知之，而不能推行。於是困之「有言不信」、蒙之「再三瀆」用覆象者，遂永不得解。豈知左氏明夷之謙曰：「於人為言，敗言為讒。」謙上震，震為言，下艮震覆，故曰敗言；言相反，故曰讒。《易林》本之，凡正反震、正反兌相背者，不曰爭訟，即曰有言。於是困、震之有言皆得解。此似我創言之，然仍左氏及《易林》所已言，我拾其說以證易耳，仍非我說也。

The Zhou Changes use "reversed images" by turning a three-line trigram upside down to take its meaning. For example, in the line "Withered elm produces flowers" from the Nine in the Fifth of the Great Overturn, the image comes from the reversed image of Xun; in the line "Six at the Top" of the Brightness, the image comes from the reversed image of Gen. The Great Treatise mentions "heavy doors and beating of sticks" taken from the Yu hexagram, which is the reversed image of Zhen in the upper trigram of Yu. Xun Shuang and Yu Fan both knew about reversed images, but they did not expand their use, so places in the Zhou Changes like "There is speech but it is not believed" in the困 hexagram and "Repeated disrespect" in the蒙 hexagram, which cannot be explained without reversed images, remained unresolved. Who would have thought that the Zuo Zhuan already recorded in the line "In human terms, it is speech; broken speech is slander" from the Mingyi hexagram's connection to the Qian hexagram? The upper trigram of Qian is Zhen, which represents "speech"; the lower trigram is Gen, which is exactly the reversed image of Zhen. Therefore, it is said "broken speech"; the two "speeches" are in opposite directions, hence "slander." The Jiao's Forest of Changes follows exactly this line of thought: whenever a correct Zhen and its reversed Zhen, or a correct Dui and its reversed Dui are opposite to each other, it is either "contention" or "speech." With this principle, the "speech" in the困 hexagram and the震 hexagram can now be clearly explained. This seems like a new interpretation, but in fact it has already been mentioned in the Zuo Zhuan and the Jiao's Forest of Changes. I merely picked up their views to verify the Zhou Changes, and it is not my own invention.

卦有卦情。中孚之鶴嗚子和，以中爻正反震相對也，故下之震鶴一鳴，三至五即如聲而反，故曰子和（舊解不知子指反震，皆自鳴自和）。又如兌「朋友講習」，以初至五正覆兌相對，若對語然，故曰講習，早商兌。夬四之「聞言不信」，兌為耳，故曰聞；兌為言，乾亦為言，乃兌言向外，與乾言相背，故曰不信。此似我創解，然《左傳》歸妹之睽曰「西鄰責言，不可償也」，歸妹兌為西，震為鄰，故曰西鄰；而震為言，震言外向，與兌言相背，故曰責言，與夬之聞言不信義同也，仍非我說也。

Each hexagram has its own "hexagram situation." In the hexagram Zhongfū (Middle Trust), line nine in the second position says "A crane calls in the shade, its young respond in harmony." This is because the middle lines produce both the original Zhen (Thunder) and its opposite, the reversed Zhen, which are in opposition. The lower Zhen represents the crane, which calls, and the Zhen from the third to fifth lines, being the reversed one, responds in harmony, hence "its young respond" (old annotations misunderstood "young" to refer to the reversed Zhen, but in fact it is the same crane calling and responding to itself). Another example is the hexagram Dui (Lake), whose "Great Image" says "friends discuss and study together." This is because the lines from the first to the fifth produce both the original Dui and its reversed form, which are opposite, like two people facing each other speaking, hence "discuss and study." The line nine in the fourth position, "debating the Lake but not yet at peace," the word "debate" (shang) comes from this same source. In the hexagram Guai (Breaking Up), line nine in the fourth position says "hearing but not believing." Dui represents the ear, so it refers to "hearing"; Dui also represents speech, and Qian also represents speech, but Dui's mouth faces outward, while Qian's speech faces the opposite direction, hence "not believing." This seems like my own new interpretation, but the "Zuo Zhuan" records an entry about the hexagram Guimei (Return of the Maiden) and the hexagram Kui (Strife): "the western neighbor demands speech, which cannot be repaid." Here, the lower part of Guimei is Dui, representing the west, and Zhen represents the neighbor, hence "the western neighbor"; Zhen represents speech, and since Zhen's speech faces outward, it conflicts with Dui's speech facing the opposite direction, hence "demanding speech," which is the same reasoning as the "hearing but not believing" in the hexagram Guai. This shows that this interpretation is not my own.

