A Deep Study of Xunzi's 'Jie Pi' Chapter: On the Cognitive Foundations of the Mind—Emptiness, Unity, and Tranquility
This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the core proposition in Xunzi's 'Jie Pi' concerning the nature of cognition: 'How does man know$41 By the mind. How does the mind know$42 By being empty, unified, and tranquil.' It systematically interprets the dialectical relationship and philosophical implications of 'emptiness' (xu), 'unity' (yi), and 'tranquility' (jing) in cognition, tracing their ancient intellectual origins to reveal the systematicity and sophistication of Pre-Qin cognitive theory.
Section 3: The Ancient Tradition of "Observing Patterns" (Guan Xiang) and Cognition
Ancient peoples had a vital cultural tradition: "Observing Patterns" (Guan Xiang).
The Zhou Yi, Appendix A, states:
"In antiquity, when Pao Xi (Fuxi) ruled the world, he looked up and observed the patterns in Heaven, and looked down and observed the laws on Earth. He observed the markings of birds and beasts and the suitability of the land. He took what was near from his own person, and what was far from other things. From this he first drew the Eight Trigrams, to communicate the virtue of Spiritual Luminosity and to classify the feelings of the myriad things."
Fuxi observed the heavenly patterns above, the terrestrial laws below, the markings of birds and beasts, and the suitability of the land. He took nearby things from his own body and distant things from other phenomena. From this, he first created the Eight Trigrams, "to communicate the virtue of Spiritual Luminosity and to classify the feelings of the myriad things."
This passage reveals the basic pattern of ancient cognitive activity:
Step One: Observation. "Looked up and observed the patterns in Heaven, and looked down and observed the laws on Earth"—extensively observing all phenomena between Heaven and Earth.
Step Two: Induction. "Took what was near from his own person, and what was far from other things"—organizing and summarizing the observed phenomena to find underlying regularities.
Step Three: Creation. "From this he first drew the Eight Trigrams"—creating a symbolic system based on grasping these regularities to express and utilize them.
Step Four: Attainment. "To communicate the virtue of Spiritual Luminosity and to classify the feelings of the myriad things"—through the symbolic system, achieving insight into all things and communing with Spiritual Luminosity.
The core of this cognitive model is "Observation" (Guan). And what is the prerequisite for Guan$10 It is the clarity and focus of the Mind. If the Mind is distracted by chaos, accurate observation is impossible; if the Mind is obscured by prejudice, correct induction from observation is impossible.
Thus, the ancient tradition of "Observing Patterns" implicitly required "Emptiness, Singularity, and Stillness"—even if ancient people did not use these exact terms, the essence is the same.