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

Chapter Two: Detailed Exegesis Sentence by Sentence—"Therefore, that wherein the Gentleman resides and finds ease is the Arrangement of the Yi."

I. The Connotation of Junzi (Gentleman)

The term Junzi (君子) appears frequently in the Canons and Commentaries of the Zhou Yi. In the Xiang Zhuan alone, nearly every Great Image Judgment (Da Xiang Ci 大象辞) uses the construction, "The Gentleman, therefore,..." For instance:

• Hexagram Qian (Heaven): "Heaven moves vigorously; the Gentleman, therefore, constantly strives for self-perfection."
• Hexagram Kun (Earth): "The disposition of Earth is receptive; the Gentleman, therefore, carries all things with broad Virtue."
• Hexagram Meng (Obstruction): "Water springs forth under the mountain; Obstruction. The Gentleman, therefore, acts decisively and cultivates Virtue."
• Hexagram Xu (Waiting): "Clouds rise above Heaven; Waiting. The Gentleman, therefore, partakes in food and drink and enjoys himself."
• Hexagram Song (Contentiousness): "Heaven and water move in opposition; Contentiousness. The Gentleman, therefore, plans the beginning of his undertakings."
• Hexagram Shi (Army): "Water within the Earth; Army. The Gentleman, therefore, accommodates the people and gathers the masses."

From this, it is clear that the Junzi is the core object of discussion in the Zhou Yi. What, then, does Junzi refer to$14

In the Pre-Qin context, the term Junzi held multiple meanings. Initially, it referred to the "son of a ruler," the aristocratic class. However, by the time of Confucius, the meaning of Junzi underwent a fundamental shift from a concept of status to a concept of morality.

Analects, Li Ren (里仁):

"The Master said: 'Wealth and honor are what men desire. If they cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be held. Poverty and obscurity are what men dislike. If they cannot be avoided in the proper way, they should not be cast off. If a Gentleman departs from Benevolence, how can he be established$15 A Gentleman does not transgress Benevolence for the space of a single meal. He must be steadfast in it in moments of haste, and must be steadfast in it when he is destitute.'"

Analects, Xian Wen (宪问):

"The Master said: 'There are three paths by which a Gentleman may attain virtue; I cannot manage them. To be benevolent is not to worry; to be wise is not to be perplexed; to be courageous is not to be afraid.'"

Analects, Wei Ling Gong (卫灵公):

"The Master said: 'The Gentleman takes righteousness as his substance, governs by propriety, expresses himself with modesty, and accomplishes through trustworthiness. Truly a Gentleman!'"

For Confucius, the Junzi was the ideal personality possessing the three cardinal virtues of benevolence, wisdom, and courage, acting based on righteousness, propriety, modesty, and trust.

However, in the context of the Zhou Yi, the meaning of Junzi has a deeper layer. The Junzi in the Zhou Yi is not merely a moral exemplar but also a wise person capable of perceiving the transformations of Heaven and Earth, conforming to the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang, and grasping the timing of advance and retreat. In other words, the Junzi of the Zhou Yi is both a moral agent and a cognitive agent—he not only knows what is good and righteous but also knows when to advance and when to retreat, when to be firm and when to be yielding.

The Wen Yan Zhuan on the Qian Hexagram offers a magnificent discussion:

"The Great Man harmonizes his Virtue with that of Heaven and Earth, his brightness with that of the sun and moon, his order with that of the four seasons, and his blessings and misfortunes with those of the spirits. He anticipates Heaven and is not opposed; he follows Heaven's timing and is not late. If even Heaven does not oppose him, how much less can men! How much less the spirits!"

The "Great Man" (Da Ren 大人) here, synonymous with or higher than the Junzi, harmonizes his Virtue with Heaven and Earth, his brightness with the sun and moon, his order with the seasons, and his fortunes with the spirits. This is the highest realization of the ideal personality in the Zhou Yi.

Why discuss the connotation of Junzi in such detail here$16 Only by understanding what kind of person the Junzi is can we grasp why he can "reside and find ease" (Ju er An) in the Arrangement of the Yi, and why he can "delight and contemplate" (Le er Wan) the Line Judgments. A person lacking moral cultivation and cognitive ability cannot derive a basis for life's stability or the joy of contemplation from the Yi.

II. The Profound Meaning of Ju Er An (Residing and Finding Ease)

The four characters "所居而安者" (that wherein one resides and finds ease) warrant careful chewing.

