The Gentleman's 'Dwelling in Security and Delighting in Divination' in the 'Commentary on the Appended Judgments': A Reduction to Pre-Qin Mentality and Cosmic Order
This article deeply investigates the implications of the statement from the 'Great Treatise A' of the *Zhou Yi*—'When the gentleman dwells, he observes its images and delights in its words; when he moves, he observes its changes and delights in its divinations'—restoring how the Pre-Qin gentleman achieved a sense of being through comprehending the 'order' (*xu*) of the *Yi*, thereby internalizing cosmic order as a philosophical paradigm for self-cultivation through an attitude of 'delight' (*wan*).
Chapter Two: “Delight” (Le) and “Playing With” (Wan): The Aesthetic Cultivation of Refinement
Original Text: “That which he delights in and plays with is the statements of the lines (爻之辞也). ... When the gentleman dwells, he contemplates the Images and plays with the Statements (居则观其象而玩其辞).”
2.1 Philological Analysis and Restoration: The Pre-Qin Primary Meaning of Wan (Playing With)
In modern Chinese, Wan (play) often carries connotations of frivolity or amusement. However, in the pre-Qin period, Wan was a term imbued with profound solemnity and aesthetic depth.
- Etymological Analysis: Wan is composed of Jade (Yu) and Yuan (sound component). Its original meaning was to handle jade. The Guoyu states: “As for the white heng tablets, they were the cherished items (wan) of the former kings.” The ancients cherished jade, and the Gentleman morally compared himself to jade. The process of handling jade (pan yu) involved repeatedly rubbing the jade against the skin, allowing body heat and luster to intermingle.
Why does the author of the Xicizhuan use Wan instead of Xue (study) or Du (read)$10
- “Study” focuses on the intake of knowledge (Cognitive).
- “Practice” focuses on the execution of skills (Practical).
- “Playing With” (Wan) focuses on the saturation and embodiment of life (Aesthetic & Existential).
Zhu Xi provided an excellent exegesis in his Zhouyi Benyi: “Wan means that an object is in one's hand, and one does not release it at any time.” This implies that the Gentleman does not merely memorize the line statements; rather, like handling a piece of fine jade, he repeatedly recites and chews over the words until the cold text permeates his soul and becomes warm and lustrous.
2.2 The Fascination of Line Statements: Why “Delight” (Le)$11
The line statements of the Zhouyi are often fragments of ancient songs or divination records. For example, the second line of Zhong Fu (Inner Trust): “A white crane calls amidst the shade; its young respond to it harmoniously. I have a fine cup of wine; I share it with you.” Or the top line of Gui Mei (Marrying Out a Youngest Daughter): “The woman carries a basket that is empty; the man slaughters a sheep that has no blood.”
These texts are archaic and filled with strange imagery. How can the common person see them as heavenly riddles, while the Gentleman “delights” in them$12
- Exploration: The educational background of pre-Qin nobility. Pre-Qin aristocrats were educated in the tradition of the Odes (Shi). The Analects state: “If one does not study the Odes, one cannot speak.” (Lunyu) The Shi Jing cultivated their capacity to understand the world through associative and suggestive thinking (bǐ xìng). Line statements are replete with metaphor. When the Gentleman is idle (Ju), encountering sentences like, “The dragon fights in the field; its blood is black and yellow,” he is not watching a horror film, but savoring the grandeur of clashing Yin and Yang forces at their zenith; encountering, “An old withered mulberry sprouts new shoots; an old man takes a young wife,” he contemplates how vitality germinates amid decay.
- The Philosophical Essence of Le (Delight): This Le is the Shuo (joy) mentioned by Confucius: “To learn and apply it timely, is this not a pleasure$13” (Lunyu). It is the "delight" that Yan Hui could not abandon. It stems from epistemological breakthrough. When the Gentleman, by playing with the line statements, suddenly grasps the celestial truth underlying a life dilemma, the resulting intellectual ecstasy far surpasses sensory pleasure.
2.3 The Mutual Reference of “Contemplating Images” (Guan Xiang) and “Playing with Statements” (Wan Ci)
“When dwelling, he contemplates the Images and plays with the Statements.” The “Image” (Xiang) refers to the hexagram figures—visual, intuitive, analogical quantity. The “Statement” (Ci) refers to the text—linguistic, logical, digital quantity.
A major characteristic of pre-Qin thought is "Image Thinking."
- Why Contemplate Images first, then Play with Statements$14 The Xicizhuan states: “Writing does not exhaust speech; speech does not exhaust meaning... The Sages established Images to exhaust meaning.” (Xicizhuan) Words have limits, but images are boundless. The Gentleman first observes the hexagram (e.g., Kan ☵), intuitively grasping the imagery of danger and flowing water; then he reads the line statement to define the specific ethical implication of that image.
This constitutes a whole-brain training exercise: the left brain processes the logic of the Ci, while the right brain processes the spatial sense of the Xiang. By habitually “playing” with this combination, the Gentleman’s intuition and rationality achieve perfect fusion.