Cosmological Construction and Rational Essence of the Original Functions of the *Book of Changes* Based on Divination Tracing

Section 3.2: Re-examination of Shi-Divination Examples in the Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu

The Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu record numerous instances of Shi-divination, which are often cited as ironclad proof that the Zhouyi is a "book of divination." However, if we carefully read these divination examples, we will find a very interesting phenomenon: what truly influences the final judgment is often not the hexagrams themselves, but the diviner's political wisdom and insight into human affairs.

The most famous example appears in the Zuo Zhuan, the 15th year of Duke Xi's reign. Before the Battle of Han Yuan between Qin and Jin, Duke Xian of Jin performed a divination:

"He divined, and obtained the Gu (蛊) hexagram." (筮之，遇《蛊》。)

This is followed by an explanation of the hexagram. However, if we read carefully, we will find that the diviner did not mechanically interpret the hexagram statement to judge good or ill fortune, but rather integrated a comprehensive analysis of the political situation, military strength, and moral stance of both Qin and Jin, and then "embedded" this analysis into the interpretation of the hexagram.

Another example, in the Zuo Zhuan, the 25th year of Duke Xiang's reign, records Cui Wuzi's divination for marriage with Tang Jiang:

"He obtained the Kun (困) hexagram changing to Daguo (大过). The scribes all said it was auspicious. Chen Wuzi said, 'To follow the wind implies danger; a wind that destroys one's wife is not to be married. Moreover, the accompanying text says: "Trapped by stones, supported by蒺藜, entering his palace, he does not see his wife—misfortune."' (遇《困》之《大过》。史皆曰吉。陈文子曰：‘夫从风，风陨妻，不可娶也。且其繇曰：困于石，据于蒺藜，入于其宫，不见其妻，凶。’")

Here, an interesting divergence arises: The official scribes said it was auspicious, while Master Chen Wuzi said it was inauspicious. The same hexagram yields completely opposite conclusions. This is because the key to judging good or ill fortune lies not in the hexagram itself, but in the wisdom of the interpreter. Master Chen Wuzi judged it inauspicious because he had deep insight into Cui Wuzi's character and the political consequences of this marriage. The hexagram merely served as a linguistic tool for him to express this insight.

This is akin to how we use idioms and allusions today to express our judgments—quoting an idiom is not "divination," but "borrowing shared wisdom from a cultural community to convey one's views."

The Shi-divination examples in the Zuo Zhuan precisely prove that: in the actual usage by pre-Qin aristocrats, the Zhouyi was more often treated as a "symbolic system for expressing wisdom" rather than a "mechanical tool for predicting fortune."

Let's look again at a famous record in the Guoyu, "Jin Yu Si" (晋语四). Duke Chong'er of Jin (later Duke Wen), while in exile, performed a divination:

"He obtained the Tun (屯) hexagram changing to Yu (豫), both totaling eight. The divinatory scribes interpreted it, and all said it was inauspicious. Sikong Jizi said, 'Auspicious. This is in the Zhouyi, both lines say: "It is favorable to establish feudal lords."' (遇《屯》之《豫》，皆八也。筮史占之，皆曰不吉。司空季子曰：‘吉。是在《周易》，皆利建侯。’")

Again, a disagreement! The divinatory scribes said inauspicious, while Master Sikong Jizi said auspicious. What was Master Sikong Jizi's basis$28 He cited the common phrase "favorable to establish feudal lords" from both the Tun and Yu hexagrams, believing this presaged Chong'er's eventual establishment of hegemony.

The key here is: Master Sikong Jizi's judgment did not come from a mechanical interpretation of the hexagrams, but from his political assessment of Chong'er's abilities and the overall trend of the world. He first had the opinion that "Chong'er will surely succeed," and then found textual support for this opinion in the hexagram statements. This is less like "divination" and more like "using Yi principles to validate political views."