The lesser symbolism is chiefly that of a bed or couch with its occupant. The idea of the hexagram requires this occupant to be overthrown, or at least that an attempt be made to overthrow him. Accordingly the attempt in line 1 is made by commencing with the legs of the couch. The symbolism goes on to explain itself. The object of the evil worker is the overthrow of all firm correctness. Of course there will be evil.
Line 2 is to the same effect as 1; only the foe has advanced from the legs to the frame of the couch.
Line 3 also represents an overthrower; but it differs from the others in being the correlate of 6. ‘The subject of it will take part with him. His association is with the subject of 6, and not, as in the other weak lines, with one of its own kind.
From line 4 the danger is imminent. The couch has been overthrown, The person of the occupant is at the mercy of the destroyers.
With line 5 the symbolism changes. The subject of 5 is ‘lord of all the other weak lines,’ and their subjects are at his disposal. He and they are represented as fishes, following one another as if strung together. All fishes come under the category of yin. Then the symbolism changes again. The subject of 5, representing and controlling all the yin lines, is loyal to the subject of the yang sixth line. He is the rightful sovereign in his palace, and 5 leads all the others there to enjoy the sovereign’s favours.
We have still different symbolism under line 6. Its strong subject, notwithstanding the attempts against him, survives, and acquires fresh vigour. The people again cherish their sovereign, and the plotters have wrought to their own overthrow.
108 THE Y{ KING. TEXT.
entrances; friends come to him, and no error is committed. He will return and repeat his (proper) course. In seven days comes his return. There will be advantage in whatever direction movement is made.
1. The first line, undivided, shows its subject returning (from an error) of no great extent, which would not proceed to anything requiring repentance. There will be great good fortune.
2. The second line, divided, shows the admirable return (of its subject), There will be good fortune.
3. The third line, divided, shows one who has made repeated returns. The position is perilous, but there will be no error.
4. The fourth line, divided, shows its subject moving right in the centre (among those represented by the other divided lines), and yet returning alone (to his proper path).
5. The fifth line, divided, shows the noble return of its subject. There will be no ground for repentance.
6. The topmost line, divided, shows its subject all astray on the subject of returning. There will be evil. There will be calamities and errors. If with his views he put the hosts in motion, the end will be a great defeat, whose issues will extend to the ruler of the state. Even in ten years he will not be able to repair the disaster.
Ne i ng Wary XXIV. Ff symbolises the idea of returning, coming back or over again. The last hexagram showed us inferior prevailing over superior men, all that is good in nature and society yielding before what is bad. But change is the law of nature and society. When decay has reached its climax, recovery will begin to take place. In Po we had one strong topmost line, and five weak lines below SECT. I. THE WO WANG HEXAGRAM. 109 XXV. Tue Wo Wanc HExacraom.
il Wit Wang indicates great progress and success, while there will be advantage in being firm and it; here we have one strong line, and five weak lines above it. To illustrate the subject from what we see in nature,—Po is the hexa- gram of the ninth month, in which the triumph of cold and decay in the year is nearly complete. It is complete in the tenth month, whose hexagram is Khwan =; then follows our hexagram Fa, belonging to the eleventh month, in which was the winter solstice when the sun turned back in his course, and moved with a constant regular progress towards the summer solstice. In harmony with these changes of nature are the changes in the political and social state of a nation. There is nothing in the Yi to suggest the hope of a perfect society or kingdom that cannot be moved.
The strong bottom line is the first of Ain, the trigram of move- ment, and the upper trigram is KhwAn, denoting docility and capa- city. The strong returning line will meet with no distressing obstacle, and the weak lines will change before it into strong, and be as friends. The bright quality will be developed brighter and brighter from day to day, and month to month.
The sentence, ‘In seven days comes his return, occasions some perplexity. If the reader will refer to hexagrams 44, 33, 12, 20, 23, and 2, he will see that during the months denoted by those figures, the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, gth, and roth, the yin lines have gradually been prevailing over the yang, until in Khwan (2) they have extruded them entirely from the lineal figure. ‘Then comes our Ff, as a seventh figure, in which the yang line begins to reassert itself, and from which it goes on to extrude the yin lines in their turn. Explained therefore of the months of the year, we have to take a day for a month. And something analogous—we cannot say exactly what—must have place in society and the state.
