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. The Dynamic Nature of the Yao: Not Static Symbols, But Trajectories of Movement
There is a subtle point here that is often overlooked: The reason the Yao is defined by "emulation" (xiào), rather than "recording" (jì) or "documenting" (zài), is that the Yao is inherently not a static record, but a dynamic emulation.
The Shuo Gua Zhuan states:
"In the past, when the sages composed the Yi, they intended to follow the principles of inherent nature and destiny. Therefore, they established the Way of Heaven as Yin and Yang; the Way of Earth as Softness and Hardness; the Way of Man as Benevolence and Righteousness. Combining the Three Powers and doubling them, the Yi is formed by six lines."
"Combining the Three Powers and doubling them"—Heaven, Earth, and Man, each represented by two lines of Yin and Yang, resulting in six lines. The position of each line corresponds to a specific dimension within the relational structure of the Three Powers. The first and second lines represent the Way of Earth; the third and fourth, the Way of Man; the fifth and sixth, the Way of Heaven. The arrangement of the Yao is not random; it strictly emulates the structural order of the Three Powers.
More importantly, the Yao "changes" (biàn). A Yang line can transform into a Yin line, and vice versa—this is the "changing line" (biàn yáo). It is precisely because the Yao is a dynamic emulation that it can present the process of Yin and Yang waxing and waning between Heaven and Earth, rather than merely leaving behind a static snapshot.
The Xi Ci Shang states:
"Hardness and Softness push against each other, generating transformation." (Gāng róu xiāng tuī ér shēng biànhuà.)
And again:
"Transformation is the image of advancing and retreating. Hardness and Softness are the images of day and night." (Biànhuà zhě, jìn tuì zhī xiàng yě. Gāng róu zhě, zhòuyè zhī xiàng yě.)
The Yin-Yang change of the Yao emulates the alternation of day and night, and the ebb and flow of advance and retreat. This is a process-oriented emulation, not a result-oriented copy. This point is crucial for understanding the Zhou Yi as a whole—the Yi is not an encyclopedia of fixed answers, but a "living" system dynamically presenting the process of change.