XIII. "Li" and the Book of Changes: The Unchanging Order Amid Change

13.1 The Deep Resonance Between the "Great Treatise" and the "Discourse on Ritual Propriety"

Although the "Great Treatise" and Master Xun's "Discourse on Ritual Propriety" belong to different textual traditions (the former to the system of the Book of Changes, the latter to the Confucian tradition of ritual learning), they resonate remarkably in their cosmology and their conception of order.

We have already noted a parallel in language. Let us now draw a more systematic comparison:

"Great Treatise," Section 1.1:

"Heaven is exalted, Earth is lowly; thus Qian and Kun are fixed. The lowly and the high are set out; thus the noble and the base have their places. Motion and stillness have their constancy; thus the firm and the yielding are distinguished."

"Discourse on Ritual Propriety," Passage 17:

"By li, Heaven and Earth are joined in harmony; by li, the sun and moon shine bright; by li, the four seasons proceed in sequence; by li, the stars move in their courses; by li, the rivers flow; by li, the myriad things flourish."

Both passages describe one and the same cosmic order — Heaven exalted and Earth lowly, motion and stillness following their constancy, the firm and the yielding distinguished. Yet their angles of approach differ:

• The "Great Treatise" describes how this order unfolds of itself — "Qian and Kun are fixed," "the noble and the base have their places," "the firm and the yielding are distinguished" — all of these words, "fixed," "have their places," "distinguished," occur spontaneously, requiring no external intervention.
• Master Xun describes the role that "li" plays within this order — Heaven and Earth are joined in harmony because of li; the sun and moon shine bright because of li.

These two descriptions are not in conflict, but complementary. The "Great Treatise" presents the natural face of order (it unfolds of itself); Master Xun presents the humanly wrought face of order (human beings must participate in this order through li). Taken together, they yield a complete picture: the order of the cosmos is natural, but the way human beings participate in and sustain this order is cultural (li).

13.2 The Unity of Change and Order

"Change" (yi) is the most central theme of the "Great Treatise." In the worldview of the "Great Treatise," everything is in ceaseless change — a thing unwilling to change will first create blockage, until it is forced to reverse. Everything is always changing.

Yet "change" is not the same as "disorder." The change described in the "Great Treatise" is regular change — the alternation of yin and yang ("one yin and one yang — this is called the Dao"), the alternation of gradual change and sudden transformation ("bian" and "hua"), cyclical return (end and beginning). The pattern of change is itself order.

Master Xun's "amid ten thousand transformations, there is no disorder" (Passage 17) speaks of exactly the same thing: amid boundless change, if li is present as an organizing principle, change will not degenerate into disorder.

This also relates to the concept of the "pivot" (ji, 幾/機) in the "Great Treatise." Change occurs at critical turning points — the old comes to an end and the new begins; one door closes and another opens. Within the context of li, such a "pivot" is precisely the moment of transition from one ceremonial state to another — from auspicious rites to inauspicious ones, from exaltation to diminution, from pattern to feeling. And the wisdom of li lies precisely in how these transitions are properly grasped.

13.3 The Concept of "Position"

Another core concept shared by the "Great Treatise" and the "Discourse on Ritual Propriety" is "wei" (位) — position.

In the "Great Treatise," "position" refers to the place occupied by a hexagram line within the structure of the six lines. The judgment of fortune or misfortune for any given line depends, to a great extent, on the "position" it occupies — is it a yang position or a yin position$8 Is it central or peripheral$9 Is it the first line (just beginning, weak in force) or the sixth line (already past the peak)$10

In the "Discourse on Ritual Propriety," "position" refers to a person's place within the social order. "The noble and the base have their ranks, the elder and younger have their proper sequence" — each person has their own "position," and one important function of li is to let each person know and rest content in their own "position."

As the "Great Treatise" states, "the lowly and the high are set out; thus the noble and the base have their places" — just as the low and high places are arrayed across the earth, so too do all things, within change (yi), receive their proper positions.

This idea of "each finding its proper position" describes the structure of hexagram lines in the "Great Treatise," and describes social order in the "Discourse on Ritual Propriety." Yet both point toward the same underlying principle: a proper position brings harmony; a misplaced position brings disorder.

13.4 "De" (Virtue) as a Bridge

"De" (德, virtue) is another key concept bridging the "Great Treatise" and the "Discourse on Ritual Propriety." "De" carries two meanings at once — power (capability, efficacy) and virtue (fidelity to one's true nature) — it is the unity of "the power to act rightly" and "a character faithful to its own nature."

In the "Great Treatise," "de" appears chiefly in descriptions of the qualities of the sage — the sage is able to penetrate the Way of Heaven and Earth and to apply the principle of change precisely because he possesses profound "de."

In Master Xun's "Discourse on Ritual Propriety," "de" is not the direct subject of discussion, but it is closely bound up with li. Master Xun says, "one whose accumulation is deep has bounty that flows broadly" (Passage 8) — here, "deep accumulation" is, in essence, "the accumulation of virtue." A person (or a lineage, or a state) that accumulates deep virtue sees its bounty flow forth across a broader range.

In the Analects, Confucius treats "de" and "li" as mutually reinforcing: "Guide them with virtue, keep them in line with li, and they will have a sense of shame and moreover will govern themselves" (2.3) — guided by "de" and ordered by "li," the people acquire a sense of shame and spontaneously return to the proper path. "De" supplies the inner quality and motive force; "li" supplies the outer form and order. Neither can do without the other.