The Qian Yuan Record of Ordered Institutions: The Function of the Qian Way and King Wen’s Receiving the Mandate

乾：元亨利貞，道之用也。微明所接，德由備也。道之用者，道之所起也。備乾為天，天幽微萌明之，道之所也。德由是故備，謂經稱元亨利貞也。

The chapter opens by citing the hexagram statement of Qian in the Zhou Changes: yuan, heng, li, zhen (元亨利貞). The apocryphal text says: these four virtues are the function of the Way; from the hidden and minute to the manifest, the two ends meet, and virtue is thereby complete. What follows is Zheng Xuan’s commentary—by “the function of the Way” is meant the place from which the Way arises. Qian (乾) symbolizes Heaven; the way of Heaven, from hidden obscurity putting forth into the manifest, is precisely where the Way resides. Virtue is thereby complete, referring to what the classic calls yuan, heng, li, and zhen. Among the four virtues, yuan is the beginning of the ten thousand things, heng is opening-through, li is each obtaining what is fitting, and zhen is holding to the correct and remaining firm; the weft books take them as four links in the movement of the heavenly way, and also as the four virtues a ruler who receives the mandate must possess. This book is a fragmentary chapter gathered from other works; the main text and Zheng’s notes are often set down mixed together, and the reader must take care to distinguish them.

文王比隆興，始霸，文王比德於乾之隆盛，謂其龍德，長人以善，通其嘉會，利之義，乾之以正，始霸四方，被江漢之士。伐崇作靈臺，受赤雀丹書，稱王制命，示天意。入戊午蔀二十九年，時赤雀銜丹書而命之。按《詩，文王篇》孔穎達正義引此文作《是類謀》。又引注稱鄭康成，今故據以為康成所注。又上文“興始霸”原本作“興起霸”，今亦據正義文改。

The apocryphal text says: King Wen compared his virtue to the flourishing of the Qian way and arose, and began to act as overlord. Zheng Xuan notes: King Wen matched his own virtue to the flourishing of the Qian way, meaning he possessed the dragon-virtue of which the Wenyan zhuan (文言傳) speaks—nurturing others by the way of goodness is “yuan”; gathering the many excellences and making them flow is “heng”; enabling each to obtain what is fitting is the meaning of “li”; holding to the correct by the Qian way is “zhen.” He therefore began to act as overlord in the four quarters, and his virtue reached the people between the Jiang and the Han. He campaigned against the Marquis of Chong, built the Spirit Terrace, received the cinnabar writing brought by the red sparrow, took the title of king and issued commands, in order to make Heaven’s intent plain. The matter fell in the twenty-ninth year of entering the Wuwu bu (戊午蔀); at that time a red sparrow came carrying a cinnabar writing to confer the mandate upon him. At the end of the passage is the compiler’s note: when Kong Yingda’s Correct Meaning of Mao’s Odes, “King Wen” in the Daya, cites this passage, it titles it Shi lei mou (是類謀), and the notes it cites are ascribed to Zheng Kangcheng, so it is now on that basis fixed as Zheng Xuan’s commentary; the earlier “xing shi ba” originally read “xing qi ba,” and has also been corrected by what the Correct Meaning cites. A “bu” is a calendrical unit of seventy-six years used in the ancient calendar; the weft books use it to mark the year of receiving the mandate.

序錄著卦，科合謀。序錄，序王錄，著卦為六十四卦，經科設王令之卦。言道深微幽虛恢。深微幽虛，言純精無形。恢，大也。乾一言糺圖侯，此一言乾一守，糺猶正。侯要終也。按此注疑有脫誤。神爛天地塞。塞，滿。言乾之神明爛然，滿天地之間也。

The apocryphal text says: set in order the royal records, make the hexagram-images plain, divide by articles and join them to Heaven’s plan. Zheng Xuan notes: “xu lu” is arranging the sequence of the sovereigns’ recorded mandates; “zhu gua” is making plain the sixty-four hexagrams, and by articles establishing the hexagrams a king ought to follow. The apocryphal text says: the Way is deep, minute, hidden, empty, and vast. Zheng Xuan notes: deep, minute, hidden, and empty means the Way is pure essence without form; “hui” is glossed as great. The apocryphal text says: Qian by one word corrects the charts and the rank of the lords. Zheng Xuan notes: this sentence says Qian takes “one” as that which it keeps; “jiu” is like “to correct,” and “hou” is to bring the end to completion. The compiler notes: this comment is suspected of having omissions and errors. The apocryphal text says: the spirit-brightness is brilliant and fills Heaven and Earth. Zheng Xuan notes: “sai” is to fill; it means Qian’s spirit-brightness, brilliant, fills the space between Heaven and Earth. These articles all speak of the Qian way as without form yet everywhere present, and prepare the ground for pairing hexagrams with the calendar and using hexagrams to watch the qi (氣) below.

