Chapter Ten: Historical Cases — The Practical Use of Xiang and Yao

I. Divination Examples in the Zuozhuan

The Zuozhuan is one of the richest repositories of pre-Qin divination cases. By analyzing these cases, we can see how xiang and yao were used in concert in actual divination.

Case One: Zuozhuan, Duke Zhuang, Year 22 — The Birth of Duke Li of Chen

"A Zhou historian who possessed the Zhouyi visited the Marquis of Chen. The Marquis had him divine, and obtained Guan (Contemplation) changing to Pi (Stagnation). He said: 'This is called "Contemplating the light of the state — it is beneficial to be received as a guest by the king." Shall his descendants rule a state in place of Chen$7 Not in this place but in a foreign state; not in his own person but in his descendants. Guang (light) means brilliance reaching from afar. Kun is earth; Xun is wind; Qian is heaven. Wind becoming heaven above earth — that is a mountain. Having the timber of a mountain and illuminated by the light of heaven, he thus stands upon the earth. Therefore the text says "Contemplating the light of the state — it is beneficial to be received as a guest by the king." The courtyard is filled with a hundred offerings, presented with jade and silk — the beauties of heaven and earth are complete. Therefore the text says "It is beneficial to be received as a guest by the king."'"

Analysis: In this case, the diviner obtained the primary hexagram Guan (☴☷), with Pi (☰☷) as the changed hexagram.

At the level of xiang: the image of Guan is "wind moving over the earth," with the hexagram statement "Hands washed but the offering not yet made — there is sincerity, solemn as one gazing upward." The diviner took the xiang of Guan — wind moves over the earth, displaying an image of contemplation and gazing upward.

At the level of yao: the changing line is at the fourth position (Six in the Fourth), with the line statement "Contemplating the light of the state — it is beneficial to be received as a guest by the king." Based on this line statement, the diviner judged that the descendants of the Marquis of Chen would receive honor in a foreign state.

The diviner then further analyzed the symbolic meanings of the upper and lower trigrams — Kun is earth, Xun is wind, Qian is heaven — synthesizing these xiang to infer the specific circumstances.

This case perfectly demonstrates the coordinated use of xiang and yao: first grasping the overall configuration from the hexagram image, then determining the specific direction from the specific line statement, and finally synthesizing image and statement to make a judgment. This is exactly the practical embodiment of "the sage has the means to perceive the profundity of all under heaven (xiang) ... has the means to perceive the movements of all under heaven (yao)."

Case Two: Zuozhuan, Duke Xi, Year 15 — The Battle of Han between Qin and Jin

"Earlier, Duke Xian of Jin had divined about marrying off Bo Ji, and obtained Guimei (The Marrying Maiden) changing to Kui (Opposition). The historian Su interpreted it: 'Inauspicious. The oracle says: The man slaughters the sheep, yet there is no blood. The woman bears the basket, yet there is no gift. The western neighbor presses his suit with words that cannot be repaid. Guimei changing to Kui — it is as though there were no mutual aid.'"

In this case, the divination yielded Guimei (☳☱) changing to Kui (☲☱). The historian Su's judgment synthesized the hexagram images (Guimei changing to Kui — from "a young woman marrying" to "estrangement and opposition," symbolizing an unfavorable marriage) and the line statements ("The man slaughters the sheep, yet there is no blood" and other specific descriptions), ultimately judging it "inauspicious."

At a deeper level, the historian Su was able to make this judgment precisely because he "observed where they converge and connect" — he saw the trend of transition from Guimei to Kui, perceived the meaning of "estrangement" implicit in this transition, then "carried out the canonical rites" (offered counsel on state affairs accordingly) and "appended statements to determine what is auspicious or inauspicious" (explicitly judging it "inauspicious").

II. The Master and the Zhouyi

The relationship between the Master (Confucius) and the Zhouyi is a major topic in the history of Yijing studies. The Shiji (Kongzi Shijia) records:

"In his later years the Master came to love the Yi. He arranged the Judgments, the Appended Statements, the Images, the Discussion of the Trigrams, and the Words of the Text. He read the Yi until the leather thongs binding the bamboo strips wore through three times. He said: 'Give me a few more years — if so, I shall have a thorough command of the Yi.'"

The Master "came to love the Yi in his later years," indicating that his deep study of the Zhouyi was conducted late in life. "The leather thongs wore through three times" (wei bian san jue) — the ox-hide cords binding the bamboo strips broke three times, testifying to his diligent study.

The Mawangdui silk manuscript Yao (Essentials) preserves an important passage of the Master's discourse on the Yi:

"The Master said: 'With the Yi, I set aside its use for prayer and divination; I observe its moral significance, that is all. To penetrate subtly and reach to number, to understand number and reach to moral power — and then to practice it with benevolence and carry it out with rightness. One who penetrates subtly but does not reach to number — for him it becomes the work of a spirit-medium. One who understands number but does not reach to moral power — for him it becomes the work of a scribe.'"

This passage is of great importance. The Master says he studies the Yi not for divination but to observe its "moral significance" (de yi). Yet he does not deny the importance of "number" (image-and-number) — he emphasizes "penetrating subtly to reach number, understanding number to reach moral power," that is, arriving at moral significance through deep understanding of image-and-number.

This is entirely consistent with the Xi Ci Zhuan's framework: first "perceiving profundity" (understanding deep structure), then "fashioning images" (expressing through images), then "observing convergence" (grasping the patterns of change), and finally "determining auspiciousness and inauspiciousness" (making value judgments). The Master simply elevated "auspiciousness and inauspiciousness" to the level of "moral significance" — auspicious and inauspicious are not merely judgments of personal advantage, but discernments of moral good and evil.

III. Master Xun on "One Who Is Good at the Yi Does Not Divine"

The Xunzi (Dalüe) records:

"One who is good at the Yi does not divine." (Shan wei Yi zhe bu zhan.)

This saying is often cited to demonstrate the Confucian emphasis on moral-philosophical reasoning over image-and-number. But understood within the framework of this chapter of the Xi Ci Zhuan, Master Xun's meaning becomes clearer.

"One who is good at the Yi" — one who truly understands the Yi. He "does not divine" — he does not need the specific ritual of divination to make his judgments. Why$8 Because he has profoundly "perceived" "the profundity of all under heaven" and "the movements of all under heaven," can already "observe where they converge and connect," and can already "carry out the canonical rites" and "determine what is auspicious or inauspicious" on that basis. For such a person, the principles of the Yi have been internalized as wisdom; no external ritual is needed to activate them.

This is not a denial of divination, but rather says that divination is a stairway to wisdom — once one has reached the summit, the stairway may be set aside. Just as Wang Bi's "grasping the meaning and forgetting the image" does not mean images are unimportant, but that the ultimate aim is "meaning"; once meaning has been grasped, xiang as an instrument has fulfilled its mission.