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

II. Daoism and the Yi

(I) Laozi and the Yi

The thought of the Laozi has a profound connection with the Zhou Yi.

Laozi, Chapter 40:

"Reversal is the movement of the Dao; weakness is the use of the Dao. All things under Heaven arise from being; Being arises from Non-being."

"Fan zhe Dao zhi dong; ruo zhe Dao zhi yong (反者道之动，弱者道之用)."

"Reversal is the movement of the Dao"—reversal (cyclical return) is the manner of the Dao’s movement. This perfectly aligns with the Zhou Yi's idea of "extreme reversal" and "when adversity peaks, ease arrives."

Laozi, Chapter 36:

"That which you want to shrink, you must first stretch. That which you want to weaken, you must first strengthen. That which you want to discard, you must first promote. That which you want to take, you must first give. This is called subtle illumination."

"Jiang yu she zhi, bi gu zhang zhi (将欲歙之，必固张之)."

"That which you want to shrink, you must first stretch"—this dialectical thinking is exactly parallel to the logic of Yin-Yang transformation in the Zhou Yi.

Laozi, Chapter 76:

"Man’s life is soft and weak; his death is hard and stiff. Grass and trees are born soft and tender; when they die, they become dry and withered. Therefore, the stiff and strong belong to the realm of death; the soft and weak belong to the realm of life. Hence, overwhelming strength leads to extinction, and wood that is strong breaks. The great and strong are positioned below; the soft and weak are positioned above."

"The stiff and strong belong to the realm of death; the soft and weak belong to the realm of life"—this resonates profoundly with the Zhou Yi's reverence for "Humility" and "Loss/Diminishment" (Sun 损).

The Tuan Zhuan on the Qian Hexagram states:

"Humility brings success. The Way of Heaven descends to moisten and illuminate; the Way of Earth is low and moves upward. The Way of Heaven diminishes abundance and increases humility; the Way of Earth changes abundance and channels humility. Spirits and deities harm abundance and bless humility; the Way of Man dislikes abundance and loves humility. Humility leads to honor and brilliance, lowness and unreachability; this is the end for the Gentleman."

"Tian Dao kui ying er yi qian (天道亏盈而益谦)." "The Way of Heaven diminishes abundance and increases humility." This is perfectly consistent with Laozi’s idea that "the great and strong are positioned below; the soft and weak are positioned above."

From the Daoist perspective, the key to "Heaven assisting him" is "Compliance"—conforming to Nature, not forcing things, and not resisting the natural flow. Laozi's "non-action yet nothing fails to be done" (wu wei er wu bu wei) is the highest state of Shun.

(II) Zhuangzi and the Yi

Although Zhuangzi's philosophy differs from the Confucian study of the Yi, they share profound common ground on fundamental points.

Zhuangzi, The Great and Complete Man (大宗师):

"He who knows what Heaven does, and knows what Man does, has reached the utmost. Knowing what Heaven does is being born of Heaven; knowing what Man does is using his known knowledge to nourish his unknown knowledge, so that he may complete his natural life span and not die prematurely—this is the height of knowledge."

"Zhi Tian zhi suo wei, zhi Ren zhi suo wei zhe, zhi yi (知天之所为，知人之所为者，至矣)."

"Knowing what Heaven does"—understanding the operation of the Heavenly Way. "Knowing what Man does"—understanding human conduct. Knowing both is the "utmost."

This aligns perfectly with the spirit of the Xì Cí Zhuàn: "observing Images and contemplating Words" is understanding the operation of the Heavenly Way, while "observing Changes and contemplating Divinations" is applying that understanding to human affairs. Balancing both is the core of the Gentleman’s cultivation through the Yi.

Zhuangzi, Discussion on Making Things Equal (齐物论):

"Heaven and Earth were born together with me, and the myriad things are one with me."

This state of "Heaven and Earth were born together with me, and the myriad things are one with me" resonates internally with the harmonious state described by "Heaven assists him."

Of course, Zhuangzi’s "Heaven-Man Harmony" leans more toward spiritual freedom and wandering, while the Xì Cí Zhuàn's "Heaven assists him" leans more toward correct action and auspiciousness. But both share the highest ideal of harmony between Heaven and Man.