文王用其不倦，武發修其質素，周公用其節序，三聖首乾德，各就乾元利貞每遺，夕惕若厲，懼後戒。言三聖俱首乾德，而所有同異，厚當為亨。文王自朝至於日昃。不遑暇食，是乾乾不倦。武王承而行之，不敢有加，是乾之質素。周公制禮作樂，光文武之業，是乾之節厚。六，長人以善，嘉會通禮。利，慎於義，幹事能正。六德靡悔，戰戰兢兢，三聖同之也。按“節序”據注應作“節厚”。

The apocryphal text says: King Wen used the Qian way and was diligent without tiring; King Wu, Ji Fa, cultivated its plainness; the Duke of Zhou used its measure and thickness; the three sages all took the Qian virtue as their head, each accomplishing Qian’s yuan, heng, li, and zhen without omission, wary day and night as if facing danger, fearing only to leave later generations in error. Zheng Xuan notes: this means the three sages alike took the Qian virtue as their head, yet what each possessed had both sameness and difference; the character “hou” should be “heng.” King Wen was busy from dawn until the sun declined, and had no leisure to eat: this is the untiring of Qian nine in the third, “all day qianqian.” King Wu inherited and carried it out, not daring to add anything: this is the plainness of the Qian way. The Duke of Zhou made the rites and the music, and enlarged the work of Wen and Wu: this is the measure and thickness of the Qian way. The so-called six virtues: nurturing others by the way of goodness, gathering the many excellences and communicating with ritual; “li” is being careful about what is right; in handling affairs one can obtain the correct. The six virtues without regret, fearful and trembling—on this the three sages are at one. The closing note that by the commentary “jie xu” should be “jie hou” is the compiler’s collation. “Evening apprehension as if in danger” comes from the line-statement of Qian nine in the third; the weft book borrows it to speak of the wary heart of a lord who has received the mandate.

是類摘表，甄符應，合命精克，慎不合。甄絕三聖，俱知天命，能挺興衰之表象及瑞之所應合。明天命精微之道極，慎不合道也。鉤□紀錄，興亡授度。效，驗。言天能鉤驗五精，記其次弟興亡，天人皆受法度。或為授。天子必思易，先知萬世為國著柄。柄本要也。

The apocryphal text says: take the appearances by kind, distinguish the responses of the tallies of mandate, make them agree with the minute essence of Heaven’s mandate, and beware of disagreement. Zheng Xuan notes: the three sages could all distinguish the ultimate and understand Heaven’s mandate, and could raise the appearances of rise and decline and the places where auspicious omens respond; this is the extreme of understanding the minute way of Heaven’s mandate, cautiously preventing disagreement with the Way. The apocryphal text says: hook and examine the records, rise and fall each conferring its measure. Here the base text has a missing character, written “hook □ the records,” which is copied as it stands and not filled. Zheng Xuan notes: “xiao” is glossed as to verify; it means Heaven can hook and verify the essences of the five directions, record the sequence of their rise and fall, and Heaven and men both receive their measure from this; one text has “shou” for “xiao.” The apocryphal text says: the Son of Heaven must ponder the principle of the Changes, know in advance the affairs of ten thousand ages, and establish a root for the state. Zheng Xuan notes: “bing” is the fundamental essential. These three articles place the Changes as the root of governing the state, and are the general thread of this chapter.

察之在，失之去，每云天命在主摽操。存在去亡操行，主王之存亡，天命要主之所行，用道興王也。六十四卦，各括精受節，以曆紀道。括從□精受節，謂各用事於諸月以應。紀明天道，謂寒□之節與藏者也。

The apocryphal text says: if one examines, Heaven’s mandate remains; if one loses the Way, Heaven’s mandate departs; it is always said that Heaven’s mandate is tied to the conduct the ruler raises and holds. Zheng Xuan notes: remaining or departing, staying or going, all depend on conduct; the remaining or perishing of a ruler, Heaven’s mandate, depends only on what the ruler does; if he can use the Way he can raise a king. The apocryphal text says: the sixty-four hexagrams each gather essence and receive the junctions of the seasons, and are used to record the heavenly way by the numbers of the calendar. Zheng Xuan notes: here the base text has a missing character, written “gather from □ essence and receive the junctions”; the meaning is that each hexagram takes office in its several months in order to correspond. Recording and making plain the heavenly way refers to the junctions of cold and heat and the matter of closing and storing; one character here is also damaged and is copied as above. This article is the general opening of the teaching below that pairs hexagram-qi (卦氣) with the months and uses hexagrams to watch the qi: the sixty-four hexagrams are allotted in order among the days and months of a year, each hexagram being on duty for a certain number of days, and the cold, warmth, wind, and rain over which the hexagram on duty presides become the evidence by which one verifies whether the heavenly way has lost its order.

