《集注太玄经(司马光)》Vol. 1

The Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan Jing is a commentary edition of the Taixuan Jing compiled by Sima Guang of the Northern Song, gathering earlier commentaries. The Taixuan Jing was written by Yang Xiong of the Western Han in imitation of the Zhouyi (Book of Changes) and belongs to the scriptural tradition of Daoist Yixue (study of the Changes). The work comprises six volumes, with an additional four volumes of supplementary commentary by Xu Han; the present edition is based on the Taiqing section of the Zhengtong Daozang (Orthodox Daoist Canon) and has been collated against the Baizi Quanshu facsimile of a Song manuscript, the Sibu Beiyao edition, the Jin-dynasty commentary of Fan Wang, the Ming Wan Yutang reprint of a Song edition, and other versions.

“Volume Two” indicates that this is the second volume. “One Fang, Two Zhou, One Bu, Three Jia, Tong” is the opening heading of this section in the Taixuan, arranged according to “Fang, Zhou, Bu, and Jia”; “Tong” is the name of this shou. “Yin family, Wood; corresponding to Meng” indicates that this shou is attributed to the Yin family, belongs to Wood among the Five Phases, and corresponds to the Meng hexagram of the Zhouyi. “Yang Qi has just begun to peek forth; things, in their childish state, have taken form but have no awareness” means: yang Qi has only just become visible, and the myriad things, like young children, have initially taken shape but do not yet possess consciousness; “childish state” may be understood as the appearance of being young and not yet opened.

Yin Family, Wood, corresponding to Meng: This heading belongs to the Yin family and is Wood among the Five Phases; it takes its image from the Meng hexagram of the Zhouyi. Yang qi begins to peek forth from the ground; the myriad things take shape like young children but are not yet conscious. Fan Wang says: At the beginning of spring, the myriad things break through their shells and are newly born; their branches and leaves have not yet unfurled, hence they are called “children.” Sima Guang says: Yang qi faintly reveals itself on the earth, hence “beginning to peek.”

First One: The ignorant child does not awaken and sinks into ignorance and darkness. The Ce statement says: The ignorant child does not awaken; I fear that in the end he will still return to obscurity. The First One stands at the beginning of “Si” (Thought) and encounters a night position; one who is ignorant and does not wake up to seek learning can in the end only return to ignorance and darkness.

Second Two: Interlacing yarrow stalks and burning turtle shells, he emerges from muddy stagnation and enters into the brightness of fat. The Ce statement says: Interlacing yarrow and burning turtle shells is the way of approaching light. In the Wang edition, “turtle material” is written as “great turtle,” and the commentary says, “burning the great turtle and drawing from it omens of good and bad fortune”—this is an error in the classic text; “chao” is the same as “zhuo” (to burn); “bi” is read with the fanqie pin-mei; “ni” is the image of stagnation and mud; “zhi” is a substance used for lighting. The Second Two is in the middle position of “Si” and encounters a day position; it can seek brightness through darkness, like interlacing yarrow and burning turtle shells to resolve doubts, emerging from muddy stagnation and entering light, and so it says “approaches the way of light.” “Bi” means to approach; “cuo” means to interlace the yarrow numbers for divination.

Third Three: The east is already bright, yet he cannot act. The Ce statement says: The east is already bright; why does he not go? The Small Song edition has “why can he not go?” in place of “why does he not go?”; I now follow the various commentators. The Third Three is “Cheng Yi” (Completed Intention): when the east is already bright and one can act, yet one cannot act—this is a person who misses the opportune moment and does not learn.

Fourth Four: Someone falls behind the former man, yet is first granted light. The Ce statement says: “Some are behind the former man”—this is to be first in brightness and greatness.

Fifth Five: Seeking a rhinoceros amid the covering of firewood, what is obtained is not fine. The Ce statement says: “Covered by firewood, seeking a rhinoceros”—what is obtained is not worth congratulating.

Sixth Six: Opening wide the curtains and attracting guests from the four directions. The Ce statement says: Opening wide the curtains is to survey all the brightness.

The Sixth Line says: Greatly open the curtain and summon guests from the four quarters. The Ce commentary says: Opening the curtain wide is for broadly observing the wisdom of the multitude. The curtain is originally something that blocks the light. The sixth position symbolizes supreme blessing and also abundance, like a ruler attracting worthy men from all directions, with nothing obstructed or obscured. Shun welcomed guests at the four gates, seeing clearly in all directions and achieving understanding of all that was heard in the four directions.

The Seventh Line says: His body is tall and long, yet he is compared to a Zhu Ru (that is, a dwarf). The Ce commentary says: This kind of tallness is of no use. In the annotation, the “zhu” in “zhuru” is read as “zhu,” “xiu” means long, and “zhuzhu” describes the appearance of being tall and large. The seventh symbolizes seventy years of age; one’s years are already advanced, yet one occupies the “night” position. Although the body is tall, one’s knowledge is equal to a dwarf’s, and one still cannot escape childish ignorance. This symbolizes occupying the position of a noble man while practicing the way of a petty man.

The Eighth Line says: Someone strikes him, someone pierces him; he cultivates the mysterious mirror and thereby changes. The Ce commentary says: Being struck and pierced means declining through fault. The commentary says: Without learning, one is benighted, and until old age falls into misfortune, hence it says, “someone strikes him, someone pierces him.” But if one occupies the daylight position, one can still engage in learning and cultivate clear discernment, which is still enough to turn misfortune into blessing. Duke Ping of Jin asked Music Master Kuang: “I am seventy years old and wish to study; I fear it is already too late.” Music Master Kuang said: “To love learning in youth is like the morning sun; to love learning in the prime of life is like the light at midday; to love learning in old age is like the light of a burning candle. How does the light of a burning candle compare with groping in the dark?”

The Top Nine says: A young fawn butts a rhinoceros, and its head is broken like ash. The Ce commentary says: The young fawn butting the rhinoceros is instead bringing disaster and trouble upon itself. Wang’s commentary says: Being at the extreme of childish ignorance and occupying the “night” position, one is extremely benighted and cannot turn back by oneself. “Tong mi” means a fawn without horns. Sima Guang says: “Ash” means smashed to pieces. The Top Nine occupies the extreme of childish ignorance and meets the exhaustion of misfortune, like a small fawn charging and having its head smashed—this is failing to measure one’s own strength and being extremely stupid.

This is the text of the “Zeng” (Increase) Header from the Taixuan Jing, together with Sima Guang’s collected commentary. In the Taixuan, composed by Yang Xiong in imitation of the Zhouyi, the “Zeng” Header belongs to one region, two provinces, two divisions, and one family; it is a Yang family, belongs to Metal among the Five Phases, and doctrinally corresponds to the Yi (Increase) hexagram of the Zhouyi. The Header Statement says: When yang qi flourishes and reproduces, the myriad things receive increase, unfolding and multiplying day by day. There are textual variants here: the commentator follows the Fan edition in reading “yang qi fan xi” (yang qi flourishes and multiplies), follows the two Song editions in reading “yi zeng” (increase and add), and follows the Fan edition in reading “ru” (like); in the following text, “wen” (to hear) follows the various commentators, while “mo” (ink) should be corrected to “mo” (silent).

First One: Hearing the true Dao and silently increasing knowledge, outsiders cannot peer in or know it. The Appraisal says, “Hearing the true and increasing silently,” which means that what is remembered and known is kept within. The commentator says: The First One is the beginning of thought and deliberation and also occupies the time-position of “hua” (day); the noble person hears much of the true Dao in order to increase virtue, silently storing it in mind and not revealing it outwardly.

Second Two: Not increasing one’s own Dao but increasing outer brilliance results in darkness. The Appraisal says: “Not increasing one’s fang” means merely adorning the exterior. Master Fan says “fang” is the Dao and “ming” is obscurity. Master Wang says: Not increasing one’s Dao but boasting outwardly, one wishes to add light but instead darkens oneself. Sima Guang says: When the noble person increases and cultivates the Dao, honor and fame naturally follow; when the petty person discards inner cultivation and embellishes the exterior, seeking light he becomes even more obscure.

Third Three: The tree takes root and stays fixed, gradually growing. The Appraisal says: “The tree stays and gradually increases”; it cannot be covered over. The commentator says “gai” means to cover. Sima Guang says: The noble person’s learning is like a tree’s roots staying in the soil where they grow, while branches and leaves gradually grow; the noble person stays in the Dao he guards, and his virtue renews day by day. In the Fayan, by Yang Xiong, when asked about “the gradual growth of wood,” the answer says: What stays below and gradually advances above is wood; it is also like water.

Fourth Four: The essential principle he guards is unable to bear the task, and someone adds to his burden (“dai” has the meaning of bearing a load), so he will fail. The Appraisal says: If the essential principle cannot bear it, there will be failure.

In the Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan Jing, the general meaning of this passage of praise-text and commentary in the “Zeng” (Increase) head is as follows:

The fourth praise occupies the “lower emolument” position, the place of lower-grade salary, and also meets the night phase—since the Taixuan uses day and night to distinguish good and bad fortune, night is mostly unfavorable. To enjoy emolument without virtue is like a person weak in the waist who still adds more burden: necessarily he cannot bear it.

The fifth praise: a low-lying marsh can hold all waters, and all moisture converges therein. The Ce-text—the explanation of a praise—says, “The marsh is low, and so has capacity,” praising humility and capaciousness. Wang’s commentary says that, like a marsh lying low, all waters and moisture return and gather. Sima Guang says: the fifth is the flourishing position of Increase; when everyone comes to add to it, if it were not humble, how could it bear this?

The sixth praise: the red chariot is increasingly adorned, and its radiance spreads abroad—another edition reads, “It increases me by three thousand.” The gentleman who obtains it finds joy and celebration; the petty person who obtains it is harmed. The Ce-text says: this “increase of the red chariot” is not something a petty person can bear.

