Structure, Ethics, and Ontology of the Jiaren (Family) Hexagram in the Zhouyi
This article offers a deep exploration of the philosophical significance of Hexagram 37 'Jiaren' (Family) in the Zhouyi (Book of Changes), analyzing the relationship between the Wind-over-Fire trigram image and the Way of the family, and elucidating the foundational status of 'family' in ancient social structures through pre-Qin Confucian thought on 'roots' (ben) as found in Confucius, Mencius, and the Great Learning.
Chapter Five: Detailed Exegesis of the Daxiang -- "Words with Substance and Conduct with Constancy"
Section 1: The Original Text and Interpretation of the Daxiang
The Xiangzhuan (Great Image Commentary) on the Jiaren hexagram states:
"Wind issues from fire: Jiaren. The exemplary person thus ensures that words have substance and conduct has constancy."
The first half, "Wind issues from fire: Jiaren," describes the hexagram image and has been analyzed in detail in Chapter Two. The second half, "The exemplary person thus ensures that words have substance and conduct has constancy," is the human lesson drawn from the hexagram image -- the standard by which the exemplary person contemplates the hexagram, derives its meaning, and guides personal conduct.
"Words have substance" -- speech must have content, basis, and substance; there should be no empty talk or hollow words.
"Conduct has constancy" -- behavior must have regularity, consistency, and persistence; there should be no fickleness or abandoning things halfway.
Why does the hexagram image of "wind issuing from fire" give rise to the lesson of "words with substance and conduct with constancy"$4 What is the logical connection$5
Section 2: Why "Words" Correspond to "Wind"
In pre-Qin thought, "wind" and "words" (speech, instruction, commands) are closely linked.
First, one of the original meanings of "feng" (wind) is "feng" (to admonish subtly). The Maoshi xu states: "The ruler uses feng to transform those below; those below use feng to remonstrate with those above. Emphasizing literary expression and indirect admonition, the speaker bears no blame, and the hearer is sufficiently warned -- hence it is called feng." Wind is speech; speech is moral instruction.
Second, the Xun trigram (wind) in the Shuoguazhuan also carries the symbolic meaning of "command" (ming): "Xun serves to exercise authority"; "The doubled Xun is for the repeated issuance of commands." A "command" is the most solemn form of speech.
Thus the correspondence of "wind" to "words" is an inherent symbolic logic in pre-Qin thought. The Jiaren hexagram's upper trigram, Xun, is wind; hence it takes the image of "words."
Then why must words "have substance"$6
"Substance" (wu) means something real. "Words have substance" means speech must contain real content, not be empty and groundless. This is consistent with the image-principle of "wind issuing from fire": wind does not arise from nothing but is generated from fire. Likewise, words should not arise from nothing but should emerge from genuine experience and sincere reflection.
The Lunyu, "Wei Ling Gong," records the Master's words:
"The Master said: 'It is enough that language communicates.'"
"It is enough that language communicates" -- the purpose of language is to express, and the prerequisite of expression is having something to express. Without genuine content, even the most ornate rhetoric is an empty shell.
The Lunyu, "Xue Er," further records:
"The Master said: 'Clever words and an ingratiating face seldom go with humaneness.'"
"Clever words" -- florid but empty speech -- are precisely the manifestation of "words without substance." "Words with substance" and "clever words" are opposites: the former is plain and sincere, the latter ornate and false.
In family education, the significance of "words with substance" is paramount. If parents' instruction to children consists of empty sermonizing and grand principles with no grounding in practice, children will not only fail to listen but will lose respect for their parents because of the discrepancy between word and deed. Only when words arise from genuine experience and sincere concern can they produce the effect of moral transformation as naturally as "wind issuing from fire."
Section 3: Why "Conduct" Corresponds to "Fire"
"Conduct with constancy" -- "conduct" corresponds to the lower trigram Li (fire). Why$7
The characteristic of fire is sustained burning -- as long as there is fuel, fire continues to burn. This continuity and constancy is precisely the symbol of "constancy" (heng).
"Constancy" means regularity, endurance, unchangingness. "Conduct with constancy" means maintaining a consistent, unwavering adherence to principle in one's actions, not shifting with changing circumstances.