因象著命取佐，書以州土之運。次沖伍，因象著命，謂敘其世數及名姓，取佐捉下□，皆以州土之運，以之卦於土，各有卦分相當，衡亭行為位之。按此注□有脫誤。一歲十二月，三百六十五日四分度之一，文宜言四分文宜言“四分日之一”。一日行一度，因言度。

The apocryphal text says: by the hexagram-images make Heaven’s mandate plain and select assistants, and record them by the sequence of the fortunes of the regional soils. Zheng Xuan notes: next are the positions of mutual opposition and of grouping in fives. By “making the mandate plain by the images” is meant narrating the number of generations and the names of those who receive the mandate; selecting assistants and holding those below—here the base text has a missing character—all take the sequence of the fortunes of the regional soils as the standard, pairing hexagrams with the soils, each having a corresponding hexagram-share, weighing them even and fixing their directions. The compiler notes: the missing place in this comment is suspected of having omissions and errors. The apocryphal text says: a year has twelve months, in all three hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter. Zheng Xuan notes: the main text should read “a quarter of a day” and by error has “a quarter of a du”; because the heavenly body travels one du in a day, the word “du” is carried on. The heavenly body travels one du a day, and in a year of three hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter of a day it completes the circuit of Heaven: this is the basic datum of the Han quarter-remainder calendar, and the hexagram-qi fractions below are all derived from it.

餘二十，餘，小餘，即上四分度之一分數。四分一日，以為八十分二十為之四分一日以為大分，則八十，以為小分，則十二，小分四為一大分。消息十二月，月居六日七分。十二月居七十三日一百八十分，居四分。缺三公十二月月居六日七分十二月居七十三日一百八十分四分按此下尚應有九卿一條，方合五德之數，□有脫文也。

The apocryphal text says: remainder twenty. Zheng Xuan notes: “remainder” means the small remainder, that is, the fraction produced from the quarter of a day above. The apocryphal text says: divide a day into four, take it as eighty parts, of which twenty make one part. Zheng Xuan notes: if one quarter of a day is counted as a large part it is eighty; if counted as a small part it is twelve; four small parts make one large part. The apocryphal text says: the twelve xiaoxi (消息, waxing-and-waning) hexagrams are allotted to the twelve months, each month occupying six days and seven parts; the twelve months together occupy seventy-three days and one hundred and eighty parts, and their occupied number is a quarter. Below there should have been an article on the Three Dukes; the base text is damaged, and only such a string of figures remains as “the Three Dukes, twelve months, each month occupying six days and seven parts, twelve months occupying seventy-three days and one hundred and eighty parts, a quarter.” The compiler notes: below this there should still be an article on the Nine Ministers, to complete the number of the five virtues; there is omitted text in between. By “xiaoxi” are meant the twelve hexagrams Fu (復), Lin (臨), Tai (泰), Dazhuang (大壯), Guai (夬), Qian, Gou (姤), Dun (遯), Pi (否), Guan (觀), Bo (剝), and Kun (坤): yang growing is waxing, yin growing is waning; the Han Change uses them to preside over the twelve months, and they are the skeleton of the teaching of hexagram-qi.

二十七大夫，十二月，月居六日七分，十二月，居七十三日一百八十分，居四分，八百一十二諸侯十二月，月居六日七分，十二月居七十三日一百八十分，居四分。合德之分，五德，闢公卿大夫諸侯也。三十日得三十五，此則五卦之餘。

The apocryphal text then arrays the remaining ranks: the rank of the twenty-seven Grand Masters, in twelve months each month occupying six days and seven parts, twelve months in all seventy-three days and one hundred and eighty parts, occupied number a quarter; the rank of the eight hundred and twelve feudal lords, likewise six days and seven parts each month, twelve months seventy-three days and one hundred and eighty parts, occupied number a quarter. Zheng Xuan notes: this is combining the shares of the five virtues; the so-called five virtues are the five ranks of sovereign (辟), duke, minister, grand master, and feudal lord. The apocryphal text says: thirty days obtain thirty-five; this is the remainder of the five hexagrams. The hexagram-qi school divides the sixty hexagrams by noble rank into the five grades sovereign, duke, minister, grand master, and feudal lord, twelve hexagrams to each grade, presiding over a year; the figures cited above are the days and fractions each grade occupies in a year.

分三十，盡十二月，六十卦餘分，適四百二十分五日四分日一。其法以餘分來□卦，得四百二十，以八十餘已，則五日四分日一矣，此則方伯不與餘之也矣。

The apocryphal text says: divided into thirty, exhausted in twelve months; the remaining parts of the sixty hexagrams are exactly four hundred and twenty parts, that is, five days and a quarter of a day. Zheng Xuan notes: the method is to return the remaining parts to the several hexagrams; here the base text has a missing character, copied as “taking the remaining parts to come □ the hexagrams”; the total is four hundred and twenty parts, and dividing by eighty yields five days and a quarter of a day. This is the reason the hexagrams of the regional overlords do not take part in the allotment of remaining parts. The sixty hexagrams each preside over six days and seven parts, totaling three hundred and sixty days and a certain number of parts; the difference from a year of three hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter of a day is the remaining parts spoken of here; the four correct hexagrams Kan (坎), Li (離), Zhen (震), and Dui (兌), the so-called hexagrams of the regional overlords, preside specially over the two equinoxes and two solstices, and do not fall within the day-allotment of the sixty hexagrams.