The seventh praise: to increase height and cut away steepness, the earthen mound keeps to rectitude. The Ce-text says: raising higher and cutting steepness—increase and decrease must proceed together. The commentary says: the seventh occupies the upper position; it is the root of inviting disaster, a place to be feared. The nature of this head is Increase; if one only increases without cease, one must suffer its calamity. The seventh praise corresponds to daylight and belongs to the way of the gentleman; therefore one can constantly trim oneself in order to preserve peace and safety. A mound collapses because of steepness; if, whenever it is raised, its steepness is cut back and it is made level and gentle, then in the end it will not collapse—this is the correct way of the mound. Zheng Kaofu, a minister of Song in the Spring and Autumn period, on receiving appointment three times became increasingly respectful: at the first appointment he bowed; at the second he bent his back; at the third he stooped low. This precisely shows that the higher one rises, the more one must be humble and self-diminishing.

The eighth praise: carrying goods and wealth yet going to perform menial service—though going forward brings increase, afterward one will surely be pared away. The Ce-text says, “Carrying cowries to perform service”: first there is joy and celebration, afterward ruin is invited. The commentary says: cowries are wealth; service is lowly labor. To use wealth to do base work is to be greedy without cease; therefore, though going brings profit, coming back must be diminished.

The Shangjiu (Top Nine) praise: the high, towering mound does not collapse; it depends on those low, small mounds—yangpi; the commentators note that the Song and Lu editions have a variant graph, while this follows the Fan, Wang, and Xiao Song editions. The Ce-text says, “The towering mound does not collapse,” because it is supported by the host of officers and the multitude. The general meaning is that a high place can be stable only through the support of the multitude.

This passage first explains the meanings of the characters in the Top Nine Zan of the Zeng Head: the characters Cui, Yang, and Pi each have their own pronunciation; according to Fan’s commentary, “Yangpi” refers to the foot of a mountain, while Wang’s commentary interprets the related character as the appearance of supporting or assisting. Sima Guang holds that the Top Nine stands at the extreme of “Increase” and at the point where calamity is exhausted, yet can avoid blame and harm because it has the assistance of many officers; it is like a high mountain that does not collapse because the mountain’s foot provides support.

“One Fang, Two Zhou, Two Bu, Two Jia: Rui” is the placement of the Rui Head within the Taixuan system of Fang, Zhou, Bu, and Jia. The Rui Head belongs to the Yin family and the Earth phase and corresponds to the Jian hexagram of the Zhouyi. According to the Taixuan calendar, upon entering the fifth Zan of the Rui Head, the calendrical number is thirty-one fen and thirteen miao, corresponding to the Rain Water solar term. Its meaning states that yang qi gathers on high and advances sharply, and that all things grow single-mindedly and without duplicity; “Cenran” describes something sharp and toweringly upright, and so this Head is named “Rui” (Sharpness).

The Yin family belongs to Earth and corresponds to the Jian hexagram of the Zhouyi; entering the fifth Zan of the “Rui” head, its calendrical number is thirty-one fen and thirteen miao, corresponding to the Rain Water solar term. The yang qi is high and sharp, and the growth of the myriad things is all single-minded and without duality. “Cen” is read as the fanqie of chu and zan; “cenran” means sharp and pointed; the Dao of “Rui” values single-mindedness.

First Zan: The crab, with many legs and restless, instead falls behind the earthworm that bores into the Yellow Spring. The Ce statement says: The crab’s “guosuo” means that its mind is not single. Mr. Fan said “guosuo” is the appearance of many legs; Mr. Wang said it is “kuangrang”; Mr. Wu said “kuangrang” is the appearance of restlessness. Sima Guang said: Xunzi states that the earthworm has no strength of claws, teeth, sinews, or bones, yet above it eats dust and earth and below it drinks from the Yellow Spring, because its use of mind is single; the crab has six legs and two pincers, but unless it relies on the hole of a snake or eel it has nowhere to lodge, because its use of mind is flighty. The first is the beginning of thought and meets “Night” (the Taixuan takes Day as bright and smooth and Night as dark and obstructed); the family nature is “Rui,” and so there is this image. “Kui” is read as the fanqie of qu and wei and means foot.

Second Zan: Being sharp and single-minded, there is nothing that cannot be penetrated. The Ce statement says: That Rui’s unity penetrates is because it holds to the Dao and is necessarily so. The second is the middle of thought and meets “Day,” and so it says that Rui’s unity has nothing it does not reach. The Book of Documents, “Xian You Yi De,” says: When virtue is pure and one, no action is not auspicious; when virtue is divided, no action is not inauspicious. Xunzi says: One who walks by forked paths does not reach the destination; one who serves two rulers is not accepted; the eye is clear only when it does not look in two directions; the ear is acute only when it does not listen in two directions; the teng snake has no feet yet flies; the wutong rat has five skills yet is in straits. The Shi says: The shijiu is on the mulberry tree, its young are seven; the good man and gentleman has a single demeanor; with a single demeanor, his heart is firm like a knot. Therefore the gentleman binds and guards oneness.

Third Zan: Arrogant and sharp advance leads to drifting. The Ce statement says: The drifting of arrogant sharpness is the inability to rest securely in single-mindedness. The third is the end of thought and meets “Night.” “Arrogant” refers to advancing without single-mindedness. Empty and drifting, with nothing to hold or guard, one then sees no success. The Yi says: Advancing like a rock rat, even keeping correct there is danger.

Fourth Zan: If sharp advance seeks only to accord with the times and circumstances, then it will drift.

The Appraisal says: “Wild, keen, and unrestrained” is due to an inability to hold fast to singleness. The Third Line occupies the position of “Reflecting on the End” and corresponds to “Ye” (in the Taixuan, “Hua” is daylight and good fortune, while “Ye” is darkness and misfortune); what is called “wild” is advancing without singleness of purpose. Empty and with nothing to hold to, one cannot accomplish merit. The Yijing says, “Advancing like a field mouse; steadfastness brings danger” (like a field mouse greedily advancing, so that even steadfast correctness is perilous)—this is exactly the situation being described.

The Fourth Line: To be keen in advancing and to accord with timeliness—nothing is unfavorable. The Appraisal says: “Keen in relation to time” means attaining what is fitting. The Fourth Line is the beginning of fortune and also corresponds to “Hua” (the auspicious position of daylight); thus keen advance attains its time, and therefore nothing is unfavorable.

The Fifth Line: Keenly intending to go east but forgetting the west, seeing only the outward back and not the inner heart. The Appraisal says: “Keen on the east and forgetting the west” means being unable to turn back and avoid harm. The back is the exterior; the heart is the interior. The Fifth Line is the position of abundant fortune, yet it corresponds to “Ye.” The petty person knows only how to acquire and not how to lose; seeing profit, they disregard harm; greedy for what is ahead, they forget what is behind; they abandon the inner and pursue the outer.

The Sixth Line: Being keen toward “Chou” (the multitude), one can contain and accommodate “five tracks and ten thousand zhong” and hold to correctness. The Appraisal says: “Keen toward Chou”—blessings and emoluments are beyond measure. Chou means the multitude. The Sixth Line is the highest fortune and also governs abundance; corresponding to the auspicious position of “Hua,” it is the image of keen advance in flourishing beauty. When the noble person advances, the essential task is to unite with the hearts of the multitude; thus one can contain five tracks and ten thousand zhong without losing the correct Way. In antiquity, roads were measured by “tracks” (gui): a track was eight chi wide between the two wheel ruts; ten fu made one “zhong,” and one zhong was six hu and four dou. Five tracks metaphorically indicate breadth; ten thousand zhong metaphorically indicate abundance.

The Seventh Line: Being keen on seeking profit, shame and evil consequences arrive. The Appraisal says: “Keen on profit”—shame lies in “one direction.” Fan Wang says that “tian” means shame. Sima Guang says: The Seventh Line is the beginning of misfortune and corresponds to “Ye”; it is the petty person being keen on profit and thereby suffering shame and evil. “Direction” means orientation; “shame in one direction” means that the taking of shame lies in single-mindedly seeing profit without thinking of righteousness.

The Eighth Line: Adding keenness to keenness, using it to rescue a failing situation. The Appraisal says: “Keen upon keenness”—I fear it will instead turn into disaster.

The zan “Eight is in the midst of calamity” meets “day” (the auspicious category of judgment in Taixuan divination). When the noble person sees a profit he might obtain, he considers whether it accords with righteousness; he deliberates back and forth, looking ahead and behind. Even when his sharp edge is keen, he can often remedy his own failures and errors, and thus he escapes calamity and blame.

The Top Nine line: it is like a towering, craggy mountain ridge or a steep and perilous cliff, which will ultimately fall. The Ce (the explanatory text in the Taixuan that explains the zan phrases) says: what is high and steep, sharp to the utmost, must inevitably collapse. The character in question is read with the fanqie “zhi-er-qie.” Fan Wang, a Jin-dynasty commentator on the Taixuan, notes: it means to fall; “zheng” means towering and lofty; “qiao” means steep. Because it is towering and lofty and about to fall downward, it is said to fall.

At the end, “Fang 1, Zhou 2, Bu 2, Jia 3, Da” is an arrangement marker for a shou in the Taixuan, indicating that the “Da” shou belongs to Fang 1, Zhou 2, Bu 2, and Jia 3.

This passage discusses the zan text of the “Da” head in the Taixuan and the commentators’ explanations. “Yang family, Water, eight; corresponds to Tai” means that this head belongs to the Yang family, is paired with Water, stands eighth, and corresponds to the Tai hexagram in the Zhouyi. “Entering the Da First One” means entering the First One zan of the Da head; the zan text says, “lodges at the Eastern Wall” (that is, dwells at the Eastern Wall).

“Yang qi causes branches, secondary branches, and twigs to come forth; none of the myriad things fails to reach through”: Yang qi causes the branches, secondary branches, and twigs of trees to emerge layer by layer, and among the myriad things none is obstructed. Song Zhong says: what divides from a branch is called a secondary branch; what divides from a secondary branch is called a twig. This means that when yang qi stirs and issues forth, all things obtain their proper order; none remains hooked together, tangled, or knotted so that it cannot penetrate. Lu Ji says: “branches, secondary branches, and twigs coming forth” speaks of yang qi being distributed, so that there is nowhere it does not pervade and moisten.

