The Essence of the 'Great Treatise A': A Philosophical Inquiry into the Gentleman's Establishment of Life and the Order of the *Yi*

III. The Placement of this Passage within the Xì Cí Shang Zhuàn

To accurately understand a passage, one must also be aware of its position and contextual framework within the larger text.

The passage we are examining is located in the second chapter of the Xì Cí Shang Zhuàn (according to common methods of division). The text preceding it is:

"Heaven is esteemed and Earth is lowly, thus Qian and Kun are established. Lowness and height being arrayed, the noble and the base are positioned. Movement and stillness have their constant norms, thus the firm and the yielding are determined. Things group by kind, and entities divide by classification; thus auspiciousness and inauspiciousness arise. In Heaven they form Images; on Earth they form Forms; thus transformation and change are revealed."

This forms the opening of the Xì Cí Shang Zhuàn, beginning with the grand transformation of Heaven and Earth, and discussing the cosmological basis for fundamental Yi concepts such as Qian/Kun, nobility/baseness, firmness/yielding, auspiciousness/inauspiciousness, and change.

This is immediately followed by:

"Therefore, the firm and the yielding inspire each other, and the Eight Trigrams interact. They are agitated by thunder and lightning, and nourished by wind and rain. The sun and moon revolve, one cold season follows another. The Way of Qian models maleness, the Way of Kun models femaleness. Qian knows the Great Beginning, Kun completes the things produced. Through Yi (Easy/Change), one knows; through Simplicity (Jian 简), one can accomplish. When it is easy to know, there is intimacy; when it is easy to accomplish, there is merit. With intimacy, one can be long-lasting; with merit, one can be great. Long-lasting reveals the virtue of the Worthy Man; great reveals the enterprise of the Worthy Man. Yi is simple, and thereby the principles of the world are apprehended. When the principles of the world are apprehended, one achieves his position within it."

This section proceeds from the nurturing power of Heaven and Earth to deduce the principle of "Easy Simplicity" (Yi Jian), and further to the meaning of "achieving one's position within it," meaning man finding his place between Heaven and Earth.

It is only after this grand cosmological and axiological foundation that our passage appears:

"Therefore, that wherein the Gentleman resides and finds ease is the Arrangement of the Yi; that wherein he delights and contemplates is the Divinations of the Lines. Thus, when the Gentleman resides, he observes their Images and contemplates their Words; when he acts, he observes their Changes and contemplates their Divinations, whereby Heaven assists him, and everything auspicious brings no harm."

Why does this passage appear here$8 Why does it discuss the Gentleman's relationship with the Yi only after discussing the Way of Heaven and Earth, the principle of Yi Jian, and the meaning of establishing one's position$9

This warrants deep reflection. It implies an important logic: the reason the Gentleman can "reside and find ease" (Ju er An) and "delight and contemplate" (Le er Wan), the reason he can "observe Images and contemplate Words" and "observe Changes and contemplate Divinations," is rooted in his prior understanding of the Way of Heaven and Earth. In other words, the Gentleman's utilization of the Yi is not arbitrary or isolated but built upon a profound comprehension of the great transformations of Heaven and Earth.

This is analogous to what Confucius said:

"Let your will be set upon the Dao (道), rely upon Virtue (德), find security in Benevolence (仁), and find recreation in the Arts (艺)." (Lun Yu, Shu Er 述而)

The "Dao" is the fundamental orientation; "De" is the internal accumulation; "Ren" is the basis for practice; "Yi" is the concrete application. Similarly, in the structure of the Xì Cí Zhuàn, the Way of Heaven and Earth is the fundamental premise, while the Gentleman's observation of Images and contemplation of Words, and observation of Changes and contemplation of Divinations, constitute the concrete application and practice following the comprehension of the Heavenly Way.