闢卦溫氣不效，六卦陽物不生，土功起。六卦謂泰卦、大壯也，夬、乾、姤也。盛陽時，溫氣不效，故陽物不生，土功起也。按注“姤”下當有“遯”卦，疑脫文。

The apocryphal text says: when a sovereign hexagram is on duty and the warm qi does not respond, in the time over which the six hexagrams preside yang-class things do not grow, and earthworks arise. Zheng Xuan notes: these six hexagrams are Tai, Dazhuang, Guai, Qian, Gou, and Dun. Precisely in the time of flourishing yang, the warm qi does not respond, so yang-class things cannot grow, and labor on earthworks arises with it. The compiler notes: after the character “Gou” in the commentary there should be the hexagram Dun; omitted text is suspected. By “does not respond” is meant that the weather that ought to appear on the days a hexagram is on duty does not appear—when it should be warm it is not warm, when it should be cold it is not cold—and the hexagram-qi school on that basis judges it a sign of anomaly.

三卦陽氣不至，疾傷，日蝕既。三卦謂泰、大壯、夬。此陽氣盛息，其候決溫，其氣不至，故闢憂疾，日蝕既日矣。六卦不至，震水湧。其上三卦不效，後三卦又不效，於是陰乘其陽，故地震水湧也。

The apocryphal text says: when three hexagrams are on duty and yang qi does not arrive, there is illness and injury, and a total eclipse of the sun appears. Zheng Xuan notes: these three hexagrams are Tai, Dazhuang, and Guai. At this time yang qi is flourishing and growing, and the season ought to be decidedly warm; if the warm qi does not arrive, the ruler is anxious with illness, and there is the heavenly image of a total eclipse. The apocryphal text says: if all six hexagrams fail to respond, there are earthquakes and water bursting forth. Zheng Xuan notes: the first three hexagrams do not respond, and the latter three also do not respond, so yin qi rides upon and overbears yang qi, and therefore the earth shakes and water bursts forth. Solar eclipses and earthquakes in the Han were both among the heaviest anomalies; the weft book ties them to yang qi not arriving, and the intent is still yin flourishing and yang declining, the minister strong and the ruler weak.

寒氣不效，六卦不至，冬榮，實物不成。夏寒傷生，冬溫傷成，日月不明，四時失序，萬物散去。六卦謂否、觀、剝、坤、復、臨，盛陰用事，而寒氣不效，萬物冬榮，實物不成，其沖必有大寒，傷生物者也。

The apocryphal text says: when the cold qi does not respond, and the six hexagrams do not arrive, plants flower in winter, and fruiting things cannot ripen. Cold in summer injures growth; warmth in winter injures the harvest; sun and moon are without light, the four seasons lose their order, and the ten thousand things scatter. Zheng Xuan notes: these six hexagrams are Pi, Guan, Bo, Kun, Fu, and Lin, precisely the time when flourishing yin is in office, yet the cold qi does not respond, so the ten thousand things flower in winter and fruits do not form; when the season opposed to this arrives, there will certainly be a great cold, which in turn injures the crops that are growing. Winter warmth and summer cold both belong to “contrary time”; the hexagram-qi school holds that contrary-time qi will certainly bite back, so warmth first must be followed by great cold.

闢卦七十三日，日分之四，常風，亂先生之法度。常風。常風，每卦用事有暴風也。按正文法度下“常風”二字疑衍。寒不時，所威不得其人。謂春夏有寒效也。秋不霜，行春令，緩刑罰。冬不冰，行秋令，免有罪，春凍不解。亦謂溫效於秋初也。

The apocryphal text says: the sovereign hexagrams together occupy seventy-three days and a quarter of a day; if there is constantly a great wind, it is disordering the statutes established by the former kings. Zheng Xuan notes: by constant wind is meant that at the time each hexagram takes office there is a violent wind. The compiler notes: the two characters “constant wind” after “statutes” in the main text are suspected of being a dittography. The apocryphal text says: if cold does not arrive in its time, severity has not fallen on those who ought to be punished. Zheng Xuan notes: this means that in spring and summer cold qi appears instead. The apocryphal text says: if autumn does not bring frost, the commands of spring have been applied and punishments relaxed; if winter does not freeze, the commands of autumn have been applied and the guilty pardoned; if in spring the frozen ground does not thaw. Zheng Xuan notes: this too means that warm qi responds in early autumn. This group matches climatic disorder one by one with the severity or leniency of punishments and government, and is a political meteorology of the “Monthly Ordinances” type: when commands run counter to the season, Heaven warns by contrary qi.

必有受命所亡。謂受命之君所誅滅。奢侈過度，刑罰妄行，百姓急不足，困飢作奢，此受命所行。言王者雖有際會，安在其行之會。闢殺之法，十二卦，常□三十六年殺，非受命所亡也。常不清明，非受命所亡，言此君臣自相殺之候。按“非受命所亡也”應作正文，“常不清明”以下應作注，原本以正文混作注，以注混作正文，今俱訂正。

