Qian Hexagram · Wenyan

此卦爻辭全為文王作之證也。彖傳申彖意，故曰彖曰；大象申卦義，小象申爻義，故曰象曰；此則合卦爻辭總述之，而制此乾坤之卦爻辭者，文王也，故曰文言，繹文王所言耳，仍彖曰象曰之例，並無其它深奧。乃劉獻曰：依文而言其理，故曰文言。姚信曰：乾坤為門戶，文說乾坤，六十二卦皆放焉。訖不得解。揆其因皆由王充馬融等，謂文王制卦辭，周公制爻辭，後儒惑其說，疑但言文王，或遺周公故也。

This is clear evidence that both the hexagram statements and line statements originated from King Wen. The Commentary on the Judgment explains the meaning of the hexagram statements, hence it is called "Tuan Yu"; the Great Images explain the meaning of each hexagram, and the Small Images explain the meaning of each line, hence they are called "Xiang Yu"; this passage combines the hexagram and line statements for a general summary. The author of the hexagram and line statements for the Qian and Kun hexagrams was indeed King Wen, hence it is called "Wenyan"—it is merely an elaboration of what King Wen said, following the same format as "Tuan Yu" and "Xiang Yu," without any deeper meaning. However, Liu Xian said, "It explains the principles based on the words, hence it is called Wenyan"; Yao Xin said, "Qian and Kun are the gateways of the Book of Changes, and this text focuses solely on Qian and Kun, while the other sixty-two hexagrams follow its pattern"—these interpretations do not make sense. Investigating the cause, it is because Wang Chong and Ma Rong and others claimed that the hexagram statements came from King Wen and the line statements from the Duke of Zhou. Later scholars were confused by this view, fearing that mentioning only King Wen would omit the Duke of Zhou, so they sought alternative interpretations.

曰：元者善之長也，亨者嘉之會也，利者義之和也，貞者事之乾也。君子體仁足以長人，嘉會足以合禮，利物足以和義，貞固足以乾事。君子行此四德者，故曰乾元亨利貞。李鼎祚云：元為善長，故能體仁，仁主春生，東方木也；亨為嘉會，足以合禮，禮主夏養，南方火也；利為物宜，足以和義，義主秋成，西方金也；貞為事乾，以配於智，智主冬藏，北方水也。李氏此詁，最為透徹，與《太玄》罔直蒙酋冥理合，識周易真諦。

The Wenyan says: "Yuan" is the beginning of all good qualities, "Heng" is the convergence of all beauty, "Li" is the harmony of principles, and "Zhen" is the backbone of doing things. A gentleman who understands benevolence can become a leader of people, who gathers all beauty can conform to propriety, who allows all things to obtain their proper benefits can harmonize righteousness, and who remains steadfast can accomplish affairs. A gentleman practicing these four virtues is thus said to have "Qian: Yuan Heng Li Zhen." Li Dingzuo explains that "Yuan" is the leader of all good qualities, thus able to embody benevolence, which is associated with spring's growth and is located in the east, representing wood; "Heng" is the gathering of fine beauty, sufficient to conform to propriety, which is associated with summer's growth and is located in the south, representing fire; "Li" is allowing things to obtain their proper suitability, sufficient to harmonize righteousness, which is associated with autumn's maturity and is located in the west, representing metal; "Zhen" is the doing of affairs, used to match wisdom, which is associated with winter's storage and is located in the north, representing water. Li's explanation is most thorough, aligning with the meaning of "Wang, Zhi, Meng, Chou, Ming" in the Tai Xuan, and can be said to have grasped the true essence of the Zhou Changes.

蓋此八句，為最古之易說。梁武帝、任釣臺謂為文王所言，固無根據，然穆姜即述之，可見其為舊說，故孔氏複述之。而歐陽公謂左氏著書，亦欲信今傳後，若本孔子之言，而以為穆姜，其誰傳信之，謂文言非孔子作。按左氏所紀古人言行，皆古人實有是言，有是行，而後紀之，非並無是事是言，盡左氏所造作也。觀穆姜述是語已曰：然，因不可誣也。即謂古易說之可信，而不我欺也。且周易之興，至春秋已數百年，所傳古訓，必已多矣。然則穆姜述之，孔氏複述之，事之常耳，必謂甲述之為真，乙再述之即偽，似不然也。左氏非傳易者，其是否見十翼，未可知也。蓋文言皆雜採古易說，薈萃而成之，故此處以四德釋元亨利貞，下又曰元亨者，始而亨者也，利貞者性情也，又為二德，與前不同，顯為採集古說之證。不過古人質，不似後人之必曰某某云耳。

These eight lines are the oldest interpretation of the Yi. Liang Wudi and Ren DiaoTai claimed they were spoken by King Wen, but there is no basis for this claim. However, Mu Jiang from the Zuo Zhuan had already quoted them earlier, showing that this interpretation had been passed down for a long time. Therefore, Confucius repeated it. Ouyang Xiu believed that Zuo Qiuming wrote his book to gain credibility in his time and to be passed down to future generations. If this was actually Confucius' words but attributed to Mu Jiang, who would believe it? Therefore, he concluded that the Wenyan was not written by Confucius. According to Zuo Qiuming's records of ancient people's words and deeds, he only recorded them if they actually existed. He did not fabricate them out of nowhere. After Mu Jiang quoted these words, she said, "Yes, because it cannot be false," meaning that the ancient interpretation of the Yi is indeed credible and will not deceive me. Moreover, the Yi emerged and by the time of the Spring and Autumn period, it had existed for several hundred years. Therefore, there must have been many ancient teachings passed down. So it was normal for Mu Jiang to quote them and for Confucius to repeat them. To say that if A quoted it, it was true, but if B quoted it, it was false, seems unreasonable. Zuo Qiuming was not a transmitter of the Yi, and we do not know whether he had seen the Ten Wings or not. The Wenyan was originally a compilation of ancient interpretations of the Yi. Therefore, here it uses the four virtues to explain the four words of Yuan, Heng, Li, and Zhen, and later it says, "Yuan and Heng mean the beginning and then being harmonious; Li and Zhen mean the nature and disposition," combining the four virtues into two, which is different from the previous part. This clearly shows evidence of collecting ancient interpretations. However, ancient people were simple and did not need to specify "said by so and so" as later people did.

初九曰：潛龍勿用，何謂也。子曰：龍德而隱者也，不易乎世，不成乎名，遁世無悶，不見是而無悶，樂則行之，憂則違之，確乎其不可拔，潛龍也。吳先生曰：易，當讀如論語丘不與易之易。按孟子易其田疇，趙歧云：易，治也。初潛在下，與世無涉，故曰不易世、不成名。遁世無悶者，言甘於隱遁；不見是而無悶者，言人不知亦不慍也。樂則行，憂則否，緊決自守，利祿不能移，威武不能屈，故曰確乎其不可拔。莊子應帝王確乎能其事，注確堅也。

The line statement for the initial line, "Initial Nine," says, "The dragon is hidden and should not be used." Confucius said: This refers to a person who possesses the virtue of a dragon but remains in seclusion. He does not change with the world, does not seek fame, hides from the world without being troubled, and is not distressed even when not understood by others. When the time is right, he acts; when it is not, he refrains. He is firm and unshakable. This is what is meant by "the hidden dragon." Mr. Wu (Wu Rulun) said: The "easy" in "not changing with the world" should be read as the "easy" in the "Confucius does not participate in governance," meaning governance or transformation. According to the "Mencius," "changing the fields," Zhao Qi's commentary says, "easy means to manage." The initial line is hidden at the bottom, not involved in worldly affairs, so it does not engage in governance or seek fame. "Retreating from the world without distress" means being content with seclusion; "not being recognized but without distress" means not being angry even when not understood. When the time is right, he acts; when it is not, he refrains. He remains firm and unswayed, not moved by wealth and honor, nor bent by force and authority. Therefore, it is said, "firmly and unshakably unmovable." The "Zhuangzi · Should the King Rule" mentions "firmly able to do his task," with a commentary saying, "firm means solid."

九二曰：見龍在田，利見大人，何謂也。子曰：龍德而正中者也。庸言之信，庸行之謹，閒邪存其誠，善世而不伐，德博而化。易曰：見龍在田，利見大人，君德也。二居下卦之中，故曰正中。庸言庸行中也，中則言必信，行必謹矣。閒邪使不入，則中不亂；存誠使不出，則中可守。善世中也，善世而伐，則偏而不中；不伐若己無所與者，則時中矣。人能如是，其德必博，而化必廣。二雖未升五為君乎，然君德已具，必升五也。

The line statement of the second line says, "Seeing a dragon in the field, it is advantageous to see a great man." Confucius said: This refers to someone who possesses the virtue of the dragon and resides in the center. In ordinary speech, he keeps his word; in ordinary actions, he is cautious. He guards against evil thoughts and preserves his sincerity. He does good deeds for the world without boasting. His virtue is broad and can influence others. The Book of Changes says, "Seeing a dragon in the field, it is advantageous to see a great man," meaning he already possesses the virtue of a ruler. The second line is in the center of the lower trigram, so it is called "centered in the middle." Daily words and deeds conform to the middle path. When conforming to the middle path, speech must be trustworthy and actions must be cautious. Guarding against evil thoughts prevents them from entering, so the middle remains orderly. Preserving sincerity prevents it from leaking out, so the middle is maintained. Doing good for the world is also being in the middle. If one does good for the world and boasts about it, it becomes biased and not in the middle. If one does good without boasting, as if it had nothing to do with oneself, then one is always in the middle. When a person can do this, his virtue will certainly be broad and his influence will certainly be far-reaching. Although the second line has not yet ascended to the fifth position to become a ruler, the virtue of a ruler is already present, and ultimately it will ascend to the fifth position.

九三曰：君子終日乾乾，夕惕若厲無咎，何謂也。子曰：君子進德修業，忠信所以進德也，修辭立其誠，所以居業也。知至至之，可與言幾也；知終終之，可與存義也。是故居上位而不驕，在下位而不憂，故乾乾因其時而惕，雖危無咎矣。修辭者立言也，誠者法則也，居者蓄也、積也，業以積而高大也。爻至三而極，其境至高，識其高而必達其境，故曰可與言幾。《說文》幾微也。繫云：幾者動之微，吉之先見者也。爻至三而終，其道已窮，識其窮而必赴之，故曰可與存義。義者宜也。

The line statement of the third line says, "The superior man remains diligent all day, and remains cautious at night as if facing a dangerous situation, thus having no blame." Confucius said: The superior man should cultivate virtue and carry out his undertakings. Loyalty and trustworthiness are used to cultivate virtue; refining speech and establishing sincerity are used to accumulate achievements. Knowing the proper limit and truly reaching it, one can discuss the subtle principles of things; knowing the proper time to stop and truly stopping, one can together uphold proper conduct. Therefore, being in a high position without arrogance, and in a low position without fear, one can remain diligent and always alert, thus having no fault even in a dangerous situation. "Refining speech" is establishing words; "sincerity" is the principle; "residing" means accumulating, and achievements can only become great through accumulation. The line position reaches the third, which is the extreme of the lower trigram, the highest level. Recognizing this height and truly reaching it, it is said, "He can be spoken to about the subtle." The "Shuo Wen" says, "Ji means slightness"; the "Great Treatise" says, "Ji is the subtle movement, the initial sign of good fortune." The line position reaching the third is also the end of the lower trigram, its path has reached its limit; recognizing its limit yet still advancing courageously, it is said, "He can be joined in upholding righteousness." "Righteousness" means appropriateness.