The Li trigram is also "illumination" -- after clearly discerning right from wrong, to continue acting on the basis of what is understood, that is "conduct with constancy." Without "illumination" there is no direction; without "constancy" there is no endurance -- one cannot do without either.
The Lunyu, "Zi Han," records the Master's words:
"The Master said: 'The wise are free from confusion, the humane free from anxiety, the courageous free from fear.'"
"The wise are free from confusion" -- one with wisdom (illumination) is not bewildered and can therefore act with resolution. This is the principle that Li (illumination) provides the basis for "conduct with constancy."
And Lunyu, "Shu Er":
"The Master said: 'Not to cultivate virtue, not to discuss what I have learned, hearing what is right but being unable to follow it, being aware of my faults but being unable to correct them -- these are my anxieties.'"
The anxieties here are precisely about the absence of "constancy": not continuously cultivating virtue, not continuously discussing learning, not continuously following what is right upon hearing it, not continuously correcting faults upon discovering them. "Constancy" is the key to all cultivation and instruction.
Within the family, "conduct with constancy" means the parents' behavior must be consistent and predictable. If parents say one thing today and do another tomorrow, children will be at a loss. If household rules are now strict and now lax, if standards are now high and now low, the family will fall into confusion. "Constancy" is the temporal dimension of family order -- it is not enough to be correct in the present moment; one must continue to be correct over time.
Section 4: The Unity of "Words" and "Conduct"
"Words with substance and conduct with constancy" -- these two are not separate but unified. The conjunction "and" (er) links them into a single whole, meaning: what is said must be done, and only what is done gives one the right to speak.
This is entirely consistent with the Master's abiding emphasis. Lunyu, "Wei Zheng":
"The Master said: 'First act on your words, and then follow through with speech.'"
First act, then speak -- this guarantees "words with substance." If one first puts something into practice before speaking of it, one's words naturally "have substance" (backed by one's own experience).
Lunyu, "Li Ren":
"The Master said: 'The ancients were reluctant to speak, for they were ashamed lest their conduct fall short.'"
The ancients did not speak lightly, for they were ashamed that their behavior might not live up to their words. This supreme regard for the unity of word and deed is the spiritual essence of "words with substance and conduct with constancy."
In family education, the importance of consistency between word and deed cannot be overstated. When parents tell their children to be honest but lie in front of them -- that is "words without substance." When parents demand children study diligently but idle away their own time -- that is "conduct without constancy." Only when the parents' "words" and "conduct" are highly unified can the moral transformative effect of "wind issuing from fire" truly be realized.
Section 5: "Words with Substance and Conduct with Constancy" and "Watchfulness in Solitude"
The Daxue contains a discussion of "watchfulness in solitude" (shen du):
"What is meant by 'making the intentions sincere' is that one should not deceive oneself. As when one dislikes a foul smell or delights in a beautiful sight -- this is called self-satisfaction. Therefore the exemplary person must be watchful in solitude."
"The petty person, when idle, engages in all manner of wrongdoing. Seeing an exemplary person, he then tries to conceal his wrongdoing and display his good qualities. But others see him as if they could see his lungs and liver -- so what benefit is there in concealment$8 This is what is meant by: 'sincerity within manifests without.' Therefore the exemplary person must be watchful in solitude."
"Watchfulness in solitude" -- maintaining integrity even without supervision -- is precisely the deepest manifestation of "conduct with constancy." "Constancy" is not performance in front of others but an unwavering consistency regardless of whether one is observed.
"Sincerity within manifests without" -- inner sincerity naturally expresses itself in outer conduct. Is this not precisely "wind issuing from fire"$9 Fire (inner luminous sincerity) burns within; wind (outward words and conduct) naturally arises from it. If the heart is not sincere (the fire is extinguished), even the strongest outer wind is false -- like wind produced artificially by a fan, ultimately unsustainable.
Within the most private space of the family, the significance of "watchfulness in solitude" is even greater. The place that outsiders cannot see is precisely where family life is most authentic. A person may put on appearances outside the home, but within the family it is difficult to maintain pretense over the long term. "Words with substance and conduct with constancy" demands precisely this quality of maintaining sincerity and consistency even in the most private space of the family.