The apocryphal text says: there will certainly be those whom a lord who has received the mandate destroys. Zheng Xuan notes: meaning those slain by a new recipient of Heaven’s mandate. The apocryphal text says: luxury beyond measure, punishments applied at random, the people hard-pressed and insufficient, still given to waste while in hunger and want—this is the origin of a lord who has received the mandate taking up arms. Zheng Xuan notes: it means that although a king meets a conjunction of fortune, success or failure still depends on whether what he himself does accords with the meeting of the time. The apocryphal text says: the sovereign hexagrams preside over the method of killing and campaigning, twelve hexagrams; here the base text has a missing character, written “constantly □ thirty-six years of killing,” and it is not destruction by a lord who has received the mandate. Zheng Xuan notes: if through the years one does not see clear and bright qi, yet it is not destruction by a lord who has received the mandate, this speaks of the sign of ruler and ministers slaying one another. The compiler notes: the sentence “it is not destruction by a lord who has received the mandate” should be main text, and “if through the years one does not see clear and bright qi” and after should be commentary; the original mixed main text as commentary and commentary as main text, and both are now corrected. This article distinguishes two kinds of perished states: one perishes by a new king’s campaign, one by internal mutual slaughter, and the method of prognostication differs.

卦不至，為三年；二卦不至，為六年；三卦不至，為九年；四卦不至，為十二年；五卦不至，為十五年；六卦不至，為十八年；七卦不至，為二十一年；八卦不至，為二十四年；九卦不至，為二十七年；十卦不至，為三十年；十一卦不至，為三十三年；十二卦不至為三十六年。不至，謂溫不效乃不清明也。

The apocryphal text lists the numbers of the response-period: if the qi of one hexagram does not arrive, the response is in three years; two hexagrams not arriving, in six years; three, nine years; four, twelve years; five, fifteen years; six, eighteen years; seven, twenty-one years; eight, twenty-four years; nine, twenty-seven years; ten, thirty years; eleven, thirty-three years; all twelve not arriving, thirty-six years. Zheng Xuan notes: by “does not arrive” is meant that when it should be warm the warm qi does not respond, so that the sky is often not clear and bright. This article converts the number of times the weather misses its season into the number of years until disaster arrives; each hexagram converts to three years, and when the twelve are full it is thirty-six years—the most concrete table of response-periods in hexagram-qi prognostication.

卦始用世，象東風雨，象施於也。按“於”下疑有脫字。西方至，象作威也。南風有罪也。按“有罪”上當有脫字。北風至，熟無罪也。按“熟”疑應作“殺”，蓋以殺變煞，而誤者。

The apocryphal text says: when a hexagram first takes office, an east wind with rain symbolizes the conferring of favor. The compiler notes: after the character “yu” omitted text is suspected. The apocryphal text says: when a west wind arrives, it symbolizes the application of severity; a south wind answers in the guilty. The compiler notes: before the two characters “you zui” there should be omitted text. The apocryphal text says: when a north wind arrives, it slays the innocent. The compiler notes: “shu” is suspected of being “sha,” probably “sha” written in the variant form and so corrupted. The winds of the four quarters each pair with a kind of government: the east wind presides over conferring favor, the west over punishments and severity, the south over pardon, the north over execution; from which quarter the wind comes, and at what time, become the evidence for prognosticating gain and loss in government. This chapter is much damaged, and so collation notes come one after another.

東北為雨，西南為正，東南為溫，西北為寒。謂始用事也。按此注原本混入正文，今訂正。用事：東北為雨，西南為正也。東北南西皆風，東南溫，西北為寒。皆謂用事日也。按東北南西二句原本混作注，皆謂句混作正文，今俱訂正。

The apocryphal text says: the northeast presides over rain, the southwest over the correct, the southeast over warmth, the northwest over cold. Zheng Xuan notes: this refers to the time when a hexagram first takes office. The compiler notes: this comment was originally mixed into the main text and is now corrected. Below it appears again: when taking office, the northeast presides over rain, the southwest over the correct; northeast, south, and west all preside over wind, the southeast over warmth, the northwest over cold. Zheng Xuan notes: all are spoken of with respect to the day a hexagram takes office. The compiler notes: the two sentences “northeast south west” were originally mixed as commentary, and the sentence “all are spoken of” was originally mixed as main text; both are now corrected. The same article appearing twice with slight differences of wording is precisely the trace of a compiled text copied together from different old books, and is now copied as it stands and not deleted.

觀六四知其正，此候及四位之人，非獨闢之。候卦要法，謹察卦用事日分數，當寒者寒，當暑者暑，當風者風，當雨者雨，此平法。二為升氣，五為降氣，昇陽為陽，升陰為寒，降陽為風，降陰為雨也。謹司六月中寒溫風雨，記其日與時，發時以驗方來，萬全不失一。降□驗也。

The apocryphal text says: observe the line six in the fourth and one may know whether it obtains the correct. Zheng Xuan notes: this prognostication concerns the people of four line-positions, not the ruler of the sovereign hexagram alone. The essential method of watching hexagram-qi is: carefully observe the days and fractions when each hexagram takes office; when it should be cold, cold; when it should be hot, hot; when it should be wind, wind; when it should be rain, rain: this is the regular method. The second line is rising qi, the fifth is descending qi; rising yang is then warmth, rising yin is then cold, descending yang is then wind, descending yin is then rain. The apocryphal text says: carefully watch the cold, warmth, wind, and rain of six months, record the day and hour of their appearance, and from the time of occurrence verify what is to come, without a single miss in ten thousand. Below this the base text has a missing character, written “descend □ verify,” copied as it stands and not filled. By “rising and descending” is meant dividing the six lines of a hexagram into the two groups rising qi and descending qi, pairing them with yin and yang, and obtaining the four responses of warmth, cold, wind, and rain: this is the basic method of calculation in hexagram-qi prognostication.

