An Analysis of the Structure, Ethics, and Ontology of the 'Jia Ren' Hexagram in the Zhou Yi

Section 3: Scope and Methodology of This Study

This study will be strictly limited to the intellectual resources of the Pre-Qin period. "Pre-Qin" refers to the historical period before the unification of Qin, encompassing the High Antiquity (Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors era), the Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods. The primary sources cited will include:

Classics (Jing Lei, 经类): Zhou Yi (including the Core Text and the Ten Wings), Shang Shu (Book of Documents), Shi Jing (Book of Odes), Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou), Yi Li (Book of Etiquette and Ceremonials), Li Ji (Book of Rites) (although some chapters were compiled around the Qin-Han transition, their core ideas originate in the Pre-Qin period), and the Chun Qiu (Spring and Autumn Annals) along with its commentaries, Zuo Zhuan, Gongyang Zhuan, and Guliang Zhuan.

Masters (Zi Lei, 子类): Lun Yu (Analects), Mengzi (Mencius), Xunzi, Laozi (Daodejing), Zhuangzi, Guanzi, Mozi, Han Feizi, Lüshi Chunqiu, Guoyu (Discourses of the States), etc.

In terms of methodology, this article will adopt the following approaches:

First, Analysis via Image and Number ($\text{xiang shu}$, 象数). This involves analyzing the structure and meaning of the Jia Ren hexagram through its imagery (upper and lower trigrams, inner hexagrams, opposite hexagrams, reciprocal hexagrams, etc.) and the position of the lines (which position each of the six lines occupies, whether Yin/Yang lines are in appropriate positions, and the responsive relationships between lines).

Second, Mutual Interpretation of Classics and Commentaries ($\text{jing chuan hù shì}$, 经传互释). This involves using the "Ten Wings" texts—such as the Tuan Zhuan, Xiang Zhuan, Wen Yan, and Xi Ci—to interpret the core text (gua $\text{cí}$, 卦辞, hexagram statements, and yao $\text{cí}$, 爻辞, line statements), while simultaneously using the core text to verify the commentaries, forming a mutually illuminating explanatory cycle.

Third, Correlation of Texts ($\text{diăn jí hū yìng}$, 典籍呼应). This involves extensively citing original texts from other Pre-Qin works to show how their ideas correspond with and substantiate the meaning of the Jia Ren hexagram, thereby understanding its profound significance within the broader context of Pre-Qin thought. This article does not aim to compare the Zhou Yi with other classics but rather to allow them to "illuminate" one another, forming an organic intellectual whole.

Fourth, Interrogative Method ($\text{zhuī wèn fǎ}$, 追问法). Throughout the analysis, this article will continuously pose "Why$11" questions and attempt to provide answers based on Pre-Qin intellectual resources. These inquiries serve both as a methodology and a narrative strategy—by continually questioning, the reader is guided layer by layer into the core principles of the Jia Ren hexagram.