The Alternation And Rise-and-fall:Reconsideration About The Examples Of Xun Shuang’s Yi-ology

Xun Shuang is a famous expert in image-numerology in Eastern Han Dynasty. In his study, the alteration about divinatory symbols of Yin and Yang is the core and feature. Since the Qing Dynasty, many scholars had study on it from the respect of Yi’s explanation and ideas. However, different scholars had different thoughts on it, and these arguments haven’t been solved so far. Thus, from the whole view, this thesis based on the realities of annotations written by Xun Shuang try to restudy the style and ideas from an overall perspective.The first part focuses on discussing the examples about Xun’s idea, which can be split into three kinds:Firstly, the inheritance of the traditional Twelve Divinatory Symbols and Ba Gong Hexagrams; Secondly, the changing of Yin and Yang, including the changing of Qian-Kun and Tai-Pi, which generate other hexagrams; Thirdly, the "Qian Sheng Kun Jiang", its core is when the fifth line is Yin Yao, the second line or the Yang Yao which is the nearest line under the fifth line would go up to the fifth. These three forms can clearly divide the sixty-four hexagrams. I can confirm that Xun Shuang did not use the narrow sense of Yu Fan’s hexagram transformation, and the annotations written by him also did not have "Qian Jiang Kun Sheng". In general, the examples of Xun Shuang’s annotations are definitely not chaotic and self-contradictory.The second part mainly discusses the cosmology that based on Xun Shuang’s Yi-ology. Xun Shuang’s cosmology proceeded from two modes of Yin and Yang, using the words of Yi-ology to express his generative ideas. After this, Xun always came back to the present moment to study the connection between all things. At the same time, based on the waxing and waning of yin-yang, he tried to understand and feel the universe. Moreover, Xun Shuang distinguished the value of the objective universe on the view of "Yang is superior to Yin", and accepted the composition that in line with Yin and Yang. In addition, Xun Shuang used "Qian Sheng Kun Jiang" to build a new future for universe logically. The reasonable part in the universe, together with new logical architecture, formed the whole universal value of Xun Shuang.The third part discusses the humanistic concern that related to Xun Shuang’s examples of Yi-ology. Personally, the position of lines in divinatory symbol stands for the pattern of intra-individual and external factors. When Xun Shuang studied variation in divinatory symbols, he talked about the morality of Yang to emphasize "being sage inside". Moreover, when the Yang line goes up to the fifth, it reflected ultimate ideal that inner sageliness developed into outer kingliness. The foundation of his examples of Yi-ology is variation and hierarchy. Xun Shuang placed great emphasis on using the hierarchy to govern society. As for the couples, he stressed the obedience of wives. At the same time, Xun insisted that the difference of hierarchy led to etiquette in our society.The fourth part discusses the influence of Yi-ological ideal belong to Xun Shuang. On one hand, from the point of Yi-ology, this theory embodied that Xun Shuang blended his own ideal with Jing Fang’s and others thought to build his system of image-numberology, which led to the blossom of Yi-ology in Han Dynasty. But on the other hand, we can see the problem of it from his ideal. From the philosophical point, Xun’s cosmology is distinctive in the philosophy of Han Dynasty. Xun Shuang’s ideal did not beyond this range. What’s more, we can not ignore the negative influence caused by the stress of hierarchy. Xun Shuang’s theory about Yi-ology and his life practice tell us the right life method:have the ideal in heart; try the best to do it in real life; be optimistic about the future.