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.
II. Why "Meritorious Achievements" and Not "Fortune/Misfortune"$18
It is worth contemplating why the text uses "meritorious achievements" (gōng yè) here, rather than "fortune/misfortune" (jí xiōng)$19 Why not say "fortune/misfortune are seen in change" or "meritorious achievements are revealed without"$20
This differentiation in wording reveals two different levels of concern:
"Fortune/Misfortune" refers to the judgment of individual circumstances—personal gain or loss, safety or peril. This is directly "revealed without" from the "movement within" the Yao and Xiang.
"Meritorious Achievements" refers to the actual efficacy of collective endeavor—governing the state and benefiting the world. This is not simply "revealed" from the hexagram image, but is achieved through active "change"—reform, adaptation, adjustment, and refinement.
This distinction is critical. It implies that: The Zhou Yi is not merely a handbook for divining individual fortune, but a classic guiding the sage in adapting to times and establishing achievements.
The Xi Ci Shang states:
"The Yi is what the sage uses to plumb the depths and refine sensitivity (jí shēn ér yán jī). Only by being profound can one connect the aspirations of all under Heaven; only by refining sensitivity can one complete the affairs of all under Heaven; only by being spiritual (shén) can one hasten without haste, and arrive without moving."
"Plumbing the depths" is the profundity of epistemology; "refining sensitivity" is the acute grasp of the precursors of change (jī). The sage uses the Yi to study those subtle changes, almost imperceptible, in order to make appropriate responses before the change fully unfolds—this is the deeper meaning of "meritorious achievements are seen in change."