The Essence of the Xici Shangzhuan: A Philosophical Inquiry into the Junzi's Settled Peace and the Order of the Yijing
This article offers a deep reading of the core proposition in the Xici Shangzhuan — 'What the junzi dwells in and finds peace in is the order of the Yi' — integrating the pre-Qin context, the Confucian scholarly lineage, and the structure of the Zhouyi to elucidate how the junzi, by embodying the Way of Heaven and Earth, takes the Yi as the foundation of settled existence, contemplates the images and savors the statements, and ultimately attains the state of 'auspiciousness with nothing unfavorable.'
Chapter Eight: The Pre-Qin Perspective — The Yi and the Hundred Schools
Confucianism: The Master believed studying the Yi enables "no great errors." Master Meng said: "Those who accord with Heaven survive; those who oppose Heaven perish" (Mengzi, "Li Lou Shang"). Master Xun said: "One who is good at the Yi does not divine" (Xunzi, "Da Lue").
Daoism: The Most High (Laozi): "Reversal is the movement of the Way" (Ch. 40) — identical to the Yi's "things at their extreme must reverse." Master Zhuang: "Heaven and Earth were born together with me, and the myriad things are one with me" (Zhuangzi, "Qi Wu Lun") — resonating with the Heaven-Humanity harmony of "Heaven itself aids him."
Military thought: Sunzi Bingfa: "No constant configuration for the military, no constant form for water... One who adapts to the enemy's changes and achieves victory is called divine" — consistent with "it simply adapts to whatever changes come."
This passage thus transcends any single school and reaches the shared heights of pre-Qin thought, containing the Confucian spirit of self-cultivation, the Daoist wisdom of accord, the military strategist's principle of adapting to change, and the shared ideal of Heaven-Humanity unity.