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.
VI. The Dialectical Relationship Between Cultivation in "Residing" and Application in "Acting"
"When the Gentleman resides, he observes their Images and contemplates their Words"—this emphasizes the importance of cultivation during "residing."
Why is the effort during "residing" so crucial$12 Because application during "acting" relies entirely on accumulation during "residing."
Analects, Zi Lu (子路):
"The Master said: 'If one knows the Odes by heart, but is given a political office and cannot carry it out; if he is sent on a diplomatic mission to the four quarters but cannot speak independently—of what use is his extensive knowledge$13'"
Confucius says that if a person can recite the three hundred poems of the Shi Jing but cannot govern effectively when given office, or cannot speak independently when sent abroad, what good is so much memorization$14
This shows that the purpose of learning is application, but the prerequisite for application is deep study. If "reciting the three hundred poems" is merely rote memorization without deep understanding and internalization, it cannot be flexibly applied.
Similarly, if "observing Images and contemplating Words" is only superficial skimming, one cannot skillfully "observe Changes and contemplate Divinations" when it comes time to act. Only by truly dedicating oneself to deep research during "residing"—repeatedly observing the Images, repeatedly savoring the Words, and grasping the relationship between Image and Word thoroughly—can one act skillfully and accurately during "acting."
This is like medical practice. A good physician must spend ample time reading medical texts, studying prescriptions, and observing clinical cases during his downtime ("residing, observing Images and contemplating Words"); only then can he prescribe the correct medicine for the illness when needed ("acting, observing Changes and contemplating Divinations"). If he does not study diligently beforehand, he cannot save lives when the moment demands it.
Xunzi, Quan Xue (劝学):
"Accumulate soil and a mountain rises; wind and rain will then appear. Accumulate water and an abyss forms; dragons and serpents will then emerge. Accumulate virtue and moral character is obtained; the spiritual mind is naturally achieved, and the Sages' mind is complete. Thus, without accumulating steps, one cannot travel a thousand li; without accumulating small streams, one cannot form rivers and seas."
"Without accumulating steps, one cannot travel a thousand li"—without step-by-step accumulation beforehand, one cannot reach the ultimate goal. "Residing, observing Images and contemplating Words" is precisely this process of day-to-day accumulation.