"Heart Of Cosmos"

As the twenty-fourth one of the total sixty-four hexagrams in the �Book of Changes�(Yi Ching),hexagram �Fu� has been interpreted in various approaches by scholars in different periods.According to the annotation logic when studying Fu hexagram,i.e.the explanation clue of �Heart of Cosmos� in Fu hexagram,there are four typical lines of thought.The first line of thought,mainly adopted from Pre-Qin to Han Dynasty,insists that hexagram Fu expresses the rule of circulation of all things in the cosmos.The �Heart of Cosmos� is mentioned for the first time in the explanation of hexagram Fu from that period without any further explanation.The second line of thought tries to explain hexagram Fu from the metaphysical level.It emphasizes the concept of �Heart of Cosmos�,and offers an characteristic metaphysical explanation of hexagram Fu,taking stillness and Yin as �Heart of Cosmos�.The third line of thought explains �Heart of Cosmos� as the power of creation.It makes contrast between the first unbroken linear symbol(signifies Yang)and the other five broken linear symbols(signifies Yin)to manifest and clarify the concept of �motion� represented by the first unbroken linear symbol or Yang.Here �motion� is explained to be the creation of everything in the cosmos.By this way,hexagram Fu manifests the �Heart of Cosmos�,which is extended as the interaction and balance of of Yin and Yang creating the whole cosmos.The last line of thought explains human as �Heart of Cosmos�.It does not discuss whether Yin or Yang manifests �Heart of Cosmos�,but proposes that human are �Heart of Cosmos� via reference of early Confucian classics.As for the concrete ways of explanation,different scholars have different ways: some scholars suggest that human are the �heart� of the entire system of cosmos,others hold that since human are the creation of the earliest interaction of Yin and Yang,human are the heart of the cosmos.The emergence and development of each of these four lines of thought have their deep social-historical background and mainstream idealogica background.In general,they co-exist and influence each other.Each one is effected by others,and none exists independently.Although in a specific period,one specific line of thought might be dominant,generally speaking,these four lines of thought co-exist for most of time.Moreover,the dialectic relationship of Yin and Yang makes all the concrete analysis work under the rule of unity of opposites.Therefore,the study of hexagram Fu in various periods of history actually gives consideration to both Yin and Yang from the microscopic aspect.The difference lies in that scholars of some periods insist that the spirit of hexagram Fu is embodied in the�motion�represented by Yang,and Yin constitutes the background for Yang;while scholars of other periods hold that the spirit of hexagram Fu is embodied in the �stillness� represented by Yin,and Yang just starts the course of Yang turning into Yin and motion turning into stillness,therefore they stress more the role of Yin.So we can see that the difference in explanations of hexagram Fu in different periods is actually the difference in the relationship of Yin and Yang,i.e.whether Yin or Yang plays the dominant role.None of the explanations takes Yin or Yang as the only nature of hexagram Fu.No matter Yin or Yang is emphasized,the basic purpose of various scholars is as follows: to elaborate how hexagram Fu �manifests Heart of Cosmos�,and further to use their elaboration to prove or serve for their own philosophical theories.