The Essence of the 'Great Treatise A': A Philosophical Inquiry into the Gentleman's Establishment of Life and the Order of the *Yi*
This article deeply interprets the core proposition from the 'Great Treatise A'—'That which the gentleman dwells in and finds peace is the order of the *Yi*.' It examines how the gentleman, by internalizing the Way of Heaven and Earth and utilizing the *Book of Changes* as the foundation for establishing his life, achieves a state of 'auspiciousness without detriment' through observing the images and contemplating the textual explanations, situated within the Pre-Qin context and the Confucian tradition.
IV. Why is the Passage Introduced by "Therefore" (Shi Gu 是故)$10
We note that this passage begins with the conjunction "Therefore" (Shi Gu 是故), meaning "hence" or "thus." This conjunction signals that what follows is a logical deduction and necessary conclusion drawn from the preceding discourse.
What was established previously$11 It discussed the positioning of Heaven and Earth, the laws of change between the firm and the yielding, the principle of Yi Jian, and the virtue and enterprise of the Worthy Man. What is deduced from this$12 That the Gentleman should take the Yi as the basis for his stability and life purpose, and the Line Judgments as the object of his delight and contemplation; that in stillness, he observes Images and contemplates Words; and in action, he observes Changes and contemplates Divinations. Only thus can he receive Heaven's aid, and all auspicious things bring no harm.
This term "Therefore" tightly links cosmology with human life, connecting the Way of Heaven with the Way of Man. This is a fundamental characteristic of Pre-Qin thought: the unity or, more accurately, the mutual resonance and participation between Heaven and Man.
The Doctrine of the Mean (Zhong Yong 中庸) states:
"Only the man of utmost sincerity can realize his nature; by realizing his nature, he can realize the nature of others; by realizing the nature of others, he can realize the nature of things; by realizing the nature of things, he can assist in the transformative work of Heaven and Earth; by assisting in the transformative work of Heaven and Earth, he can participate with Heaven and Earth."
To "participate with Heaven and Earth" means man stands as the third element alongside Heaven and Earth, taking part in their generative process. In the context of the Xì Cí Zhuàn, the specific means by which the Gentleman "participates with Heaven and Earth" through observing Images and contemplating Words, and observing Changes and contemplating Divinations, is the Yi.