九四曰：或躍在淵，無咎，何謂也。子曰：上下無常，非為邪也；進退無恆，非離群也。君子進德修業，欲及時也，故無咎。欲及時用其學，以濟天下，故不避其嫌。四與初相上下，初潛四躍，初退四進。

The fourth line statement says, "Perhaps leap from the depths, no blame." Confucius said: going up or down has no fixed pattern, and this is not for perverse purposes; advancing or retreating has no fixed rule, and this is not to abandon one's kind. A gentleman enhances his virtue and cultivates his achievements in order to seize the right opportunity, so there is no blame. Because he wishes to apply his learning in time to relieve the world, he does not avoid the suspicion of "no fixed pattern in ascending or descending, no fixed rule in advancing or retreating." The fourth and the first lines are originally a pair of lines that are above and below each other: the first line is hidden, while the fourth line leaps; the first line retreats, while the fourth line advances.

九五日：飛龍在天，利見大人，何謂也。子曰：同聲相應，同氣相求。水流溼，火就燥。雲從龍，風從虎。聖人作而萬物睹。本乎天者親上，本乎地者親下，則各從其類也。此與象辭之大人聚義同也。乾坤初爻交震巽，故曰同聲相應；上爻交艮兌，故曰同氣相求；中爻交坎離，故曰水流溼、火就燥。溼燥以方位言，荀爽謂坤溼乾燥者是也。坤原居北方，北方涸陰冱寒，故曰溼；乃乾自南往交坤成坎，故曰流溼。乾原居南方，南方炎熇焦灼，故曰燥；乃坤自北往交乾成離，故曰就燥。此於先天南北之乾坤，變為後天之離坎，至明白矣。乾若不在南，如何流北；坤若不在北，如何就南。故夫方位不明，易本立失，所關至巨。

The line statement of the ninth line in the fifth position says, "A dragon soars in the sky, advantageous to see a great man." Confucius said: Like sounds respond to like sounds, and like breaths seek like breaths; water flows to the moist, fire burns toward the dry; clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger; when a sage arises, all things look up to him; based on the closeness of heaven above and the closeness of earth below, all things follow their own kind. This passage is the same as the "Xiao Xiang" statement "A dragon soars in the sky, great men gather." In terms of the Earlier Heaven arrangement: the first lines of the Qian and Kun trigrams intersect to form Zhen and Xun, which both relate to sound, so it is said "like sounds respond to like sounds"; the top lines of the Qian and Kun trigrams intersect to form Gen and Dui, which are connected by a single breath, so it is said "like breaths seek like breaths"; the middle lines intersect to form Kan and Li, so it is said "water flows to the moist, fire burns toward the dry." "Moist" and "dry" refer to directions. Xun Shuang said that Kun is moist and Qian is dry, which is correct. Originally, Kun is in the north, where the cold and damp air gathers and freezes, so it is called "moist"; Qian moves from the south to meet Kun and forms Kan, so it is called "flowing to the moist." Originally, Qian is in the south, where it is hot and dry, so it is called "dry"; Kun moves from the north to meet Qian and forms Li, so it is called "moving toward the dry." Thus, the Qian and Kun trigrams originally located in the north and south become the Li and Kan trigrams in the Later Heaven arrangement. The reasoning is clear. If Qian is not in the south, how can it flow toward the north? If Kun is not in the north, how can it move toward the south? Therefore, if the directions are not clear, the fundamental principles of the Book of Changes cannot be established, and this is of great importance.

坤為雲，《易林》困之泰云：陰雲四方。又未濟之升云：雲興蔽日。皆以泰升上坤為雲。乾為龍，故曰云從龍。坤為風，《易林》訟之剝云：烈風雨雪。大壯之剝云：乘風駕雨。皆以剝下坤為風。陸績云：風土氣也，巽坤之所生，故為風。按陸說是坤本為風也。乾為虎，故曰風從虎。風雲者陰，龍虎者陽，言陰必從陽也。乾虎之象，《易林》師之乾云：三奸成虎。小畜之乾云：東遇虎蛇。皆以乾為虎。此象昔儒無知者，後會稽茹敦和始發之，近師俞樾襲其說，謂虎陽物，君象。京虞以坤為虎，馬以兌為虎，皆不如九家以艮為虎之義長。艮何以為虎，以得乾之上爻，猶震得乾初亦為龍也。是乾本為虎也，故履革皆以乾為虎，說與《易林》闇合。

The trigram坤 has the image of "cloud": In "Jiao's Forest of Changes," the hexagram困 changes to 泰 says "dark clouds in all directions," and 未济 changes to 升 says "clouds rise and cover the sun." Both take the upper trigram of 泰 and 升 as坤, thus using坤 as cloud. The trigram乾 has the image of "dragon," hence the saying "cloud follows the dragon." Since cloud belongs to坤 and dragon belongs to乾, this shows that the yin follows the yang. The trigram坤 also has the image of "wind": In "Jiao's Forest of Changes,"讼 changes to 剥 says "violent wind, rain, snow," and 大壮 changes to 剥 says "riding the wind and driving the rain." Both take the lower trigram of 剥 as坤, thus using坤 as wind. Lu Ji says, "wind is the earth's qi, produced by Xun and坤, hence it is wind." According to Lu Ji's statement, it is clear that坤 originally has the image of wind. The trigram乾 also has the image of "tiger," hence the saying "wind follows the tiger." Cloud and wind are yin, while dragon and tiger are yang, indicating that yin must follow yang. The image of tiger in乾 appears in "Jiao's Forest of Changes," 师 changes to 乾 says "three villains become a tiger," and 小畜 changes to 乾 says "meeting a tiger and snake in the east." Both use乾 as tiger. This image was unknown to previous scholars, but was first discovered by Ru Dunhe of Huizhou. Later, the scholar Yu Yue followed this view, considering the tiger as a yang creature and a symbol of the ruler. Jing Fang and Yu Fan took坤 as tiger, Ma Rong took Dui as tiger, but none of these are as convincing as the Nine Schools' interpretation that Gen is tiger. Why can Gen be tiger? Because Gen receives the upper line of乾; just as Zhen receives the first line of乾 and can be dragon. This shows that乾 originally has the image of tiger. Hence, the hexagrams 履 and 革 also take乾 as tiger, which aligns with the interpretation in "Jiao's Forest of Changes."

聖人作者，乾為聖人，坤為萬物，聖人作而萬物睹，即比象也，仍陰從陽也。天地者陰陽，本乎天者親上，謂陽性上升順行，故乾二必上升坤五，以與陰類；本乎地者親下，謂陰性下降逆行，故坤五必下降乾二，以與陽類，故曰各從其類。陰陽相遇方為類，與朋友同。若陰遇陰陽通陽，則為敵矣，不朋不類也。頤六二曰：行失類也。以所遇皆陰，至明白也。乃由漢迄今，無有察覺者。

The phrase "The sage arose" refers to the image of the Qian trigram representing the sage and the Kun trigram representing all things. "The sage arose and all things looked upon him" is precisely the image taken by the Bi hexagram, which still speaks of yin following yang. "Heaven and earth" represent yin and yang. "Those originating from heaven are close to above" means that yang rises and moves upward, so the Nine in the Second of Qian must rise to the Fifth position of Kun to pair with yin and form a category. "Those originating from earth are close to below" means that yin descends and moves downward, so the Six in the Fifth of Kun must descend to the Second position of Qian to pair with yang and form a category. Therefore, it is said "each follows its kind." Only when yin and yang meet can they be called "kind," which is the same principle as "companions." If yin meets yin or yang meets yang, they become opposing forces, neither companions nor kinds. The line six two of Yi hexagram says "moving away from its kind," because it encounters only yin lines, which is clear. However, from the Han dynasty to the present, no one has noticed this point.

按此節舊解所以不明徹者：一由於類字義失，二由於乾虎、坤雲、坤風象失，三由於不知此說陰陽相感之理，以著大人聚及利見之義，四由於不知此言先天象，故兩兩對舉。震巽對故相應，陰陽相應也；艮兌對故相求，陰陽相求也；水流溼，陽求陰，火就燥，陰求陽也，水火對也；雲從龍，風從虎，言陰陽不相離，乾坤對也。皆所以著陰陽類之理也。二千年以來，惟一茹敦和識虎為陰象之非，其功過荀虞遠矣。又親上親下二語，使人識陰陽交之所以然也。親上者居上，親下者居下，則陰陽氣不交而為否矣；親上者居下，親下者居上，則陰陽氣接而為泰矣。各從其類，統相應相求各語而言之也。

The old annotations fail to explain this passage clearly for four reasons: first, the meaning of the character "类" has been lost; second, several rare images such as "Qian represents a tiger, Kun represents clouds and wind" have been lost; third, they do not understand that this passage discusses the principle of mutual interaction between yin and yang, which is used to clarify the meaning of the "Xiao Xiang" statement "great person gathers" and the line statement "favorable to see"; fourth, they do not realize that this passage refers to the Earlier Heaven hexagrams, hence the pairing of two elements. Zhen and Xun are opposite, so it is said "corresponding," which refers to the correspondence of yin and yang; Gen and Dui are opposite, so it is said "seeking each other," which refers to the mutual seeking of yin and yang. "Water flows to wet places" is yang seeking yin, "fire approaches dryness" is yin seeking yang, which is the opposition of water and fire; "clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger" indicates that yin and yang do not separate, which is the opposition of Qian and Kun. All of these are used to clarify the principle of yin and yang of the same kind following each other. For two thousand years, only Ru Dunhe realized that taking the tiger as a yin image was wrong, and his contribution far surpasses that of Xun Shuang and Yu Fan. Furthermore, the two sentences "those originating from heaven are close to above, those originating from earth are close to below" are meant to explain why yin and yang can interact. If the ones close to above really stay above and the ones close to below really stay below, then the two energies of yin and yang would not interact and would form the hexagram "Bo" (否). Conversely, if the ones close to above stay below and the ones close to below stay above, then the two energies of yin and yang would connect and form the hexagram "Tai" (泰). The last sentence "each follows its kind" is a summary of the previous statements "corresponding" and "seeking each other."

上九曰：亢龍有悔，何謂也。子曰：貴而無位，高而無民，賢人在下位而無輔，是以動而有悔也。在上故貴，失正故無位，失位故無民。乾為賢人，既非九五之位則臣下也。三無應，故曰無輔。有此三因，故動而有侮。

The line statement of the top nine says, "A dragon soaring high brings regret." Confucius said: When one holds a high position but lacks a real position, resides in a lofty place but has no subjects, and although virtuous people are in the lower position, they cannot assist him, thus any action will bring regret. The top nine is at the top of a hexagram, so it is called "high position." It is a yang line in a yin position, losing its proper alignment, so it is called "without a position." Since it has lost its position, it also has no subjects. The trigram Qian has the image of "virtuous people," but since the top nine is not in the position of nine five, it is considered a minister. The nine three and the top nine are both yang lines and do not correspond, so it is called "without assistance." With these three reasons, any movement brings regret.

