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

Chapter 4: Qian Nine at the Fifth Place (乾九五): "Flying Dragon in the Heavens; Beneficial to See the Great Person"

Section 1: Yao Lyric and Basic Interpretation

The yao lyric for Qian (乾) Nine at the Fifth Place (乾九五) states:

"Flying dragon in the heavens; beneficial to see the great person." (飞龙在天，利见大人。)

This yao is a Yang line in a Yang position (the fifth place is Yang). It is central and correct, thus a "firm and central" (刚中正) yao. Among the six Yang lines of the Qian hexagram, Nine at the Fifth Place occupies the most honored position—the position of Heaven, the ruler, the dragon.

In pre-Qin thought, the dragon (龙) was considered a supremely spiritual and sagely creature. The Shuogua Zhuan (Commentary on the Disposition of the Trigrams) states:

"Qian represents Heaven, roundness, the ruler, father, jade, metal, cold, ice, great red, a good horse, an old horse, a lean horse, a dappled horse, fruit of trees." (乾为天，为圆，为君，为父，为玉，为金，为寒，为冰，为大赤，为良马，为老马，为瘠马，为驳马，为木果。)

Qian is Heaven, it is the ruler—and Nine at the Fifth Place occupies the supreme position of Qian. Naturally, it symbolizes the Son of Heaven, the sage king.

"Flying dragon in the heavens" (飞龙在天)—The dragon ascends to the heavens, reaching its most ideal position. Unlike the "Hidden dragon; do not act" (潜龙勿用) of the First Place (concealed and unusable), the "Dragon appears in the field" (见龙在田) of the Second Place (still in a lower position), the "Gentleman constantly strives; in the evening, be cautious—perilous" (君子终日乾乾，夕惕若，厉) of the Third Place (a perilous position), or the "Either leaping in the abyss" (或跃在渊) of the Fourth Place (hesitating between leaping and retreating)—Nine at the Fifth Place, "Flying dragon in the heavens," signifies the dragon reaching its supreme and noble position in completion.

"Beneficial to see the great person" (利见大人)—It is beneficial to see the great person. The "great person" (大人) here refers to the sage, the virtuous ruler. Nine at the Fifth Place itself is the great person and also benefits all under Heaven to come and submit to this great person.

Section 2: In-depth Interpretation in the Wenyan Zhuan

The Wenyan Zhuan provides an extremely detailed and lofty interpretation of Qian Nine at the Fifth Place. Let us quote and analyze it section by section:

"Nine at the Fifth Place says, 'Flying dragon in the heavens; beneficial to see the great person.' What does this mean$16 The Master said: 'Like sounds correspond, like energies seek each other. Water flows to what is damp; fire moves to what is dry. Clouds follow dragons; wind follows tigers. When the sage arises, the myriad things manifest. That which is rooted in Heaven draws near the higher; that which is rooted in Earth draws near the lower. Thus, each follows its own kind.'" (九五曰'飞龙在天，利见大人'。何谓也？子曰：同声相应，同气相求。水流湿，火就燥。云从龙，风从虎。圣人作而万物睹。本乎天者亲上，本乎地者亲下。则各从其类也。)

This passage uses the principle of "like sounds correspond, like energies seek each other" to explain "Flying dragon in the heavens"—when the sage arises, all things manifest their true nature. Just as water seeks dampness, fire seeks dryness, clouds follow dragons, and wind follows tigers, all "follow their own kind." Nine at the Fifth Place, the sage residing in the position of Heaven, naturally attracts all things—this is the profound meaning of "beneficial to see the great person."

What a magnificent panorama this depicts! The sage in the position of Heaven brings about the transformation of all things. This is not only the supreme governance in politics but also the completion of order in a cosmological sense.

The Wenyan Zhuan further interprets Nine at the Fifth Place from another perspective:

"Now, the 'Great Person' (Da Ren) harmonizes his virtue with Heaven and Earth, his brightness with the sun and moon, his sequence with the four seasons, and his auspiciousness and inauspiciousness with spirits and deities. He precedes Heaven and Heaven does not oppose him; he follows Heaven and conforms to the timeliness of Heaven. If Heaven does not oppose him, how much less can humans oppose him$17 How much less can spirits and deities oppose him$18" (夫大人者，与天地合其德，与日月合其明，与四时合其序，与鬼神合其吉凶。先天而天弗违，后天而奉天时。天且弗违，而况于人乎？况于鬼神乎？)

This passage is considered the pinnacle of Zhouyi philosophy by later generations. The virtue of the "Great Person" (大人), which corresponds to the sage or sage king symbolized by Nine at the Fifth Place, reaches the level of four "harmonizations":

• Harmonizes virtue with Heaven and Earth (与天地合其德)—Virtue is as vast as Heaven and Earth.
• Harmonizes brightness with the sun and moon (与日月合其明)—Wisdom shines as brightly as the sun and moon.
• Harmonizes sequence with the four seasons (与四时合其序)—Actions conform to the sequence of the four seasons.
• Harmonizes auspiciousness and inauspiciousness with spirits and deities (与鬼神合其吉凶)—Responses are as spiritually attuned as deities.

Even more remarkable is "He precedes Heaven and Heaven does not oppose him; he follows Heaven and conforms to the timeliness of Heaven." (先天而天弗违，后天而奉天时)—He acts in accordance with Heaven's precedence, and Heaven does not oppose him; he acts in accordance with Heaven's timeliness, and conforms to it. If Heaven itself does not oppose him, how much less can humans$19 How much less can spirits and deities$20

What an exalted state this is! A great person occupying this position and possessing such virtue naturally attains the utmost auspiciousness—"auspiciousness without disadvantage" (吉无不利).

