Study On Zhu Xi's Yi-ology

The Principle learning and Yi-ology of ZHU Xi (1130-1200) both mark the highest achievement in Chinese thinking history and Yi-ology history. His Principle learning and Yi-ology are interlaced and interpenetrated, in the contrast with each other, and elevate to an unprecedented level. However, nowadays the majority of research achievement on ZHU Xi's Yi-ology belongs to the basic introduction, and few of systematical research comes into being. The study of academic frame and reason remains blank, as for the interpenetration between ZHU's Yi-ology and Principle learning, it is seldom discussed. In this paper, we aim to discuss deep the theoretical construction, expound ZHU's creative ideas on Yi-ology, reveal the logical relation among the parts of his theoretical system, explore the core issue and idea of his Yi-ology, therefore dissect the issue of the relationship between ZHU's Yi-ology and Principle learning, and show the interlacement and interaction between Yi and Principle on the basis of the interpenetration between heavenly Dao and Xingming (lit., human nature and destiny). The above is the rough idea of this paper.Chapter one, this paper introduces the Yi thoughts ZHU Xi received in his early years and his thought change. ZHU's first teachers HU Xian, LIU Zi-hui and LIU Mian-zhi all made a special study on Yi-ology including both image-numberoloyg and meaning-pattern Yi. Furthermore, ZHU dabbled in Yi-ology of Daoism when he studied the thoughts of Buddhism and Laozi. All the above lay the groundwork for the his later Yi-ology thoughts and style.Chapter two, this paper goes to the point and expounds ZHU Xi's idea that the Yi is a book of divination. We make a research on the trend of changing the ancient style in the Song Dynasty which is the background for ZHU to explore the original meaning of the Classics boldly. Then this paper investigates the completion time and course of his idea that the Yi is a book of divination and analyzes the historical literature recorded on his idea. Also, we analyzes the connotation of his idea, and find that ZHU advanced his idea on the relationship between divination and the Dao of sages in a new theoretical vision. Started from the issue of the expressive way in the text, ZHU discussed the characterastics of the Yi text and its expressive way. He held that the Yi established the teaching based on divination, the statements of hexagrams and lines are appended with the basis of the images, the Yi is like a mirror and so on which are all unprecedented. Owing to his not satisfied with Han Yi tradition and the Yi-ology at that time, he applied himself to the study of the original appearance of the Yi, and aimed to make a radically reformation for the image-numberology and meaning-pattern Yi. To do this, he revealed the original appearance of the Yi.Chapter three, this paper studies the theory of the Yi of the three Sages. Since the Western Han, scholars used to regard the text and commentaries of the Zhouyi as a community, both of which have the identical meaning. However, ZHU Xi believed that the Text the Zhouyi is a book of divination while the Commentaries aims to elaborate the Dao of the heaven and human being, so there are differences between the Text and the Commentaries. ZHU have to explain the relationship between the meaning of the Text and the Commentaries, based on which he established his new way to explain the relationship between the Text and the Commentaries. To deal with the above problem, he adavanced his idea on the theory of the Yi of the three Sages. As far as ZHU Xi is concerned, the thoughts of the three Sages are not same but communicated with each other. They are different in the way but the same in the Dao, and all are the appearance of the Li (principle) of Taiji (Ultimate Grand) in different historical backgrounds. The relationship between the Text and the Commentaries seems more complicated. Some of the contents in the commentaries transcends that in the Text, some explains the reason of that in the Text, and some follows the original meaning in the Text. The complicated relationship between the Text and the Commentaries reflects in the Zhouyi Benyi (the Original Meaning of the Zhouyi) by ZHU Xi. ZHU connected the thought that the Text and the Commentaries should be studied separatedly and that the Text should be explained based on the Commentaries. This show clearly that ZHU has a spirit of history rationality and excellent philosophical thinking, however, the complicated relationship between the Text and the Commentaries makes him perplexed in explaining the Zhouyi.Since ZHU Xi regarded the Yi as a book of divination which is rooted in the image-numberology, he had to study the image-numberology well. This paper researches on the issues of the River Map and Luo Chart, Priori Learning and Postnatal Learning, divine method in chapter four and five. ZHU regarded River Map and Luo Chart, indispensable to each other, as the changes of the heaven and the earth and the numbers in the Map and the Chart reflect the law of the heaven and the earth. ZHU studied the River Map and the Luo Chart to explore the ultimate theoretical basis for the Text of the Yi. The meaning of the Yi transcends the Text itself to reach the realm of the heaven and the earth. ZHU esteemed and paid attention specially to SHAO Yong's Priori number theory. In his view, the mode that Taiji produces Yin and Yang, one produces two, is the natural law and order which can not be changed. The Priori number theory is to answer the question of FU Xi's trigrams, and it's in essence to resolve the issue of Principle and Qi (vital force). The relationship between Principle and Qi can be explained in the theory of the Priori Taiji Yin-yang. ZHU regarded the Priori as noumenon and the Postnatal as function, the latter is the revelation of the former. The Postnatal theory lacks of rigorous logic in arranging Taiji Yin-yang, so ZHU have my suspicions on the Postnatal number theory. We think that ZHU blindly pursued the neat formation of the number and ignored the variability of the images. ZHU thought the alternation of the hexagrams as the Postnatal theory and the diagram of is based on the Priori trigrams order. We believe this theory transcend the theories in the past. However, his hexagrams alternation theory faded out of the cosmic background and lost some innate meaning of the theory. ZHU Xi studied divination of the Zhouyi carefully. In ZHU Xi's viewpoint, divination is the primitive actual utility, so we can not comprehend the truth without learning the divination. Divination and the Postnatal number theory is the function of the Priori theory. In the final analysis, image-numberology in ZHU's theory is the reflection of the relationship between Principle and Qi in which the core theory is the philosophical frame that Taiji and Yin-yang can be separated from each other.Chapter six, we study ZHU's theory of Taiji Yin-yang, human nature and destiny. We investigate the relationship between ZHU Xi and ZHOU Dun-yi and the Confucian orthodoxy, and find that ZHU made a pedigree with Taiji and Yin-yang as the basic content. In this chapter, we advance that ZHU's expounded his theory with the Four Books as the basic Text and the Yi-ology is his theoretical bedrock. Based on the existing achievements, this paper put forward the author's creative ideas on Wuji and Taiji, Dongjing (motion and motionless), Yin and Yang and so on. And makes a special research on the two issues of Qian and Kun, creative creativity, and reveals ZHU's unique learning on the Yi in the view of the accommodation of heavenly Dao and human nature and destiny. This learning includes ZHU's cosmic ontology, mind-heartology and practice theory, and ZHU's theory on mind-heart, human nature and emotion is based on the Taiji Yin-yang theory too.In a word, ZHU Xi embraces the whole Yi-ology development from FU Xi to the Song Dynasty, based on the idea that the Yi is a book of divination, he made a deep research on the issues of the relationship between divination and the Sages, the Yi-ology of the three Sages, the relationship between image-numberology and meaning pattern Yi. ZHU's theory has many his own creation and shows his history rationality and consciousness of hermeneutics. Many of his theory is unprecedented.Under the perspective of Principle learning, ZHU Xi brought the Yi-ology issues of River Map, Luo Chart, Priori image-numberology, Postnatal image-numberology and divination into the Principle theoretical system. The Yi-ology became the expression and function of the relationship between Principle and Qi. The theory of Taiji Yin-yang runs through the Yi-ology and Principle learning by ZHU and is the core idea in the interpenetration of his theories.