潛龍勿用，下也。見龍在田，時舍也。終日乾乾，行事也。或躍在淵，自試也。飛龍在天，上治也。亢龍有悔，窮之災也。乾元用九，天下治也。舍發也，詩舍失如破，《易林》家人之大有云：仲春孟夏，和氣所含。皆以舍為發。作舍棄者固非，以舍舒之葭（無草）字者亦非也。自試者試其可否，上治者居上治民，天下治申用九之故也。用九者剛變柔，言天下未治，治之以剛；若天下已治，則當濟以柔。明用九之故，因天下已治也。此治字與上治治字相呼應。後人因不識用九真諦，故籠統解說，多誤者。○王弼曰：此一章全以人事明之。

The Xiao Xiang says: "The hidden dragon is not yet in use" because it is in a low position; "The dragon appears in the field" indicates that the opportunity has already begun; "The dragon toils day and night" means diligence in action; "The dragon may leap from the abyss" means self-testing; "The dragon soars in the heavens" means ruling the people from a high position; "The exalted dragon brings regret" means calamity brought by reaching the extreme; "The virtue of the Heaven's origin using all nines" means the world is properly governed. Here, the character "she" means "to emit" or "to launch": in the "Book of Poetry" the phrase "she shi ru po" (originally "she shi ru po") uses "she" to mean shooting an arrow; in "Jiao's Forest of Changes" under the hexagram Family and Great Possession, it says "In the middle of spring and the beginning of summer, the harmonious qi is contained," where "she" also means "to emit." Interpreting "she" as "to abandon" is clearly wrong, and taking it as a variant of "shu" (meaning "to stretch" or "to relax") is also incorrect. "Self-testing" refers to testing whether one's actions are feasible; "upper governance" means ruling the people from a high position; "the world is governed" explains the reason for using the nine lines. Using the nine lines refers to the transformation from yang to yin: when the world is not yet properly governed, one should use yang to govern; but when the world is already well-governed, one should use yin to regulate. Here, the reason for using the nine lines is clearly stated, because the world has already been properly governed. The character "zhi" (govern) here corresponds with the "zhi" in "upper governance" above. Later scholars, not understanding the true meaning of using the nine lines, gave general interpretations, leading to many errors. Wang Bi said: this chapter fully explains the meaning through human affairs.

潛龍勿用，陽氣潛藏。見龍在田，天下文明。終日乾乾，與時偕行。或躍在淵，乾道乃革。飛龍在天，乃位乎天德。亢龍有悔，與時偕極。乾元用九，乃見天則。王弼云：此一章全以天氣明之。彖傳曰：時乘六龍以御天。即乾乘六陽時也。初乘子，陽氣雖生而未出，故曰潛藏。二乘寅，陽出地上，百物思奮，故曰文明。三乘辰，百果草木，長養興起，故曰與時偕行。四乘午，陽盈於巳，消於午，陰起用事，代有終，故曰乾道乃革。其以二上變成革為說者，非也。五乘申，百果草木，至秋成熟，乾德乃見，故曰位乎天德。《廣雅》位正也，言正當天德之時也。上乘戌，陽氣將盡矣，故曰與時偕極。陽極反陰，陰極反陽，乃天道之自然，故曰乾元用九，乃見天則。則者法也，一定之理也。

"The line 'A hidden dragon does not act' refers to the concealment of yang energy; 'A dragon appears in the field' signifies the radiance and brilliance of the world; 'All day long the dragon toils' means following the sequence of time; 'Leaping in the abyss' indicates a transformation of the principle of heaven at this point; 'A dragon in the heavens' means being in the position of heavenly virtue; 'An exalted dragon brings regret' means reaching the extreme of the sequence of time; 'The principle of heaven uses all nines' shows the rule of the heavenly way. Wang Bi said: This chapter fully explains through the timing of heavenly energy. The 'Commentary on the Judgment' says 'At the right time, six dragons ride to govern the heavens,' meaning the principle of heaven rides on six yang times. The first line corresponds to the time of Zi, where yang energy has begun to sprout but has not yet emerged above the ground, hence 'hidden'; the second line corresponds to the time of Yin, where yang energy rises above the ground and all things flourish, hence 'civilization'; the third line corresponds to the time of Chen, where all fruits and plants grow and arise, hence 'following the sequence of time'; the fourth line corresponds to the time of Wu, where yang energy is full at Si and begins to wane at Wu, and yin energy arises to take over, thus marking the end of yang, hence 'the principle of heaven undergoes change'—those who interpret this by transforming the lines nine two and nine at the top into the trigram of change are wrong; the fifth line corresponds to the time of Shen, where all fruits and plants mature in autumn, and the virtue of heaven is thus revealed, hence 'standing in the position of heavenly virtue.' The 'Guangya' explains 'position' as 'correct,' meaning the correct time for heavenly virtue; the top line corresponds to the time of Xu, where yang energy is about to end, hence 'following the sequence to the extreme.' When yang reaches its peak, it returns to yin, and when yin reaches its peak, it returns to yang, which is the natural way of heaven, hence 'the principle of heaven uses all nines, thus revealing the heavenly rule.' 'Rule' means the law, the unchanging principle."

乾元者始而亨者也，利貞者性情也。乾始能以美利利天下，不言所利，大矣哉。大哉乾乎，剛健中正，純粹精也。六爻發揮，旁通情也。時乘六龍，以御天也。雲行雨施，天下平也。性之與情，清惠棟阮元姚配中洪震烜胡縉諸儒說之，可謂詳盡矣，而利貞何以謂之性情，只以六爻正成既濟為說，無能瞭解者，則以自東漢以來，於利貞之真諦不明也。《易林》中孚之坤云：符左契右，相與合齒，乾坤利貞，乳生六子。合齒者交也，即乾坤利貞也。蓋貞之為義屬冬，消息卦坤起午，至亥而為純坤，與原居亥之純乾相遇，陰牝陽，天地合德，陰陽和姤，萬物本以出生，故曰乾坤利貞，乳生六子。然則利貞之為和合明矣。故六十四卦言利貞者，二五無不交，否則卦體自相交，如中孚小過者也。彖傳曰：各正性命，保合太和。正《易林》所本也。

"The乾 yuan" refers to the way all things begin and flow through; "li zhen" speaks of nature and emotion. The principle of乾 starts by benefiting the world with good things, yet it does not specify what it benefits, which is truly great! Great indeed is乾! It is strong and vigorous, upright and just, pure and unified, refined and concentrated. The movement and change of the six lines extend to all things and their emotions. Riding the six dragons in accordance with time, it governs the heavenly way; clouds flow and rain falls, bringing peace to the world. Regarding "nature" and "emotion," scholars such as Hui Dong, Ruan Yuan, Yao Peizhong, Hong Zhenxuan, and Hu Jin of the Qing dynasty discussed them extensively; yet they only explained "li zhen" as "six lines each being correct and thus forming the completed hexagram," without truly understanding why "li zhen" is called "nature and emotion." The reason is that since the Eastern Han dynasty, the true meaning of "li zhen" has been misunderstood. In "The Forest of Changes" by Jiao Shi, the hexagram Zhong Fu's坤 says, "The symbol on the left and the symbol on the right meet, they join together,乾 and坤 benefit and be true, giving birth to six sons." "Joining together" means union, which is also "乾 and坤 benefit and be true." Originally, "zhen" in terms of meaning belongs to winter: among the twelve changing hexagrams,坤 begins in the month of Wu and becomes pure坤 in the month of Hai, meeting the pure乾 originally located at Hai. Yin and Yang meet, heaven and earth share virtue, yin and yang harmonize, and thus all things are born. Therefore, it is said, "乾 and坤 benefit and be true, giving birth to six sons." From this, "li zhen" is simply union, clearly evident. Therefore, in the sixty-four hexagrams, wherever "li zhen" is mentioned, the second and fifth lines are never without union; otherwise, it is the union within the hexagram itself, as in Zhong Fu and Xiao Guo. The Commentary on the Judgment says, "Each line is correct in its nature and destiny, preserving the great harmony," which is based on the saying in The Forest of Changes.

且夫陽之喜陰，陰之喜陽，乃天地自然之性。本其性之所喜，以陽求陰，以陰承陽而和合焉，則由性而入於情矣。情者欲也，感也。利貞者性情，即謂陰之凝陽，變化和合，乃天地固有之性情，感之極正者也。崔覲云：不雜曰純，不變曰粹。精者專一，極形容乾德之大。

Furthermore, yang loves yin and yin loves yang, which is the natural "nature" of heaven and earth. Following this inherent nature, using yang to seek yin and yin to receive yang leads from "nature" to "emotion." "Emotion" is desire and feeling. The saying "li zhen is the nature and emotion" means that yin凝聚s into yang, changes and harmonizes, which is the inherent nature and emotion of heaven and earth, and the most pure form of communication. Cui Jìn said: "Not mixed" is called "pure," "not changed" is called "pure essence"; "precision" means single-mindedness—these words all strongly describe the great virtue of Qian.

發揮者變動也，言六爻遇九六即變動也。旁，《玉篇》云：非一方也。通者感也，應也，陰陽相感故相通。《繫辭》云：探賾索隱，鉤深致遠。又曰：旁行而不流。皆謂正象之旁，尚有伏象，故曰索隱，曰鉤深，曰旁行。而震與巽相對，艮與兌相對，陰與陽絕異也，而文言曰同聲相應，同氣相求。蓋陰陽未合，有陰陽之分；陰陽既合，則和同混一而不分矣，故曰同。同則通。故易辭與易林用象，正伏常不分，而其所以能旁通之故，則仍陰陽相求相感固有之理，故曰旁通情也。時乘六龍義見前。雲行雨施，萬物亨通，故曰天下平。

"Development" refers to change, meaning that when the six lines encounter numbers nine and six, they should change. The character "旁" is said in the "Yu Pian" to mean "not confined to one side"; "communication" refers tosympathetic response and response, as yin and yang mutually attract each other, thus being able to communicate. The "Great Treatise" says "explore the hidden and seek the concealed, draw out the profound and reach the distant," and also says "proceed laterally without flowing," all referring to the fact that beside the correct image there is another hidden image (hidden image), so it is called "seeking the concealed," "drawing out the profound," and "proceeding laterally." Zhen and Xun are opposite, Gen and Dui are opposite, and yin and yang are originally completely different, but the "Wen Yan" says "similar sounds respond to each other, similar energies seek each other." This is because when yin and yang have not yet combined, there is a distinction between yin and yang; but once they have combined, they become completely unified and no longer distinguish between them, so it is called "same." Being the same allows for communication. Therefore, the images used in the "Book of Changes" and the "Jiao's Forest of Changes" do not distinguish between the correct image and the hidden image; and the reason they can communicate laterally is still based on the inherent principle of yin and yang seeking and responding to each other, so it is said "communication is based on emotion." The meaning of "time riding the six dragons" is explained in the previous text. Clouds flow and rain falls, thus enabling all things to be harmonious and smooth, so it is said "the world is peaceful."

侯果日：下繫雲兼三才而兩之，謂兩爻為一才也。初兼二地也，三兼四人也，五兼六天也。四是兼才，非正，故言不在人。朱子疑四非重剛，豈知重剛與卦位無涉，乃謂上下爻也。疑則慎，慎故無咎。

Hou Guo said: The "Great Treatise" below states "combine the three elements and divide them into two," meaning that each pair of lines constitutes one element. The first line combines with the second line, representing earth; the third line combines with the fourth line, representing human beings; and the fifth line combines with the sixth line, representing heaven. The line nine in the fourth position is exactly at the junction of two elements, so it is not in the proper position. Therefore, the "Discourse on the Changes" says it "is not in the human position." Zhu Xi doubted that nine in the fourth is not "double yang," but he did not realize that "double yang" has nothing to do with the position of the line, but refers to both the upper and lower lines being yang lines. Having doubts leads to caution, and caution leads to no mistakes.