What is the meaning of Ju (Reside)$17 The Shuo Wen Jie Zi says: "Ju, to squat. From Shi (corpse) and Gu (ancient sound)." Duan Yucai comments: "All dwelling is called Ju." In Pre-Qin texts, Ju has several uses:

First, the physical meaning of "dwelling" or "place." For example, in the Book of Odes, Feng Wei, Qi Ao (淇奥): "Look to the banks of the Qi, with green rushes like a mat. There is a refined Gentleman, like cut and polished jade, like carved and ground lapis lazuli." Here, "Qi Ao" is the place where the Gentleman resides.

Second, the spiritual meaning of "settling" or "finding repose." For example, in Analects, Li Ren: "The Master said: 'To dwell in a place beautiful for its associations with benevolence is a virtue. If one chooses a place without benevolence, how can one be called wise$18'" Here, "dwelling" (Chu 处) carries the meaning of Ju, referring to spiritual settling.

Third, the state of being: "stillness" or "ordinary dwelling." This is contrasted with "action" (Dong 动), as seen later in the passage: "when the Gentleman resides, he observes Images... when he acts, he observes Changes..." Here, Ju refers to the state of stillness opposite to action.

What is the meaning of An (Ease/Peace)$19 The Shuo Wen Jie Zi says: "An, quiet. From Nü (woman) beneath a roof." Xu Shen's explanation suggests that a woman under a roof signifies quietude and stability. In Pre-Qin texts, An has rich meanings:

• Analects, Xue Er (学而): "The Gentleman seeks not to be full in his eating, nor to find ease in his dwelling." Here, An refers to material comfort.
• Analects, Li Ren: "The Master said: 'The non-benevolent cannot long abide in straitened circumstances, nor long abide in comfort. The benevolent are at ease in benevolence; the wise find profit in benevolence.'" Here, An Ren (at ease in benevolence) means spiritual comfort and naturalness, as natural as a fish in water.
• Doctrine of the Mean: "Therefore, the Gentleman resides in ease, awaiting his fate; the small man acts rashly, seeking mere chance." Here, Ju Yi (residing in ease) also contains the meaning of finding a secure place.

Combining Ju and An, "residing and finding ease" (Ju er An) means to be settled in a certain state or realm, and within that state to feel stable, secure, and grounded, free from anxiety, panic, or unease.

Why is "residing and finding ease" so important$20 Because in Pre-Qin thought, finding a stable place for one's spirit was a fundamental issue.

Analects, Wei Zheng (为政):

"The Master said: 'At fifteen, I set my mind on learning; at thirty, I established myself; at forty, I had no doubts; at fifty, I knew the Mandate of Heaven; at sixty, my ear was reconciled to all I heard; at seventy, I could follow what my heart desired without overstepping the line.'"

Confucius's life, from "setting his mind on learning" to "following his heart's desire without overstepping the line," is actually a process of continually seeking a place of spiritual settling. "Establishing myself at thirty" meant finding an initial foothold; "having no doubts at forty" meant no longer being shaken by external disturbances; "knowing the Mandate of Heaven at fifty" meant recognizing the existence of the Heavenly Mandate beyond human power; "ear reconciled at sixty" meant being able to encompass all differing voices; and "following his heart's desire without overstepping the line at seventy" meant achieving the state where absolute freedom and absolute norm completely unify.

In this process, what role did the Yi play$21 According to the passage we are examining, the Yi is the very foundation of the Gentleman's spiritual settling: "That wherein the Gentleman resides and finds ease is the Arrangement of the Yi."

III. The Multiple Meanings of "The Arrangement of the Yi" (Yi Zhi Xu)

What is the "Arrangement of the Yi" (Yi Zhi Xu)$22 This is one of the most crucial concepts requiring meticulous analysis in this passage.

The character Xu (序) in Pre-Qin texts has several meanings:

(I) Sequence or Order

The most basic meaning of Xu is the succession or sequence of things. The arrangement of the sixty-four hexagrams in the Zhou Yi possesses an inherent sequence. The Xu Gua Zhuan is dedicated to discussing this sequence, beginning with:

"When Heaven and Earth existed, then the myriad things were born. Filling the space between Heaven and Earth are only the myriad things, thus it is received by Tún (屯). Tún means plenitude. Tún is the beginning of the birth of things. When things are born, they must be obscured, thus it is received by Méng (蒙). Méng means obscurity; it is the immaturity of things. When things are immature, they cannot but be nurtured, thus it is received by Xū (需). Xū is the way of food and drink. Food and drink must lead to dispute, thus it is received by Sòng (讼)."

This passage clearly demonstrates the logical sequence among the sixty-four hexagrams: after Heaven and Earth (Qian and Kun) comes the initial birth of things (Tún), followed by obscurity (Méng), which requires nurturing (Xū), leading inevitably to contention (Sòng) during nourishment... This creates an interlocking, complete series.

