Interpreting and Investigating the Chapter: 'The Sage Perceived the Profundities of the World' — The Primordial Code of *Xiang* and *Yao*
This paper deeply investigates the core proposition, 'The Sage perceived the profundity (Ze) of the world,' within the *Xi Ci Zhuan* (Commentary on the Appended Judgments) of the *Zhou Yi*, analyzing the original Pre-Qin semantics of 'Ze,' 'Xiang' (Image), and 'Yao' (Line). It focuses on explaining the cognitive leap of the Sage through 'looking up and observing down,' transforming deep textures (Ze) into external simulations (Xiang), and reveals the intrinsic connection between the 'Yao' and ancient ritual systems, thereby reconstructing the foundation of Yi learning theory.
III. Antiquity’s "Perception": A Visual Culture from Oracle Bones to Bronze Inscriptions
If we push our perspective further back into high antiquity, the meaning of jiàn becomes even richer.
The oracle bone script for jiàn depicts a human figure with a greatly enlarged eye, emphasizing sight. This character shape itself informs us that the early inhabitants of antiquity imbued the act of "seeing" with exceptionally special significance. In the animistic mindset of early antiquity, "seeing" was not merely a physical process but a spiritual encounter—when you "saw" something, it meant you had established a connection with that thing.
The character jiàn appears frequently in oracle bone divinations, such as "The King saw a great star" (wáng jiàn dà xīng) or "Saw a rainbow from the north" (jiàn hóng zì běi), all recording phenomena deemed to carry mysterious portents. In this context, jiàn inherently carries the meaning of "receiving the mandate of Heaven."
Therefore, when the Xici Zhuan says, "The Sage perceived the profundities of the world," the word jiàn on the semantic level of high antiquity implies not just "seeing," but also "comprehending," or "encountering the hidden order of Heaven and Earth." This encounter required a special qualification—which is why the subject is the "Sage," not the common person.