Section 3: The Limitations of Nine at the Fifth Place's Auspiciousness

However, we must pay attention to a crucial fact: The yao lyric for Qian Nine at the Fifth Place is "Flying dragon in the heavens; beneficial to see the great person," not "Flying dragon in the heavens; supremely auspicious (Yuan Ji)" or "Flying dragon in the heavens; greatly auspicious (Da Ji)."

In other words, the yao lyric for Nine at the Fifth Place does not explicitly contain the character "ji" (吉)!

It states "beneficial to see the great person" (利见大人)—this is a judgment of "Li" (利, beneficial), not "Ji" (吉, auspicious).

Of course, "beneficial to see the great person" is undoubtedly an extremely positive judgment within the context of the Zhouyi. But strictly according to the hierarchy of judgment levels, "Li" is lower than "Ji," and even lower than "Yuan Ji."

This creates a paradox: From the perspective of virtue and status, Qian Nine at the Fifth Place is undoubtedly the most noble and supreme yao among the three hundred and eighty-four; however, from the perspective of the yao lyric's judgment, it is not the "most auspicious"—because its lyric even lacks the character "Ji."

Why is this$21 This question is profoundly deep.

Let us consider it from multiple angles.

Angle 1: The Special Nature of the Qian Hexagram.

All six yao of the Qian hexagram are Yang, representing pure Yang without Yin, the pure expression of the Way of Heaven. Among the six yao lyrics of Qian, only the "Use of the Nines" ("Seeing the gathering of dragons without a leader is auspicious (Ji).") contains the character "Ji." The other six yao lyrics do not contain the character "Ji." The First Place: "Hidden dragon; do not act" (潜龙勿用). The Second Place: "Beneficial to see the great person" (利见大人). The Third Place: "Perilous (Li); without blame" (厉，无咎). The Fourth Place: "Without blame" (无咎). The Fifth Place: "Beneficial to see the great person" (利见大人). The Top Place: "Having regret" (有悔). Only judgments like "Li," "Li," "Wu Jiu," and "Hui" appear, but no "Ji."

Why is this$22

Because the Qian hexagram expresses the process of the Way of Heaven's operation, not a judgment of human auspiciousness and inauspiciousness. The Way of Heaven itself is beyond auspiciousness and inauspiciousness—Heaven's movement is vigorous and ceaseless. Auspiciousness and inauspiciousness are human perceptions and judgments of the Way of Heaven, while the Way of Heaven itself transcends human auspiciousness and inauspiciousness.

The Xici Zhuan states:

"The interplay of Yin and Yang is called the Dao." (一阴一阳之谓道。)

Pure Yang without Yin, though supremely vigorous and firm, may not align with the Dao of "interplay of Yin and Yang." The dragons in the Qian hexagram, from hidden to appearing, to cautious, to leaping, to flying, to reaching the extreme, represent the process of Yang energy from birth to fullness to extreme. While Nine at the Fifth Place "Flying dragon in the heavens" represents the peak of Yang energy, it is already approaching "excess" (亢)—as evidenced by the Top Place lyric "The dragon has exceeded its position and has regrets" (亢龙有悔).

Therefore, although Qian Nine at the Fifth Place is supremely noble and honored, its "auspiciousness" is not achieved through good human actions but is the natural state of the Way of Heaven reaching this point. It does not mention "Ji" because the Way of Heaven does not measure itself by human standards of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness.

Angle 2: The Harmony of Yin and Yang is Supreme Auspiciousness.

The Xici Zhuan states:

"Qian knows the great beginning; Kun accomplishes the creation of things." (乾知大始，坤作成物。)

And again:

"Qian is easy to know; Kun is simple in ability." (乾以易知，坤以简能。)

Qian represents the beginning; Kun represents accomplishment. Without Kun, there is a beginning but no completion; without Qian, there is material but no aspiration. Only when Qian and Kun harmonize their virtues and Yin and Yang blend can there be true completion and supreme goodness.

This is why Kun Six at the Fifth Place—"Yellow lower garments, supremely auspicious (Yuan Ji)"—receives the judgment "Yuan Ji," while Qian Nine at the Fifth Place only states "beneficial to see the great person." Kun Six at the Fifth Place is a typical example of Yin and Yang interaction; Qian Nine at the Fifth Place, though "firm and central," lacks the dimension of Yin and Yang harmony.

Angle 3: Higher Status Implies Higher Expectations.

In the value system of the Zhouyi, higher positions carry greater responsibilities and higher standards. Qian Nine at the Fifth Place is the position of the Son of Heaven. To describe it merely as "auspicious" would diminish its significance. The judgment "beneficial to see the great person" implies: occupying this supreme position, one ought to become a "Great Person"—a sage who harmonizes virtue with Heaven and Earth. This expectation far surpasses worldly auspiciousness.

In other words, Qian Nine at the Fifth Place does not mention "Ji" not because it is not auspicious enough, but because it has transcended the category of "auspiciousness" and entered the realm of "virtue."

Section 4: Conclusion

Qian Nine at the Fifth Place ("Flying dragon in the heavens; beneficial to see the great person") holds the supreme position, embodies the highest virtue, and is the most noble and exalted yao among the three hundred and eighty-four. However, based on the yao lyric's judgment, it does not contain the character "Ji," let alone "Yuan Ji." Therefore, strictly speaking, it cannot be judged as the "most auspicious yao."

It is the most "honored" yao, but not the most "auspicious" yao. The subtle difference between these two precisely reveals the profundity of Zhouyi philosophy.