If "the Arrangement of the Yi" refers to the sequence of the sixty-four hexagrams, then "That wherein the Gentleman resides and finds ease is the Arrangement of the Yi" means: The basis for the Gentleman's stability and life purpose is the intrinsic law and sequence of development of things, as displayed by the sixty-four hexagrams.

(II) Order or Law

Xu can also refer to a deeper order or law. The Book of Rites, Record of Music (Li Ji, Yue Ji 礼记·乐记) states:

"Music is the harmony of Heaven and Earth; Ritual (Li 礼) is the Arrangement (Xu) of Heaven and Earth."

Here, Xu refers to the order and law between Heaven and Earth—the state where all things and entities possess their proper place and follow their proper path.

If understood in this sense, "the Arrangement of the Yi" is the fundamental order and law of the transformations of Heaven and Earth revealed by the Yi. When the Gentleman establishes his life within this fundamental order, it is as natural as a fish settling in water or a bird settling in the air. He naturally comes to "reside and find ease."

(III) Narration or Display

Xu also carries the meaning of "to narrate" or "to display." The Shuo Wen Jie Zi states: "Xu, eastern and western walls." It is then extended to mean "to narrate." In this sense, "the Arrangement of the Yi" can be understood as "the content narrated by the Yi," i.e., all the principles displayed through the hexagram Images, Hexagram Judgments, and Line Judgments.

(IV) Comprehensive Understanding

Synthesizing these three meanings, we can understand "the Arrangement of the Yi" as: the fundamental order of the transformations of Heaven and Earth revealed by the Yi, which is exhibited through the ordered arrangement and sequence of the sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred and eighty-four lines.

Why can the Gentleman "reside and find ease" within this$23 Because this order is not artificial, external, or coercive; rather, it is natural, internal, and inherent to Heaven and Earth. When the Gentleman comprehends this order and arranges his life and actions according to it, he merges with the Way of Heaven and Earth, naturally finding "ease."

This is analogous to the statement in the Doctrine of the Mean:

"The Mandate of Heaven is called one's Nature; to follow one's Nature is called the Way; to cultivate the Way is called education. The Way is what cannot be left even for a moment; if it could be left, it would not be the Way."

The "Way" cannot be left for a moment, just as the "Arrangement of the Yi" cannot be left for a moment. The Gentleman "residing and finding ease" in the Arrangement of the Yi means he lives constantly within the comprehension and alignment with the cosmic order, never departing from it, even for an instant.

IV. The Contrast Between "Residing at Ease" and "Residing Uneasily"

To further grasp "residing and finding ease," we might consider the state of "residing uneasily."

Analects, Yang Huo (阳货):

"Zai Wo asked: 'The mourning period of three years is too long. If a Gentleman neglects ritual for three years, ritual will certainly fall into ruin; if he neglects music for three years, music will certainly collapse. When the old grain is consumed and the new grain has ripened, and the drilling sticks have been changed for fire, one year should suffice.' The Master said: 'Rice to eat, brocade to wear—are you at ease with that$24' He replied: 'I am at ease.' The Master said: 'If you are at ease, then do it! When a Gentleman observes the mourning period, the delicious food tastes bland, music heard gives no joy, and his dwelling gives him no ease, which is why he does not do it. Now that you are at ease, then do it!'"

In this famous dialogue, Confucius asks Zai Wo if he would be at ease concluding the mourning period after only one year following his parents' death. Zai Wo replied he would be at ease. Confucius said, then do it. But the true Gentleman, during the mourning period, finds that "delicious food tastes bland, music heard gives no joy, and his dwelling gives him no ease," which is why he observes the three-year mourning.

This shows that a person's ability to be "at ease" (An) in something presupposes a deep recognition and internalization of that thing—be it filial piety or propriety. The Gentleman's ability to be "at ease" in the Arrangement of the Yi presupposes that he profoundly understands the Arrangement of the Yi and has internalized it as part of his own being.

V. Historical Example: King Wen Imprisoned at Youli and Developing the Yi

The historical figure who best embodies the spirit of "That wherein the Gentleman resides and finds ease is the Arrangement of the Yi," is King Wen imprisoned at Youli (羑里) while developing the Zhou Yi.

The Basic Annals of the Zhou (Shi Ji, Zhou Ben Ji 史记·周本纪) records:

"The Western Chief had reigned for fifty years. While imprisoned at Youli, he is said to have augmented the Eight Trigrams of the Yi into the Sixty-four Hexagrams."

Moreover, Sima Qian's Letter to Ren An (written during the transition to the Han Dynasty) notes the established tradition that "King Wen, being imprisoned, elaborated the Zhou Yi."

