The I Ching or Book of Changes (68 page)

The hexagram Yu, ENTHUSIASM (
16
), consists of the trigram Chên, movement, above and K’un, the earth, below. The nuclear trigrams are K’an, danger, and Kên, mountain. K’un symbolizes a closed door, while Kên likewise means a door; hence the double gates. K’an means thief. Beyond the gates, movement, with wood (Chên) in the hand (Kên), serves as a preparation (
yü
also means preparation) against the thief.

9. They split wood and made a pestle of it. They made a hollow in the ground for a mortar. The use of the mortar and pestle was of benefit to all mankind.
They probably took this from the hexagram of PREPONDERANCE OF THE SMALL.

The hexagram Hsiao Kuo, PREPONDERANCE OF THE SMALL (
62
), is composed of Chên, movement, wood, above and Kên, Keeping Still, stone, below. Kuo also means transition. The mortar was the primitive form of the mill, and signifies the transition from eating whole grain to baking.

10. They strung a piece of wood for a bow and hardened pieces of wood in the fire for arrows. The use of bow and arrow is to keep the world in fear. They probably took this from the hexagram of OPPOSITION.

The hexagram K’uei, OPPOSITION (
38
), consists of Li, the Clinging, above and Tui, the Joyous, below. The nuclear trigrams are K’an, danger, and, again, Li. The whole hexagram indicates strife. Li is the sun, which sends arrows from afar. Li means weapons, K’an danger. The danger is hedged around by weapons, therefore one is not afraid.

11. In primitive times people dwelt in caves and lived in forests. The holy men of a later time made the change to buildings. At the top was a ridgepole, and sloping down from it there was a roof, to keep off wind and rain. They probably took this from the hexagram of THE POWER OF THE GREAT.

The hexagram Ta Chuang, THE POWER OF THE GREAT (
34
), has Chên, thunder, above; the upper nuclear trigram Tui, lake, is at the top of Ch’ien, heaven, which is the lower nuclear trigram. The lower primary trigram is also Ch’ien, heaven,
the atmosphere. Thus the hexagram as a whole means a heaven, a strong, protected space with thunder and rain above it. The trigram Chên also means wood, and as the eldest son it means the ridgepole at the top. The two yielding lines at the top are then thought of as the sloping roof.

12. In primitive times the dead were buried by covering them thickly with brushwood and placing them in the open country, without burial mound or grove of trees. The period of mourning had no definite duration. The holy men of a later time introduced inner and outer coffins instead. They probably took this from the hexagram of PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.

The hexagram Ta Kuo, PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT (
28
), consists of the trigram Tui, the lake, above and Sun, wood, penetration, below. Forming the nuclear trigrams in the middle is Ch’ien, heaven, doubled. The hexagram must be taken as a whole; the two yin lines above and below mean the earth, within which the double coffin, represented by the double heaven, is inclosed. Entering (Sun) their last resting place in this way, the dead are made glad (Tui). Here we have a link with ancestor worship.

13. In primitive times people knotted cords in order to govern. The holy men of a later age introduced written documents instead, as a means of governing the various officials and supervising the people. They probably took this from the hexagram of BREAK-THROUGH.

The hexagram Kuai, BREAK-THROUGH (
43
), has Tui, words, above and Ch’ien, strength, below. It means giving permanence
to words. The notch at the top also indicates the form of the oldest documents: cut in wood, they consisted of two halves that fitted into each other when held together. As a rule the ancient writings were scratched on tablets of smoothed bamboo. Here the significance of writing in the organization of a large community is emphasized.

NOTE. In its main features the sketch of the development of civilization given in this chapter corresponds to an extraordinary degree with our own ideas. The fundamental thought, that all institutions are based on the development of definite ideas, is likewise undoubtedly correct. It is not always easy to recognize such ideas in the complexes of ideas presented by the hexagrams, nor is it improbable that there were once certain connections that are now obliterated. There are indications that in the period preceding that of the Chou dynasty the hexagrams had meanings different from those which are traditional today. Possibly this chapter affords insight into these earliest meanings. That still another change in meaning took place later becomes evident when we compare the Judgments with the Images.

CHAPTER III. On the Structure of the Hexagrams

1. Thus the Book of Changes consists of images. The images are reproductions.

The hexagrams are reproductions of conditions in the heavens and on earth. Therefore they are to be applied productively; they have creative power, so to speak, in the realm of ideas, as explained above.

2. The decisions provide the material.

The Commentary on the Decision [i.e., on the Judgment],
¹
which is probably what is meant here, presents the material out of which each hexagram, taken as a whole, is constructed. Thus it describes the situation as such before it undergoes change. Naturally this also applies to the Judgment itself.

3. The lines are imitations of movements on earth.

Here the lines are equivalent to the judgments appended to them; the judgments apply in the case of lines that move, that is, when they are nines or sixes. They reflect the changes within the individual situations.

4. Thus do good fortune and misfortune arise, and remorse and humiliation appear.

This movement reveals the direction that events are taking, and warnings or confirmations are added.

CHAPTER IV. On the Nature of the Trigrams

1. The light trigrams have more dark lines, the dark trigrams have more light lines.

The “light” trigrams are the three sons, Chên,
, K’an,
, and Kên,
, each of which consists of two dark lines and one light line. The “dark” trigrams are the three daughters, Sun,
, Li,
, and Tui,
, each of which consists of two light lines and one dark line.