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#Book of Changes #Great Treatise A #The Way of the Gentleman #Image and Text Interpretation #Confucian Yi Studies

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.

Tianwen Editorial Team February 7, 2026 85 min read PDF Markdown
The Essence of the 'Great Treatise A': A Philosophical Inquiry into the Gentleman's Establishment of Life and the Order of the *Yi*

VI. Comprehensive Comparison

Viewed from the perspective of the various Pre-Qin schools, this passage—"Therefore, that wherein the Gentleman resides and finds ease is the Arrangement of the Yi; that wherein he delights and contemplates is the Divinations of the Lines. Thus, when the Gentleman resides, he observes their Images and contemplates their Words; when he acts, he observes their Changes and contemplates their Divinations, whereby Heaven assists him, and everything auspicious brings no harm"—is not merely a methodology for studying and applying the Yi, but a miniature reflection of Pre-Qin thought as a whole.

It encompasses:

  • The Confucian spirit of "self-cultivation" (Ju er An, Le er Wan).
  • The Daoist wisdom of "Compliance" ("What Heaven assists is compliance").
  • The Military Strategist's approach to "Victory through Change" (Observing Changes and contemplating Divinations).
  • The universally shared Pre-Qin ideal of "Heaven-Man Harmony" ("Heaven assists him").

This shows that the passage in the Xì Cí Zhuàn, although formally belonging to the Confucian tradition of Yi scholarship, reaches a common height shared by all Pre-Qin philosophical currents in its inherent content.