110 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
correct. If (its subject and his action) be not correct, he will fall into errors, and it will not be advantageous for him to move in any direction.
1. The first line, undivided, shows its subject free from all insincerity. His advance will be accom- panied with good fortune.
2. The second line, divided, shows one who reaps without having ploughed (that he might reap), and gathers the produce of his third year’s fields without having cultivated them the first year for that end. To such a one there will be advantage in whatever direction he may move.
3. The third line, divided, shows calamity hap- pening to one who is free from insincerity;—as in The concluding auspice or oracle to him who finds this Fa by divination is what we might expect.
The subject of line 1 is of course the undivided line, meaning here, says Ahang-3ze, ‘the way of the superior man.’ There must have been some deviation from that, or ‘returning’ could not be spoken of.
Line 2 is in its proper place, and central; but it is weak. This is more than compensated for, however, by its adherence to line 1, the fifth line not being a proper correlate. Hence the return of its subject is called excellent or admirable.
Line 3 is weak, and in the uneven place of a strong line. It is the top line, moreover, of the trigram whose attribute is move- ment. Hence the symbolism; but any evil issue may be prevented by a realisation of danger and by caution.
Line 4 has its proper correlate in x; different from all the other weak lines; and its course is different accordingly.
Line 5 is in the central place of honour, and the middle line of Khw§n, denoting docility. Hence its auspice.
Line 6 is weak; and being at the top of the hexagram, when its action of returning is all concluded, action on the part of its subject will lead to evils such as are mentioned. ‘Ten years’ seems to be a round number, signifying a long time, as in hexagram 3. 2.
SECT. I. THE wt WANG HEXAGRAM. III the case of an ox that has been tied up. A passer by finds it (and carries it off), while the people in the neighbourhood have the calamity (of being accused and apprehended).
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows (a case) in which, if its subject can remain firm and correct, there will be no error.
5. The fifth line, undivided, shows one who is free from insincerity, and yet has fallen ill. Let him not use medicine, and he will have occasion for joy (in his recovery).
6. The topmost line, undivided, shows its subject free from insincerity, yet sure to fall into error, if he take action. (His action) will not be advan- tageous in any way.
XXV. Wang is the symbol of being reckless, and often of being insincere; Wi Wang is descriptive of a state of entire freedom from such a condition; its subject is one who is entirely simple and sin- cere. The quality is characteristic of the action of Heaven, and of the highest style of humanity. In this hexagram we have an essay on this noble attribute. An absolute rectitude is essential to it. The nearer one comes to the ideal of the quality, the more powerful will be his influence, the greater his success. But let him see to it that he never swerve from being correct.
The first line is strong; at the commencement of the inner trigram denoting movement, the action of its subject will very much characterise all the action set forth, and will itself be fortunate.
Line 2 is weak, central, and in its correct place. The quality may be predicated of it in its highest degree. There is an entire freedom in its subject from selfish or mercenary motive. He is good simply for goodness’ sake. And things are so constituted that his action will be successful.
But calamity may also sometimes befal the best, and where there is this freedom from insincerity; and line 3 being weak, and in the place of an even line, lays its subject open to this misfortune. ‘The people of the neighbourhood’ are of course entirely innocent.
Line 4 is the lowest in the trigram of strength, and 1 is not 112 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
XXVI. Tue TA Kx HEXAGRAM.
Under the conditions of Ta A410 it will be advan- tageous to be firm and correct. (If its subject do not seek to) enjoy his revenues in his own family (without taking service at court), there will be good fortune. It will be advantageous for him to cross the great stream.
1, The first line, undivided, shows its subject in a position of peril. It will be advantageous for him to stop his advance.