夫大人者，與天地合其德，與日月合其明，與四時合其序，與鬼神合其吉凶。先天而天弗違，後天而奉天時。天且弗違，而況於人乎，況於鬼神乎。大人者五，五天位，二地位，上下昭列，尊卑判分，而五與二相往來，故與天地合其德。五坎位，坎月；二離位，離日；火為水妃，東西終始，故與日月合其明。夫天地日月，先天四中象也，惟大人能則之。元亨利貞，即春夏秋冬，四時之序，將來者進，成功者退，已用則賤，當時則貴，循環往來，不差不忒，故曰與四時合其序。夫震春離夏兌秋坎冬，即後天之四中象也，惟大人能兼之。

The term "great man" refers to someone whose virtue harmonizes with heaven and earth, whose brightness harmonizes with the sun and moon, whose order harmonizes with the four seasons, and whose fortune and misfortune harmonize with ghosts and spirits. He acts before the heavenly time and heaven does not contradict him; he moves after the heavenly time and follows the heavenly sequence. Even heaven does not contradict him, how much less would people or ghosts and spirits? Here, the "great man" refers to the "Nine in the Fifth" (九五). Five represents the heavenly position, and two represents the earthly position; they are clearly arranged above and below, with distinctions of honor and humility clearly defined. Moreover, five and two interact and influence each other, hence it is said, "harmonizing with the virtue of heaven and earth." In terms of the Earlier Heaven Trigrams, five occupies the position of Kan (water), which represents the moon; two occupies the position of Li (fire), which represents the sun. Fire and water are complementary, one in the east and one in the west, mutually marking the beginning and end, hence it is said, "harmonizing with the brightness of the sun and moon." Heaven, earth, sun, and moon are the four cardinal trigrams of the Earlier Heaven Trigrams, and only the great man can emulate them. Yuan, Heng, Li, and Zhen represent the four seasons: what is coming will rise, what has succeeded will decline, what has been used will be low, and what is at the right time will be high. It cycles and flows without error, hence it is said, "harmonizing with the sequence of the four seasons." In terms of the Later Heaven Trigrams, Zhen (Thunder) governs spring, Li (Fire) governs summer, Dui (Lake) governs autumn, and Kan (Water) governs winter. These are the four cardinal trigrams of the Later Heaven Trigrams, and only the great man can possess all of them.

消息卦，乾生於東，神也；坤死於西，鬼也。生則吉，死則凶。乃乾雖主生，不殺亦不能成歲功，故生死遞嬗，吉凶代更，亦惟大人能合之。先天之象，天地日月，牝牡雌雄，二儀肇分，法象自然如此，雖天亦不能違。後天之象，震兌坎離，互興迭廢，時而生，時而壯，時而老病死。人如此，物亦如此，天地亦如此。夫事而至於天不能違，人與鬼神，不待言矣。

In the context of the twelve hexagrams of the yin and yang, the trigram Qian (Heaven) is said to be born in the east and belongs to the category of 'spirit' (shen); the trigram Kun (Earth) is said to die in the west and belongs to the category of 'ghost' (gui). Birth brings good fortune, death brings misfortune. However, although Qian is associated with birth, without the process of decline and destruction, it would not be possible to complete the annual harvest. Therefore, birth and death alternate, good fortune and misfortune take turns, and only a great person can harmonize with this cycle. The image of the Earlier Heaven (Qian Tian) includes heaven, earth, sun, moon, male and female, and yin and yang. At the beginning of differentiation, the principles of the universe naturally exist in this way, and even heaven cannot contradict this — this is what is meant by 'before heaven, heaven does not contradict.' The image of the Later Heaven (Hou Tian) includes Zhen (Thunder), Dui (Lake), Kan (Water), and Li (Fire), which rise and fall alternately, supporting and declining each other. At one time they are born, at another time they flourish, at another time they age and die. Humans are like this, things are like this, and heaven and earth are like this — this is what is meant by 'after heaven, it follows the timing of heaven.' When even heaven cannot contradict, how much more so can humans and spirits not contradict it.

亢之為言也，知進而不知返，知存而不知亡，知得而不知喪。進也，存也，得也，陽之事也；退也，亡也，喪也，陰之事也。六者相對待，相循環。至上九亢極矣，極則宜變而知所返，懵不知返，故有悔也。按此專釋上九亢龍之義，兼申下文用九之故，知退即用九也。

The term "kang" refers to moving forward without knowing when to return, existing without understanding death, and gaining without realizing loss. Advancement, existence, and gain belong to the yang; retreat, death, and loss belong to the yin. These six aspects are paired opposites and also generate each other in a cycle. When reaching the Nine at the Top, the state of kang reaches its extreme. At the extreme, change is needed, and one should understand returning, but it remains unaware of returning, hence there is regret. This passage specifically explains the meaning of the Nine at the Top "kang long" and also explains the reason for "yong jiu" in the following text—understanding retreat is what is meant by "yong jiu."

其唯聖人乎。知進退存亡，而不失其正者，其唯聖人乎。此專釋用九之故也。知進復知返，知存復知亡，故用九也。見群龍無首，即知退也，即陽變陰也。故夫用之為變，觀此而益明矣。自荀虞以來，不知此節繫專釋用九之義，浮泛解釋。然文言此處舍用九不釋，是其辭未畢也。李鼎柞知此說用九，而以乾元用九，天下治也為解，仍不知知退知亡，即釋用九及無首之義。

Perhaps only the sage can understand both advancement and retreat, preservation and loss, without losing the right path. This passage specifically explains the meaning of "use nine." Knowing both progress and return, knowing both preservation and loss, therefore one must use nine. "Seeing a group of dragons with no leader" signifies understanding retreat, which is the transformation of yang into yin. Thus, "use" is "transformation." Seeing this makes it clearer. Since Xun Shuang and Yu Fan, the meaning of this passage as specifically explaining "use nine" has not been understood; they only gave general interpretations. However, if the "Wenyan" passage here omits explaining "use nine," then its meaning is incomplete. Li Dingzuo knew that this passage refers to "use nine," but he used the "Xiaoxiang" passage "The use of nine in Qian Yuan brings the world into order" to explain it, still failing to grasp that "knowing retreat" and "knowing loss" are precisely explaining "use nine" and the meaning of "no leader."

坤。元亨，利牝馬之貞。君子有攸往，先迷後得主（句）利（句），西南得朋，東北喪朋，安貞吉。元亨，謂二五也。乾元亨二五獨吉，坤亦然。元亨並無陰陽之分。虞仲翔謂坤含光大，凝乾之元，終於坤亥，出乾初子，故元亨。案彖傳曰：至哉坤元。是坤亦言元，不專屬乾。坤六五云：黃裳元吉。是其證。乾為馬，坤為牝。貞，卜問也。利牝馬之貞，即利牝馬之占也。牝馬柔順，言陰必順陽也。君子有攸往，言具坤德之君子，有所行也。惠棟端木國湖泥於坤為小人之象，謂君子指陽，非也。地道無成，故不可先，先則迷而失道，惟隨陽之後，以陽為主，則靡不利也。

The Hexagram Statement of the Earth Hexagram says: "Primordial and prosperous, favorable for divination like that of a mare. The gentleman has a journey, if he goes ahead he will lose his way, but if he follows afterwards he will find his master, which is favorable. Going to the Southwest brings friends, going to the Northeast loses friends, and being steadfast in the right course brings good fortune." (Shang's commentary breaks the sentence at the word "master" and at the word "favorable.") "Primordial and prosperous" refers to the second and fifth lines. In the Heaven Hexagram, "primordial and prosperous" is favorable only in the second and fifth lines, and the same is true for the Earth Hexagram; "primordial and prosperous" itself has no distinction of yin and yang. Yu Fan (Zhongxiang) says that the Earth Hexagram contains and conceals the great and bright, gathering the primordial energy of Heaven, finally reaching the亥 position of the Earth Hexagram, and then emerging from the initial Zi position of Heaven, hence it is called "primordial and prosperous." According to the Commentary on the Judgment, "how profound is the primordial power of the Earth," which shows that the Earth Hexagram can also be called "primordial," not exclusively belonging to Heaven. The fifth line of the Earth Hexagram says "the yellow garment and the primordial is auspicious," which is clear evidence. Heaven has the image of a horse, Earth has the image of a female, and together they form the image of a female horse. "Zhen" refers to divination, and "favorable for the divination of a female horse" means favorable for divination like that of a female horse. A female horse is gentle, indicating that yin is certainly obedient to yang. "The gentleman has a journey" means a gentleman who possesses the virtue of Earth. Hui Dong and Du Mugu Huhu were overly rigid in the image of Earth as a petty person, saying that the "gentleman" here refers to the yang lines, which is incorrect. The way of Earth does not dare to be the first, so it cannot go ahead; going ahead leads to losing the right path, only by following behind the yang and taking yang as the leader can there be no failure in any direction.

西南得朋，東北喪朋。舊解以朋字類字失詁，故鮮得解者。馬融荀爽以陰遇陰為朋，虞翻謂失之甚矣，乃用參同契，月三日出庚，震象；八日見丁方，兌象。兌二陽為朋，庚西丁南，故曰西南得朋。三十日坤象，月滅乙癸，癸北乙東，故曰東北喪朋。苦心搜索以求朋象，豈知兌之為朋，以陰遇陽，非以二陽。陽遇陽同人謂之敵剛，陰遇陰中孚謂之得敵。然則虞說與馬荀背易理等耳，然支離穿鑿，則過於馬荀矣。復曰朋來無咎，蹇九五曰：大蹇朋來。解九四曰：朋至斯孚。皆以陰得陽為朋。而坤逆行，消息卦自西而南陽日增，自東而北陽遞減，增則得朋，減則喪朋。而坤道無成，故安靜貞定則吉也。

The phrase "southwest gains friends, northeast loses friends" has been little understood by old commentators because the meaning of the character "朋" has been lost. Ma Rong and Xun Shuang interpreted "朋" as meeting of yin; Yu Fan criticized them severely and cited the "Cantong Qi": on the third day of the lunar month, the moon rises in the direction of Geng, which is the trigram Zhen (Thunder); on the eighth day, the moon appears in the direction of Ding, which is the trigram Dui (Lake). Dui has two yang lines, which Yu Fan called "friends." Since Geng is in the west and Ding is in the south, it is called "southwest gains friends." On the thirtieth day, the moon is in the trigram Kun (Earth), and its light disappears in the directions of Yi and Gui. Gui is in the north and Yi is in the east, so it is called "northeast loses friends." Yu Fan painstakingly searched for the symbolic meaning of "朋," but he did not realize that Dui is called "friends" because yin meets yang, not because it has two yang lines. When yang meets yang, the hexagram Tong Ren (Union) is called "opposition of strong yang"; when yin meets yin, the hexagram Zhong Fu (Faithful Middle) is called "meeting an opponent." This shows that Yu Fan's interpretation contradicts the principles of the Book of Changes, and is as wrong as Ma and Xun. Moreover, his interpretation is even more forced and artificial. The hexagram Fu (Reversion) says "friends come without blame," the line nine five of Jian (Obstruction) says "great obstruction, friends come," and the line nine four of Jie (Release) says "friends arrive and trust is established," all of which take meeting of yin with yang as "friends." However, the trigram Kun (Earth) moves in reverse: in the cycle of the twenty-four solar terms, yang lines increase from west to south; from east to north, yang lines gradually decrease. Increase is "gaining friends," decrease is "losing friends." The way of the earth is not to take the initiative, so it remains quiet and stable, which is auspicious.

象曰：至哉坤元，萬物資生，乃順承天。坤厚載物，德合無疆，含弘光大，品物咸亨。何休公羊傳元年注云：元者氣也。萬物資坤元以生，坤元實順天以行，故天道廣大無疆，惟坤之德能合之也。萬物皆孕毓於地，故曰含弘；萬物皆成長於地，故曰光大。光大則咸亨矣。

The Commentary on the Judgment says: Ultimate is the virtue of the Earthly Power, by which all things are generated, and it follows the Heaven. The Earth is thick and bears all things; its virtue corresponds to boundless vastness. It contains and accommodates greatly, its radiance extends widely, and thus all things are harmonious and flourishing. He Xiu's commentary on the "Gongyang Zhuan" on "the first year" says "the term 'original' refers to qi." All things are generated by the qi of the Earthly Power, which actually follows the heavenly way; the heavenly way is vast and boundless, and only the virtue of the Earth can correspond to it. All things are nurtured in the earth, hence it is said "contains and expands greatly"; all things grow on the earth, hence it is said "radiates and expands greatly"; when it expands greatly, it naturally becomes "harmonious and flourishing."

