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.
I. The Three Levels of "Change" (Biàn)
"Meritorious achievements (gōng yè) are seen in change (jiàn hū biàn)"—this is the fourth layer of progression, shifting from epistemology to the philosophy of practice. The previous layer discussed how Yao and Xiang operate and how fortune/misfortune are revealed; this layer discusses how "meritorious achievements"—the actual results of governance—arise from "change."
In the pre-Qin context, "change" (biàn) possesses at least three layers:
First Layer: Change of Hexagrams and Lines. This is the most direct level. There are changing lines (biàn yáo), resulting in a changing hexagram (biàn guà). By observing the changing lines and the resulting hexagram, one can determine the trajectory of the situation. The Xi Ci Shang states: "To transform and regulate this is called change (biàn); to extend and execute this is called penetration (tōng)." Change is the regulation of transformation; penetration is the execution of change.
Second Layer: Change of Time and Circumstance. Changes in the general trend of the world—dynastic succession, shifts in customs, refinement or loss of institutions. The Xi Ci Shang lists the thirteen hexagrams used for "establishing implements by modeling images" (zhì qì shàng xiàng), showing how the sage created implements and institutions based on the changing times:
"When Fuxi passed away and Shennong arose, he chopped wood to make the sì (dibber) and bent wood to make the lěi (plow). The efficacy of the plow and harrow taught the world, presumably taken from Yì the hexagram. He established the marketplace at noon, gathering the people and goods of the world, exchanging them and then dispersing, each finding what was suitable for them, presumably taken from Shì Kē the hexagram."
From Fuxi to Shennong to the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun, every advancement in civilization was "taken from" a certain hexagram—meaning the sage perceived the demands of the changing times through the hexagram image and, based on this, created new implements and institutions. This is the direct manifestation of "meritorious achievements are seen in change."
Third Layer: Change of Heart/Mind and Nature (Xīnxìng zhī Biàn). The Xi Ci Shang states: "When exhausted (qióng), one changes (biàn); when one changes, one penetrates (tōng); when one penetrates, one endures (jiǔ)." This proposition transcends specific divinatory techniques and historical events, rising to the level of universal life wisdom—when things reach an extreme point, change is inevitable; only by changing can one penetrate through; only by penetrating can one endure. In the Analects, Book 9, when facing adversity, Confucius said, "Heaven has not abandoned the Way of culture!" (Tiān zhī wèi sàng sī wén yě!). This spirit of not abandoning transformation even when exhausted is precisely the practical realization of "when exhausted, one changes."