2. The second line, undivided, shows a carriage with the strap under it removed.
3. The third line, undivided, shows its subject urging his way with good horses. It will be ad- vantageous for him to realise the difficulty (of his course), and to be firm and correct, exercising him- self daily in his charioteering and methods of defence; a proper correlate, nor is the fourth the place for a strong line. Hence the paragraph must be understood as a caution.
Line 5 is strong, in the central place of honour, and has its proper correlate in 2. Hence its subject must possess the quality of the hexagram in perfection. And vet he shall be sick or in distress. But he need not be anxious. Without his efforts a way of escape for him will be opened.
Line 6 is at the top of the hexagram, and comes into the field when the action has run its course. He should be still, and not initiate any fresh movement.
SECT. I. THE TA KHO HEXAGRAM. rie ON — _——————eeeeee ee eee then there will be advantage in whatever direction he may advance.
4. The fourth line, divided, shows the young bull, (and yet) having the piece of wood over his horns. There will be great good fortune.
5. The fifth line, divided, shows the teeth of a castrated hog. There will be good fortune.
6. The sixth line, undivided, shows its subject (as) in command of the firmament of heaven. ‘Dhere will be progress.
XXVI. Khfi has two meanings. It is the symbol of restraint, and of accumulation. What is repressed and restrained accumu- lates its strength and increases its volume. Both these meanings are found in the treatise on the Thwan;, the exposition of the Great Symbolism has for its subject the accumulation of virtue. The different lines are occupied with the repression or restraint of move- ment. The first three lines receive that repression, the upper three exercise it. The accumulation to which all tends is that of virtue; and hence the name of Ta KAfy, ‘the Great Accumulation.’
What the Thwan teaches, is that he who goes about to accumulate his virtue must be firm and correct, and may then, engaging in the public service, enjoy the king’s grace, and under- take the most difficult enterprises.
Line x is subject to the repression of 4, which will be increased if he try to advance. It is better for him to halt.
Line 2 is liable to the repression of 5, and stops its advance of itself, its subject having the wisdom to do so through its position in the central place. The strap below, when attached to the axle, made the carriage stop; he himself acts that part.
Line 3 is the last of Kien, and responds to the sixth line, the last of Kin, above. But as they are both strong, the latter does not exert its repressive force. They advance rapidly together; but the position is perilous for 3. By firmness and caution, how- ever, its subject will escape the peril, and the issue will be good.
The young bull in line 4 has not yet got horns. The attaching to their rudiments the piece of wood to prevent him from goring is an instance of extraordinary precaution; and precaution is always good.
114 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
XXVII. Tue { Hexacram.
I indicates that with firm correctness there will be good fortune (in what is denoted by it). We must look at what we are seeking to nourish, and by the exercise of our thoughts seek for the proper aliment.
1. The first line, undivided, (seems to be thus addressed), ‘You leave your efficacious tortoise, and look at me till your lower jaw hangs down.’ There will be evil.
2. The second line, divided, shows one looking downwards for nourishment, which is contrary to what is proper; or seeking it from the height (above), advance towards which will lead to evil.
3. The third line, divided, shows one acting con- trary to the method of nourishing. However firm he may be, there will be evil. For ten years let him not take any action, (for) it will not be in any way advantageous.
A boar is a powerful and dangerous animal. Let him be cas- trated, and though his tusks remain, he cares little to use them. Here line 5 represents the ruler in the hexagram, whose work is to repress the advance of evil. A conflict with the subject of the strong second line in its advance would be perilous; but g, taking early precaution, reduces it to the condition of the castrated pig. Not only is there no evil, but there is good fortune.
The work of repression is over, and the strong subject of line 6 has now the amplest scope to carry out the idea of the hexagram in the accumulation of virtue.
SECT. I. THE? HEXAGRAM. ris 4. The fourth line, divided, shows one looking downwards for (the power to) nourish. There will be good fortune. Looking with a tiger’s downward unwavering glare, and with his desire that impels him to spring after spring, he will fall into no error.