King Wen was imprisoned by King Zhou of Yin at Youli, an extremely constrained situation. Trapped in prison, facing imminent execution, and with his political future dark, King Wen did not succumb to despair or collapse. Instead, he devoted himself to studying the Yi, overlapping the eight trigrams of Fuxi to form the sixty-four hexagrams, and appending judgments to them.

Why could King Wen maintain inner composure and creative power in such dire circumstances$25 Precisely because "That wherein the Gentleman resides and finds ease is the Arrangement of the Yi." The Arrangement of the Yi—the fundamental order of Heaven and Earth—provided him with a place for spiritual settling. By studying the Yi, he understood the laws governing the movement of the Heavenly Way, realized the principle that adversity reaches its extreme only to reverse (no situation is permanently bad), and thus could calmly await the shifting of the Heavenly Mandate while engaging in great academic creation.

The Wen Yan Zhuan on the Kun Hexagram states:

"A family that accumulates virtue will have abundant blessings; a family that accumulates non-virtue will have abundant calamities. A minister murdering his sovereign, a son murdering his father—this is not the work of a single day or a single morning; the process comes gradually, arising from the failure to distinguish early on. The Yi says: 'Stepping on frost, hard ice is coming.' This speaks of sequence/compliance."

King Wen deeply understood that the decline of Yin "is not the work of a single day," and that the rise of Zhou was likewise a gradual process. His seven years in Youli were spent using the Arrangement of the Yi as his spiritual residence, patiently waiting for the transfer of the Heavenly Mandate.

The Zuo Zhuan, 15th Year of Duke Xi (僖公十五年) records that before the battle at Han Pass, Duke Mu of Qin sought divination regarding the campaign and obtained Jian (蹇, Insolvency) changing to Kui (睽, Opposition). The diviner Bu Tutu interpreted it, saying: "Auspicious. Crossing the river, the host's chariots will be defeated." This later occurred as prophesied. This shows that in the Pre-Qin era, Yi divination was indeed used for major decisions, and the accuracy of the divination depended on whether the diviner truly understood the Arrangement of the Yi.

VI. The Relationship Between Xu (Arrangement) and Dao (Way)

We must inquire deeper: What is the relationship between the Xu (Arrangement) of the Yi and the Dao (Way) in Pre-Qin thought$26

The Laozi states:

"The Dao produces One; One produces Two; Two produces Three; Three produces the myriad things. The myriad things carry Yin on their backs and embrace Yang in their arms; the mingling of Qi creates harmony." (Chapter 42)

"Man follows the Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows itself (Nature)." (Chapter 25)

The Dao of the Laozi is the source and law of all things in the cosmos. The Xu of the Yi is, in fact, the manifestation of the Dao in concrete affairs. The Dao is abstract and formless, while the Xu of the Yi is concrete and observable—it demonstrates the operation of the Dao through the arrangement and change of the sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred and eighty-four lines.

The Xì Cí Zhuàn itself explicitly points this out:

"One Yin and one Yang constitute the Dao. What follows it is Goodness, what completes it is Nature. The Benevolent see it and call it Benevolence; the Wise see it and call it Wisdom. The common people use it daily but do not know it, hence the Way of the Gentleman is rare."

"One Yin and one Yang constitute the Dao"—the Dao is the alternation of Yin and Yang. The Yi, through its combinations of Yin lines (-- ) and Yang lines (—), manifests this alternation. Therefore, the Arrangement of the Yi is the Arrangement of the Dao; "residing and finding ease" in the Arrangement of the Yi is "residing and finding ease" in the Dao.

This profoundly echoes Confucius's words in the Analects, Li Ren:

"The Master said: 'If a man hears the Way in the morning, he may die content in the evening.'"

"Hearing the Way in the morning, dying content in the evening"—once the Way is grasped, even if one dies that very evening, there is no regret. This is the same spiritual state as "residing and finding ease" in the Arrangement of the Yi: having found the ultimate spiritual haven, one can face life and death with equanimity.

VII. Summary

Based on the preceding analysis, the profound meaning of "Therefore, that wherein the Gentleman resides and finds ease is the Arrangement of the Yi" is:

The true Gentleman's spiritual stability is rooted not in external wealth, nobility, or power, but in the comprehension and alignment with the fundamental order of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things. This fundamental order is displayed through the orderly arrangement of the sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred and eighty-four lines of the Yi. By internalizing this order into his heart and externalizing it in his conduct, the Gentleman can remain stable, grounded, composed, and at ease, regardless of whether he is in prosperity or adversity, success or failure.

What a lofty spiritual realm this is!