夏升降寒陰，三過度，湧水為敗。夏昇陽降陽溫，三過度，降雨為敗。謂六三、上六也。當微寒，過故為敗也。坎初，冬至廣莫。震初，春分明庶。離初，夏至景風。兌初，秋分霜下。卦侯到占法。此四封者，始效分至，二十四氣之主。故候其初用事，以占之失。

The apocryphal text says: in summer both rising and descending qi belong to cold yin; if they exceed the measure three times, there is a great flood and disaster; in summer rising yang and descending yang and warmth, if they exceed the measure three times, there is a great rain and disaster. Zheng Xuan notes: this refers to the two lines six in the third and top six. It ought to have been a slight cold; because it exceeds the measure, it becomes disaster. The apocryphal text says: the first line of Kan answers to the winter solstice, and its wind is the Guangmo wind; the first line of Zhen answers to the spring equinox, and its wind is the Mingshu wind; the first line of Li answers to the summer solstice, and its wind is the Jing wind; the first line of Dui answers to the autumn equinox, and frost begins to fall. Zheng Xuan notes: this is the method of prognostication by the arrival of the hexagram-watchers. These four hexagrams, Kan, Zhen, Li, and Dui, begin to respond from the two equinoxes and two solstices, and are the hosts of the twenty-four solar terms, so one must watch the time when their first lines take office, and from that judge gain and loss. Kan, Zhen, Li, and Dui are called the four correct hexagrams, each presiding over one season; their twenty-four lines pair exactly with the twenty-four solar terms: this is the other half of the skeleton of Han Change hexagram-qi, and forms a pair with the method of allotting days to the sixty hexagrams described above.

復姓角名宮，赤黃色，長八尺一寸，三十六世。臨姓商名宮，黃白色，長八尺三寸一分，七十二世。泰姓商名宮，黃白色，長七尺六寸，三十六世。按《隋書?；王□傳》稱《坤靈圖》云：“泰姓商名宮，黃色，長八尺，六十世。”與此不同，□此即引《坤靈圖》原文，而傳□互（異）者。

The following passage pairs the twelve xiaoxi hexagrams and the eight pure hexagrams with the surname-tone, given-name-tone, complexion, stature, and number of generations a lord who receives the mandate will enjoy. The apocryphal text says: the lord over whom Fu presides has a surname belonging to the jiao tone, a given name belonging to the gong tone, a reddish-yellow complexion, a stature of eight chi and one cun, and transmits thirty-six generations; Lin, surname belonging to the shang tone, given name to the gong tone, yellowish-white complexion, stature eight chi three cun and one fen, transmits seventy-two generations; Tai, surname belonging to the shang tone, given name to the gong tone, yellowish-white complexion, stature seven chi six cun, transmits thirty-six generations. The compiler notes: the Sui shu, in the biography of a Mr. Wang, cites the Kunling tu (坤靈圖) as saying that Tai has surname shang and given name gong, yellow color, stature eight chi, sixty generations, which differs from this text; the present passage is probably citing the original wording of the Kunling tu, and the two books as transmitted have differences. The base text of this passage has missing characters, copied with □. By surname belonging to jiao and given name to gong is meant classifying surnames and given names by the five tones gong, shang, jiao, zhi, and yu, then pairing them with the Five Phases (五行) and five colors, in order to predict the form and the length of the state of one who receives the mandate.

大壯姓商名角，蒼白色，長七尺三寸九分，百三十一世。右聖人受命，瑞應之至，聖人殺龍，聖人興起，河圖出之者。按此與上下文不相屬，當有錯誤。據《隋書王□傳》馬驌繹史引《坤靈圖》文有“聖人受命瑞應先於河瑞應之，至聖人殺龍，龍不可殺皆盛氣也。”云云，即此文，而中有脫落耳。

The apocryphal text says: the lord over whom Dazhuang presides has a surname belonging to the shang tone, a given name belonging to the jiao tone, a pale-green complexion, a stature of seven chi three cun and nine fen, and transmits one hundred and thirty-one generations. The foregoing speaks of the sage receiving the mandate, auspicious omens arriving, the sage slaying the dragon, the sage arising, and the River Chart appearing. The compiler notes: these sentences do not connect with the context above and below, and there must be a displaced slip. According to the Sui shu biography of Mr. Wang and Ma Su’s Yi shi citing the Kunling tu, there is language such as “when a sage receives the mandate, the auspicious response appears first at the River; when the auspicious response arrives, the sage slays the dragon; a dragon that cannot be slain is all flourishing qi,” which is the text here, only with omissions in the middle. The so-called “slaying the dragon” is one of the auspicious omens in the weft books, meaning a dragon appears and is obtained by the sage, in fact an image of flourishing qi being felt, not that there is truly a slaying of dragons.

