Introduction

The Zhou Yi (周易, The Book of Changes) is the product of the ancient sages observing the heavens above and the earth below. Its three hundred and eighty-four hexagram lines, coupled with its one thousand one hundred and fifty-two sentences of commentary, encompass the transformations of Heaven and Earth, the order of human relations, and the nature of all things. From Fuxi’s drawing of the trigrams, through King Wen’s developing the Changes, to the Duke of Zhou’s appending the line statements, and finally to Confucius’s composing the Ten Wings (Shi Yi), the Great Significance (Dayi) was revealed. The profound depth of the Yi Way can be said to be the culmination of ancient wisdom. Among the sixty-four hexagrams, Xian (咸, Preponderance of Feeling) occupies the first position in the Lower Canon, just as Qian (乾, Heaven) and Kun (坤, Earth) occupy the first position in the Upper Canon. The arrangement of the Canons, starting with Qian and Kun in the Upper, and Xian and Heng (恒, Perseverance) in the Lower, is by no means accidental; it conceals the profound intentions of the Sages within.

What we examine here is a classic passage concerning the Xian hexagram:

"易之咸，见夫妇。夫妇之道，不可不正也，君臣父子之本也。咸、感也，以高下下，以男下女，柔上而刚下。" (The Changes’ Xian presages the conjugal pair. The Way of the conjugal pair must not be unrectified; it is the root of ruler and minister, father and son. Xian is apprehension/feeling; by the high descending to the low, by the male descending to the female, the yielding is above and the firm is below.)

Though these few phrases are brief, they involve extensive matters: Why does the Xian hexagram uniquely reveal the conjugal pair$1 How is the Way of the conjugal pair the root of ruler and minister, father and son$2 Why is Xian interpreted as Gan (感, Feeling/Apprehension)$3 What philosophy is embodied in "by the high descending to the low" and "by the male descending to the female"$4 How does the hexagram structure of "the yielding is above and the firm is below" reflect the order of human relations$5 All these questions require layer-by-layer, intensive scrutiny from the pre-Qin perspective and in the ancient context to uncover the foundational meaning of the Sages’ teachings.

This article proposes to proceed with the investigation through the following aspects:

First, a systematic compilation and critical examination of the Xian hexagram’s image, hexagram statement, line statements, and relevant discussions found in the Tuan Zhuan (Commentary on the Judgment), Xiang Zhuan (Commentary on the Image), Xu Gua Zhuan (Sequential Commentary), Za Gua Zhuan (Miscellaneous Hexagram Commentary), and Xi Ci Zhuan (Great Treatise on the Changes).

Second, an investigation into the etymology and semantic range of the character "Xian" (咸) and its relationship with "Gan" (感), examined from the perspectives of paleography, phonology, and usage examples in pre-Qin texts.

Third, an in-depth analysis of the ethical philosophy contained in the phrase, "The Way of the conjugal pair must not be unrectified; it is the root of ruler and minister, father and son," contextualized with pre-Qin rites, marriage systems, and political thought.

Fourth, an exposition of the principle of Yin-Yang correspondence embodied in "by the high descending to the low, by the male descending to the female, the yielding is above and the firm is below," and its unfolding in pre-Qin cosmology and political theory.

Fifth, a clarification of the central tenet—that the rectification of conjugal union governs the world’s order, while its corruption leads to chaos—by examining historical pre-Qin cases, such as Yao marrying off his daughters, Shun’s moral transformation, the virtue of King Wen and Tai Si, the calamity of Xia Jie’s reliance on Mo Xi, and the downfall of Yin Zhou due to Daji.

Sixth, a survey of relevant discussions across pre-Qin schools of thought—Confucianism (Confucius, Mencius, Xunzi) as well as Daoism and Legalism—to examine the diverse manifestations of the concept, "the conjugal pair is the beginning of human relations," within pre-Qin scholarship.

The article strives for meticulous textual research, profound yet accessible exposition, grounded in pre-Qin literature and framed by an ancient perspective, aiming to enable readers to grasp the deep meaning of the Sages’ design of the hexagrams through the lines, and thereby commune with the great Dao of Yin-Yang interaction between Heaven and Earth.