Chapter 4: Comprehensive Study of the Tuan Zhuan and Xiang Zhuan of Da You

Section 1: The Ideological Structure of the Tuan Zhuan

The Tuan Zhuan interprets the Da You hexagram thus:

"Da You, the yielding obtains the position of honor, centered greatly, and is responded to above and below—this is called Da You. Its virtue is firm and persistent, yet civilized and bright; responding to Heaven and acting according to the times, therefore it is Yuan Heng." (大有，柔得尊位，大中，而上下应之，曰大有。其德刚健而文明，应乎天而时行，是以元亨。)

This passage can be divided into three layers of logic:

First Layer: Explanation of the Hexagram Name. "The yielding obtains the position of honor, centered greatly, and is responded to above and below—this is called Da You." These three clauses explain why this hexagram is named "Da You."

Second Layer: Description of the Hexagram Virtue. "Its virtue is firm and persistent, yet civilized and bright." This summarizes the inherent moral quality of Da You.

Third Layer: Explanation of the Hexagram Statement. "Responding to Heaven and acting according to the times, therefore it is Yuan Heng." These two clauses explain why Da You can achieve "Yuan Heng."

The relationship between these three layers is tightly logical, progressing step-by-step: Because it possesses yielding obtaining the position of honor, great centering, and being responded to above and below, it achieves the structure of Da You (Layer 1); the structure of Da You contains the virtue of firmness and civilization (Layer 2); by acting according to Heaven and time with this virtue, it achieves Yuan Heng (Layer 3).

This structure of argumentation is extremely rigorous.

Section 2: The Political Philosophy of "Yielding Obtaining the Position of Honor"

The four characters "Yielding obtaining the position of honor" (柔得尊位) embody a crucial proposition in Pre-Qin political philosophy.

How can yieldingness obtain the position of honor$18 Why is obtaining the position of honor through yieldingness considered excellent$19

Pre-Qin political thought involves debates on the virtues required of a ruler:

One school advocates that the ruler must be firm and decisive. For example, the Shangshu, Da Yu Mo, records Gao Yao’s words: "Day by day proclaim the three virtues: one, uprightness; two, stern constraint; three, gentle constraint" (日宣三德：一曰正直，二曰刚克，三曰柔克). Among the three virtues, "stern constraint" holds a vital position. Legalists further argue that the ruler must control his ministers through assertive power. The Han Feizi, Zhu Dao, states: "The wise ruler acts through non-action above, and his ministers tremble in fear below" (明君无为于上，群臣竦惧乎下).

The other school advocates that the ruler must be yielding and humble. For example, the Laozi, Chapter 76, states: "Man is born soft and weak; in death he is rigid and hard. Plants are born tender and fragile; in death they are withered and dry. Therefore, the rigid and hard are followers of death; the soft and weak are followers of life. Hence, an army that is strong will be defeated; a tree that is strong will break. The strong and great remain below; the soft and weak remain above" (人之生也柔弱，其死也坚强。草木之生也柔脆，其死也枯槁。故坚强者死之徒，柔弱者生之徒。是以兵强则灭，木强则折。强大处下，柔弱处上).

The saying "Yielding obtaining the position of honor" in Da You is closer to the latter view, yet it does not entirely reject firmness. The marvel of Da You lies in "yielding occupying the supreme position" while "firmness assists below"—firmness and yieldingness temper each other, not leaning toward one extreme. The yieldingness of the Sixth Line Five is not weakness or incompetence, but the yieldingness of an open mind that accepts the worthy, the yieldingness that contains firmness within.

This aligns with the instruction in the Shangshu, Hong Fan: "High and luminous, yet gently constrained" (高明柔克). To rule what is high and supreme through the way of yieldingness—this is the ultimate virtue.

Why should the ruler be yielding rather than firm$20

This question can be considered from the perspective of game theory. If the ruler above is firm, then the firm lines below will all contend with him. When above is firm and below is firm, conflict arises, and something must break. But if the yielding line occupies the position of honor, the firm lines below each remain in their own place, exerting their abilities without contention. This is like water in a container: if the container is square, the water is square; if the container is round, the water is round. Water, through its yielding nature, can conform to all shapes. When the yielding is above and the firm is below, each finds its proper place—this is why it is Da You.

The Zhuangzi, Tian Xia chapter, records Laozi's learning: "He took softness, weakness, and humility as his outward expression" (以柔弱谦下为表). And: "Everyone seeks to be first; he alone seeks to be last, saying: 'I bear the disgrace of the world.' Everyone seeks substance; he alone seeks emptiness, saying: 'I possess nothing, therefore I have surplus'" (人皆取先，己独取后，曰受天下之垢；人皆取实，己独取虚，无藏也故有余). This is the principle of the yielding occupying the higher position while the firm submits below.