First One: “In the midst of darkness it alone reaches through; penetrating and inexhaustible.” The Ce commentary says: “In the midst of darkness it alone reaches through” means that inwardly one understands and is not confined by place or direction. Fan Wang says: jiong means “to penetrate”; qu means “to exhaust.” Sima Guang says: First One represents the most subtle stage of thought and deliberation, and so it is called “mid-darkness.” It falls in the daytime; the noble person is inwardly clear, silently discerning, and reaches through without fixed place or direction.

Second Two: “Confused in the belly, reaching through the eyes.” The Ce commentary says: “Confused in the belly, reaching through the eyes” is because the Dao is not clear. The Song and Lu editions read “because the Dao is not made clear”; here I follow Fan’s edition. Sima Guang says: Second Two lies within thought and deliberation and falls at night; the inner mind is not clear, nor does it see external things clearly. Thus, not understanding the Dao and relying on outward scrutiny brings no benefit. “Yi” means “to use”; the reason for being confused in the belly and reaching through the eyes is that the Dao one employs is not clear.

Third Three: “The green wood droops; its beauty can reach the gourds.” The Ce commentary says: “The green wood droops” is measured by the inner way of reciprocity. Fan Wang says: “droops” means that branches and secondary branches hang down; gourds creep along the ground and extend vines, and if the tree did not let its branches and secondary branches hang down, the gourd vines could not climb it and reach upward. Sima Guang says: bao is the same as pao, meaning gourd. Third Three belongs to a person who advances and strives, is close to rank and stipend, and falls in the daytime. The benevolent person, wishing to establish himself, also establishes others; wishing to reach through, also enables others to reach through; he does not monopolize what is good. It is like a tree lowering its branches to benefit what is below, so the gourds can climb it. The Book of Songs says: “In the south is a bending tree; the sweet gourd twines around it.”

Fourth Four: it is close to rank and stipend and falls in the daytime; the benevolent person, wishing to establish himself, also establishes others; wishing to reach through, also enables others to reach through; he does not monopolize what is good.

This passage uses the image of a tree with drooping branches and gourds clinging and twining around it: the Book of Songs says, “In the south there is a bending tree; the sweet gourd binds around it,” that is, the sweet gourd coils around the curved, drooping tree.

The Fourth Praise says: There is small benefit and small penetration, yet one is confused about the great direction; one’s knowledge is narrow and petty and cannot remedy the situation. The Measuring Statement says, “Small penetration, great confusion,” meaning that one understands only one corner and one side. Lu Ji (a Three Kingdoms Wu scholar who annotated the Taixuan) glosses: one knows only one corner and one side and does not know the four-way thoroughfare. Sima Guang (commentator on the Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan Jing) holds that “bianbian” describes narrowness; the Fourth Praise occupies the lower-emolument position and also corresponds to night, and therefore it is only small benefit. The petty person knows only one corner and one side and does not penetrate the great Way; what he gains is narrow and cannot save him from what he loses. Pen Cheng Kuo, a man of Qi, took office in Qi, and Mencius (a Warring States Confucian) foresaw that he would surely die, saying: He has a little ability, but has not heard the great Way of the gentleman; that is enough to bring death upon himself.

The Fifth Praise says: Penetrating the central thoroughfare, one is not confused in matters great or small. The Measuring Statement says: “Penetrating the central thoroughfare” means that the roads are open in all four directions. The Fifth Praise occupies the position of central harmony and also governs manifest clarity, like the white sun at midday; this is an image of penetrating flourishing.

The Sixth Praise says: Great penetration without field boundaries—if it is not restrained and delimited and its field ditches are not repaired and regulated, it will decay. The Measuring Statement says: “Great penetration without boundaries” means one must not follow only one side. Zhen are field boundaries; xu are ditches used to mark field boundaries; zuo means to govern. Sima Guang says: the Way of the gentleman should have its altars, roofs, palaces, and courtyards—that is, limits and boundaries. For example, a large field without boundaries: if one does not restrain and delimit it, repair its ditches, and manage it therein, it will become overgrown and neglected. The reason it must not be followed one-sidedly is that the field is vast; if one follows this side, one loses that side.

The Seventh Praise says: Penetrating through stone-needle cutting—using stone needles to pierce and cut away illness—there is loss first, and afterward something on which to rely for gain.

The appraisal text says: “One who understands the principle of bian-cutting will not in the end become permanently disabled.” Although bian—a stone needle, with the fanqie pronunciation “bi-yan qie”—causes cuts and punctures, it ultimately brings the benefit of curing illness; “lai” means “benefit.” Wang’s commentary says: Bian is the use of a stone needle to pierce and treat illness. The number seven is paired with the knife and is also the beginning of calamity, yet it exactly occupies “day” (Yangming is on duty). The noble person comprehends the changes in affairs; knowing that calamity is about to arrive, he cuts away what he loves and removes evil conduct, just as one uses a stone needle to cut out disease. Though there is loss, benefit comes later, and he will not be left permanently disabled.

The second eight (the eighth Zan) says, “Confusing the eyes, reaching the belly.” The appraisal text says: This means external things delude the inner mind. The number two is in the inner body, hence “reaching the belly”; the number eight is in the outer body, hence “confusing the eyes.” When a person is deluded by external things, although the inner mind understands and knows it is wrong, he cannot restrain himself, and so in the end he fails.

The top nine (the ninth Zan) says, “Reaching fault; steadfast; in the end, praise.” The appraisal text says: To know the harm of fault yet hold fast to correctness and ultimately win praise is to be good at withdrawing in accordance with the Dao. Nine is the end of calamity, yet it corresponds to “day.” The noble person knows that calamity has reached its limit, holds fast to correctness and withdraws, and does not lose his good name.

(“One region, two provinces, three divisions, one family—Jiao” is an arrangement marker in the Taixuan: the Jiao head belongs to the first region, the second province, the third division, and the first family.)

This section matches the “Yin Family Fire” section of the Taixuan (Supreme Mystery) with the Tai hexagram of the Zhouyi (Book of Changes). Yang Qi and Yin Qi intersect, and the myriad things are like ascending the Mingtang (the bright place above ground), flourishing and beautiful. Some editions write “Yin and Yang unite in Tai, dignified and boundless”; here we follow the editions of the various commentators. The expression yuyu huanghuang is to be read in its variant form, also pronounced yuyu huanghuang, meaning beautiful and grand. Song Zhong says: This head is at the seventh division of the breath-cycle; its hexagram image is Tai; Ascending Yang is in the third position and has already emerged above ground. Lu Ji says: What is underground is called the Yellow Palace; therefore what is above ground is called the Mingtang. Wang Ya says: “Yuyu huanghuang” is the appearance of brightness and grandeur.

The First One: To interact with spirits in the dark—if fasting and ritual purification are not sincere and the heart is not pure and sincere, it is not good. The Commentary says, “Dark intercourse is not upright”: this means the heart is not upright and contains shame. Fan Wang says: Intercourse with ghosts and spirits requires solemn reverence; qi means fasting and ritual purification, and zhen means purity and sincerity. Even if one meets the spirits in darkness, without purity and sincerity the spirits will not bestow blessings. Sima Guang says: The First One occupies the initial position of thought and also meets “Night” (in the Taixuan, “Day” is auspicious and “Night” is unfavorable); hence this image.

The Second Two speaks of “reverence,” which is fasting, ritual purification, and sincerity; to meet the spirits in the dark with trustworthiness means brightness appears. Master Xie says: This is receiving the spiritual intelligences with sincerity; the Second Two occupies the middle position of thought and meets “Day,” so the noble person can interact with ghosts and spirits with bright sincerity.

The Third Three: To associate with wood and stone. The Commentary says: Associating with wood and stone cannot benefit people. The Third Three occupies the beginning of completed intention and begins to associate outwardly, but it exactly meets “Night”; associating with fools is like associating with wood and stone—neither can benefit the other. Confucius said, “Do not befriend those who are not as good as yourself” (do not make friends with people inferior to yourself).

The Fourth Four: Calamities and difficulties come in throngs; this is the gateway leading to danger and ruin. The Commentary says: Coming and going in throngs—this is intercourse and movement with the spiritual intelligences (the Wang edition has “blessings” for “spirits”; here we follow the various commentators); “xunxun” describes multitude.

The Fifth Five: To associate with yingxing (creatures such as parrots and orangutans), one gains no glory. The Commentary says: Associating with yingxing is merely being of the same kind as birds and beasts; a parrot can speak, but it still does not leave the birds; an orangutan can speak, but it still does not leave the beasts.

The fifth line occupies a flourishing position, yet it happens to meet “Night” (the Taixuan uses Day and Night to symbolize Yin-Yang, brightness and darkness), symbolizing that one’s dealings with others are not in accordance with ritual propriety. If one interacts without ritual propriety yet seeks glory, how can it be obtained? The Book of Songs says: The rhinoceros-horn goblet is curved, and the fine wine is mild; if one associates with others without arrogance, the ten thousand blessings come seeking him of themselves.

The sixth line says: The Great Quan is vast, and the Small Quan interacts with it; I have fine meat dishes and share them with you. The appraisal says: The great and the small interact; this is waiting for a worthy person and then shining with radiance. Commentators explain that quan originally was a vessel for holding dishes, extended to mean storing and nourishing; honghong means vast; ling means good; yao is flesh on the bone, and the character is properly “yao,” meaning food. The Great Quan metaphorically represents a wealthy gentleman, and the Small Quan a scholar without official salary. Six is abundant and corresponds to “Hua” (Yang); a gentleman with official salary takes pleasure in sharing with the worthy. The Yi says, “I have a fine goblet; I share it with you”—that is, I have fine wine and a fine goblet, and wish to enjoy them together with you.

The seventh line says: Interacting with birds and rats consumes wealth and millet. The appraisal says: Interacting with birds and rats is simply a waste. Seven is ruinous and corresponds to “Night”; one has befriended the wrong people and merely wastes resources. The Fayan says: Repeatedly forming factions is nothing more than stealing reputation and wasting one’s stipend.

