Cosmological Construction and Rational Essence of the Original Functions of the *Book of Changes* Based on Divination Tracing

Section 5.1: Laozi's "Dao" and the Yi's "Taiji"

The relationship between Laozi's (老子) teachings and the Zhouyi is one of the most profound topics in pre-Qin philosophy. Although Laozi never directly discussed the Zhouyi, the worldview implicit in the Daodejing (道德经) exhibits a surprising structural similarity to the fundamental spirit of the Zhouyi.

The Daodejing, Chapter 42, states:

"The Dao gave birth to One; One gave birth to Two; Two gave birth to Three; Three gave birth to the myriad things. The myriad things carry Yin and embrace Yang, and through the blending of qi (气, vital energy), they achieve harmony." (道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物。万物负阴而抱阳，冲气以为和。)

The Xici Zhuan (Part Upper) states:

"The Yi has the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji), which generates the Two Modes (Liangyi). The Two Modes generate the Four Images (Si Xiang). The Four Images generate the Eight Trigrams (Ba Gua)." (易有太极，是生两仪，两仪生四象，四象生八卦。)

The structure of these two passages is parallel: Dao → One → Two → Three → Myriad Things; Taiji → Two Modes → Four Images → Eight Trigrams → Myriad Things. Both "Dao" and "Taiji" point to that primordial unity, the source of all transformations, the gate of all mysteries—that original unified entity before all differentiation and change occurred.

But what deserves deeper contemplation is the phrase "through the blending of qi, they achieve harmony" (冲气以为和). The way of existence of the myriad things is "carrying Yin and embracing Yang"—Yin and Yang are not in opposition but in fusion, not in conflict but in harmony. This is precisely the fundamental principle of the sixty-four hexagrams of the Zhouyi: each hexagram is a specific combination of Yin and Yang lines. There is no purely Yin or purely Yang (except for the Qian and Kun hexagrams), and the different proportions and arrangements of Yin and Yang constitute the infinite diversity of all things and all affairs.

Why does Laozi emphasize "through the blending of qi, they achieve harmony"$37 Because the relationship between Yin and Yang is not one of struggle, but of coordination. This is completely consistent with the core spirit of the Zhouyi—the Xici Zhuan states:

"One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao." (一阴一阳之谓道。)

Not "Yang overcoming Yin is called auspicious, Yin overcoming Yang is called inauspicious," but "One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao"—the interplay of Yin and Yang itself is the Dao. The Dao is not in Yin, nor in Yang, but in the interplay and movement of Yin and Yang.

The depth of this insight far surpasses the scope of divination. Divination concerns itself with "Is this matter Yin or Yang, auspicious or inauspicious$38"—it requires a clear binary judgment. But "One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao" reveals the fundamental truth that transcends binary opposition: Yin and Yang are not ends in themselves, change is the essence; auspiciousness and inauspiciousness are not fixed labels, but states that change with the times.