5. The fifth line, divided, shows one acting con- trary to what is regular and proper; but if he abide in firmness, there will be good fortune. He should not, (however, try to) cross the great stream.
6. The sixth line, undivided, shows him from whom comes the nourishing. His position is perilous, but there will be good fortune. It will be advantageous to cross the great stream.
XXVII. Lis the symbol of the upper jaw, and gives name to the hexagram; but the whole figure suggests the appearance of the mouth. There are the two undivided lines at the bottom and top, and the four divided lines between them. The first line is the first in the trigram Kan, denoting movement; and the sixth is the third in KAn, denoting what is solid. The former is the lower jaw, part of the mobile chin; and the other the more fixed upper jaw. The open lines are the cavity of the mouth. As the name of the hexagram, I denotes nourishing,—one’s body or mind, one’s self or others. The nourishment in both the matter and method will differ according to the object of it; and every one must deter- mine what to employ and do in every case by exercising his own thoughts, only one thing being premised,—that in both respects the nourishing must be correct, and in harmony with what is right. The auspice of the whole hexagram is good.
The first line is strong, and in its proper place; its subject might suffice for the nourishing of himself, like a tortoise, which is sup- posed to live on air, without more solid nourishment. But he is drawn out of himself by desire for the weak 4, his proper correlate, at whom he looks till his jaw hangs down, or, as we say, his mouth waters. Hence the auspice is‘bad. The symbolism takes the form of an expostulation addressed, we must suppose, by the fourth line to the first.
The weak 2, insufficient for itself, seeks nourishment first from 116 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
XXVIII. Tur TA Kwo Hexacram.
Ta Kwo suggests to us a beam that is weak. There will be advantage in moving (under its con- ditions) in any direction whatever; there will be success.
1. The first line, divided, shows one placing mats of the white mado grass under things set on the ground. There will be no error.
2. The second line, undivided, shows a decayed the strong line below, which is not proper, and then from the strong 6, not its proper correlate, and too far removed. In either case the thing is evil.
Line 3 is weak, in an odd place; and as it occupies the last place in the trigram of movement, all that quality culminates in its subject. Hence he considers himself sufficient for himself, without any help from without, and the issue is bad.
With line 4 we pass into the upper trigram. It is next to the tuler’s place in 5 moreover, and bent on nourishing and training all below. Its proper correlate is the strong 1; and though weak in himself, its subject looks with intense desire to the subject of that for help; and there is no error.
The subject of line 5 is not equal to the requirements of his position; but with a firm reliance on the strong 6, there will be good fortune. Let him not, however, engage in the most difficult undertakings.
The topmost line is strong, and 5 relies on its subject; but being penetrated with the idea of the hexagram, he feels himself in the position of master or tutor to all under heaven. The task is hard and the responsibility great; but realising these things, he will prove himself equal to them.
SECT. I. THE TA KWO HEXAGRAM. 117 willow producing shoots, or an old husband in pos- session of his young wife. There will be advantage in every way.
3. The third line, undivided, shows a beam that is weak. There will be evil.
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows a beam curving upwards. There will be good fortune. If (the subject of it) looks for other (help but that of line one), there will be cause for regret.
5. The fifth line, undivided, shows a decayed willow producing flowers, or an old wife in posses- sion of her young husband. There will be occasion neither for blame nor for praise.
6. The topmost line, divided, shows its subject with extraordinary (boldness) wading through a stream, till the water hides the crown of his head. There will be evil, but no ground for blame.
XXVIII. Very extraordinary times require very extraordinary gifts in the conduct of affairs in them. ‘This is the text on which king Wan and his son discourse after their fashion in this hexa- gram. What goes, in their view, to constitute anything extraor- dinary is its greatness and difficulty. There need not be about it what is not right.
Looking at the figure we see two weak lines at the top and bottom, and four strong lines between them, giving us the idea of a great beam unable to sustain its own weight. But the second and fifth lines are both strong and in the centre; and from this and the attributes of the component trigrams a good auspice is obtained. ) Line 1 being weak, and at the bottom of the figure, and of the trigram Sun, which denotes flexibility and humility, its subject is distinguished by his carefulness, aS in the matter mentioned; and there is a good auspice.
