The Comprehensive Construction of the Philosophical System of the Zhouyi
CHEN Yan
(Department of Philosophy, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330038)
Abstract:This article takes the passage from the Shuo Gua Zhuan (Commentary on the Trigrams)"Thunder tomove them, Wind to scatter them, Rain to moisten them, Sun to warm them, Gen to still them, Dui to gladdenthem, Qian to rule them, Kun to store them"-as the anchoring point of its investigation. It first analyzes thelimitations and problems inherent in the interpretations of this passage provided by Wang Bi, the foundational figureof the Meaning-and-Principle school of traditional Yixue, and Zhu Xi, another highly influential scholar.Subsequently, by adopting Ju Xi's analysis of this passage from the perspective of "reverse numbering" (ishu), thearticle not only resolves the aforementioned interpretive issues but also, from this vantage point, constructs acomprehensive philosophical system of the Zhouyi. According to this perspective, Confucius established thesixty-four hexagrams by observing images (xiang) and arranged the sequence of the Zhouyi in accordance with thisvery passage. From this arrangement, he derived the "two paths of Increase (Yi) and Decrease (Sun)," therebyfulfilling the Zhou's ultimate purpose: "the exhaustion of principles, the fulfillment of nature, and the attainment ofdestiny (ning)." Within this framework, human beings, as subjects, are able to exhaust the principles of all thingsthrough the hexagrams and practice the "Path of Increase" (Yi Dao) in order to realize the Zhouy's objective of"attaining destiny.'
Key words:Ju Xi's Yixue; Image of Central Harmony; The Metaphysical Middle; Hexagrams; Hexagram Sequence
[原文下載][Download PDF]
WeChatHotline