Section 3: The Thought of the Central Path in "Great Center"

The term "Great Center" (Da Zhong) involves the core concept of the Central Path in Pre-Qin thought.

The concept of "Zhong" (Center) holds an extremely important position in Pre-Qin thought.

First, "Center" in Politics.

The Shangshu, Da Yu Mo's "Firmly hold the Center" (允执厥中) is the holding of the Center in governance. The Way of governing is neither biased nor leaning, neither excessive nor insufficient—this is the Middle Way.

The Lunyu, Yong Ye, records Confucius saying: "The Middle Way is indeed the utmost virtue! It has been rare among people for long" (中庸之为德也，其至矣乎！民鲜久矣). The Middle Way is acting centrally and uprightly, and maintaining it constantly.

Second, "Center" in Cosmology.

The "Center" is the heart of Heaven and Earth. The Liji, Zhong Yong, states: "When joy, anger, sorrow, and delight are not yet manifested, this is called the Center; when they are manifested and all are in harmony with the proper degree, this is called Harmony. The Center is the great root of the world; Harmony is the universal Way of the world. When the Center and Harmony are achieved, Heaven and Earth find their proper positions, and the myriad things are nourished" (喜怒哀乐之未发，谓之中；发而皆中节，谓之和。中也者，天下之大本也；和也者，天下之达道也。致中和，天地位焉，万物育焉).

The Center is the great root of the world. The Sixth Line Five of Da You obtains this "Great Center," meaning it has grasped the great root of the world. With the great root in hand, all things are naturally nourished, and all affairs naturally accomplished—this is the fundamental reason for Da You.

Third, the distinction between "Great Center" and "Center."

Calling it "Great Center" rather than just "Center" has deep implications.

Ordinary "Center" might refer to the center of a single event or a single moment; "Great Center," however, refers to the center of all things under heaven, across all ages. The Sixth Line Five, occupying the position of honor and practicing the Middle Way, has an influence that is not limited to one person or one event, but extends to all regions under heaven and across all ages, hence it is called "Great Center."

Section 4: The Concept of Heaven-Humanity Unification in "Responding to Heaven and Acting According to the Times"

The six characters "Responding to Heaven and acting according to the times" (应乎天而时行) represent the highest realm of the Da You hexagram's underlying principle.

"Responding to Heaven" (ying hu tian) means echoing the Dao of Heaven. When human actions align with the Dao of Heaven, the Dao of Heaven responds to humanity. This is the core of the Pre-Qin thought on the relationship between Heaven and humanity.

The Shangshu, Tai Shi Shang, records King Wu’s words: "What Heaven sees, we see; what Heaven hears, we hear" (天视自我民视，天听自我民听). What Heaven sees and hears is what the people see and hear. If a ruler can win the hearts of the people, he can respond to Heaven.

The Shijing, Da Ya, "Wen Wang" states: "The deeds of the High God are without sound or smell. Follow the pattern of King Wen, and the myriad states will trust in you" (上天之载，无声无臭。仪刑文王，万邦作孚). The Dao of Heaven is omnipresent without sound or smell, and King Wen followed this Dao, so all states trusted him. This is the state of "responding to Heaven."

"Acting according to the times" (shixing) means acting in accordance with the opportune time. The operation of Heaven’s Dao follows a temporal order: spring for birth, summer for growth, autumn for harvest, winter for storage—each has its proper time. Human actions must also conform to temporal suitability: advance when appropriate, retreat when appropriate, be firm when appropriate, be yielding when appropriate.

The Zhou Yi greatly emphasizes the concept of "time" (shi). In interpreting various hexagrams, the Tuan Zhuan often praises the "meaning of time." For instance, in the Sui hexagram (Following): "The meaning of adapting to the times is great indeed!" In the Yu hexagram (Joy/Excitement): "The meaning of timing for Yu is great indeed!" The "acting timely" of the Da You hexagram also embodies this spirit of "meaning of time."

Combining "Responding to Heaven and acting according to the times" means: aligning with Heaven's Dao and acting according to the trend of the times. This is not passive submission but active correspondence. Humanity responds to the Dao of Heaven with virtue, and the Dao of Heaven responds to human affairs with temporal trends. A virtuous interaction is formed between Heaven and humanity.

Section 5: Deeper Interpretation of the Xiang Zhuan's "Stopping Evil and Promoting Good, Conforming to Heaven and Enjoying its Mandate"

While the Xiang Zhuan was analyzed previously, here we delve further into its deeper implications.

