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.
III. Guanzi and the Yi
The Guanzi, a political philosophy text from the State of Qi in the Pre-Qin era, also contains ideas resonating with the Yi.
Guanzi, Nei Ye (内业):
"The essence of all things creates life. Below, it generates the five grains; above, it forms the constellations. Flowing between Heaven and Earth, it is called the spirits and deities. Hidden in the breast, it is called the Sage. Therefore, this Qi, is bright as if ascending to Heaven, and obscure as if sinking into the abyss. Fluid as if dwelling in the sea, and sudden as if residing within the self."
This description of "Qi"—"bright as if ascending to Heaven, and obscure as if sinking into the abyss"—bears a striking resemblance to the imagery of the Qian Hexagram: "Hidden dragon" (sinking into the abyss) and "Flying dragon" (ascending to Heaven).
Furthermore, Guanzi, Xin Shu I (心术上):
"The Way of Heaven is void of form. Being void, it is inexhaustible; having no form, it has no fixed position. Having no fixed position, it flows through all things without changing."
"Xu qi wu xing" (虚其无形). "The Way of Heaven is void of form." This resonates with the concept of the Yi having "no form" (Yi Wu Ti 易无体) in the Xì Cí Zhuàn.