Line 2 has no proper correlate above. Hence he inclines to the weak 1 below him; and we have the symbolism of the line. An 118 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
XXIX. THe Kuan HEXAGRAM.
Khan, here repeated, shows the possession of sincerity, through which the mind is penetrating. Action (in accordance with this) will be of high value.
1. The first line, divided, shows its subject in the double defile, and (yet) entering a cavern within it. There will be evil.
2. The second line, undivided, shows its subject old husband with a young wife will yet have children; the action of the subject of 2 will be successful.
Line 3 is strong, and in an odd place. Its subject is confident in his own strength, but his correlate in 6 is weak. Alone, he is unequal to the extraordinary strain on him, and has for his symbol the weak beam.
Line 4 is near 5, the ruler’s place. On its subject devolves the duty of meeting the extraordinary exigency of the time; but he is strong; and, the line being in an even place, his strength is tem- pered. He will be equal to his task. Should he look out for the help of the subject of 1, that would affect him with another element of weakness; and his action would give cause for regret.
Line 5 is strong and central. Its subject should be equal to achieve extraordinary merit. But he has no proper correlate below, and as 2 inclined to 1, so does this to 6. But here the willow only produces flowers, not shoots;—its decay will soon reappear. An old wife will have no children. If the subject of the line is not to be condemned as that of 3, his action does not deserve praise.
The subject of 6 pursues his daring course, with a view to satisfy the extraordinary exigency of the time, and benefit all under the sky. He is unequal to the task, and sinks beneath it; but his motive modifies the judgment on his conduct.
SECT. i. THE KHAN HEXAGRAM. I19 in all the peril of the defile. He will, however, get a little (of the deliverance) that he seeks.
3. The third line, divided, shows its subject, whether he comes or goes (=descends or ascends), confronted by a defile. All is peril to him and unrest. (His endeavours) will lead him into the cavern of the pit. There should be no action (in such a case).
4. The fourth line, divided, shows its subject (at a feast), with (simply) a bottle of spirits, and a sub- sidiary basket of rice, while (the cups and bowls) are (only) of earthenware. He introduces his im- portant lessons (as his ruler’s) intelligence admits. There will in the end be no error.
5. The fifth line, undivided, shows the water of the defile not yet full, (so that it might flow away); but order will (soon) be brought about. There will be no error. | 6. The topmost line, divided, shows its subject bound with cords of three strands or two strands, and placed in the thicket of thorns. But in three years he does not learn the course for him to pursue. There will be evil.
XXIX. The trigram Khan, which is doubled to form this hexa- gram, is the lineal symbol of water. Its meaning, as a character, is ‘a pit,’ ‘a perilous cavity, or defile;’ and here and elsewhere in the Yi it leads the reader to think of a dangerous defile, with water flowing through it. It becomes symbolic of danger, and what the authors of the Text had in mind was to show how danger should be encountered, its effect on the mind, and how to get out of it.
The trigram exhibits a strong central line, between two divided lines. The central represented to king Wan the sincere honesty and goodness of the subject of the hexagram, whose mind was sharpened and made penetrating by contact with danger, and who 120 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
XXX. Tse Li HExacram.
Li indicates that, (in regard to what it denotes), it will be advantageous to be firm and correct, and that thus there will be free course and success.
acted in a manner worthy of his character. It is implied, though the Thwan does not say it, that he would get out of the danger.
Line 1 is weak, at the bottom of the figure, and has no correlate above, no helper, that is, beyond itself. All these things render the case of its subject hopeless. He will by his efforts only involve himself more deeply in danger.
Line 2 is strong, and in the centre. Its subject is unable, indeed, to escape altogether from the danger; but he does not involve himself more deeply in it like the subject of 1, and obtains some ease.
Line 3 is weak, and occupies the place of a strong line, Its subject is in an evil case.