姤姓角名商，蒼白色，長六尺三寸，二十八世。遯姓宮名商，黃白色，長五尺九寸八分，五十六世。否姓宮名商，黃白色，長五尺六寸一分，七十二世。觀姓宮名角，蒼白色，長五尺三寸二分，百三十世。剝姓商名宮，黃白色，長五尺九寸九分，百二十世。古君子，得眾人所助，聖人興起，必乾土，故大人動得中，君子受命，法地蛇。聖人興起必乾土之中者，言必擇土中，而天下也。此在簡拆，預在此章之載。按毛詩孔疏引《坤靈圖》云：“法地之瑞，黃龍中流見於洛。”又繹史引《坤靈圖》云：“君子得眾人之助瑞應先。見於陸瑞應之至，君子法地，蛇不如龍，陸不如河。”與此文俱相合，自“古君子”以下，俱當為《坤靈圖》之文，而中有脫簡耳。

The apocryphal text continues the array: the lord over whom Gou presides has a surname belonging to the jiao tone, a given name belonging to the shang tone, a pale-green complexion, a stature of six chi three cun, and transmits twenty-eight generations; Dun, surname gong and given name shang, yellowish-white, stature five chi nine cun and eight fen, fifty-six generations; Pi, surname gong and given name shang, yellowish-white, stature five chi six cun and one fen, seventy-two generations; Guan, surname gong and given name jiao, pale-green, stature five chi three cun and two fen, one hundred and thirty generations; Bo, surname shang and given name gong, yellowish-white, stature five chi nine cun and nine fen, one hundred and twenty generations. The next section says: the noble man of old obtained the help of the multitude; a sage arising must be on Qian-earth, so a great man’s action can obtain the center, and a noble man receiving the mandate takes his model from Earth and the snake. Zheng Xuan notes: a sage arising must be in the center of the soil, meaning one must choose the central land of the world and only then have the world; this section falls at a place where the bamboo slips are broken, and was attached in advance within this chapter. The compiler notes: Kong Yingda’s subcommentary on Mao’s Odes cites the Kunling tu as saying “the auspicious omen that models itself on Earth, a yellow dragon seen in midstream in the Luo”; the Yi shi cites the Kunling tu as saying “the noble man obtains the help of the multitude, and the auspicious response appears first on land; when the auspicious response arrives, the noble man models himself on Earth; a snake is not equal to a dragon, land is not equal to the River”—all of which agree with this text; from “the noble man of old” on, all ought to be the text of the Kunling tu, only with missing slips in the middle. This shows that the wording of this chapter and of the Kunling tu has been mutually displaced—a common situation in fragmentary compiled texts.

乾姓商名商，白色，享國百二十。坤姓商名宮，黃色，享國百二十。震姓角名，蒼色，享國七十二。按“名”下脫一字。巽姓角名角，蒼色，享國六十四。離姓徵名徵，赤色，享國六十四。兌姓商名商，白色，享國六十四。坎姓羽名羽，黑色，享國七十二。艮名宮，黃色，享國七十二。按“艮”字下脫去二字。帝者，《洛書》居處法亦宜有右字疑脫耳。

The apocryphal text continues the array with the eight pure hexagrams: the lord over whom Qian presides has surname shang and given name shang, white color, and enjoys the state for one hundred and twenty years; Kun, surname shang and given name gong, yellow color, enjoys the state for one hundred and twenty years; Zhen, surname jiao, a character missing after “given name,” green color, enjoys the state for seventy-two years—the compiler has already noted that a character is missing after “ming.” Xun (巽), surname jiao and given name jiao, green color, enjoys the state for sixty-four years; Li, surname zhi and given name zhi, red color, enjoys the state for sixty-four years; Dui, surname shang and given name shang, white color, enjoys the state for sixty-four years; Kan, surname yu and given name yu, black color, enjoys the state for seventy-two years; Gen (艮), given name gong, yellow color, enjoys the state for seventy-two years—the compiler notes: two characters are missing after “Gen.” The last sentence says: a sovereign follows the method of dwelling shown in the Luo Shu (洛書). The compiler notes: here too there should be a “you,” suspected of having been lost. The five tones and five colors paired with the eight pure hexagrams correspond exactly to the Five-Phase directions of the eight trigrams: Qian and Dui belong to Metal and are therefore white; Zhen and Xun belong to Wood and are therefore green; Li belongs to Fire and is therefore red; Kan belongs to Water and is therefore black; Kun and Gen belong to Earth and are therefore yellow.