牝馬地類，行地無疆，柔順利貞，君子攸行。陰陽合為類，乾為馬，故馬與地類，而牝馬尤與地類。君子攸行者，謂柔順利貞之德，為君子所法也。九家謂乾來據坤，為君子攸行，失傳旨。

The Commentary on the Judgment says: A mare is akin to the earth, walking upon the vast expanse of the earth without limit; it is gentle and favorable for constancy, which is the virtue that the gentleman should follow. Yin and Yang combine to form a "category": The trigram Qian has the image of a horse, which is yang, while the trigram Kun represents the earth, which is yin. Therefore, the horse and the earth are a matching category, and a female horse, being yin, is especially similar to the earth. "The gentleman's journey" refers to the virtue of gentleness, smoothness, and constancy, which is the model for the gentleman. The Nine Schools of the Book of Changes say that this is because Qian occupies Kun to form "the gentleman's journey," but this misses the original meaning of the Commentary on the Judgment.

先迷失道，後順得常。西南得朋，乃與類行。東北喪朋，乃終有慶。夫曰行曰終，乃自西而南，自東而北而逆行也，非以西南東北相對待也，明矣。消息卦自西而南陽日增，故曰西南得朋。陰以陽為類，故曰乃與類行。消息卦自東而北陽遞減，故曰東北喪朋。夫事有終必有始，喪朋之地始於巳，終於亥。坤行至亥，陽喪盡而為純坤，乃反曰有慶者何也。則以周易之位，乾原居亥，純坤與純乾相遇，天地合德，萬物由此出生，故曰有慶。

The Commentary on the Judgment says: To act prematurely is to lose the right path, but to follow afterwards can attain the established order. "In the southwest, one gains companions" refers to traveling with like-minded people; "in the northeast, one loses companions" indicates that ultimately, there is fortune and blessing. The text mentions both "movement" and "end," showing that this is a direction moving westward to the south and eastward to the north, rather than considering the southwest and northeast as opposite directions. This is clearly explained. The message hexagram moves westward to the south, with the yang lines increasing day by day, hence "in the southwest, one gains companions." Yin associates with yang as its kindred, hence "it moves with its kind." The message hexagram moves eastward to the north, with the yang lines gradually decreasing, hence "in the northeast, one loses companions." All things have an end and a beginning: the phase of losing companions begins at the position of巳 and ends at亥. When the earth hexagram reaches亥, the yang has completely disappeared, forming a pure earth hexagram. Why is it then said "there is celebration"? Because according to the arrangement of the Zhou Changes, the heaven hexagram originally resides at亥. A pure earth hexagram and a pure heaven hexagram meet here, heaven and earth harmonize in virtue, and all things are thus born, hence "there is celebration."

易凡言有慶者，皆謂陰遇陽。大畜晉睽六五，皆上承陽，故皆曰往有慶。《易林》中孚之坤云：符左契右，相與合齒，乾坤利貞，乳生六子。《太玄》玄文云：入冥出冥，新故代更。皆說有慶之故也。後儒皆承用虞氏解，謂坤行至西南，月又將生明為有慶，是不知終為何處也。終者艮象亥方。《周禮》宰夫，及大司徒歲終注，皆日周季冬也。周季冬為亥月。又《爾雅·釋天》云：月在壬曰終。壬亦亥方。是終指亥方甚明。說卦云：艮成終。終於亥也。故夫洞明易理者，莫過於焦延壽與楊子云也。（焦氏易詁，有詳說，可參閱。）安貞之吉，應地無疆。坤道主靜，故曰安。《易林》云：乾坤利貞，乳生六子。安貞即利貞，利貞即天地合德，合則相感，故曰應地無疆。

In the Book of Changes, whenever it says "there is celebration," it refers to yin encountering yang: in the hexagrams Da Xu, Jin, and Kui, the line six in the fifth is above a yang line, so they all say "going brings celebration." In Jiao's Forest of Changes, the hexagram Fu changing to Kun says "the symbol on the left and the symbol on the right, they join together, the heavens and earth benefit by uprightness, and six sons are born." In Yang Xiong's Tai Xuan, Xuan Wen, it says "entering the dark and exiting the dark, the old and new take turns," which also discusses the reason for "there is celebration." Later scholars have followed Yu Fan's interpretation, saying that when the earth moves to the southwest and the moon is about to produce bright light, it is called "there is celebration," but they do not understand where "final" refers to. "Final" refers to the亥 direction, which is governed by the trigram Gen. The official of the royal court and the Grand Master of the People in the Zhou Li mention "the end of the year," and Zheng's annotations say it refers to the last month of the Zhou calendar, which is the month of亥. The Er Ya, Shì Tian, also says "when the moon is in Ren, it is called the end," and Ren belongs to the亥 direction. Clearly, "final" refers to the亥 direction. The Shuo Gua says "Gen completes the final," so the final is at亥. Therefore, those who thoroughly understand the principles of the Book of Changes have not surpassed Jiao Yanshou and Yang Xiong. (This explanation is detailed in my Jiao's Glosses on the Changes, which can be referred to.) The Commentary on the Judgment says "the auspiciousness of maintaining uprightness, responding to the earth without limits": since the坤 principle is about stillness, it is said "peaceful." The Forest of Changes says "the heavens and earth benefit by uprightness, and six sons are born," so "peaceful uprightness" is the same as "beneficial uprightness," and "beneficial uprightness" is the harmonizing of heaven and earth; once they harmonize, they respond, hence "responding to the earth without limits."

象日：地勢坤，君子以厚德載物。王弼曰：地形不順，其勢順。是王弼之本，作地勢順也。來衷曰：地有上下九等之差，故以形勢言其性。夫曰性則亦讀為順也。而皆未引說卦坤順為詁，是愈證宋王本之皆作地勢順，故不引說卦為證。蓋坤古文作◆。

The Great Image Commentary says: The form of the earth is坤 (Earth), which is characterized by順 (smoothness), so the gentleman takes it as a model, using his profound virtue to support all things. Wang Bi says, "The terrain is not smooth, but its trend is smooth," indicating that the version Wang Bi relied on reads "地势顺" (the terrain is smooth). Li Zongyi says, "The earth has nine levels of difference above and below, so in terms of its form, it has a nature." Since he mentions "性" (nature), it is also read as "顺" (smoothness). However, neither of these two scholars cite the Saying on the Trigrams, "坤, 顺也" (Earth is characterized by smoothness), to explain it. This further confirms that the versions used by Song Zhong and Wang Bi read "地势顺." Therefore, there is no need to cite the Saying on the Trigrams as evidence. Originally, the character 坤 was written in ancient text as ◆, whose upper part is the character 甾, and there is no 田 below it, as is the case in the following text.

而◆為順之※字，故宋王皆讀◆為順。自正義改作坤，而順字遂無由識。至清儒王引之等，據說卦乾健坤順之文，謂天行健即天行乾，地勢順即地勢坤。夫乾坤之為天地，不惟說卦言之，彖象傳並言之，故以天代乾，以地代坤。今不從宋王注，以坤為順之訛字（若作◆則不訛），謂天行健即天行乾，地勢順即地勢坤，是天行天、地勢地也，尚可通乎。

But ◆ is a borrowed character for "顺" (smoothness), so Song Zhong and Wang Bi both read it as "顺". Since Kong Yingda's "Justice" changed it to the modern form "坤", the meaning of "顺" can no longer be recognized. Later scholars like Wang Yinzhi of the Qing dynasty, based on the passage in "Shuogua" that "Qian represents strength, and Kun represents smoothness," argued that "the heavens act vigorously" is equivalent to "the heavens act Qian," and "the earth's terrain is smooth" is equivalent to "the earth's terrain is Kun." However, Qian and Kun represent heaven and earth, and not only does "Shuogua" say this, but also the "Commentary on the Judgment" and "Image Commentary." Therefore, the "Great Image" uses "heaven" to represent Qian and "earth" to represent Kun. Now, if we do not adopt the annotations of Song and Wang, but instead regard "Kun" as a mistaken character for "顺" (in fact, if written in ancient script as ◆, it would not be a mistake), saying "the heavens act vigorously" is equivalent to "the heavens act Qian" and "the earth's terrain is smooth" is equivalent to "the earth's terrain is Kun," would that not become "the heavens act the heavens" and "the earth's terrain is the earth"? Would that still make sense?

王又謂◆即川字，川與坤順聲近，故借川作坤，是尤不安。夫坤古作◆，是古文作◆也。隸書原以變古文之繁重，若◆字本即簡易，故隸書常因而不改。大戴禮保傅篇：易之乾◆。家語執轡篇：此乾◆之美。後漢輿服志：堯舜垂裳，蓋取諸乾◆。北史太和三年，◆德六合殿成。又坤字之見於漢碑者，無不作◆。再征之金文，周師訇敦銘云：用作◆宮寶。王陶廬云：◆即坤字。由此證◆即坤，非有所借也明矣。

Wang Yinzhi also said that it is the character "chuan." "Chuan" sounds similar to "kun" and "shun," so it was used as a substitute for "kun," but this explanation is even more confusing. The ancient form of "kun" was written as "◆," showing that "◆" itself was the ancient form of "kun." The clerical script was created to simplify the complex strokes of the ancient characters. Since "◆" was already simple, the clerical script often retained it without change. The "Da Dai Li Ji · Bao Fu Chapter" mentions "Yi's Qian ◆," the "Kongzi Jia Wu · Zhi Pui Chapter" mentions "this Qian ◆ beauty," the "Hou Han Shu · Yu Fu Zhi" mentions "Yao and Shun wore robes, taking from Qian ◆," and the "Bei Shi" records that in the third year of Taihe, the "◆ De Liu Hexi Hall" was completed. Looking at the "kun" character in Han dynasty steles, none were written as anything other than "◆." Further evidence from bronze inscriptions shows that the Zhou dynasty's Shi Hong Dun inscription says "used to make ◆ palace treasure," and Wang Tao Lu says that this "◆" is actually the character "kun." This proves that "◆" was originally "kun," not borrowed from another character, which is very clear.

引之謂順因川而得聲，愚以為順因◆而得聲，推之訓馴巡紃等字皆然。引之蓋泥於說文坤下無重◆之文，謂◆非坤本字。王陶廬云：玉篇◆下注曰古文坤字，廣韻亦曰古文以坤為◆。二書皆胚胎於說文，據此說文必有◆字，後奪之耳，不然二書不敢臆造。又云：釋文原雲◆本又作坤，坤今字；今改為坤本又作◆，◆今字，文理謬戾已極。是皆因孔氏改◆作坤，後人遂並釋文而亦改矣。

Wang Yinzhi thought that the character "shun" derives its sound from "chuan," but I believe "shun" derives its sound from "bian." Extending this reasoning, the characters xun, xun, xun, and xun also follow the same pattern. Wang Yinzhi probably adhered strictly to the "Shuowen Jiebi" which did not include "bian" as a variant form under the character "kun," hence he claimed that "bian" was not the original character for "kun." Wang Taolü said: The "Yupian" notes under the character "bian" that it is "an ancient form of 'kun,' " and the "Guangyun" also states that ancient texts used "kun" as "bian." Both works originate from the "Shuowen Jiebi," thus it can be inferred that the original "Shuowen Jiebi" must have included the character "bian," but it was later omitted; otherwise, the "Yupian" and "Guangyun" would not have fabricated it out of nowhere. He also said: The original text of the "Jingdian Xishu" reads "bian, the original form is 'kun,' and 'kun' is the modern character," but now it has been altered to "kun, the original form is 'bian,' and 'bian' is the modern character," which is absurd. All of this is due to Kong Yingda changing "bian" to "kun," and later generations consequently altered the "Jingdian Xishu" as well.