The eighth line says: Halberds and spears come and go; because one guards what is correct, there is no regret. The appraisal says: Halberds and spears coming and going shows that the task of punitive rectification cannot be abandoned.

The eighth zan (appraisal) is located in “Calamity Within.” People interact not through friendliness but through weapons, hence the saying “halberds and spears come and go.” Yet when it is precisely the image of broad daylight, the noble person uses military force to stop calamity and disorder and to prohibit tyranny and cruelty, resorting to it only when unavoidable; because this does not contravene the proper Way, there is no regret. In the household, the punishment of the whip and rod cannot be discarded; in the state, penal punishments cannot be abolished; in the world, punitive expeditions cannot be halted—only that their use has root and branch, first and last, and their implementation involves the appropriateness of compliance or opposition. Top Nine (the ninth zan) speaks of mutual hostilities and attacks, which do not accord with the proper Way; cities and towns are overthrown, and the fierce devour the weak. The Ce (explanatory) statement says: Engaging in war and attack, how can one get one’s way and succeed? The ninth zan is the image of calamity and misfortune at their limit, and it also corresponds to “night” (the dark and unfavorable position in Taixuan divination); when petty people join battle and contend for victory without following the proper Way, they will overturn the state and ruin the family. It is like Jie of Xia (the tyrant of the Xia dynasty) attacking tyrants of Jie’s kind: there is no difference in virtue between them; they merely rely on ferocity to swallow the weak, and no superiority or inferiority can be spoken of. The final “one fang (region), two provinces, three departments, two families, Ruan” is the fang-province-department-family arrangement label of the Head in the Taixuan (Yang Xiong’s divination classic modeled on the Zhouyi), and the Head is named “Ruan.”

Run (Softness): “Run” means soft or pliant. In the Taixuan system, Run Shou belongs to the Yang line, corresponds to Wood in the Five Phases, and is paired with the Zhouyi hexagram Xu (Waiting). On the first day of Run Shou the sun stands in the Kui lunar mansion; at the second nine, eight parts and twenty seconds, it enters Jianglou (one of the twelve star stations). This aligns with the solar term Jingzhe (Awakening of Insects), the dipper handle set at mao (mid-spring), and the pitch pipe Jiazhong. The head’s overall theme is that yang qi can be hard or soft, can rise or settle; when it meets obstruction it withdraws and yields—“nan” (difficulty) is read nàn.

First (Chuyi): “Red shoots sharp at the tip—advance by retreating.” Chihui denotes grass and trees budding with sharp, vigorous growth; the time favors advancing by stepping back. The prognostic line says, “Red shoots sharp at the tip—retreat in order to move,” meaning action through yielding. Fan Wang notes that chihui is the sprouting of plants. Sima Guang adds that new growth must bend before it straightens, like the noble person who retreats yet advances all the more.

Second (Cier): “A soft heart breeds sickness.” The prognostic reads, “A soft heart—no courage within,” inner weakness without resolve. The second line sits in the middle of Si (Thought) at night; Run Shou’s nature is soft, so “lack of courage” is treated as the ailment. The commentary cites the Zuozhuan: “Benevolent but not resolute—one cannot see things through,” meaning kindness without firmness cannot finish the work.

Third (Cisan): “Bend the knee; keep your measure. Though you may not spread freely, in the end you do not go against the norm.” The knee stays flexed and one holds to proper limits; one cannot expand at will, yet never violates the constant way. The prognostic says, “Soft knees—the body must not be unrestrained.” Wang Zhu explains fu as “to violate.” Sima Guang notes that the third line is in the lower body, hence “soft knees”; though one cannot indulge oneself, one still does not transgress the dao.

Fourth (Cisi): “A weak throat—three years without a cry.” The throat is too soft to sound; for three years there is no voice. The prognostic: “Soft throat, no cry—timing is lost.” Wang Zhu: wa is the throat. Sima Guang: the fourth line is lower emolument and tiaochang (smooth expression), yet it falls at night—a case where one could speak but stays silent. Confucius said, “When it is one’s turn to speak and one does not, that is concealment.” To withhold speech when one should speak is to miss the moment.

Fifth (Ciwu): “The yellow fungus does not sprout lightly—it waits for the celebratory cloud.” The yellow jun (a kind of auspicious fungus) does not appear rashly; it waits for the qingyun, the auspicious cloud. The image of the fungus holding back until the celebratory cloud appears illustrates that things should emerge only when the time is right.

The Appraisal says: The yellow fungus (lingzhi) has not yet appeared; it is waiting for its matching mate. “Qiu” is read like “chou,” meaning mate; old editions have readings such as “rescuing disaster” and “waiting for a mate,” and here I follow the Fan edition. Wang’s commentary says: It occupies the center and embodies correctness; it is the master of soft and weak things, and it also obtains its position and meets day (a Yangming position in Taixuan divination). The yellow fungus is lingzhi; before lingzhi is born, it will wait for auspicious clouds to appear and together display an auspicious omen—this is the meaning of “must wait.” Sima Guang holds: “Qiu” means mate. Lingzhi does not grow because it waits for auspicious clouds; a scholar is not employed because he waits for an enlightened ruler. When the ruler is enlightened and the minister worthy, they are precisely a matched pair.

The Sixth Line: Shrinking back and losing the opportune moment, one may incur disaster. The Appraisal says: Shrinking back and losing the time is because one sits waiting and so lags behind those who are prominent. “Zai” is the same as “disaster.” Wang’s commentary says: Earth is in a position of overfullness, and it also loses its position and meets night (a yin and obscure position); it goes against the proper way of resting in soft compliance—this is shrinking back and losing the time. Sima Guang holds: The gentleman’s advance and retreat, waxing and waning, all proceed according to the times. The Sixth Line goes beyond the middle and meets night; if one shrinks back and lags behind the time, disaster will follow.

The Seventh Line: Bending one’s integrity, holding fast to one’s art, one shares death with it. The Appraisal says: Bending integrity and sharing demise is because the inner mind has a master. “Qu” is the same as “bend”; “mo” is the same as “demise.” Wang’s commentary says: Being able to hold fast to one’s heart is having a master. Sima Guang holds: The Seventh Line is the beginning of calamity, yet it meets day; the gentleman is one who bends his body to extend the Dao, and so it says, “He bends his integrity and holds fast to his art.” Though outwardly yielding and compliant, inwardly his mind is governed by uprightness; he holds fast to this Dao and shares its demise in his person without changing.

The Eighth Line: Hollow withered wood suffers impact, and its branches are shaken; the petty person is weak and soft, and so repeatedly retreats into the hook-net (snare). The Appraisal says: The hollow wood is shaken because the petty person sees that it can be bullied and treats it lightly. In old editions, zhen is sometimes written e, zhi sometimes ke, and que sometimes xi; here I follow the commonly circulating editions of Song, Lu, Fan, and others. “Kuan” is read like “kuan.”

The Top Nine line says, “Repent and withdraw; going forth, departing, coming back.” Situated above the myriad things, it has already fallen into the extreme of calamity; if one can repent and restrain oneself, one still does not lose the constant Dao. Therefore at this moment going forward means departing once and not returning, while turning back means one can return to one’s original place. The Ce appraisal statement, “The return after repentance and withdrawal—what is obtained comes afterward,” means that the return following repentance and restraint yields its gain later. The words “Now I follow the various commentators; kuan, pronounced kuan” belong to collation and phonetic annotation, explaining that kuan is read as kuan. The final sentence, “one fang, two zhou, three bu, three jia, Xi,” is an organizational marker in the Taixuan, indicating the fang, zhou, bu, and jia position to which the Xi head belongs.

This section belongs to the Yin family and is correlated with Metal. It also imitates the Xu hexagram of the Zhouyi and discusses waiting for the proper time. Xi means waiting. Yang qi has something it awaits; it advances only when it ought to advance, and then the myriad things can each obtain what they desire.

Initial One: Waiting while secretly harboring a thieving, harmful heart—Heaven sends down ominous calamity. The Ce statement says: this “waiting of hidden thievery” has no auspiciousness whatsoever in its timing. The Initial One position stands at the beginning of thought and also encounters “night” (the Taixuan regards night as yin and mostly inauspicious); it symbolizes a petty person who secretly harbors an evil heart and will surely suffer calamity.

Second Two: Waiting while secretly accumulating virtue—Heaven will surely make him prosper. The Ce statement says: the waiting of hidden virtue—prosperity will arrive before long. Wang’s commentary says: to wait for the time by means of virtue, the time of prosperity will come within a few days. Sima Guang says: the second position lies in the midst of thought and encounters “day” (auspicious); the gentleman accumulates virtue in hidden and subtle places and obtains blessings in manifest places. The utmost of flourishing excellence will likewise arrive before long.

Third Three: Waiting, yet falling behind the time. The Ce statement says: to wait and lag behind is slackness. “Jie” is interchangeable with “xie” (slackness). The third position stands at the end of thought, does not obtain the central position, and also encounters night; it symbolizes one who is slack and slow and misses the proper time.

Fourth Four: Bending its horns and straightening its feet, and in this way waiting for fortune and emolument. The Ce statement says: bend the horns and straighten the feet, without ruthlessness or contrariety. “Ji” is the same as “zhi,” meaning fierce and ruthless; “ci” means contrary and offensive. The fourth line has the image of horns, also occupies the lower emolument, and encounters day. Bending the horns indicates not contending with external things; straightening the feet indicates that conduct does not lose the correct way and is not fierce, ruthless, or rebellious. Therefore one can wait for fortune and emolument.

Fifth Five: Great sparrows gather on the palace wall; the petty person is lowly and can only wait in vain. The Ce statement says: the jue (sparrow) on the palace wall cannot be obtained in vain. The fifth position is the palace chamber and residence. Yet the petty person encounters abundant fortune, just like great sparrows gathering on the palace wall. When sparrows gather at a granary, they can obtain food; when they gather on a palace wall, what can they wait for? This is the image of thin virtue and a high position.

Sixth Six: Fortune and emolument are complete, and one maintains uprightness firmly; the enjoyment of emolument is like metal. The Ce statement says: waiting for fortune with steadfast uprightness—uprightness is precisely what can be practiced. Metal is a firm and hard substance; it symbolizes that the fortune awaited is upright and firm and can be maintained and practiced.