Line 4 is weak, and will get no help from its correlate in x. Its subject is not one who can avert the danger threatening himself and others. But his position is close to that of the ruler in 5, whose intimacy he cultivates with an unostentatious sincerity, sym- bolled by the appointments of the simple feast, and whose intelli- gence he cautiously enlightens. In consequence, there will be no error.
The subject of line 5 is on the eve of extrication and deliverance. The waters of the defile will ere long have free vent and disappear, and the ground will be levelled and made smooth. The line is strong, in a proper place, and in the place of honour.
The case of the subject of line 6 is hopeless. When danger has reached its highest point, there he is, represented by a weak line, and with no proper correlate below. The ‘thicket of thorns’ is taken as a metaphor for a prison; but if the expression has a history, I have been unable to find it.
SECT. I. THE LI HEXAGRAM. I21 Let (its subject) also nourish (a docility like that of) the cow, and there will be good fortune.
1. The first line, undivided, shows one ready to move with confused steps. But he treads at the same time reverently, and there will be no mistake.
2. The second line, divided, shows its subject in his place in yellow. There will be great good fortune.
3. The third line, undivided, shows its subject in a position like that of ‘the declining sun. Instead of playing on his instrument of earthenware, and singing to it, he utters the groans of an old man of eighty. There will be evil.
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows the manner of its subject's coming. How abrupt it is, as with fire, with death, to be rejected (by all)!
5. The fifth line, divided, shows its subject as one with tears flowing in torrents, and groaning in sorrow. There will be good fortune.
XXX. Li is the name of the trigram representing fire and light, and the sun as the source of both of these. Its virtue or attribute is brightness, and by a natural metaphor intelligence. But Li has also the meaning of inhering in, or adhering to, being attached to. Both these significations occur in connexion with the hexagram, and make it difficult to determine what was the subject of it in the minds of the authors. If we take the whole figure as expressing the subject, we have, as in the treatise on the Thwan, ‘a double bright- ness,’ a phrase which is understood to denominate the ruler. If we take the two central lines as indicating the subject, we have weakness, dwelling with strength above and below. In either case there are required from the subject a strict adherence to what is correct, and a docile humility. On the second member of the Thwan K/ang- 3ze says:—‘ The nature of the ox is docile, and that of the cow is much more so. The subject of the hexagram adhering closely to 122 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
6. The topmost line, undivided, shows the king employing its subject in his punitive expeditions. Achieving admirable (merit), he breaks (only) the chiefs (of the rebels). Where his prisoners were not their associates, he does not punish. There will be no error.
ce what is correct, he must be able to act in obedience to it, as docile as a cow, and then there will be good fortune.’
Line 1 is strong, and at the bottom of the trigram for fire, the nature of which is to ascend. Its subject therefore will move upwards, and is in danger of doing so coarsely and vehemently. But the lowest line has hardly entered into the action of the figure, and this consideration operates to make him reverently careful of his movements; and there is no error.
Line 2 is weak, and occupies the centre. Yellow is one of the five correct colours, and here symbolises the correct course to which the subject of the line adheres.
Line 3 is at the top of the lower trigram, whose light may be considered exhausted, and suggests the symbol of the declining sun. The subject of the line should accept the position, and resign himself to the ordinary amusements which are mentioned, but he groans and mourns instead. His strength interferes with the lowly contentment which he should cherish, The strength of line 4, and its being in an even place, make its subject appear in this unseemly manner, disastrous to himself.
Line 5 is in the place of honour, and central. But it is weak, as is its correlate. Its position between the strong 4 and 6 fills its subject with anxiety and apprehension, that express themselves as is described. But such demonstrations are a proof of his inward adherence to right and his humility. There will be good fortune.
Line 6, strong and at the top of the figure, has the intelligence denoted by its trigrams in the highest degree, and his own proper vigour. Through these his achievements are great, but his generous consideration is equally conspicuous, and he falls into no error.
SECT. II. THE HSIEN HEXAGRAM. T2:3 REN oe or ONT f XXXII. Tue Hsien HEXAGRAM.