按王說是也。詩周頌有夷之行，釋文云：◆苦魂反，字亦作坤。此處釋文應同。然則坤本作◆，征之金石傳記無不然；漢本易之作地勢順，征之宋注王注亦無不然。然今本易何以訛作地勢坤，則以漢本易，坤原作◆，乃借◆為順也。何言之，順既因◆而得聲，在古文例常※借，如大壯卦以易為場，夬以次且為趑趄，小畜以血為恤，皆因其得聲之字而※借，今以◆※順，正其例耳。孔氏知◆即坤，不知◆為順之※字，遂竟改作坤矣。若宋王則皆讀作順也，以宋王本皆作◆也，作◆則人易知為順矣。其以說卦為解者，於字之沿革，盡失其義。

According to Wang TaoLu's view, it is correct. The Book of Poetry, Zhou Songs, contains the phrase "you yi zhi xing." The Classic Interpretation says, "◆, ku hun fan, the character is also written as Kun." The style of the Classic Interpretation should be the same here. Thus, Kun was originally written as ◆, and this is confirmed by inscriptions on bronze vessels and biographies. The Han dynasty version of the Book of Changes used "di shi shun," and this is also confirmed by Song Zhong's commentary and Wang Bi's commentary. Then why is the current version of the Book of Changes written as "di shi kun"? Because the original character for Kun in the Han dynasty version was ◆, and here it was borrowed to represent "shun." How do we know this? Since "shun" was obtained through the sound of ◆, in ancient texts it was common to borrow characters with the same sound. For example, in the Dazhuang hexagram, "yi" was used as "chang," in the Guai hexagram, "ci qie" was used as "zi qü," and in the Xiaoxu hexagram, "xue" was used as "xu." These are all examples of borrowing characters with the same sound. Kong Yingda knew that ◆ was Kun, but he did not know that ◆ here was a borrowed character for "shun," so he directly changed it to "kun." As for Song Zhong and Wang Bi, they read it as "shun," because their versions were written as ◆. Writing it as ◆ makes it easier for people to know it is read as "shun." Those who use the Sayings of the Hexagrams to explain this have completely lost track of the original meaning of the character.

厚德載物者坤，君子取以為法。虞仲翔必謂君子為乾亦非。又易以◆為大川，焦氏易林以◆為水，為江河淮濟，九家注蠱亦以坤地為水，邵子坤水之象之所本也。蓋◆即川字即水字，故易林復以坎為土，邵子復本之。疑古以水土為一物，能合而不能分。比曰地上有水，師曰地中有水，證以古文，稽之卦象，而益信矣。（金文水作◇，兩旁畫不連。劉澗琴云：效鼎涉作◇，殷契衍作◇，◎作◇。又永字從水，而金文作◇。是皆水字兩旁畫皆不斷，可證◆川水三字，古文皆同。）

The坤 represents the deep virtue that carries all things, and the gentleman takes it as a model. Yu Fan insisted that the "gentleman" here refers to Qian, which is incorrect. The Book of Changes uses ◆ (Kun) as "great river," and the Jiao's Forest of Changes describes ◆ as water, rivers, and the Yangtze, Huai, and Jiyi rivers. The commentary on the Gu卦 in the Nine Schools of Changes also interprets the earth (Kun) as water. Shao Yong's image of "Kun as water" is based on this. Originally, ◆ is the character "Chuan," which is also "Shui" (water); thus, the Forest of Changes reverses this and takes Kan as earth, and Shao Yong follows this approach. From this we can infer that ancient people regarded water and earth as one substance, capable of being combined but not separated. The Great Image of the Bi卦 says "water on the earth," and the Shi卦 says "water in the earth." When verified by ancient characters and compared with the hexagram images, this becomes more credible. (In bronze inscriptions, the character "water" is written as ◇, with the two strokes on either side not connected. Liu Jianqin said that the character "she" in the Xie Ding is written as ◇, the character "yan" in Yin墟 oracle bones is written as ◇, and "pu" is written as ◇. Also, the character "yong" with water is written as ◇ in bronze inscriptions. In these characters, the strokes on both sides of the water radical are not disconnected, which proves that the characters ◆, Chuan, and Shui were originally the same in ancient writing.)

初六。履霜，堅冰至。陽進陰退，陽順陰逆，故陽自七進九為老陽，陰自八退六為老陰。陰極則變，故易用六也。於卦為姤，時當夏至，一陰初生。初震爻故曰履。陰微故以霜為喻。乾為冰為堅，坤行至上當亥方，與乾相遇，故曰堅冰。言五月微陰初見，馴至亥月而極寒，必然之勢，當憬然悟也。干寶以五月無霜，謂陰氣既動，則必至於履霜，必至於堅冰者非也。霜即喻此微陰，微陰見故曰履霜，非有待於後也，其待者乃堅冰也。象日：履霜，陰始凝也（依郭京讀），馴至其道，至堅冰也。乾為堅冰，言陰生於午，至亥純坤與純乾相遇，故曰至。

The line statement for the first line (初爻) says: "Treading on thin frost, solid ice is about to come." Yang represents advancement, while Yin represents retreat. Yang progresses in a harmonious way, while Yin regresses. Therefore, Yang moves from seven to nine, becoming old Yang, and Yin moves from eight to six, becoming old Yin. When Yin reaches its extreme, it changes, so the Zhou Changes use six. In the context of the message hexagram, this line corresponds to the hexagram Gou, and the time is the summer solstice, when a single Yin begins to emerge. The first line is the Zhen line, which represents feet and movement, so it is said "to tread." The Yin energy is still very weak, so "frost" is used as a metaphor. The Qian trigram has the images of "ice" and "solidity"; the Kun trigram regresses to the upper position, which is the亥 direction, where it meets Qian, so it is said "solid ice." This means that when a slight Yin appears in May, following this trend, by the month of亥 it becomes extremely cold, which is an inevitable trend. People should be suddenly alert. Ganbao said that there is no frost in May, so he claimed that once Yin energy begins to move, it will inevitably lead to treading on frost and inevitably lead to solid ice, which is incorrect. "Frost" is a metaphor for this slight Yin. Since slight Yin has already appeared, it is said "treading on frost," not waiting for later. What is to be waited for is "solid ice." The Small Commentary says, "Treading on frost, Yin begins to condense" (according to Guo Jing's reading), "gradually following this trend, it reaches solid ice." The Qian trigram has the image of solid ice, meaning that Yin is born in the month of午, and by the month of亥, pure Kun meets pure Qian, so it is said "to reach."

六二。直方大，不習無不利。二為坤本位，坤二之利，與乾五之利同也。後人泥於乾動為直，及小往大來之文，必以直大屬之乾，於是經義遂迂曲而不得解。豈知直方大皆謂坤，彖傳文言所釋至明。文言云：直其正也。正謂二，二得位中正，故曰直。彖傳云：含弘光大。大謂坤，坤萬物資生，焉得不大。蓋方者地之體，大者地之用，而二又居中直之位，故曰直方大。後儒見象傳未言大，便疑大為衍文。然陸德明時，漢魏六朝本具在，從無謂大字衍者，況文言引亦有大字乎。陰消至二遁，前承重陽，得主有利，故不習無不利。文言釋曰：不疑其所行。正謂二承陽也。象日：六二之動，直以方也。不習無不利，地道光也。六二與九五相上下，故曰動。陰順陽，故曰地道光。

The line statement for the second line says: upright, square, and great, without needing to learn, there is nothing that is not beneficial. The second line is the fundamental position of the Earth (Kun). The advantage of the Earth at the second line is similar to the advantage of Heaven at the fifth line. Later scholars were confined by the phrase "Heaven's movement is upright" and the words "small going away, great coming in" from the Tai hexagram, insisting that "upright" and "great" belong to Heaven, thus making the meaning of the classic obscure and difficult to understand. How could they not realize that "upright," "square," and "great" all refer to the Earth? The Commentary on the Judgment and the Wenyan explain this clearly. The Wenyan says, "upright means correct"—"correct" refers to the second line, which is in the center and in the proper position, so it is called "upright." The Commentary on the Judgment says, "embracing and expanding, shining and great"—"great" refers to the Earth, since the Earth supports the growth of all things, how could it not be great? In general, "square" refers to the form of the Earth, "great" refers to its function, and since the second line is in the central and correct position, it is called "upright, square, and great." Later scholars saw that the Xiao Xiang only mentions "upright and square" but not "great," and thus doubted that the word "great" was an addition. However, during Lu Deming's time, the original versions from the Han, Wei, and Six Dynasties were still available, and no one ever claimed that the word "great" was an addition. Moreover, the Wenyan also includes the word "great" when quoting this sentence. When the yin decreases to the second line, it is the Duan hexagram. It is preceded by the heavy yang lines of the upper trigram, thus benefiting from the yang and being advantageous. Therefore, "without needing to learn, there is nothing that is not beneficial." The Wenyan explains this as "not doubting one's actions," which refers precisely to the second line following the yang line above. The Xiao Xiang says: "The movement of the second line is upright and square; without needing to learn, there is nothing that is not beneficial, because the way of the Earth shines." The second line and the fifth line are in mutual response, so it is called "movement"; yin follows yang, so it is called "the way of the Earth shines."

六三。含章可貞，或從王事，無成，有終。坤為文，故曰章。坤閉故曰含章。陰消至三否，正君子儉德避難之時，故雖有文章，含而不露，貞靜自守。荀虞謂三陽位，以陰據其上，故曰含章，後儒多從之，非也。文言釋章為美，仍坤象，非謂陽位也。否上乾為王，三承重陽，故曰從王事。三不當位故或之，與或躍在淵義同，言慎審也。陰順陽，故無敢成。成，法也，式也，言不敢作法也。陰始姤，代乾終事，故曰有終。

The line statement for the third line says: possessing hidden literary merit and being able to maintain sincerity, or assisting the king in affairs without taking credit for success, yet being able to complete the task. The hexagram of坤 has the image of "literary merit," so it is said "zhang" (literary merit);坤 also represents concealment and preservation, so it is said "hán zhang" (hidden literary merit). When the yin force reaches the third line, it is the point where the hexagram is completed, which is precisely the time for a gentleman to restrain his talents and avoid calamity. Therefore, although possessing literary merit, it remains hidden, and sincerity is maintained. Xun Shuang and Yu Fan said that the third line is a yang position occupied by a yin line, so it is called "hán zhang." Later scholars mostly followed this view, but actually it is incorrect. The "Wenyan" explains "zhang" as "beauty," which still refers to the image of坤, not the yang position. The upper trigram of the hexagram of "Pí" is Qian, which has the image of "king," and the sixth line is above the multiple yang lines, so it is said "from the king's affairs." The sixth line is a yin line in a yang position, thus it is not in the proper place, so the word "or" is added, with the same meaning as "or leap in the abyss" in the ninth line of Qian. Both indicate caution. Yin follows yang, so it does not take credit for success. "Success" refers to a standard or model, and "no success" means not daring to establish one's own standard. Yin begins in the hexagram of Gou and takes over from Qian to conclude the annual affairs, so it is said "has completion."

