The I Ching or Book of Changes (57 page)

The first of the commentaries [FIRST and SECOND WING] is called
T’uan Chuan
. Actually,
t’uan
means the boar’s head offered at sacrifices; by reason of similarity of sound, the word took on the additional meaning of “decision.” The judgments pertaining to the individual hexagrams were called
t’uan
, “decisions,” or
tz’u
, “judgments,” or
hsi tz’u
, “appended judgments.” These judgments or decisions are attributed to King Wên of Chou (
ca
. 1150 B.C.), and this premise regarding their origin has on the whole not been questioned. The
T’uan Chuan
, or Commentary on the Decision;
¹
gives exact interpretations of King Wên’s decisions [judgments], on the basis of the structure and the other elements of the hexagrams. This commentary is an extremely thorough and valuable piece of work and throws much light upon the inner organization of the hexagrams of the
I Ching
. The Chinese ascribe it to Confucius. I see no reason for doubting this ascription, inasmuch as it is well-known that Confucius devoted much thought to the Book of Changes, and since the views expressed in this commentary nowhere conflict with his views. The commentary is made up of two parts, corresponding with parts I and II of the text of the
I Ching
, and forms the first two wings or expositions. In this translation the commentary has been divided
and each comment has been placed with the hexagram to which it pertains.
²

The THIRD and the FOURTH WING are formed by the so-called
Hsiang Chuan
, Commentary on the Images. This commentary is also made up of two parts corresponding with the two divisions of the text. In its present form it consists of the so-called Great Images,
³
which refer to the images associated with the two trigrams in each hexagram; from these the commentary in each case deduces the meaning of the hexagram as a whole, and from this contemplation in turn draws conclusions applicable to the life of man.

The whole range of ideas contained in this commentary places it in proximity to the Great Learning,
Ta Hsüeh
,
⁴
and hence in very close proximity to Confucius as well.

Besides the Great Images, this commentary contains also the Small Images.
⁵
These are very brief references to the Duke of Chou’s comments on the individual lines of the hexagrams. However, they do not deal in any way with images, and it must have been owing to some misapprehension, or perhaps to chance, that this commentary on the text of the individual lines found its way into the Commentary on the Images. This commentary on the lines contains only brief
suggestions, mostly in rhyme. It may be that the Small Images are mnemonic phrases taken from a more detailed commentary. It is certain that they are very old and originated with the Confucian school, but I should not like to say definitely how close the connection with Confucius himself may be.

These commentaries [Great Images, Small Images] have also been divided and apportioned to the hexagrams to which they refer.

The FIFTH and the SIXTH WING constitute a treatise that presents many difficulties. It is entitled
Hsi Tz’u
, or
Ta Chuan
, and likewise has two parts.
⁶
The title
Ta Chuan
occurs in Ssu-ma Ch’ien
⁷
and means
Great Commentary
, or Great Treatise. As regards the title
Hsi Tz’u
, Appended Judgments,
⁸
Chu Hsi says:

The appended judgments are the judgments originally made by King Wên and the Duke of Chou and appended by them to the hexagrams and their lines; they make up the present text of the book. The section before us is the commentary in which Confucius explains the appended judgments, at the same time giving a general introduction to the whole text of the complete work.
⁹

The lack of clarity in the definition is immediately apparent. If the “appended judgments” are really the comments of King Wên and the Duke of Chou on the hexagrams and the lines, we should expect from a “commentary on the appended judgments” a discussion of the judgments in question and not a treatise on the work in general. But we have a commentary
¹⁰
dealing with the decisions [judgments] on the hexagrams, that is, with the text of King Wên. On the other hand, there is no detailed commentary on the Duke of Chou’s judgments
on the lines. What we have are only the brief catch phrases that go under the obviously incorrect title of Small Images. It is true that there are also fragments of another such commentary, or rather, of a number of such commentaries. Several of these fragments—referring to the first two hexagrams—are contained in the
Wên Yen
(Commentary on the Words of the Text), which will be further discussed below. Explanations of single lines do occur, scattered here and there in the Commentary on the Appended Judgments [
Hsi Tz’u Chuan
]. Thus it is highly probable that two quite different things appear together in what is today known as
Hsi Tz’u Chuan
: first, a collection of essays on the Book of Changes in general, probably constituting what Ssu-ma Ch’ien called the
Great Commentary
,
Ta Chuan
; second, scattered among these, and cursorily arranged according to standpoints, fragments of a commentary on the judgments appended to the individual lines. There is much evidence to show that these fragments are derived from the same source as the collection of commentaries known as
Wên Yen
.

It is quite evident that the treatises known as
Hsi Tz’u
or
Ta Chuan
were not set down by Confucius, because many passages in them are cited as sayings of the Master.
¹¹
Of course this commentary does contain traditional material of the Confucian school, dating from various periods.

The so-called SEVENTH WING, named
Wên Yen
(Commentary on the Words of the Text), is a very important section. It is the remnant of a commentary on the Book of Changes—or rather of a whole series of such commentaries—and contains very valuable material deriving from the Confucian school. Unfortunately it does not go beyond the second hexagram, K’un.

