A Detailed Inquiry into the Most Auspicious Hexagram Lines in the Zhou Yi: From 'Yuan Ji' to 'Ji Wu Buli'
This article deeply investigates the system of fortune and misfortune within the 384 line statements of the *Zhou Yi* (*I Ching*), focusing on analyzing the profound meaning of 'Auspiciousness' (Ji). By systematically examining and comparing 'Yuan Ji' (Primal Auspiciousness) and other high-level auspicious statements, the study aims to discern the most felicitous line in the *Zhou Yi* and reveal the underlying philosophical wisdom and practical guidance it offers.
Chapter 27: The Relationship between "Yuan Ji" and Hexagram Order
Section 1: Distribution of "Yuan Ji" among the 64 Hexagrams
Let's examine the distribution of "Yuan Ji" yao lyrics in the order of the sixty-four hexagrams:
- Kun (2nd Hexagram) Six at the Fifth Place
- Tai (11th Hexagram) Six at the Fifth Place
- Fu (24th Hexagram) Nine at the First Place
- Da Xu (26th Hexagram) Six at the Fourth Place
- Li (30th Hexagram) Six at the Second Place
- Sun (41st Hexagram) Six at the Fifth Place
- Yi (42nd Hexagram) Nine at the Fifth Place
- Jing (48th Hexagram) Six at the Top Place
(Note: The hexagram order here follows the commonly circulated Wen Wang's order of the sixty-four hexagrams.)
It can be observed that "Yuan Ji" yao lyrics are concentrated in the first half of the hexagram sequence (Hexagrams 2, 11, 24, 26, 30) and the middle-to-late part (Hexagrams 41, 42, 48). They do not appear at the very beginning (Qian Hexagram) or the very end (Wei Ji Hexagram).
This perhaps implies: "Yuan Ji" does not appear at the absolute beginning or absolute end but within the process—because it is within the process that the fields of moral cultivation and practice lie.
Section 2: "Yuan Ji" and the Dao of Sun and Yi
It is noteworthy that the Sun (41) and Yi (42) hexagrams are adjacent and each contains a "Yuan Ji" yao lyric (Sun Six at the Fifth Place, Yi Nine at the Fifth Place).
The Xugua Zhuan (Commentary on the Order of Hexagrams) states:
"If diminishing continues without end, it must lead to benefit, therefore it is followed by Yi (Benefit)." (损 ক্রমাগত必益，故受之以益。)
Sun and Yi are a pair of causally related hexagrams. Sun diminishes the upper and benefits the lower; Yi diminishes the upper and benefits the lower.
The "Yuan Ji" of Sun Six at the Fifth Place and Yi Nine at the Fifth Place jointly reveals the supreme goodness of the "Dao of Sun and Yi":
- Sun Six at the Fifth Place: Diminishes oneself to gain Heaven's benefit ("Someone presents him with a tortoise worth ten pairs of shells").
- Yi Nine at the Fifth Place: Practices the Way of benefit with a benevolent heart ("Sincerity and a compassionate heart; do not ask, and it will be supremely auspicious").
Diminishing oneself to benefit others, practicing benefit with a benevolent heart—these two combine to represent the complete manifestation of the "Way of Yuan Ji."