This passage discusses the fortune and misfortune of “xi” (waiting) in different temporal positions. In the Taixuan, “Day” is auspicious and Yang, while “Night” is inauspicious and Yin.

The sixth position is “Supreme Blessing” and also encounters “Day”; it belongs to the image of waiting for blessings in full beauty, and it also carries the meaning of occupying a high place and obtaining blessings. When one waits for blessings with an upright mind, even something as hard as metal can be “eaten,” let alone anything else. The phrase “eating from metal”—metal being hard and strong—is a metaphor: when keeping rectitude while waiting for blessings reaches its fullest extent, even the hard and strong can be transformed into something one can partake of. The appraisal text says, “Waiting for blessings with steadfast correctness—this is exactly what can be practiced,” meaning that the way of keeping rectitude while waiting for blessings can indeed be put into practice.

The seventh position is the beginning of calamity and also encounters “Night,” so what it awaits is misfortune. “Jiejie” describes something crooked and incorrect; “you” means fault. This is the image of a bad person inviting fault and making an appointment with disaster. The appraisal text says, “It makes an appointment with disaster,” meaning that disaster arrives as if by agreement.

The eighth position stands amid calamity yet encounters “Day,” symbolizing a noble person who suffers calamity though innocent. If he can examine the way he himself conducts himself and does not treat calamity as calamity, the heavenly Dao protects the good and will ultimately enable him to survive and remain whole. The Yi says, “Trapped yet not losing what is proper—success,” meaning that even in adversity, if one does not lose rectitude, one can still succeed. Some editions have “zhi” (to govern or order) in place of “huo” (to live or survive); here the reading “huo” is followed according to the various commentators. In “It is not his fault,” “you” means fault, indicating that this is not his offense.

The ninth, uppermost position is waiting until the “wangwang” state of sickly weakness, when one looks up to heaven and cries for help, and Heaven strikes his forehead. The appraisal text says that this waiting, struck by Heaven, can in the end not be remedied. “Pu” means to strike; “sang” means forehead. The petty person is not cautious at first and falls into the utmost calamity; only then does he look up to heaven hoping Heaven will save him. Heaven instead sends further calamity upon him, and so it says, “Heaven strikes his forehead.”

At the end, the phrase “one region, three provinces, one division, one family: Cong” is a marker of the Taixuan’s orientation and layout, and it also marks the name of the section-head as “Cong” (Following).

This passage is the scripture text and commentary for the “Following” (Cong) Head in the Taixuan Jing (Canon of Supreme Mystery), one of the eighty-one Heads; it belongs to the Yang family and Water and models the Sui hexagram of the Zhouyi. The Head Statement says: Yang qi leaps and stirs; from deep pools and marshes to fields and mountains, high and low places are all covered; the myriad things all rise on tiptoe to follow. The Song commentary says: This means that yang qi is vigorous and active, high and low are all provided for, and the myriad things stand on tiptoe to follow.

First One Zan: The sun is concealed and dark like a woman; the moon secretly follows—this is the beginning. The Ce statement (the text in the Taixuan Jing that explains the Zan) says: The sun being like a woman and the moon following symbolize the beginning of subjects responding to their ruler. First One is at the beginning of thought, so it is dark and not yet bright; the moon has just passed the new moon and secretly moves following the sun, like a wife following her husband. When the ruler is about to act and has just formed the intention in his heart, ministers of the same virtue have already followed and responded, without need for planning, agreement, or summons.

Second Two Zan: The sun has just risen, shining brightly; those of the same kind and their partisans follow you. The Ce statement says: When it has just risen and there are already partisans following, this is because one does not know where one is going. Second Two is in the middle of thought and also occupies “Night” (the yin-yang quality of the Taixuan Zan). The petty person’s mind is confused and disordered, about to be exposed outwardly, bright like the newly risen sun; thinking over and over, he does not know where to go. If he inclines toward good, the good kind follow; if he inclines toward evil, the evil kind follow. Therefore it says, “Partisans follow your ilk” (like follows like).

Third Three Zan: Without others attacking and correcting it, it draws itself along and follows. The Ce statement says: If people do not attack and correct it, it naturally becomes correct (the character “zheng” meaning “to prove” should be “zheng” meaning “correct”). Third Three is at the end of thought and is also an advancing, enterprising person occupying “Day.” The noble person follows good naturally according to his nature and does not wait for external force to discipline him.

Fourth Four Zan: Loudly calling out for followers is not good; a woman holds blood, and the basket is empty and lost. The Ce statement says: Calling out for followers leads to ruin; how is it worth forming a faction? One edition has “ming” (“bright”) for “peng” (“partisan”); here I follow the various commentators; “kuang” is the same as “basket.” When the noble person cultivates virtue, others naturally follow; relying on calling out to seek people’s following is not sufficiently good. Applied to husband and wife, it means losing one’s spouse and not obtaining what one seeks. The Yi says: The woman holds a basket with nothing in it; the man slaughters a sheep without blood; there is nothing favorable.

Fifth Five Zan: It is like water flowing down along ditches and hollows, filling wherever it passes.

The commentary—the words that explain the appraisal—says, “Following water, it fills the hollow and does not of itself overflow.” This means that, like water flowing into a pit or hollow, it stops once full and does not spill over on its own. Wang’s commentary uses husband and wife as a metaphor: if the way of husband and wife is lost, one will lose one’s spouse and what one seeks will come to nothing. The Yi says, “The woman carries a basket with nothing in it; the man stabs a sheep and there is no blood; nothing is advantageous,” which likewise illustrates that when name and reality do not match, effort is vain and without benefit.

The fifth line, “Following water’s hollow, filling”: that water flows to low places is a principle of nature; the fifth line occupies the proper position and falls on day (in the Taixuan, day is auspicious and night is inauspicious), and is the master of “Following”; the myriad things follow it as water flows into a pit. “Hollow” means pit; when full it stops and does not go beyond—this is attaining the middle way.

The sixth line, “Following its eyes, losing its belly”: yielding to the cravings of the eyes, one instead loses the peace of belly and heart. The commentary says, “Following the eyes, losing the belly: desire is greatly followed,” that is, wholly and greatly indulging desires. Wang’s commentary says that giving free rein to the pleasures of ear and eye while losing the ease of heart and belly is the way of greatly following desire and bringing about ruin. Sima Guang says: the sixth line goes beyond the middle and falls on night; it is a matter of pursuing outer desires and destroying inner virtue.

The seventh line, “Brushing aside his evil, following his good, realgar eats flesh”: removing evil and following good is like realgar (a mineral drug; the ancients said it could corrode bad flesh and generate good flesh) being able to remove bad flesh and produce good flesh. The commentary says, “Brushing aside evil, following good: it saves one from misfortune.” The Younger Song edition writes the word for “realgar” with a different character, also pronounced xiong; here I follow the various commentators. The seventh line is a source of calamity yet falls on day; the noble man removes evil and follows good, like realgar removing bad flesh and producing good flesh.

The eighth line, “Following what is not good, calamity flies and cannot be overtaken”: if one follows what is not good, calamity breaks out like something flying, and cannot be caught up with. The commentary says, “Following what is not good, calamity cannot be disputed” (the Younger Song edition reads “disputing what is not good”; here I follow the various commentators). Song Zhong says it means that it cannot be resolved by argument; Sima Guang says that when a petty person follows what is not good, calamity breaks out like flying and cannot be remedied afterward.

Top Nine, “Following the beautiful and good, afterward one ascends the steps and ends”: following the beautiful and good, afterward one ascends the steps and comes to an end. The commentary says, “Following the beautiful and good, afterward one obtains merit.” The Fan edition has “ascend” for “rise”; here I follow the various commentators.

This chapter belongs to the yin family’s Fire phase and aligns with the Jin (Progress) hexagram; when one reaches the sixth pass in the “Advance” chapter, the sun stands in the lodge Lou. The overall sense is that yang qi draws all things forward: they pour forth in crowds, open up, and move ahead. In Wang’s text the word for “draw” (yin) appears as cheng (“support”); here the reading follows the other editions. Song Zhong said that the myriad things come out with yang qi and flourish in great numbers.

First line: one seeks advance in the dark without staying on the right course, hence the name “obscure advance, denial”—the source of retreat. The Ce commentary says that obscure advance without correctness makes deviation turn into withdrawal. Sima Guang said that the first line is where deliberation begins and also occupies the night position: hidden striving to advance without the proper Way.

Second line: advance by the measure of the central and correct method; only the great person can see that principle alone. The Ce says that to advance by the central correct standard is not to leave the standard behind. Wang’s text omits the word ke (“can”); the reading here follows the other editions.

Third line: frantic and without a foothold, unable to walk the middle path. The Ce says that kuang zhang zhang means advance that does not fit the center. The third line is deliberation turned outward, past the center while still in the night slot— reckless advance, hence kuang zhang zhang; zhang zhang is the look of having nothing to lean on. Wang’s text uses wang (“go”) where others read kuang (“wild”); here we follow the other editions.

Fourth line: the sun rises above yin clouds; the myriad things blend in clarity and brightness. The Ce says that when the sun flies suspended over yin, the lord’s Way is in full flourish. The fourth line is where blessing begins and also sits in the day position: the lord’s virtue advances in strength, discerning and illuminating everything, like the sun mounting the sky far above shadow—nothing not harmonious and clear.

Fifth line: advance by qu shu—a flexible, simplified approach—and sometimes one must lean on a staff. The Ce says that to advance with qu shu is to be held in check by the zong (clan, elders). Wang’s text differs on several graphs (quan for “flexible,” zhe for “restrain,” zong for “honor”); here we follow the Two Song and Lu editions. Song, Lu, and Wang read zhi where the fanben has zhang (“staff”); we follow the fanben.

Sixth line: advance by a lofty, clear Way and receive blessing without end. The Ce says that advance by loftiness and clarity means a path that winds and runs far. Fan Wang said yu means “far.” Sima Guang said the sixth line is great blessing and also day: the noble person advances in virtue in a lofty, clear way, and so receives boundless blessing.