同此一爻，而爻辭吉凶不同。如頤六五曰「居貞吉」，下又曰「不可涉大川」；家人九三曰「嗃嗃悔厲吉」，下又曰「婦子嘻嘻終吝」。先儒無詳其故者。豈知爻有上下，由此爻上取而象吉者，下取或凶；下取而象吉者，上取或凶。如漸九三「婦孕不育凶」，下又曰「利禦寇」是也。易詞如此者不可枚舉，此三爻特其例耳。治易者如明此例，則事半功倍。

The same line statement may contain conflicting judgments of good or bad fortune. For example, in the hexagram "Yi" (Nourishment), line six in the fifth position says "Stay firm and be auspicious," but then continues with "Do not attempt to cross a great river." In the hexagram "Jiaoren" (Family), line nine in the third position states "The family is quarrelsome, regret and danger bring auspiciousness," but then adds "The wife and children laugh and joke, ultimately leading to regret." Previous scholars have not clearly explained the reason. How could one know that the imagery taken from a line can be either upward or downward looking: looking upward from this line, the image may be auspicious, but looking downward it may be ominous; looking downward, it may be auspicious, but looking upward it may be ominous. For instance, in the hexagram "Jian" (Gradual Progress), line nine in the third position says "The wife is pregnant but does not give birth, ominous," but then continues with "It is advantageous to defend against bandits," exactly like this. There are countless such instances in the "Yi" (Book of Changes), and the examples mentioned above are merely a few. Those who study the "Yi" will find that understanding this general principle can greatly enhance their comprehension.

易辭與他經不同。他經上下文多相屬，易則不然，因易辭皆由象生，觀某爻而得甲象，又觀某爻而得乙象，故易辭各有所指，上下句義不必相聯。如損彖曰「利有攸往」，指上九也；下又曰「曷之用，二簋，可用享」，震為簋，坤數二，故曰二簋，則指上下互卦也。又如困「貞大人吉」，以二五皆陽也；「有言不信」，以三至上正反兌相背也。舊解無知者，故於上下旬常強為聯屬，致杈枒不合。茲編遇此，先指明易辭之說何爻何象；至其意義之不相屬者，亦必指明。此自為一義。

The wording of the Zhou Changes differs from other classic texts. In other classics, the text usually flows in a connected way, but the Zhou Changes is not like this. Because the statements of the Zhou Changes are all derived from the hexagram images: looking at one line to find the image of Jia, looking at another line to find the image of Yi, so each sentence refers to something specific, and the meaning of the upper and lower sentences does not necessarily connect. For example, the statement of the "Loss" hexagram says "It is advantageous to go somewhere," which refers to the top line, the ninth line. Then it says "What is the use of it? Two bowls can be used for sacrifice," where the line Zhen (Thunder) takes the image of the bowl, and the number of the line Kun (Earth) is two, so it says "two bowls," referring to the two interacting hexagrams above and below. Another example is the statement of the "Obstruction" hexagram, "The upright person is auspicious," because the second and fifth lines are both yang; "There is no trust in words" is because the third line to the top line forms the image of Dui (Lake) in reverse, facing opposite directions. Old commentaries did not understand this principle, often forcing the upper and lower sentences together, leading to confusion and inconsistency. In this book, when encountering such cases, I first clarify which line each sentence refers to and which image it takes. For those sentences whose meanings are not connected, I also clearly state this. This forms a distinct principle of interpretation.

卦爻辭往往相反。如履彖曰「不咥人」，爻曰「咥人凶」；無妄彖曰「不利有攸往」，爻曰「往吉」是也。又大象每相反以見義，如同人曰「辨物」，無妄曰「時育萬物」是也。先儒無知其故者。豈知卦有卦義，爻有爻義，象有象義，絕不同也。

The hexagram statement and the line statement often contradict each other. For example, the hexagram statement of the "Foot" hexagram says "To tread on a tiger's tail, but the tiger does not bite," while the third line statement says "To tread on a tiger's tail, being bitten is ominous." The hexagram statement of the "No Delusion" hexagram says "If not upright, there will be misfortune; it is not advantageous to go somewhere," but the line statement says that going is auspicious. Another example is the "Great Image" commentary, which often presents a contrary meaning. The hexagram statement of the "Union with Others" hexagram speaks of harmony with people, but the "Great Image" says "The gentleman uses classification to distinguish things," meaning to distinguish the categories of things. The hexagram statement of the "No Delusion" hexagram warns against reckless action, but the "Great Image" says "The former kings cultivated all things in accordance with the seasons," meaning to follow the timing of heaven and nurture all things. No previous scholars understood the reason for this. Who would know that each hexagram has its own meaning, each line has its own meaning, and the "Great Image" commentary has its own meaning, and that the three are entirely different.