○按純坤無乾，王事之象何來乎。須知乾息從復始，坤消從姤始，故復姤亦為小父母。坤消至三，上乾如故也，故曰從王事。彼夫訟三曰從王事，履三曰武人為于大君，皆以上承陽，茲與之同。觀初爻曰：履霜堅冰至。言陽將以次消也。故卦雖無乾，爻辭皆視乾而繫也。先儒坐不明此理，又鮮能以易解易，故說王事皆無著。象日：含章可貞，以時發也。或從王事，知光大也。時不可，故俟時而發。或從王事，知時至矣，故曰光大。

Here we must note that in the pure坤卦 there is no乾, so where does the image of "royal affairs" come from? It should be known that the yang energy of乾 begins to arise from the复卦, and the yin decline of坤 begins from the姤卦, so the复 and 姤 hexagrams may also be called "small parents." When坤's yin declines to the third line, it becomes the 否卦, and the upper trigram of乾 remains unchanged, hence it is said "from royal affairs." The 六三 line of 讼卦 says "from royal affairs," and the 六三 line of 履卦 says "a warrior serves the great lord," both are because they are above a yang line, and here they are similar. Now look at the 初六 line saying "treading frost, firm ice comes," which refers precisely to the yang energy about to decline in order. Thus, although the坤 hexagram itself does not contain乾, its line statements are all related to乾. Earlier scholars did not understand this principle, and rarely used the Book of Changes to explain the Book of Changes, so their explanations of "royal affairs" lacked substance. The Small Commentary says: "Containing brightness, it is proper to be steadfast; it is because of the right time that it is released; 'from royal affairs' is knowing the time has come, hence it is called 'great radiance.'" When the time is not right, one must wait for the right time to act; "from royal affairs" means knowing the time has arrived, hence it is called "great radiance."

六四。括囊，無咎無譽。坤為囊。楊子方言：括，關閉也。坤閉故曰括囊。陰消至四八月觀，天地將閉塞矣。陰在三否，陰陽平均，故或從王事；至四則陰盛陽衰，時不可矣，故括囊，言無所表著也。無與於世，故無咎譽。象日：括囊無咎，慎不害也。慎故無咎，不害即無咎也。

Line 64: The line statement is like closing a bag and keeping oneself concealed, neither committing faults nor receiving praise. The hexagram坤 (Earth) has the image of a bag; Yang Xiong's "Dialects" says "kua means to close." Since坤 governs closure and concealment, it is said "kua nang" (closing a bag). When yin reaches the fourth line, it is the eighth month of the hexagram Guan (Observation), and the energies of heaven and earth are about to be closed off. When yin was at the third line, it was balanced with yang, with equal numbers and equal strength, so it could "follow the king's affairs." But by the fourth line, yin has become dominant and yang has declined, and the timing is no longer favorable, so it is necessary to "close the bag," meaning to stop showing oneself. Since it does not participate in worldly affairs, it neither commits faults nor receives praise. The "Small Image" says "closing the bag brings no fault, because being cautious avoids harm," meaning that being cautious leads to no fault, and "not being harmed" is "no fault."

六五。黃裳元吉。坤為裳，色黃，故曰黃裳。坤為下，裳得下飾。五位正中，黃者中色，故曰黃裳元吉。元者善之長，五位極尊，故曰元。元謂五，大有鼎皆曰元吉，皆謂六五。毛奇齡謂五降二承乾為元吉，以元專屬乾，非也。象曰：黃裳元吉，文在中也。坤為文，黃裳文飾，言所以吉者，以居中位也。

The Line Statement of the fifth line says: "Yellow lower garment, great auspiciousness." The trigram坤 (Kun) has the image of a "garment," and坤 also governs the color yellow, hence "yellow garment." Since坤 is at the lower position, the garment is indeed the clothing worn on the lower body. The fifth line is in the center of the upper trigram, and yellow is the central color among the five colors, hence "yellow garment brings great auspiciousness." "Yuan" refers to the beginning of all virtues, and the fifth line holds an extremely exalted position, hence it is called "Yuan" — "Yuan" refers specifically to the fifth line. Both the Great Possession hexagram and the Cauldron hexagram mention "Yuan auspiciousness," which also refers to the fifth line. Mao Qilin argued that "Yuan auspiciousness" occurs only when the fifth line descends to the second position to support the乾 (Qian) yang, thereby attributing "Yuan" exclusively to Qian. This is incorrect. The Small Image says, "Yellow garment brings great auspiciousness, because virtue is in the center." The trigram坤 has the image of "virtue," and the yellow garment is the attire of elegance and refinement. This means that its auspiciousness comes from its position in the center.

上六。龍戰于野，其血玄黃。陰至上六，坤德全矣，故萬物由以出生，然孤陰不能生也。荀爽云：消息之位，坤在於亥，下有伏乾，陰陽相和，故曰龍戰于野。坤為野，龍者陽。說文壬下云：易曰龍戰于野，戰者接也。乾鑿度云：乾坤合氣戌亥。合氣即接。九家云：玄黃天地之雜。言乾坤合居。夫曰相和，曰合氣，曰合居，則戰之為和合明矣，皆與許詁同也。而萬物出生之本由於血，血者天地所遺氤氳之氣，天玄地黃，其血玄黃者，言此血為天地所和合，故能生萬物也。易林說此云（中孚之坤）：符左契右，相與合齒，乾坤利貞，乳生六子。夫曰符契，曰合齒，則乾坤接也，即龍戰于野也。消息卦，坤亥下即震子出，故曰乳生六子。彖傳云：乃終有慶。慶此也。

The line statement for the sixth line at the top says: A dragon meets and unites in the wild, and the blood that flows is a mixture of dark blue and yellow. When yin reaches the sixth line at the top, the virtue of坤 is complete, so all things are born from this. However, isolated yin cannot produce life. Xun Shuang says: According to the position of the changing hexagrams,坤 is at the亥 position, with乾 hidden beneath it. Yin and yang are in harmony here, so it is said 'a dragon fights in the wild.'坤 has the image of 'wild,' and 'dragon' refers to yang. The Shuowen Jiezi says under the character 'Ren' that the Book of Changes says 'a dragon fights in the wild,' where 'fights' means 'to meet.' The Qian Zao Du says 'the qi of乾 and坤 combine at Xu and Hai,' and 'combining qi' means 'to meet.' The Jiā Jiā Yì says 'Xuan Huang is the mixed colors of heaven and earth,' meaning that乾 and坤 are together in one place. Since it says 'harmony,' 'combining qi,' and 'living together,' 'fight' clearly means 'harmony,' and this is consistent with Xu Shen's explanation. The fundamental reason for the birth of all things is 'blood': blood is the misty qi left by heaven and earth; the color of heaven is dark blue, and the color of earth is yellow, so 'its blood is dark blue and yellow' means that this blood is formed by the harmony of heaven and earth, thus able to produce all things. In the Forest of Changes by Jiao Shi, the hexagram Zhong Fu with坤 explains this line: 'The symbol on the left and the symbol on the right meet and connect,乾 and坤 benefit from uprightness, and they give birth to six sons.' It says the symbols meet and the teeth bite, meaning that乾 and坤 meet, which is 'a dragon fights in the wild.' According to the changing hexagrams,坤 is at the亥 position, and immediately following is Zhen at the Zi position, so it is said 'giving birth to six sons.' The Commentary on the Judgment says 'there is finally a celebration,' and what is celebrated is precisely this.

惟荀與九家，皆以血為陰，仍違易旨。易明言天地雜，則血非純陰可知，純陰則離其類矣，胡能生物。至侯果謂陰盛似陽，王弼干寶謂陰盛逼陽，陽不堪故戰，以戰為戰爭。後孔穎達朱子，因經言戰又言血，疑陰陽兩傷者，皆夢囈語也。清儒獨惠士奇用許說謂戰者接也，陰陽交接，卦無傷象，識過前人遠矣。象日：龍戰于野，其道窮也。陰至上六而極，故曰窮。窮盡也。

Only Xun Shuang and the Nine Schools of the Book of Changes regarded "blood" as yin, which still contradicts the original intent of the Book of Changes. The Book of Changes clearly states that the colors of heaven and earth are mixed, indicating that blood is not purely yin. If something were purely yin, it would have separated from its counterpart and could not produce life. As for Hou Guo's view that yin is as strong as yang, and Wang Bi and Gan Bao's idea that excessive yin forces yang, leading yang to be unable to withstand and thus they fight, all these interpretations take "war" as actual warfare. Later, Kong Yingda and Zhu Xi, because the text mentions both "war" and "blood," doubted that it refers to mutual destruction of yin and yang—these are all nonsense. Among Qing dynasty scholars, only Hui Shiqi adopted Xu Shen's view, considering "war" as union, and that yin and yang are meeting here, with no image of injury in the hexagram, which is a far-sighted insight beyond previous scholars. The Small Commentary says, "The dragon fights in the fields, its way is exhausted": when yin reaches the top hexagram, it is said to be "exhausted"; "exhausted" means complete.

用六。利永貞。此亦明筮例也。八六皆陰，今遇陰，胡以只言六不言八，則以六為用而變七也。利永貞，申用六之故也。六何以必變，六為老陰，陰極不返，則太柔矣。又言曰：貞固足以乾事。永貞則健而陽矣，故象曰以大終。大者陽，言陰極則變陽也。象曰：用六永貞，以大終也。陽大陰小，以大終者，言陰極必返陽也。舊解因不知用六義意，故說大終，無有當者。

Use of Six: It is favorable to maintain constancy and uprightness over a long period. This is explaining the general principle of divination. Both eight and six are yin numbers, yet when encountering a yin line in divination, we only mention six and not eight. This is because the Zhou Changes use six as the active number for change; encountering six leads to change, while encountering eight does not. This is similar to the principle that encountering nine (a yang number) leads to change, while encountering seven does not. The phrase 'favorable for long uprightness' explains the use of six. Why must six necessarily change? Six is old yin. When yin reaches its extreme, if it does not return, it becomes too weak. The Wenyan says, 'uprightness and firmness are sufficient for undertaking affairs.' Being able to maintain constancy and uprightness for a long time transforms it into something yang and strong. Therefore, the Xiaoxiang says, 'using six and maintaining uprightness leads to a great conclusion.' 'Great' refers to yang, meaning that when yin reaches its extreme, it must return to yang. Old interpretations failed to understand the meaning of using six, so none of the explanations of 'great conclusion' were accurate.

文言曰：坤至柔而動也剛，至靜而德方，後得主而有常，含萬物而化光。坤道其順乎，承天而時行。坤柔動剛，義與用六大終同，言坤雖至柔，遇六則變陽矣，故曰動剛。後得主而有常者，言最後變六為陽，以陽為主也。

The Wenyan says: The Earthly Trigram is extremely gentle and yielding, but when it moves, it becomes strong; it is extremely quiet, yet its virtue is upright. Only after obtaining the master does it have a constant pattern, containing and nurturing all things, thus achieving great extension. The way of the Earthly Trigram is roughly "yielding." It supports Heaven and follows the timing. "The Earthly Trigram is extremely gentle, yet when it moves, it becomes strong," which is the same meaning as "using all six to achieve great completion." This means that although the Earthly Trigram is extremely gentle, when it encounters six, it becomes yang, hence "when it moves, it becomes strong." "After obtaining the master, it has a constant pattern" means that after six becomes yang, it takes yang as the main element.

積善之家，必有餘慶；積不善之家，必有餘殃。臣弒其君，子弒其父，非一朝一夕之故，其所由來者漸矣，由辯之不早辯也。易曰：履霜堅冰至。蓋言順也。坤為積為殃為惡，故曰不善。坤多故曰餘。又為臣子為弒為夕，君父則指乾也。坤消陽故曰弒君父。此正申明履霜堅冰至之理。陰在姤至微耳，積之不已，則陽可全消，其禍有不可勝言者，故曰餘殃。餘者多也，此本世界之公理，人事之自然，而李鼎祚忽以夫子不語怪力亂神為疑，若餘慶餘殃，有類於神道感應之說者，真可謂汙衊聖言，不識語旨矣。

The Wenyan says: Those who accumulate good deeds will surely have abundant blessings; those who accumulate evil deeds will surely have abundant calamities. A minister killing his sovereign, or a son killing his father, are not things that happen in a single day; their origins are gradual accumulations. It is only because at the time of discernment, they were not recognized in time. The Book of Changes says, "Treading on frost, the ice comes to be," which explains precisely this principle of gradual development. The hexagram Kun has the images of "accumulation," "calamity," and "evil," so it is said to be "not good." Kun represents multiplicity, so it is said to have "excess." Kun also has the images of "minister," "son," "murder," and "evening," while "sovereign" and "father" refer to Qian. Kun's retreat of the yang lines is said to represent "murdering the sovereign and father." This is precisely explaining the meaning of "Treading on frost, the ice comes to be": Yin energy is extremely weak at the time of Gou, but if it continues to accumulate, it can eventually consume all the yang. The resulting calamities are endless, so it is said "excess calamity." "Excess" means abundance. This is the common principle of the world and the natural course of human affairs. Li Dingzuo suddenly questions Confucius' silence on supernatural phenomena, as if "excess blessings" and "excess calamities" are akin to the doctrine of divinesympathetic response. This can truly be called a defamation of the sage's words and a failure to understand the meaning within the words.

