Ma Yifu’s Thought On Thethree Implications Of Yi

Ma Yifu who had extensive knowledge and profound scholarship was anoutstanding representative of Contemporary Neo-Confucianists. He excelled inneo-confucianism, Buddhism, poetry, calligraphy, and also had studied the westernacademic. He was titled "the only representative of the fruit of traditional Chineseculture ", his thought on Yi was regarded as "the representative of the higheststandard of Chinese academic circle of Yi in the fist half of20th century." His thoughton the Three Implications of Yi is out of ordinary.Ma Yifu ’s own Confucian tendency and the turbulent environment are thesubjective and objective reasons that led to his thought on Three Implications of Yi.At that time, Confucianism community needed an orthodox Confucian scholar toreinterpret the connotations of <the book of change>, Ma’s thought just met the needof his time.The Three Implications of Yi (which are also called the Three Yi collectively inthe thesis) are Bu Yi, Bian Yi, Jian Yi (or Yi Jian or Yi). Although previousConfucian ’s wording of interpretations of Yi are different, the meanings of Three Yithey explained are much-alike: Bian Yi refers to surface phenomena resulting from acommon-existed rule, and its own nature of inner unification, constant changing,appearing everywhere and appearing in every forms; Bu Yi refers to the unchangeabletruth that commonly exists everywhere, in every forms, and the phenomena on whichthe truth shows perfectly. Jian Yi (or Yi Jian or Yi) refers to "Dan Bo Bu Shi"(beindifferent to lose but never lose),"Ping Yi"(be easy), and having the virtue ofnourishing lives.Ma inherited previous Confucian ’s interpretations of Bu Yi and Bian Yi, butcreatively extended the meaning of Jian Yi with the connotation that "Bu Yi is BianYi". Previous Confucian ’s Jian Yi and Yi Jian have the same meaning, but Ma usedthem differently. Ma’ s Yi Jian means "Wu Wei"and "Zhi Cheng"(namely conformingto the laws of heaven and earth and not imposing oneself ’s wills on others), whichinherits and improves previous Confucian ’s annotations.The core of Ma’s thought on Three Yi is emphasising on the unity andinalienability of Three Yi. Although Ma emphasizes Bu Yi here and there in his bookmore than Bian Yi and Jian Yi, Ma’s Bian Yi and Jian Yi are as important as Bu Yi.Ma values Yi Jian as well, he regards Yi Jian as the highest standard of thinking andaction. Ma’s thought on Three Yi is one of the basic thoughts of Ma’s other thoughts, itinfluences other thoughts in three dimensions: First, The Unity of Three Yi influencedMa’s thoughts on the unity of "Ti"(substance),"Xiang"(appearance),"Yong"(function)which provided the possibility of putting Confucianism in practical in the conceptsense; Second, the Unity of Bian Yi and Jian Yi influenced Ma’s philosophicalthoughts, such as the Unity of Li and Qi, and the thought on Yi Li Ming Xiang(namely truths and names). Third, the Unity of Bu Yi and Jian Yi influenced hisTheory of Practice.Xiong Shili and Ma Yifu lived at the same time, they both accepted the theory ofTi Yong Bu Er (that substance and function are inseparable.) and the view thatOntology are Confucian GongFu. But there are differences between their thoughts onThree Yi: First, their understandings of the meaning of the word "Jian Yi" weredifferent; Second, Xiong emphasised on Bian Yi rather than Bu Yi; Third, Xiongdidn’t apply the San Yi as much as Ma did, Although Ma’s thought on Three Yi arescattered but still more like a system than Xiong ’s.Ma’s thought on Jian Yi has quite a distinguishing feature, it also affects Ma’s SixClassics and the Thought on Li (principle) and Qi (material force) a lot, is Ma’s basictheory of his harmony style. Ma’s thought on Three Yi is incomplete and subtle,but itis profound,abstruse and important.