漢儒以象數解易，與春秋士大夫合，最為正軌。乃鄭玄於象之不知者則用爻辰，取象於星宿；虞翻則用爻變，使變出某卦以當其象。若此者亦不敢從也。

Han dynasty scholars used the method of images and numbers to interpret the Yi Jing, which was consistent with the divination methods of the Spring and Autumn period scholars, and was originally the most proper approach. However, Zheng Xuan, when encountering images he did not recognize, resorted to "yao chen" - pairing the six lines with the twelve earthly branches, and then taking images from the twenty-eight constellations. Yu Fan, on the other hand, used "yao bian" - allowing a particular line to change, forcing it to transform into another hexagram to match the required image. Such approaches are not followed in this book.

易義有絕不能解者，先儒雖強說之，實皆無當。如同人九四之吉，自象傳不能詳其故，小畜九二同。易義如此者多有。茲編遇之，必詳言其難解之故，偶有揣測，亦不敢自信也。

The principles of the Book of Changes have some explanations that are difficult to understand. Previous scholars tried to make sense of them, but their interpretations were not accurate. For example, in the line "Mounting the wall, unable to attack, auspicious" from the second line of the Hexagram of Fellowship, the reason why it is considered auspicious is unclear even from the Image Commentary. Similarly, the line "Pulling back and returning, auspicious" from the second line of the Hexagram of Small Accumulation is also difficult to understand. There are many such unclear passages in the Book of Changes. In this book, when encountering such difficult parts, I will clearly explain where the difficulty lies; occasionally making some guesses, I do not claim them to be reliable.

吳摯父先生《易說》，於大畜云：凡陽之行，遇陰則通，遇陽則阻，故初、二皆不進，而三利往。於節云：易以陽在前為塞，陰在前為通，初之不出，以九二在前；二則可出而不出，故有失時之凶。此實全易之精髓，為二千年所未發。愚於易理粗有所入，實以此數語為之階，故特揭出，以尊師說。

My teacher Wu Rulun (style name Zhi Fu) in his "Commentary on the Book of Changes" discusses the hexagram "Great Accumulation" saying: Whenever a yang line moves forward, it meets smoothness if it encounters a yin line, but meets obstruction if it encounters another yang line; therefore, the lines "Initial Nine" and "Nine in the Second" of "Great Accumulation" do not advance, while "Nine in the Third" says "It is advantageous to go somewhere." He also discusses the hexagram "Restraint," saying: The Book of Changes takes a yang line in front as obstruction and a yin line in front as smoothness; "Initial Nine" says "Not going out of the gate or courtyard" because "Nine in the Second" is blocking the way. "Nine in the Second" could have gone out but does not, hence the misfortune of "losing the right time." These few sentences truly capture the essence of the entire Book of Changes, and no one has revealed them in two thousand years. I have slightly understood the principles of the Book of Changes, and these sentences have been my entrance to the study, so I specially highlight them to honor my teacher's teachings.

眼前事物皆為易理，俯取即是。例如雄雞與雄雞見則死鬥，驢馬尤甚，若有宿仇者，是何也？陽遇陽也。大畜初九曰「有厲利已」，厲，危；已，止也。初有應，但為二三所隔，遇敵故曰有厲，止而不動則災免矣，象曰「不犯災」，正釋厲義也。乃舊解謂厲指四爻。厲若在四，尚何貴此應與乎。不識災即厲，命二變成坎以取災象。豈知大壯初九「壯于趾征凶」，夬初九「壯于前趾往不勝」，壯，傷也，其故皆在陽遇陽。傷之與災，有何別乎。故夫目前易理，望之似淺，推之實深。昧厥目前，易雖一再言之，總不能知。

Common things in front of our eyes are all governed by the principles of the Book of Changes. For example, when two roosters meet, they fight to the death, and don't horses and donkeys have especially fierce conflicts, as if they have a long-standing grudge. Why is this? It is because two yangs meet. The line "Initial Nine" in "Great Accumulation" says, "There is danger, it is advantageous to stop." "Danger" means danger, and "stop" means to stop. Initially, the line "Initial Nine" was in correspondence with "Six Four," but it was blocked by "Nine Two" and "Nine Three," which are yang lines. Thus, it encountered only similar yang lines, hence "there is danger." If it stops, the danger is avoided. The "Small Commentary" says, "It does not cause disaster," which explains the meaning of "danger." Old interpretations, however, say that "danger" refers to the line "Six Four." If danger is in "Six Four," then what is special about the corresponding line? They did not understand that "disaster" is the same as "danger," so they made "Nine Two" into Kan, using Kan to represent the image of "disaster." But they did not realize that in "Great Strength" "Initial Nine" says, "Strong at the toes, going forward brings misfortune," and in "Gua" "Initial Nine" says, "Strong at the front toes, going forward is not victorious." "Strong" means "injury," and the reason is that a yang line meets another yang line ahead. What is the difference between "injury" and "disaster"? This shows that the principles of the Book of Changes, although appearing simple and close at hand, are actually profound when examined closely. If one is unaware of the ordinary things around them, even if the Book of Changes clearly explains them, one will never truly understand.