Interpreting and Investigating the Chapter: 'The Sage Perceived the Profundities of the World' — The Primordial Code of *Xiang* and *Yao*

Introduction: A Passage Repeatedly Recited, Yet Seldom Truly Understood

Chapter 8 of the Xici Zhuan (The Commentary on the Judgments of the Attached Wings) of the Zhou Yi (Book of Changes) states:

**"The Sage perceived the profundities (zé, 赜) of the world, and simulated them according to their outward forms (**xing róng, 形容); he depicted them according to what was appropriate for the things (**wù yí, 物宜), and thus he is called the Xiang (象, Image). The Sage perceived the movements (**dòng, 动) of the world, and observed their convergence and connection (**huì tōng, 会通); he thereby enacted the rites and regulations (**diǎn lǐ, 典礼), attached statements to them to determine auspiciousness and inauspiciousness (jí xiōng, 吉凶), and thus he is called the Yao (爻, Line)."

This passage has been cited and interpreted by nearly every commentator on the Yi since the Han Dynasty. From Zheng Xuan, Yu Fan, Han Kangbo, Kong Yingda, Cheng Yi, Zhu Xi, Wang Fuzhi, Hui Dong, to Jiao Xun—all who studied the Yi paused here for deep contemplation. However, precisely because its words are few yet its meaning is abundant, and because it occupies the crucial juncture of the entire theoretical structure of the Xici Zhuan, interpretations have often grasped only one aspect—some leaning toward image and number (xiang shu, 象数), some toward rationale and principle (yi lǐ, 义理), some bound by lexicographical exegesis, and others lost in vague, lofty abstraction. Few have truly traced back to the primordial thought of the Pre-Qin or high antiquity to question why this was said and what question it was ultimately answering.

This article attempts an inquiry different from those preceding it. We will not rush to gloss every word—although exegesis is a necessary foundation—but will first pose several fundamental questions:

First, what are the "profundities of the world" (zé of the world)$1 And why must the Sage "perceive" (jiàn, 见) them$2Second, what cognitive leap occurs between "profundity" (zé) and "Image" (Xiang)$3Third, what is the relationship between the "movements of the world" (dòng of the world) and the "profundities of the world" (zé of the world)$4 Why are they discussed separately$5Fourth, why is the Yao (Line) connected with "rites and regulations" (diǎn lǐ)$6 What does this imply about the institutional background of high antiquity$7Fifth, what does the distinction between Xiang (Image) and Yao (Line) reveal about the inherent structure of the Zhou Yi$8

Bearing these questions in mind, we begin with the roots of the terms, delving deeper layer by layer, attempting to touch upon the primordial meaning of this scripture.