The
Wên Yen
(in the present translation divided between
Ch’ien and K’un
¹²
contains in all four different commentaries on the hexagram Ch’ien, THE CREATIVE. In the translation they have been designated as
a
,
b
,
c
,
d
. Commentary
a
of this series belongs to the same stratum as the fragments found scattered through the
Hsi Tz’u Chuan
. The text is given with the appended question, “What does this mean?” This is like the form used in the
Kung Yang
, a commentary on the
Ch’un Ch’iu
. Commentaries
b
and
c
contain brief remarks on the individual lines, in the style of the Small Images. Commentary
d
, like
a
, again deals with the judgment on the hexagram as a whole and with the individual lines, but in a freer manner than
a
.

Only one commentary on the second hexagram, K’un, survives in the
Wên Yen
. It is related in character to
a
, although it represents a different stratum (the text is placed after the explanations by the Master). The same stratum is likewise represented in the
Hsi Tz’u Chuan
.

The EIGHTH WING,
Shuo Kua
, Discussion of the Trigrams, contains material of great antiquity in explanation of the eight primary trigrams.
¹³
Probably it embodies many fragments antedating Confucius and treated in commentary by him or by his school.

The NINTH WING,
Hsü Kua
, the Sequence—or Order—of the Hexagrams, offers a rather unconvincing explanation of the present sequence of the hexagrams. It is interesting only because the names of the hexagrams are sometimes given peculiar interpretations that are undoubtedly based on ancient tradition. This commentary, which of course has nothing to do with Confucius, has likewise been divided and apportioned to the individual hexagrams, under the heading “The Sequence.”
¹⁴

The last [TENTH] wing,
Tsa Kua
, Miscellaneous Notes on the Hexagrams, is made up of definitions of the hexagrams in mnemonic verses, for the most part contrasting them in pairs.

However, the order followed in the
Tsa Kua
differs essentially from the arrangement in the present Book of Changes. These definitions have also been separated and placed with the respective hexagrams under the heading “Miscellaneous Notes.”
¹⁵

In the pages following there appear, first, translations of the
Shuo Kua
, Discussion of the Trigrams, and of the
Hsi Tz’u Chuan
, Commentary on the Appended Judgments, more correctly called
Ta Chuan
,
Great Commentary
. Then follows some material on the structure of the hexagrams, derived from various sources, that is important for the understanding of the second portion of the work.

Shuo Koa / Discussion of the Trigrams
1

CHAPTER I

1. In ancient times the holy sages made the Book of Changes thus:

They invented the yarrow-stalk oracle in order to lend aid in a mysterious way to the light of the gods. To heaven they assigned the number three and to earth the number two; from these they computed the other numbers.

They contemplated the changes in the dark and the light and established the hexagrams in accordance with them. They brought about movements in the firm and the yielding, and thus produced the individual lines.

   They put themselves in accord with tao and its power, and in conformity with this laid down the order of what is right. By thinking through the order of the outer world to the end, and by exploring the law of their nature to the deepest core, they arrived at an understanding of fate.

This first section refers to the Book of Changes as a whole and to the fundamental principles underlying it. The original purpose of the hexagrams was to consult destiny. As divine beings do not give direct expression to their knowledge, a means had to be found by which they could make themselves intelligible. Suprahuman intelligence has from the beginning
made use of three mediums of expression—men, animals, and plants, in each of which life pulsates in a different rhythm. Chance came to be utilized as a fourth medium; the very absence of an immediate meaning in chance permitted a deeper meaning to come to expression in it. The oracle was the outcome of this use of chance. The Book of Changes is founded on the plant oracle as manipulated by men with mediumistic powers.

The established language for communication with suprahuman intelligences was based on numbers and their symbolism. The fundamental principles of the world are heaven and earth, spirit and matter. Earth is the derived principle; therefore the number two is assigned to it. Heaven is the ultimate unity; yet it includes the earth within itself, and is therefore assigned the number three. The number one could not be used, as it is too abstract and rigid and does not include the idea of the manifold. Following out this conception, the uneven numbers were assigned to the world of heaven, the even numbers to the world of earth.

The hexagrams, consisting of six lines each, are, so to speak, representations of actual conditions in the world, and of the combinations of the light-giving, heavenly power and the dark, earthly power that occur in these situations. Within the hexagrams, however, it is always possible for the individual lines to change and regroup themselves; just as world situations continually change and reconstitute themselves, so out of each hexagram there arises a new one. The process of change is to be observed in the lines that move, and the end result in the new hexagram thus formed.

In addition to its use as an oracle, the Book of Changes also serves to further intuitive understanding of conditions in the world, penetration to the uttermost depths of nature and spirit. The hexagrams give complete images of conditions and relationships existing in the world; the individual lines treat particular situations as they change within these general conditions. The Book of Changes is in harmony with tao and its power (natural law and moral law). Therefore it can lay down the rules of what is right for each person. The ultimate meaning of the world—fate, the world as it is, how it has come to be so through creative decision (
ming
)—can be apprehended by
going down to the ultimate sources in the world of outer experience and of inner experience. Both paths lead to the same goal. (Cf. the first chapter of Lao-tse.)

2. In ancient times the holy sages made the Book of Changes thus:

Their purpose was to follow the order of their nature and of fate. Therefore they determined the tao of heaven and called it the dark and the light. They determined the tao of the earth and called it the yielding and the firm. They determined the tao of man and called it love
²
and rectitude. They combined these three fundamental powers and doubled them; therefore in the Book of Changes a sign is always formed by six lines.