Between Emulation and Resemblance: A Fundamental Inquiry into the Microcosm of the Dao of Change
This article deeply analyzes the core proposition of 'Yáo imitating Xiàng' found in the *Xici Zhuan II* of the *Zhou Yi*, distinguishing the dynamic differences between 'imitation' (xiào) and 'analogy' (xiàng), tracing the referent of 'this' (cǐ), and interpreting how Yáo-Xiàng constitutes the epistemological framework for revealing the subtle workings of the Dao within the Pre-Qin context.
III. Contemporary启示 of Emulation and Resemblance
Finally, let us consider the contemporary relevance of this passage.
In an age of information explosion and symbolic proliferation, the proposition of "emulation" and "resemblance" carries a particularly sharp relevance. We create and consume massive amounts of symbols daily—text, images, data, algorithms—but are these symbols truly "emulating" and "resembling" any real order$55 Or are they merely empty markers floating in the void, disconnected from any reality$56
When the ancient sages drew trigrams and attached texts, they maintained a humble reverence for the Dao of Heaven and Earth. Their symbolic system was one of "emulation" and "resemblance"—a faithful presentation mirroring a greater order. The way contemporary people create symbols is often through "making" (zuò) and "constructing" (zào)—building arbitrarily based on subjective will. When symbols cease to emulate any real order, and images cease to resemble any true existence, the symbol loses its proper function—it no longer "emulates this," nor does it "resemble this."
Perhaps rereading, "The Yao are those that emulate this. The Xiang are those that resemble this," can remind us: all vital symbolic systems must be rooted in reverence for and emulation of some greater order. Without this foundation, the symbol becomes mere noise, and the image becomes mere illusion—incapable of revealing fortune, achieving merit, or conveying the sage’s sentiment.