Seventh line: advance not by its proper Way—one hears reproach yet stops the ears and will not listen. The Ce says that when advance is not by what is fitting, slander only grows plainer. The seventh line is where calamity begins and also night: the petty person rises high not by the proper Way; as public blame mounts, he shuts his ears.

Eighth line: advance into the deep abyss; the noble person crosses by boat. The Ce says that to advance into the abyss with a boat is to go by relying on the Dao. The fanben Ce reads “advance to the abyss and by boat”; we follow the other editions. The abyss images danger; the eighth line is the middle of calamity, hence “advance into the abyss.” With a boat the deep can be crossed; with the Dao, hardship can be passed.

Top ninth: perversely leaning on mountains and rivers—three years without return. The Ce says that perverse reliance on mountains and rivers cannot last in the end. Feng is the old form of ping (“lean on”). The ninth line is exhausted calamity and also night: the petty person advances not by the Dao, reaches the limit and falls into calamity, and cannot turn back.

This is the scriptural text of the “Shi” (Release) shou of the Taixuan. The Taixuan uses “shou” to imitate the hexagrams, “zan” to imitate the lines, and “ce” to imitate the Image statements. This shou belongs to the Yang family, and among the Five Phases it is Wood; it corresponds to the “Jie” (Release) hexagram of the Zhouyi. It enters the calendrical position of the third zan of the “Shi” shou, and the spring equinox solar term corresponds to it. The scriptural text says: Yang Qi harmonizes and vibrates; the Yang form revolves and warms, prompting the myriad things to shed their withered state (“shui” is read as “tuo,” to shed) and to open the shells around seeds or sprouts. Mr. Song says that “zhen” is movement and “huan” is the form of Yang Qi; Mr. Fan says that “xu” is warmth.

The Initial One zan takes “Dongmiao” (Moving at the Subtle) as its calendrical marker, and the Qi of the spring equinox corresponds to it; its zan statement says, “It moves without a name; it succeeds.” “Qiu” means achievement or success. The ce statement says: “It moves without a name” because this movement cannot be named. This zan stands at the beginning of thought and also corresponds to “day”: the noble person acts in subtle matters and transforms and nurtures the myriad things; the common people see only his success and do not know his name, and so it says, “It moves without a name; it succeeds.”

The second zan says, “It moves in echo and shadow.” The ce statement says: “Moving in echo and shadow is not worth watching or hearing.” “Xiang” is an echo answering a sound, and “jing” is a shadow following a form; both are movements not governed by oneself. This zan stands in the middle of thought and also corresponds to “night”: the petty person follows others in movement, like an echo or a shadow, and so is not worth watching or hearing.

The third zan says, “Wind moves and thunder arises; they follow what is high and lofty.” The ce statement says: “Wind moves and thunder arises” means movement that has accomplishment. This zan is the time when intention is completed and also corresponds to “day”: the noble person’s actions and deeds begin to appear outwardly, like wind and thunder benefiting the myriad things, and so his achievements daily become higher and more exalted.

The fourth zan says, “Moving to hills and mounds, one loses the marsh companions.” The ce statement says: “Moving to hills and mounds: losing the lower is dangerous.” Hills and mounds are a metaphor for high places, and marsh is a metaphor for low places. This zan is the beginning of good fortune, yet it encounters the “night” position: if one’s actions tend toward high places, one will lose companions in the low marshes and waters, and there is the danger of losing support below.

When a petty person acts, his whole mind is set only on climbing higher, with no regard for the foundation below, so isolation and danger are unavoidable. In the text, “harmonize to instruct those below” may be understood as instructing the lower people with harmony; “the fourth is the beginning of blessing but meets the night” means that although the fourth position is the beginning of blessing, it encounters night (an unfavorable time), so one must be even more cautious. The Fifth Praise says: By bestowing benefits in a harmonizing, moistening manner like fat, the states of the four quarters are thereby pacified. The Assessment says: This harmonizing and moistening causes the people to rejoice without end. Fan Wang’s commentary says: “Harmonizing fat” is a metaphor for moistening and harmonious accord; “yi” means “level” or “pacified.” Sima Guang says: The fifth occupies the central, harmonious, and flourishing position and also meets day (an auspicious time), like a sage who has obtained his position, spreads virtue, and harmonizes the four states, so that no one under Heaven fails to rejoice and submit.

The Sixth Praise says: To stir up awe-inspiring shock within the court will cause the loss of harmony and uprightness. The Assessment says: When the court is shaken, harmony and uprightness both perish. The commentary says: Six occupies the inner body and is close to Five, so it has the image of the court. Ordinarily, virtue is used to pacify the near central region, and penal awe to overawe the distant four Yi; when virtue cherishes the near, the near is harmonious, and when awe deters the far, the far is upright. Now to use shock inside the court is to lose what is fitting; therefore harmony and uprightness both perish. The Seventh Praise says: Being majestic and awe-inspiring so that one cannot be lightly insulted, one can wash away disgrace. The Assessment says: When majesty cannot be insulted, removing disgrace is not limited to one path. The commentary says: “Zhenzhen” is the appearance of majesty; Seven is the beginning of misfortune but meets day; the noble man has the virtue of majesty, and people dare not insult him, and therefore he can wash away disgrace. The Eighth Praise says: If one is rashly stirred for profit, one will stumble and die. The Assessment says: To be shaken for profit is to walk together with death. The petty person, seeing profit, acts recklessly and falls into disaster; profit and death accompany each other, yet he does not realize it. The Top Nine Praise says: First one suffers the hardship of prison, afterward obtains the blessing of being nourished by grain, and finally rejoices because the shackles are removed. The Assessment says: First prison and afterward grain means that disaster is removed in that place.

The opening lines are textual collation and old annotations: the Song and Lu editions write “bi” as “pi”; here the Fan edition is followed. “Shuo” is interchangeable with “tuo,” and “gu” means to give birth and nourish. The ninth position is the exhaustion of misfortune, and so it is called “yu” (prison). At the head of “Shi” it encounters “day,” and therefore later it speaks of “gu.”

Below we enter the “Ge” head of the Taixuan. “One fang, three zhou, two bu, one jia” is how the Taixuan uses fang, zhou, bu, and jia to mark the positions of the “head” and “eye”; this head belongs to the Yin family, among the Five Phases it belongs to Metal, and it corresponds to the Dazhuang hexagram of the Zhouyi. “Ge” means resistance. Yang qi grows strong within and can resist the massed yin, repelling and driving them back.

First One: When thought first begins, it again meets “night”; it rejects good and takes in evil, and so loses the correct category. In the Ce commentary’s phrase “zhong bu xiao,” the Fan edition writes “xiao” as “sheng”; here the various scholars are followed. Mr. Wu says “xiao” is interchangeable with “xiao” meaning “resemble,” and cites the Hanshu phrase “ren xiao tiandi zhi mao”; Mr. Song says “xiao” means category or model. Sima Guang holds that the roots of good and evil both arise from thought: First One is the beginning of thought and meets night; it rejects good and takes in evil, and so loses the correct category. Second Two: In the midst of thought it meets “day”; it rejects evil and takes in good, and therefore can remain hidden and keep to correctness. The Ce commentary says “you zhen miao”; the Fan edition writes “you zhen lei”; here the various scholars are followed. “You” means hidden in the heart. Third Three: The lower body is like a “lower garment”; the girdle hook (leather belt and hook) was originally meant to bind the garment, but is instead resisted, so there is disorder and loss of proper order. The Ce commentary says “wu yi zhi,” that is, there is no way to restrain it. Sima Guang holds that Third occupies the lower body, and so it is called a garment; Third is above the lower body and meets night, symbolizing a minister who resists the ruler’s command and does not accept restraint, so there must be disorder. Fourth Four: “Bi” is a net; using a net to block birds is the proper norm with respect to birds; the Ce commentary says “zheng fa wei.” Sima Guang holds that Fourth is a lower stipend (a lower rank) and meets day; it is the gentleman just beginning to obtain his position.

The Taixuan divides each shou into nine zan; the fifth, sixth, and other positions are the positions of the zan. The Ce commentary is an exposition of the zan text. When one occupies the corresponding position, one can implement laws and standards, rectify what is crooked, and prohibit tyranny.

The fifth zan: The glue and lacquer peel away; the bow cannot shoot; horn and wood separate. The Ce commentary says this means sincerity and trust have not been firmly bound. The old commentary says that among things joining to one another, none is firmer than glue and lacquer; when horn and wood are made into a bow, if they are obstructed and separated, how can it still shoot? Sima Guang comments: A bow relies on glue and lacquer to bind horn and wood together before it can shoot; a ruler relies on sincerity and trust to firmly unite his ministers and people before he can command them. In the fifth zan, a petty person occupies an exalted position and cannot use sincerity and trust to bind together those above and below, causing estrangement; hence there is the image of “the glue and lacquer dissolve, the bow does not shoot, horn and wood separate.”

The sixth zan: Make metal grow and stone diminish; what is lost is small, what is gained is great. The Ce commentary says this means the good and beautiful is great. Fan Wang’s commentary glosses “yi” as “great”; Wang Ya’s commentary says that what is generated is metal and what is diminished is stone: what is lost is extremely small, what is obtained is vast and bright. Sima Guang comments: “Xi” means “to generate”; generating metal and diminishing stone is the image of the good and beautiful repelling the ugly and evil. The sixth zan occupies the upper emolument and encounters day, symbolizing the Dao of the noble person increasing and the petty person receding; therefore it says, “The departing is small; the coming is great.”

The seventh zan: If one rejects and obstructs those precious good people, the turtle seal and the gua ribbon (the seal and ribbon of official rank) are in danger. The Ce commentary says: Rejecting the precious kind, one cannot rectify oneself. Fan Wang’s commentary: The turtle is the seal; gua is the ribbon. Sima Guang comments: The noble person relies on good people to rectify himself, and thus can preserve blessings and emoluments; the seventh zan symbolizes the ribbon and is also the beginning of disaster, and it meets night (inauspicious): this is the petty person rejecting good people and not accepting them. To reject good people is to reject blessings and emoluments; to abandon the good and lose emoluments—there is no danger more severe than this.

