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

Section 5.2: Laozi's Discussion of "Returning" (Fan) and the Yi's "Revival" (Fu)

Another core concept in Laozi's thought—"return" (反, fan)—also deeply resonates with the fundamental spirit of the Zhouyi.

The Daodejing, Chapter 40, states:

"Returning is the movement of the Dao. Weakness is the function of the Dao. All things under Heaven are born from Being; Being is born from Non-being." (反者道之动，弱者道之用。天下万物生于有，有生于无。)

"Returning is the movement of the Dao" (反者道之动)—the Dao's mode of movement is "return": transformation towards its opposite. This is completely consistent with the principle of "when things reach their extreme, they turn around" in the Zhouyi. The very arrangement of the sixty-four hexagrams embodies this law: after Qian comes Kun, after Tai comes Pi (否), after Jiji (既济) comes Weiji (未济)—after every extreme state, there is inevitably a turning towards its opposite.

And the Fu (复, Revival) hexagram is a concentrated embodiment of this idea. The Fu hexagram's image is Thunder below Earth (☷ above ☳ below), with one Yang line at the bottom beneath five Yin lines, symbolizing the nascent Yang energy beginning to return after extreme Yin. The Tuan Zhuan (彖传, Judgment) states:

"Fu, does it not reveal the heart of Heaven and Earth!" (复，其见天地之心乎！)

"The heart of Heaven and Earth" (天地之心)—the depth of this concept is staggering. What is the "heart" of Heaven and Earth$39 Not static eternity, but the ceaseless revival and renewal. At the winter solstice, the first Yang returns, and all things begin a new cycle of growth—this is the heart of Heaven and Earth.

Why is this important$40 Because "Revival" (Fu) reveals not a "turn for the better, auspicious" in the sense of divination, but a cosmological "change will never cease, every end is a new beginning." This is a philosophical understanding of the essence of life, not a predictive judgment of specific events.

Laozi said:

"Attain the utmost emptiness, maintain the utmost stillness. The myriad things grow together, and I observe their return. Though things are abundant, each returns to its root. Returning to the root is called stillness. Stillness is called returning to destiny. Returning to destiny is called the constant. Knowing the constant is called enlightenment." (致虚极，守静笃。万物并作，吾以观复。夫物芸芸，各复归其根。归根曰静，静曰复命。复命曰常，知常曰明。)

"I observe their return" (吾以观复)—I use this to observe the law of the return of the myriad things. "Returning to the root is called stillness. Stillness is called returning to destiny" (归根曰静，静曰复命)—Returning to the root is called "stillness," stillness is called "returning to destiny." "Knowing the constant is called enlightenment" (知常曰明)—Understanding this constant law is called "enlightenment."

How similar this is to the spirit of "observing images" (观象) in the Zhouyi! Laozi "observes the return" (观复), and the sages "observe images" (观象)—both are about gaining understanding of the fundamental laws of the cosmos by calmly observing the operational principles of Heaven, Earth, and all things. This is not divination, but enlightenment of the Way.