漸，孔疏云：徐而不速謂之漸。辯，說文判也，別也，謂宜別之於先也。順與循同義，蓋言順者，仍循其道則至堅冰之意。荀爽謂臣順君命而成之，背經旨，不可從。（文言釋初六噓吸經髓，超妙絕倫，使人惕然省，憬然悟。釋上六祇以陰凝陽天玄地黃，逗露坤地生物之本，由於天地交，而總不明言，仍還經文崑崙語氣。由此見聖人之言，寧使人不易知，而不能不文。太玄云：不約則其旨不詳，不要則其應不博，不沈則其意不見。真能窺見載道之故者哉。）

The character "jiàn" (gradual) is explained by Kong Yingda as "slow and not quick is called gradual." The character "biàn" (discern) is defined in the Shuowen Jiezi as "to distinguish and separate," meaning that one should discern clearly at the beginning of things. "Shùn" (smooth) and "xún" (follow) have the same meaning; the phrase "gai yan shun ye" means that following the same path will eventually lead to solid ice. Xun Shuang said this refers to a minister obeying the king's command and promoting the matter, but this contradicts the original meaning of the text and should not be followed. The Wenyan interpretation of "Chu Liush" (Six at the Beginning) captures the essence of the text with every breath and sigh, being profound and unparalleled, prompting vigilance and sudden realization. In contrast, the interpretation of "Shang Liush" (Six at the Top) only uses a few phrases such as "yin ning yu yang" (yin consolidates yang) and "tian xuan di huang" (heaven is dark and earth is yellow), hinting at the fundamental nature of the earth's ability to produce life through the union of heaven and earth, yet it never explicitly states this, maintaining the original text's holistic and reserved tone. This shows that sages prefer to make things difficult to understand rather than fail to be refined and reserved in their expression. The Tai Xuan says "if not concise, its meaning will not be clear; if not restrained, its response will not be broad; if not profound, its meaning will not be seen"—these words truly reveal the reason why words carry the Way.

直其正也，方其義也。君子敬以直內，義以方外。敬義立而德不孤。直方大，不習無不利，則不疑其所行也。直則不撓，故曰直其正，言二中正也，方則不詭隨，放曰方其義，言不苟同也。正直發於心，故曰直內。內直則必敬矣，故曰敬以直內。義方以接物，故曰方外。外方則無不宜矣，故曰義以方外。敬義之德立於下，五陽應於上，故德不孤。蓋陰消至二遁，前承重陽，二五應予，乾先坤後，陽唱陰和，得主有利，故不疑其所行。（舊解祇惠棟知以二五相應說不孤，最為卓識。）

The Wenyan says: "Straight" refers to its uprightness, and "square" refers to its righteousness. A gentleman uses reverence to correct his inner self and uses righteousness to regulate external affairs; when reverence and righteousness are established, virtue will not be isolated. "Straight, square, and great, without repetition there is no disadvantage" means that one no longer doubts his actions. Uprightness is not bent, so it is said "straight is its uprightness," referring to the second line being in the middle and upright. Squareness is not capricious, so it is said "square is its righteousness," referring to not being hasty to follow others. Uprightness comes from the inner self, so it is said "straight within." When the inner self is upright, it must be reverent, so it is said "reverence leads to uprightness within." Using righteousness to regulate external matters, so it is said "square outside." When external affairs are square, there is no inappropriateness, so it is said "righteousness regulates outside." Reverence and righteousness are established in the lower position (the second line), and the yang of the fifth line above corresponds with it, so it is said "virtue is not isolated." Because yin is eliminated at the second line, it becomes the Duan hexagram. The second line is supported by multiple yang lines above, and the second and fifth lines correspond. The trigram Qian comes first, and the trigram Kun comes later. Yang initiates and yin responds, gaining yang as the main force, which is advantageous, so one no longer doubts his actions. (Among old annotations, only Hui Dong understood the explanation of "not isolated" through the correspondence between the second and fifth lines, showing the most insightful understanding.)

陰雖有美，含以之以從王事，弗敢成也。地道也，妻道也，臣道也。地道無成，而代有終也。陽革於午，陰代陽用事，以訖於亥，故曰代有終。凡終皆謂亥。彖傳曰：乃終有慶。說卦曰：萬物之所成終。終皆謂亥。內經與莊子，所謂天門者此也。自復子至乾巳皆成事，陽主之，故地道無成。自姤午至坤亥皆終事，陰主之，故曰代有終，言代陽終事也。終字從冬，言一年之事，至亥冬而終也（子即陽復）。故艮居亥而艮即為終。成者法也式也。周禮天官太宰，五曰官成以經邦治。注：官成謂官府之成事品式。又秋官士師掌士之八成。注：八成猶八法。然則成者法也。地道無成者，謂坤柔不敢先創為法式，只能代陽終事也。成與終虛實先後，絕對不同。漢宋衷以成名為說，清惠棟謂成與終同義。夫成與終義誠可通，但此曰無成，曰有終，則判然二事，不得混同也。

The Wenyan says: Although yin has virtue, it must conceal itself and assist the sovereign in affairs, not claiming its own merit. This is the way of earth, the way of wife, and the way of minister. The way of earth does not dare to create laws, but instead completes the final matters on behalf of heaven. Yang changes in the month of Wu, and yin takes over to govern until the month of Hai, so it is said, "there is a substitution and completion." Whenever the term "completion" is used, it refers to the position of Hai. The Commentary on the Judgment says, "there is a completion and celebration," the Sayings of the Hexagrams say, "the completion of all things," and "completion" in both cases refers to Hai. The Inner Canon and the Zhuangzi refer to "the gate of heaven," which also refers to this position. From the position of Zi (the month of复, Rebirth) to the position of Si (the month of 乾, Heaven), these belong to the stage of "completing affairs," which is governed by yang, so it is said, "the way of earth has no completion." From the position of Wu (the month of 姤, Meeting) to the position of Hai (the month of 坤, Earth), these belong to the stage of "completing affairs," which is governed by yin, so it is said, "there is a substitution and completion," meaning that yin takes over to complete the affairs. The character "终" (completion) contains "冬" (winter), meaning that the affairs of a year end at the month of Hai, the winter time (the month of Zi is when yang begins to return). Therefore, the trigram Gen (Mountain) is located at the position of Hai, and thus Gen has the meaning of "completion." "Completion" refers to law and pattern. The Zhou Li, Tian Gao (Minister of the Palace), states that the fifth duty is "offices of completion," which is used to govern the state and manage affairs. Zheng's commentary says, "offices of completion refer to the established examples and patterns of the government offices." Again, the Autumn Officials, Shi Shi (Master of the Commoners), states that "the master of the eight completions," and the commentary says, "the eight completions are like the eight laws." Thus, "completion" refers to law. "The way of earth has no completion" means that the nature of坤 (earth) is gentle and submissive, so it does not dare to first create laws and patterns, but can only substitute for yang to complete affairs. "Completion" and "completion" are one abstract and one concrete, one first and one later, absolutely different. The Han dynasty scholar Song Zhong explained it as "fame and completion." The Qing dynasty scholar Hui Dong said that "completion" and "completion" have the same meaning. Although the meanings of "completion" and "completion" can be connected, here one says "no completion" and the other says "there is completion," clearly referring to two different things, which cannot be confused.

天地變化，草木蕃；天地閉，賢人隱。易曰：括囊無咎無譽。蓋言謹也。陰消至四八月觀，由元亨而入利貞，天地之氣將變易矣。觀下坤為茅茹為草，巽為木，坤閉艮止，故曰草木蕃。蕃與藩通，詩大雅四國於蕃是也。又周禮地官大司徒，九曰蕃樂。注：杜子春讀蕃樂為藩樂，謂閉藏樂器而不作。賈疏：藩謂藩閉。然則草木蕃者，言草木至八月而生氣藩閉也。自漢以來，無不以蕃息為解，豈知此與下天地閉賢人隱，平列為證，以釋括囊之義，若作蕃息，與括囊何涉乎。乾彖傳云：乾道變化，各正性命，保合太和乃利貞。言元亨時過，利貞時至也，故曰變化，此變化與彼變化同也。變化之徵，在物則草木黃落，在天則陽氣閉藏，在人則賢哲隱遁。謹，慎也，釋括囊之故也。

The Wenyan says: When the qi of heaven and earth changes, grass and trees also become enclosed and restrained; when heaven and earth are closed off, the virtuous retreat. The Book of Changes says, "Draw the bag, no blame, no praise," which refers to being cautious. When yin reaches the fourth line, it is the eighth month of the Guan hexagram, transitioning from the "originally prosperous" stage to the "favorable to be firm" stage, indicating that the qi of heaven and earth is about to change. The lower trigram of Guan is坤 (Kun), which symbolizes "mossy grass" and "grass"; the upper trigram is Xun, which symbolizes "wood." Since Kun represents closure and Gen represents stillness, it is said "grass and trees flourish." "Fan" and "Fan" are interchangeable. In the "Great Ya" of the Book of Songs, "four countries in Fan" uses this meaning; in the "Da Simu" of the Rites of Zhou, "nine is Fan music," where Du Zichun reads "Fan music" as "Fen music," meaning to store musical instruments without playing them. Jia Gongyan's commentary says "Fan means to close off." Thus, "grass and trees flourish" refers to grass and trees gathering their qi for concealment in August. Since the Han dynasty, people have interpreted this as "proliferation," but they do not realize that this sentence is parallel to the next "heaven and earth close, the virtuous retreat," both explaining the meaning of "draw the bag." If interpreted as proliferation, how does it relate to "draw the bag"? The Commentary on the Judgment of the Qian hexagram says, "The way of Qian changes, each establishes its destiny, preserving the great harmony is favorable to be firm," meaning that the time of "originally prosperous" has passed and the time of "favorable to be firm" has arrived, so it is called "change." The sign of change is that in things, grass and trees wither and fall; in heaven, yang qi retreats; in people, the virtuous retreat. "Cautious" means careful, which explains the meaning of "draw the bag."

君子黃中通理，正位居體，美在其中，而暢於四支，發於事業，美之至也。地色黃，黃中色，五中位，故曰黃中。玉篇理文也，坤為文，故曰理。黃中通理者，言由中發外，有文理可見也。正位居體，即體居正位。坤為體為事業，言有黃中之德者，身必潤，事業必成也。

The Wenyan says: A gentleman possesses the virtue of yellow in the center and understands the principles of culture and order. He resides in the correct position and maintains his body in a stable state. His virtue is contained within his heart, expressed through his limbs, and manifested in his career. This is the perfection of beauty. The color of the earth is yellow, and yellow is the central color among the five colors. The fifth line is also the central position of the upper trigram, so it is called "yellow in the center." The Yu pian says "li means culture," and the trigram Kun has the image of "culture," so it is called "li." "Yellow in the center and understanding principles" refers to the virtue originating from the heart and manifesting outward in a visible form of culture and order. "Residing in the correct position and maintaining the body" means the body is in the correct position. The trigram Kun has the images of "body" and "career," meaning that a person with the virtue of yellow in the center will certainly have a moist and nourished body and will certainly achieve success in his career.