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

Chapter 7: Conclusion: The Significance of Returning to the Source

The Xici Zhuan (Part Lower) concludes with a passage that seems to be a prophecy of the Zhouyi's own fate:

"Did the Yi emerge in the middle ages$51 Did the creators of the Yi have worries$52" (《易》之兴也，其于中古乎？作《易》者，其有忧患乎？)

"Did the creators of the Yi have worries$53" (作《易》者，其有忧患乎？)—Were the creators of the Yi motivated by worries$54

The answer to this question is both "yes" and "no."

"Yes"—because the Yi indeed arose from worries. Facing the vastness of Heaven and Earth, the infinity of change, and the uncertainty of life, the ancients felt their own insignificance and powerlessness, and thus longed to understand the laws of change, to find order amidst turmoil, and to establish certainty amidst the unknown.

"No"—because the realm the Yi reaches surpasses worries. When a person truly grasps the truth of "One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao," understands that change itself is the essence of the cosmos, and accepts the law that "when blocked, change; when changed, it leads to passage; when passed, it leads to longevity," they no longer need to worry. Because they know: there is no eternal misfortune, nor eternal good fortune; there is no absolute end, nor absolute beginning—there is only eternal change, eternal flow, and eternal ceaseless generation.

The Xici Zhuan (Part Upper) concludes with a sentence:

"Heaven and Earth established their positions, and the Yi operated within them. Preserving and enriching one's innate nature, this is the gate of the Way and righteousness." (天地设位而易行乎其中矣。成性存存，道义之门。)

Heaven and Earth established their positions, and the "Yi"—the Way of Change—operates between Heaven and Earth. Preserving and enriching one's innate nature, this is the gate of the Way and righteousness.

"The Yi operated within them" (易行乎其中)—the Way of Yi is not in Heaven, not in Earth, not on tortoise shells, not in yarrow stalks, but between Heaven and Earth—that is, within each of our lives.

When we shift our gaze from the structure of the oracle bone script of "Shi" all the way back to the profound elaborations of pre-Qin Confucian and Daoist schools, a clear conclusion emerges: The Zhouyi was not originally created for divination. It was the first response of the ancient Chinese people when faced with the vast cosmos—a response to the questions: "What is change$55 Where is order$56 How should humanity be$57"

This answer, traversing thousands of years, still echoes between Heaven and Earth today.

The master of Yi does not divine. Because those who truly understand the Way of Change no longer need to seek answers externally—the answers lie within change itself.

"The Yi, it opens things and completes affairs, it covers the Way of all under Heaven. Thus it is. Therefore, the sage uses it to connect the aspirations of all under Heaven, to establish the achievements of all under Heaven, and to resolve the doubts of all under Heaven."— Xici Zhuan (Appended Sayings) Part Upper

Xuanji Editorial Department

The pre-Qin texts cited in this article include: Zhouyi: Xici Zhuan (Part Upper), Zhouyi: Xici Zhuan (Part Lower), Zhouyi: Shuogua Zhuan, Zhouyi: Tuan Zhuan, Analects: Xueer, Analects: Zi Lu, Xunzi: Da Lue, Zhuangzi: Tianxia, Zhuangzi: Zhi Bei You, Daodejing Chapters 40, 42, 16, 1, Guoyu: Chu Yu Xia, Guoyu: Jin Yu Si, Zuo Zhuan: Duke Xi's 15th Year, Zuo Zhuan: Duke Xiang's 25th Year, Book of Rites: Jing Jie, Rites of Zhou: Chun Guan: Da Bu, and others. All discussions in this article are strictly limited to the perspective of pre-Qin literature.