The eighth zan: Resist that sturdy pan belt (a leather belt, metaphor for restraint); the noble person can obtain his time, while the petty person is worried and obstructed (pi, obstruction). The Ce commentary says this is because righteousness cannot be put into practice. Here “pan,” following the various editions, is read as “leather belt.” The top nine: There is no danger more severe than this.

The “Second Eight” Appraisal: one uses force to push against a sturdy leather belt (pan, a leather belt). When the noble man meets the time, he can succeed; the petty man will instead invite worry and distress. The prognostic verse says: hard resistance to a sturdy leather belt shows that moral rightness cannot be carried out. The Wang edition writes “basin” (pan) for “leather belt” (pan); here, following the various commentators, I read it as “leather belt” (pan).

The “Top Nine” Appraisal: glaring and opening the eyes wide, raising the head and horns high, refusing to lower the body—as a result one suffers blows. The prognostic verse says: opening the eyes wide and raising the horns instead injure oneself. The missing graph, pronounced jiao, means “to raise high”; “pu” is read with the fanqie Pu-jiao, meaning “to strike.” Fan Wang says pu means to strike; Wang Ya says guomu means opening the eyes wide, and jiaojiao means raising the horns. Sima Guang says ge means using strong force to resist external things. Top Nine occupies the top of the Head; its strength is at its utmost and its calamity at its exhaustion, exactly at the night of the day. The petty man glares with wide eyes and raises his horns to resist others, refusing to humble himself; therefore he is struck by external things and injures himself.

The Yi Head (belonging to one fang, three zhou, two bu, and two jia) belongs to the Yang family and Earth, and is matched by analogy with the Yu hexagram of the Zhouyi (the old saying that it corresponds to Dazhuang is incorrect). Entering the third appraisal of the Yi Head, the sun travels and lodges in the Wei lunar mansion. Yi carries the two meanings of “injury” and “ease/levelness”: unless one is injured by things, one cannot be at ease. When yang qi is injured and yin qi cannot rescue its injury, the myriad things then return to levelness/ease. The old saying that it corresponds to Dazhuang is incorrect.

This Head belongs to the Yang family and Earth, and is matched to the Yu hexagram of the Zhouyi; when one reaches the third Hymn of the “Yi” Head, the sun has moved into the Wei lunar mansion. “Yi” has two senses, injury and ease: unless the kinds of things are injured, the myriad things cannot be brought to ease. The old view that it corresponds to Dazhuang is incorrect. Yang qi injures yin qi; yin qi is afflicted and unable to save itself, and only then do the myriad things become level, peaceful, and compliant. (“Ti” is pronounced like ti; Song Zhong says it means “to remove.” Lu Ji says that yang qi is robust and flourishing, and so it injures yin qi and removes it. “Hui” means illness; yin, having been injured by yang, is therefore ill. The myriad things are not harmed by yin, and therefore they are level and at ease.) Sima Guang says: “Ti” means shaving the hair; for adults shaving the hair is called kun, for children it is called ti. Yang qi is like something that shaves away the host of yin; yin cannot save itself from its illness, and only then can the myriad things reproduce and be at ease.

The first Hymn says: “Bearing the hidden twofold, grasping ease within.” The Ce commentary says: Maintaining levelness in the hidden and obscure is making the inner mind level and at ease. Fan Wang says that “bearing” means beginning. Sima Guang says: One is the beginning of thought and corresponds to day; when thought has just begun, it is hidden, subtle, and not yet manifest. “Two” refers to righteousness and profit; the two contend, and the noble person can choose righteousness and abandon profit, guard a level and easy heart within, cultivate the flood-like Qi, and be self-possessed within without seeking outside. Zixia said, “I have won the battle, and so I am plump”; the Fayan says that the joy of wearing a red ribbon and carrying gold and jade is external, while Yan Hui’s joy is internal.

The second Hymn says: “Yin injures, and offends Heaven’s net.” The Ce commentary says: When yin evil injures and offends Heaven’s net, although the net is sparse, it will not let it slip through. Lu Ji says: Although Heaven’s net is sparse, it does not let evil pass. Sima Guang says: Two is “net,” and it is also the middle of thought and corresponds to night; the petty person does hidden evil, secretly harms other beings, and thinks that no one knows, but offends Heaven’s net, and Heaven will surely punish him. Laozi said: Heaven’s net is vast and far-reaching; though sparse, it does not lose.

The third Hymn says: “Soft; the infant cries, and for three days it does not become hoarse.” The Ce commentary says: The infant cries, while its inner center is harmonious and compliant. This means that the virtue of softness and compliance is like an infant crying for three days without becoming hoarse, because its inner heart is peaceful and harmonious. In the two Song editions, the Lu edition, and the Wang edition, ga is written as you; here I follow the Fan edition and read it as ga.

The opening several fanqie phonetic glosses explain the pronunciation of characters such as hao, tan, and ai; Wang’s commentary interprets you as “rebellious qi,” while Sima Guang interprets ga (sha) as “an alteration of the voice.” The third line corresponds to day and symbolizes the noble person’s profound containment of De and equable state of mind. It is like an infant who, three days after birth, cries but whose voice does not become hoarse; this is because its breath is harmonious and soft. The Laozi says, “The infant cries all day without becoming hoarse; this is because harmony is at its utmost”—that is, the infant cries all day yet its throat does not go hoarse, because harmonious qi has reached its extreme.

The appraisal for the fourth line says, “His teeth are leveled; perhaps he feeds the followers.” This means his teeth have been filed flat and damaged, and even if there is food, he can only let others eat their fill. The prognostic text says, “His teeth are leveled; food is not worth praising”—that is, when the teeth are ruined, food is not something to be admired. “Yu” means to eat one’s fill. Wang’s commentary holds that once the teeth are already flat, there is no way to eat; “tu” means empty, so even if there is food, it is merely useless. Sima Guang holds that the fourth appraisal corresponds to bones and teeth and is also the beginning of blessing, but it encounters night; the petty person greedily seeks emolument and position and thus harms himself, and so it says, “His teeth are leveled.” When the teeth are injured, even fine food cannot be eaten; it is only enough to let the retainers eat their fill.

The appraisal for the fifth line says, “Central equanimity; nothing is unfavourable.” This means maintaining centrality, harmony, and equanimity, so that nothing is unfavourable. The prognostic text says, “The benefit of central equanimity is that its Dao is abundant”: the Dao of equanimity brings many advantages. It is also noted here that “its Dao is many” has a variant reading, “its benefits are many,” and Sima Guang follows the Fan and Wang editions. Wang’s commentary says: If one governs external things with equanimity, the myriad things return to one; what could be unfavourable? The fifth appraisal occupies the center, embodies correctness and attains its position, and encounters day; therefore the mind is calm and equable. Sima Guang says: The fifth occupies an exalted position and encounters day; if one can make one’s mind equable in order to receive things, then things will attach to one whether far or near. The Yi says, “Through ease and simplicity the principles of the world are obtained”—that is, through equanimity and simplicity the principles of the world are naturally attained.

The appraisal for the sixth line says, “Leveled in the hut; his dwelling becomes mounds and ruins”—that is, even the house is leveled, and the residence becomes ruins. The prognostic text says, “Leveled in the hut; his De is lost.” This means his De has perished; for “De” is the noble person’s constant dwelling place, and when the dwelling is leveled, it symbolizes that De has no support and perishes.

The sixth zan occupies “Passing the Middle” and falls at “Night,” symbolizing that the petty person begins to ruin his own virtue and therefore loses a place to settle himself.

The seventh zan says, “Gan rou, gan ruo; li mu, ai jin; yi,” the general meaning being that soft and weak things are used to wear away the hard and strong: like a drawing rope wearing down the well curb, or a Yue whetstone grinding swords and blades—overcoming the strong through weakness and finally grinding what is uneven until it is level. The Ce commentary’s phrase “Gan rou: the soft overcomes the strong” means that the soft and weak can overcome the hard and strong. Wang’s commentary says: although it occupies a position of excessive fullness, it obtains its proper place and matches its line, accords with the Dao of “yi,” leveling, and can use soft and weak things to level the hard and strong. Sima Guang says: “li mu” is like a drawing rope wearing down the well curb, and “ai jin” is like a Yue whetstone grinding swords and blades; overcoming the strong through weakness ultimately returns to levelness. In textual collation, “gan rou” follows the Wang edition, and “the soft overcomes the strong” follows the Song and Lu editions; “ai” is read according to the fanqie yu-fei.

The eighth zan, “Leveling its horns; danger”: paring away its horns, there is danger. The Ce commentary says: the horns are pared away because the subject injures others by relying on awe-inspiring power; the petty person uses awe-inspiring power to injure others but instead receives injury himself—this is the way of bringing danger upon oneself. The eighth zan is amid calamity and misfortune and also falls at “Night,” and so is ominous.

Top Nine: “Leveling in profit; respect the sick and aged; uprightness”: to handle profit by the way of level ease, to respect the sick and weak and the aged, and to maintain upright firmness. The Ce commentary says: level ease and upholding correctness are like “hanging up the carriage”—announcing old age and returning home. Lu’s commentary says: this is returning to one’s hometown community after retirement from office. Wang’s commentary says: respecting the declining and sick and the aged is the Dao of upright correctness. Sima Guang says: Nine both symbolizes the advanced age of ninety and occupies the extreme position; the gentleman, when old, resigns his post and places himself in level ease; the worthy, because of old age and illness, returns to his hometown; the ruler should respectfully honor and support him.

“One region, three provinces, two departments, three families: Le” are the markers of region, province, department, and family in Taixuan divination; the name of the shou is “Le,” pronounced “Luo.”

