Probing the Nuances of Xian: A Philosophical Examination of the Way of Husband and Wife and the Foundation of Human Relationships in the Zhou Yi's Xian Hexagram
This paper deeply interprets the core assertion of the Xian Hexagram in the *Zhou Yi* concerning the marital relationship as the foundation for sovereign-subject and father-son ethics. It systematically investigates the hexagram's position within the Yi structure, the etymological connection between *Xian* (咸) and *Gan* (感), and analyzes the principle of Yin-Yang interaction embodied by the 'soft above and hard below' configuration and its foundational significance for pre-Qin ethical order.
Cited Reference Catalogue (Pre-Qin Texts)
I. Zhou Yi (Including the Classic Text and the Ten Wings: Tuan Zhuan, Xiang Zhuan, Xi Ci Zhuan, Wenyan Zhuan, Shuogua Zhuan, Xu Gua Zhuan, Za Gua Zhuan) II. Shangshu (Including chapters such as Yao Dian, Shun Dian, Da Yu Mo, Hong Fan, Mu Shi, etc.) III. Shijing (Book of Odes) (Including sections from Zhou Nan, Zhao Nan, Bei Feng, Wei Feng, Xiao Ya, Da Ya, etc.) IV. Lunyu (The Analects) V. Mencius VI. Xunzi (Including chapters such as Da Lüe, Tian Lun, Li Lun, Jie Bi, etc.) VII. Laozi (Daodejing) VIII. Zhuangzi (Including Qi Wu Lun, Ren Jian Shi, Tian Dao, Zhi Bei You, etc.) IX. Zuo Zhuan X. Guoyu (Discourses of the States) (Including Jin Yu, Lu Yu, Zheng Yu, etc.) XI. Liji (Book of Rites) (Including Hun Yi, Nei Ze, Yue Ji, Zhong Yong, Daxue, Ji Yi, Qu Li, Jiao Te Sheng, Ai Gong Wen, etc.—whose philosophical origins derive from the pre-Qin period) XII. Yili (Rites of Zhou) (Including Shi Hun Li, etc.) XIII. Guanzi (Including Nei Ye, etc.) XIV. Han Feizi XV. Mozi (Including chapters on Jian Ai, etc.) XVI. Lüshi Chunqiu (The Annals of Lü Buwei) (Including You Shi Lan, Zhong Chun Ji, Shou Shi, Gui Yin, etc.) XVII. Zhan Guo Ce (Strategies of the Warring States) (Including Yan Ce, etc.)
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Author: The Xuanji Editorial Department
Word Count: Over 50,000 characters
This article is grounded in pre-Qin texts and framed by an ancient perspective, striving for meticulous textual research and an exposition that is profound yet accessible. All citations are drawn exclusively from pre-Qin (including late Warring States) literature, strictly adhering to the principle of excluding information from the Han dynasty onward. Throughout the analysis, the text repeatedly asks "Why," and provides answers based on pre-Qin documents, ensuring that the reader can grasp the Sages’ profound wisdom embedded between the lines.