復始祖受命而王，子孫入其元百六歲，當陽旱不生。此天下故災之常也。王者受命皆有災會，但言夏者，舉一隅小示之也。“不生”，物無生者也。災其惟以入軌年除軌數，算盡則厄也。甲乙為飢，丙丁為旱，率如此也。按據注則正文應有“夏”字疑“復”即“夏”之訛也。賢子繼世而立，有災方來，豫畜而待之，此所謂轉禍為福。天災雖至，萬民無飢寒之色。按以上疑亦《坤靈圖》註文，而混錯在此者。

The apocryphal text says: the founding ancestor receives the mandate and becomes king; when his descendants enter the one hundred and sixth year of this era, there will be a disaster of yang drought in which the ten thousand things do not grow. Zheng Xuan notes: this is a regular example of anomalies under Heaven. A king who receives the mandate will always meet a disaster conjunction; here only summer is spoken of, raising one corner to show a little to people. “Does not grow” means the ten thousand things have no growth. The method of calculating the time of disaster is to subtract the track-number from the years already entered in this track; when the calculation is exhausted, the adversity arrives. In jia and yi years there is famine; in bing and ding years there is drought: roughly thus. The compiler notes: according to the commentary, the main text should have the character “xia”; “fu” is suspected of being an error for “xia.” The apocryphal text further says: when a worthy descendant succeeds and is established, and disaster is about to come, he stores in advance to await it: this is what is called turning misfortune into fortune; though a heavenly disaster arrives, the ten thousand people have no look of hunger or cold. The compiler notes: the foregoing is probably also commentary on the Kunling tu, wrongly mixed in here. The so-called “one hundred and six” is a number of adversity often spoken of by Han people; the weft books hold that within each era there must be the adversities of yang-nine and one-hundred-six, and only preparation in advance can avert the disaster.

冬溫傷藏，日月不明，四時失序，萬民散失，有受者，常寒作藏也。霜按此處原闕一字。深也，溫賞予也。雨，特妄賞賜也。霜不時，殺無罪，風不時，令妄出也。冬不冰，行春令，免有罪也。春凍不解，行冬令，執無罪也。西風至，作威也。南風至，免有罪也。北風至，執無罪。皆謂卦之不動逆四時。

The apocryphal text says: warmth in winter injures closing and storing; sun and moon are without light; the four seasons lose their order; the ten thousand people scatter; those who can endure it rely on constant cold qi accomplishing the work of closing and storing. Here the base text originally lacked a character, leaving only the character “frost,” as the compiler has already noted. The text continues: deep means warmth and conferring rewards at random; rain means specially conferring rewards at random; frost that does not fall in its time is the slaying of the innocent; wind that does not rise in its time is commands issued at random; winter that does not freeze is applying the commands of spring and pardoning the guilty; spring in which the frozen ground does not thaw is applying the commands of winter and seizing the innocent; a west wind arriving is applying severity; a south wind arriving is pardoning the guilty; a north wind arriving is seizing the innocent. Zheng Xuan notes: these are all caused by hexagram-qi not moving and running counter to the four seasons. The way to read the whole passage is: one kind of contrary weather corresponds to one kind of misplaced punishment or reward, and the prognosticator works backward from the heavenly time to the failure of government.

夏昇陽降溫，三過度，雨為敗。謂九三、上九也。當徵而過度，其敗宜為風也。坎初六冬至，廣莫風，九二小寒，六三大寒，六四立春，條風，九五雨水，上六驚蟄。震初九春分，明庶風，六二清明，六三榖雨，九四立夏溫風，六五小滿，上六芒種。離初九夏至，景風，六二小暑，九三大暑，九四六秋，涼風至，六五處暑，上九白露。兌初九秋分，閶闔風，霜下，九二寒露，六三霜降，九四立冬，始冰，不周風，九五小雪，上六大雪也。

The apocryphal text says: in summer yang rises and the descending qi is mild; if it exceeds the measure three times, there is a great rain and disaster. Zheng Xuan notes: this refers to the two lines nine in the third and top nine; it ought to have been verified by the qi of the zhi tone and has exceeded the measure, so the image of its ruin ought to appear as wind. Below is the complete table pairing the twenty-four lines of the four correct hexagrams with the twenty-four solar terms: Kan first six answers to the winter solstice, and the Guangmo wind arises; nine in the second, Slight Cold; six in the third, Great Cold; six in the fourth, Beginning of Spring, and the Tiao wind arises; nine in the fifth, Rain Water; top six, Insects Awakening. Zhen first nine answers to the spring equinox, and the Mingshu wind arises; six in the second, Clear and Bright; six in the third, Grain Rain; nine in the fourth, Beginning of Summer, and the Warm wind arises; six in the fifth, Grain Full; top six, Grain in Ear. Li first nine answers to the summer solstice, and the Jing wind arises; six in the second, Slight Heat; nine in the third, Great Heat; nine in the fourth, Beginning of Autumn, and the Cool wind arrives; six in the fifth, Limit of Heat; top nine, White Dew. Dui first nine answers to the autumn equinox, and the Changhe wind arises, frost beginning to fall; nine in the second, Cold Dew; six in the third, Frost Descent; nine in the fourth, Beginning of Winter, ice beginning to form, and the Buzhou wind arises; nine in the fifth, Slight Snow; top six, Great Snow. In this table “nine in the fourth, six autumn” must be an error for “nine in the fourth, Beginning of Autumn”; the base text is thus, and is now copied as it stands and not altered. The twenty-four lines of the four hexagrams take the terms in order, each hexagram’s six lines presiding over one season’s six terms: this is the most complete concordance table in the Han Change teaching of hexagram-qi, and this chapter ends with it.