A Detailed Inquiry into the Most Auspicious Hexagram Lines in the Zhou Yi: From 'Yuan Ji' to 'Ji Wu Buli'

General Preface

The Zhouyi (I Ching) comprises sixty-four hexagrams, each with six yao (lines), totaling three hundred and eighty-four yao. If we include the "Use of the Nines" from Qian and the "Use of the Sixes" from Kun, the total number of yao lyrics reaches three hundred and eighty-six. These three hundred and eighty-four yao lyrics are diverse, presenting a complex tapestry of auspiciousness, inauspiciousness, regret, misfortune, and hardship. Some are supremely auspicious, some are supremely inauspicious, some are without blame, some are perilous, some involve regret, some involve hardship, and some are smooth-sailing. The complexity of their language and the profundity of their meaning continue to dazzle and mystify even after millennia.

However, if we were to summarize this in one statement: among the three hundred and eighty-four yao, which one is the most auspicious$2

This question, seemingly simple, is in reality profoundly deep. The character "ji" (吉, auspicious) within the Zhouyi system cannot be encompassed by the modern understanding of "good luck." Auspiciousness signifies goodness, excellence, appropriateness, and benefit. Its rich connotations and complex layers require consideration from multiple dimensions—such as the hexagram's structure, the yao's position, the yao's nature, the timeliness of the situation, and moral cultivation—to grasp its true meaning.

This paper will proceed from the perspectives of ancient and pre-Qin scholarship, extensively citing the original texts of the Zhouyi's canonical passages and the Yi Zhuan (Commentaries on the Yi, including the Tuan Zhuan, Xiang Zhuan, Wenyan Zhuan, Xici Zhuan, Shuogua Zhuan, Xugua Zhuan, and Zagua Zhuan). It will also incorporate examples of divination from the Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu, as well as relevant discussions from pre-Qin philosophers, to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth investigation of this question. We will inquire: What constitutes "auspiciousness"$3 How many levels of auspiciousness are there$4 What is the distribution of auspicious and inauspicious judgments across the three hundred and eighty-four yao$5 Which yao lyrics can be considered "supremely auspicious"$6 Why were they judged as such$7 Ultimately, which yao can be honored as "the most auspicious among the three hundred and eighty-four yao"$8

The answer may not be singular, but the process of inquiry itself is a deep return to the spirit of the Zhouyi.