Hsien indicates that, (on the fulfilment of the conditions implied in it), there will be free course and success. Its advantageousness will depend on the being firm and correct, (as) in marrying a young Jady. There will be good fortune.
1. The first line, divided, shows one moving his great toes.
2. The second line, divided, shows one moving the calves of his leg. There will be evil. If he abide (quiet in his place), there will be good fortune.
3. The third line, undivided, shows one moving his thighs, and keeping close hold of those whom he follows. Going forward (in this way) will cause regret.
4. The fourth line, undivided, shows that firm correctness which will lead to good fortune, and prevent all occasion for repentance. If its subject be unsettled in his movements, (only) his friends will follow his purpose.
5. The fifth line, undivided, shows one moving the flesh along the spine above the heart. There will be no occasion for repentance.
124 THE Yi KING. TEXT.
6. The sixth line, divided, shows one moving his jaws and tongue.
XXXI. With the 31st hexagram commences the Second Section of the Text. It is difficult to say why any division of the hexagrams should be made here, for the student tries in vain to discover any con- tinuity in the thoughts of the author that is now broken. The First Section does not contain a class of subjects different from those which we find in the Second. That the division was made, how- ever, at a very early time, appears from the sixth Appendix on the Sequence of the Hexagrams, where the writer sets forth an analogy between the first and.second figures, representing heaven and earth, as the originators of all things, and this figure and the next, repre- senting (each of them) husband and wife, as the originators of all the social relations. This, however, is far from carrying conviction to my mind. The division of the Text of the Yi into two sections is a fact of which 1 am unable to give a satisfactory account.
Hsien, as explained in the treatise on the Thwan, has here the meaning of mutual influence, and the duke of Aau, on the various lines, always uses Kan for it in the sense of ‘moving’ or ‘influenc- ing to movement or action.’ This is to my mind the subject of the hexagram considered as an essay,—‘Influence; the different ways of bringing it to bear, and their issues,’ The Chinese character called hsien is Ja the graphic symbol for ‘all, together, jointly.’ Kan, the symbol for ‘influencing,’ has hsien in it as its phonetic constituent (though the changes in pro- nunciation make it hard for an English reader to appreciate this), with the addition of hsin, the symbol for ‘the heart.’ Thus Ja kan, ‘to affect or influence,’ = Jay +X); and it may have been that while the name or word was used with the significance of ‘influencing,’ the,{\) was purposely dropt from it, to indicate the most important element in the thing,—the absence of all purpose or motive. I venture to think that this would have been a device worthy of a diviner.
With regard to the idea of husband and wife being in the teach- ing of the hexagram, it is derived from the more recent symbolism of the eight trigrams ascribed to king Wan, and exhibited on p. 33 and plate III. The more ancient usage of them is given in the paragraph on the Great Symbolism of Appendix II. The figure consists of Kan (===>), ‘the youngest son,’ and over it Tui (—=——), ‘the youngest daughter.’ These are in ‘happy union.’
SECT. II. THE HANG HEXAGRAM. 125 XXXII. Tue HAnc HExacram.
Hang indicates successful progress and no error (in what it denotes). But the advantage will come from being firm and correct; and movement in any direction whatever will be advantageous.
1. The first line, divided, shows its subject deeply (desirous) of long continuance. Even with firm No influence, it is said, is so powerful and constant as that between husband and wife; and where these are young, it is especially active. Hence it is that Hsien is made up of Kanand Tui. All this is to me very doubtful. I can dimly apprehend why the whole line ( ) was assumed as the symbol of strength and authority, and the broken line as that of weakness and submission. Beyond this I cannot follow Ffi-hsi in his formation of the trigrams; and still less can I assent to the more recent symbolism of them ascribed to king Wan.
Coming now to the figure, and its lines, the subject is that of mutual influence; and the author teaches that that influence, correct in itself, and for correct ends, is sure to be effective. He gives an instance,—the case of a man marrying a young lady, the regulations for which have been laid down in China from the earliest times with great strictness and particularity. Such influence will be effective and fortunate.