The Philosophical Basis of "Stopping Evil and Promoting Good."

The premise of "stopping evil and promoting good" is the ability to distinguish between good and evil. How is this distinction made$21 What is the standard$22

Pre-Qin thought discusses this extensively.

Confucianism takes benevolence (ren) and righteousness (yi) as the standard for good. The Lunyu, Li Ren, records Confucius saying: "Only the benevolent can love others and hate others" (唯仁者能好人，能恶人). Only the benevolent can correctly love good and hate evil.

Mohism takes benefiting the world as the standard for good. The Mozi, Fei Ming Shang, states: "The superior takes as basis the deeds of the Sage Kings of old, and examines the reality known by the ears and eyes of the common people... observe the benefit to the state, the territory, and the people" (上本之于古者圣王之事，下原察百姓耳目之实，……观其中国家百姓人民之利).

Legalism takes laws and decrees as the standard for good and evil. The Han Feizi, Ding Fa, advocates defining good and evil through clear laws, rewarding the good and punishing the evil without ambiguity.

Daoism expresses skepticism toward fixed standards of good and evil. The Laozi, Chapter 2, states: "When all under heaven know beauty as beauty, ugliness then arises; when all know good as good, evil then arises" (天下皆知美之为美，斯恶已；皆知善之为善，斯不善已).

The "stopping evil and promoting good" in the Da You hexagram, viewed from the trigram image, is like Fire (Li) illuminating the vastness of Heaven (Qian), making good and evil distinct, and allowing each to find its proper place. This aligns more closely with the Confucian position: using the light of clear virtue to distinguish good from evil, suppressing wickedness, and promoting goodness.

The Theological Implications of "Conforming to Heaven and Enjoying its Mandate."

"Conforming to Heaven and enjoying its mandate" touches upon the core of Pre-Qin views on the Heavenly Mandate.

The core of Pre-Qin Heaven's Mandate theory is: the Heavenly Mandate is not fixed, but shifts according to human virtue. The Shangshu, Tang Shi, records Tang's words: "Xia has committed many crimes; Heaven has ordered its destruction... The house of Xia has sinned; I fear the High God, and dare not fail to rectify matters" (有夏多罪，天命殛之。……夏氏有罪，予畏上帝，不敢不正). Because Xia committed many crimes, Heaven ordered its destruction, and he felt compelled to rectify things.

The Shangshu, Tai Shi Shang, records King Wu's words: "The crimes of Shang have overflowed; Heaven has commanded their extermination" (商罪贯盈，天命诛之). Zhou rose because Shang’s sins were full and Heaven commanded their execution.

From this, we see that the core of Pre-Qin Heaven’s Mandate theory is: the Mandate is not permanent; it aids only virtue.

The attainment of Da You originates from the Heavenly Mandate. That those who possess virtue attain the world is a basic conviction of the Pre-Qin era.

However, receiving the Heavenly Mandate is not passive waiting but actively cultivating virtue to respond to it. The "acting timely" in "Responding to Heaven and acting timely" is the method of cultivating virtue to respond to the Mandate. One actively responds to Heaven’s call with virtuous conduct, and Heaven’s Mandate responds with assistance.

The phrase "Xiu Ming" (Auspicious Mandate) means the mandate is good. If one stops evil and promotes good, the Heavenly Mandate remains auspicious and long-lasting; if one fails to do so, the mandate shifts and does not abide.

This is consistent with the warning in the Shangshu, Shao Gao: "I must take warning from the Xia, and I must also take warning from the Yin" (我不可不监于有夏，亦不可不监于有殷). The reason Xia and Yin lost the Heavenly Mandate was precisely because they failed to stop evil and promote good, failing to conform to Heaven and enjoy its mandate. The reason Zhou received the Mandate was because Kings Wen and Wu were able to conform to Heaven and enjoy its mandate, stopping evil and promoting good.

The Zuo Zhuan, Xi Gong 5, records Gong Zhiqi’s advice to Duke Wu of Yu: "Spirits and gods are not personally befriended by man; they rely only on virtue. Therefore the Zhou Shu says: 'Heaven has no favorites; it only assists virtue.' It also says: 'Millet and sacrificial grain are not fragrant; bright virtue is fragrant.' It also says: 'The people do not change their reverence except for virtue.'" Thus, without virtue, the people will not be harmonious, and the spirits will not accept the sacrifices. This passage, quoting three lines from the Zhou Shu, emphasizes the central role of virtue. Heaven does not favor people but favors virtue. This is the essence of the Pre-Qin view of the Heavenly Mandate and the deep rationale behind the "Assistance from Heaven" in Da You.