The Taixuan (Supreme Mystery) is a classic that Yang Xiong composed in imitation of the Zhouyi; a shou roughly corresponds to a hexagram, the zan are the statements within a shou, and the ce is the explanation of the zan statements. The word Le is pronounced Luo. This shou belongs to the Yin family; among the Five Phases it belongs to Water; it also imitates the Yu hexagram of the Zhouyi and is listed as the seventh shou, Le. In calendrical terms it is three fen and eighteen miao; the sun advances to the station Daliang (the name of a star station) and corresponds to the Qingming solar term; the handle of the Northern Dipper is set at the chen position (the third lunar month), and the pitch pipe corresponds to Guxi (one of the twelve pitch standards). At this time yang qi begins to come forth and unfurl from the hidden depths; the myriad things, layer upon layer accumulated, all receive harmonious moisture, and all things rejoice and are happy. Nao is read with the fanqie nu jiao and means “harmonious moisture.” At the beginning of Qingming, yang qi begins to stir and unfurl from the hidden and profound; accumulated things all attain harmonious moisture and joy.

First One: rejoicing alone, leisurely and self-satisfied, its reach is not far. The Ce says: “Rejoicing alone, leisurely” means wallowing within oneself. Fan Wang says: kuan kuan is the appearance of rejoicing alone. Sima Guang says: First One is at the beginning of thought and also corresponds to Night (the Taixuan uses Night to image darkness and the petty person); the petty person only rejoices alone in himself and cannot share joy with the multitude.

Next Two: joy is unperceived, following Heaven’s timing. The Ce says: “Joy cannot be known” because it proceeds according to the seasons and years. Lu Ji says: This refers to practicing virtuous government so that the people rejoice, like the spontaneous movement of Heaven’s seasons, making the people unaware of what the government’s orders are doing.

Next Three: it is not at ease and not proper; it emits the gu-ya-zha sounds of laughter, then wails and cries, leaning beside the door. The Ce says: “Not at ease, not proper” means rites and music have been ruined. The Wang edition has hao; here I follow the editions of the various commentators. Wang says: gu, ya, and zha are all sounds of laughter. Sima Guang says: yan is ease, ya is correctness. Next Three is “completed intention” and corresponds to Night; it abandons rites and music and sinks into licentious excess. When rites are abandoned, it cannot obtain ease; when music is abandoned, it cannot obtain correctness. Although it laughs with gu-ya-zha, if it merely exhausts the pleasure before its eyes, how can trouble be far away? It is simply leaning outside the door. The “Yuzao” poem in the Shijing satirizes King You of Zhou, saying that the myriad things have lost their nature; King You, dwelling in Hao (the Western Zhou capital), will be unable to rejoice in himself.

Next Four: it tugs at its tether and severs its cords, giving free rein to idle pleasure; if it merely exhausts the pleasure before its eyes, how can trouble be far away? It is simply outside the door.

The “Yuzao” (“Fish in the Reeds”) in the Classic of Poetry satirizes King You of Zhou: all things have lost their original nature, and although King You dwells in Haojing, he too will be unable to enjoy himself.

The Fourth Zan—in the Taixuan, Zan positions are marked by a “sequence”—says: Brush away the bonds, cut the net cords, and make the heart peaceful and cheerful. The explanatory text says: Brush away the bonds, cut the net cords—the heart is truly delighted. “Xi” is the same as “ji” and means “bond”; the word pronounced according to the fanqie hu-gui-qie is a cord in a net; “fu” means to remove. The Fourth Zan occupies a position of smooth flow and penetration and also corresponds to “day” (the Taixuan regards day as the auspicious time of brightness). When the noble man sets his resolve on the Dao, he rejoices and forgets sorrow; external things cannot entangle him, and nothing is more at ease than this. Therefore it says: Brush away the bonds, cut the net cords, and set the heart at ease.

The Fifth Zan says: The bells and drums sound harmoniously, the pipes and strings make their jiejie sounds, but decline will soon arrive. The explanatory text says: Bells and drums jie-jie—after joy comes grief. “Jiejie” (fanqie: ce-jie-qie) is the sound of decline and melancholy. In the Fifth Zan, the petty man enjoys abundant fortune and indulges in excessive pleasure; when joy reaches its extreme, grief must follow; when prosperity reaches its extreme, decline must follow.

The Sixth Zan says: Great joy has no intervals; people, spirits, and birds all roam and rejoice within it. The explanatory text says: Great joy has no intervals; there is no one who is not moved and does not come to attach themselves. “Pan” (fanqie: pu-gan-qie) means to roam and enjoy, or joy. Wang’s commentary says: The Sixth Zan occupies a flourishing position, corresponds to the time of day, and is the ruler of one shou. “No intervals” means that all things between heaven and earth are joyful; humans, spirits, birds, and beasts each fulfill their nature and roam in joy. Sima Guang says: “Pan” is simply joy. The Sixth Zan is an image of abundant blessing, great plenty, and extreme greatness. In an age of great peace, the noble man benefits all things and has no barriers or distinctions; people, spirits, and birds all attain their proper place—could there be a greater joy than this? The Fourth Zan is a lower emolument: one can only perfect oneself; the Sixth Zan is an upper emolument: one can benefit all under heaven.

The Seventh Zan says: People laugh, and ghosts also laugh; this is the term fixed by Heaven. The explanatory text says: People laugh and ghosts laugh—this means that the so-called joy has already ended. In the editions, the Song and Lu editions have “bi” written as “bei”; here we follow the Fan edition and read “bi.”

The head-name Yao is pronounced yao (as in “waist”). Wang’s commentary says that yao means restraint and simplicity; Sima Guang says that xi is the sound of sighing. The seventh Zan is the beginning of calamity, and it also encounters “night” (an inauspicious time); when the petty person’s joy reaches its extreme, disaster arrives, humans and ghosts alike sigh, and their lifespan is about to end, yet they themselves do not know it. The Ci Ba Zan says: if amid laughter and joy one can caution oneself, then one will have no faults or worries. The Ce text says: cautioning oneself amid laughter and joy, one can ultimately preserve oneself. Wang’s commentary says: the way of enjoyment is about to reach its extreme and is also situated amid calamity—this is a dangerous way; but this Zan obtains its position and encounters “day” (an auspicious time), and is good at making amends for faults, that is, if amid laughter and joy one can be self-cautious, then there will be no faults or worries. The Shang Jiu Zan says: the ominous sign of extreme joy turns to sorrow in less than a day, and is followed by weeping and sighing. The Ce text says: the ominous sign of extreme joy truly causes regret. The graph ji is pronounced ji and means “ominous sign”; zi is interchangeable with zi, and together with jie zi it likewise means sighing. Lu’s commentary says: ji means danger. Wang’s commentary says: being at the extreme of joy and also encountering “night,” sorrow arrives before a day has passed, and so one weeps and sighs. Sima Guang says: the third Zan cautions in regard to thought, the fifth Zan cautions in regard to fortune, and the ninth Zan cautions in regard to calamity; broadly they all say that joy must not be taken to its extreme, causing people to remember it repeatedly from beginning to end. At the end of the section, “one region, three provinces, three divisions, one family: Zheng” is the opening positional marker of the Taixuan chapter, indicating that it belongs to one region, three provinces, three divisions, one family, and its head-name is “Zheng.”

This “Yang-Family Fire” piece—the piece in the Taixuan that belongs to the Yang family and is correlated with Fire—corresponds to the Song hexagram in the Zhouyi. Yang Qi spreads widely and impartially; the myriad things contend with one another, each following what is fitting. “Sishi” means universal giving; “yi” means “fitting.” The Shijing phrase “Youyi” means precisely that, as the myriad things grow, each attains what is fitting for it.

The First One Appraisal says: To contend within “non-contention,” hidden and unmanifest. The Ce Commentary says: Contending in non-contention—this is the original simplicity of the Dao. “Su” means essence. Master Lu held that “contending without contending” means contending while things have not yet taken form, so no traces are visible. Sima Guang held: The First One is the beginning of thought and also occupies the daytime (yang) position; the noble person preserves the original simplicity of the Dao, contends where there is nothing to contend, leaves no outward trace, and yet external things cannot overcome him.

The Next Two Appraisal says: An emaciated person shouts loudly at an overflowing river. The Ce Commentary says: As for the emaciated person shouting at the river, what can he rely on? “He” means opening the mouth to reject others; “qu” means emaciated. When a river breaks its dikes and floods, who can resist it? The emaciated person does not measure his own strength and actually wants to use his mouth to shout it down—how could that be reliable? The Shijing says, “Fan yu lai he,” that is, instead he comes to intimidate me.

The Next Three Appraisal says: Contending in archery, yinyin—respectful and diligent. The Ce Commentary says: Contending in archery with yinyin—this is the noble person yielding to his neighbor. The Fan edition substitutes the “yin” meaning “respectful” for this “yin”; here we follow the Song, Lu, and Wang editions. Master Wang says: The noble person’s contention is only in the archery ritual; “yinyin” is the appearance of utmost diligence. “Yielding to the neighbor” is close in meaning to “yielding”; the idea is to read “yin” as “ken,” earnest. Sima Guang held: “Yin” is the same as “yin”; “yinyin” is the appearance of respectful yielding. Confucius said: The noble person has nothing to contend about.

The Taixuan (composed by Yang Xiong of the Han dynasty in imitation of the Zhouyi) discusses “contention”: If one must speak of contention, it is probably like the archery ritual—bowing and yielding to one another before ascending the hall, and after shooting descending to drink. Such contention is the contention of gentlemen.

The fourth line: Contending for small profits cannot achieve upright correctness. The Ce statement says: If small profits are not cut off, the right Dao (the Way) becomes obscured. Wang Ya’s commentary says: Contending for small profits without following the Dao naturally cannot accomplish the way of upright correctness.

The fifth line: Contending on the great road is beneficial for responding to change without fixed method. The Ce statement says: Contending on the thoroughfare (kui, a great road extending in all directions) means contending while occupying the central position. Fan Wang’s commentary says: Five occupies the center, and so it is called kui; kui is a road with nine reaches. Sima Guang’s note: Five is central harmony and corresponds to “day” (the Taixuan uses day to symbolize yang correctness); the gentleman grasps the pivot of the Dao and the key to governing affairs, responds opportunistically without a fixed method, and external things cannot contend with him.

The sixth line: The arm is as thick as a shin, and the muscles of the thighs and feet swell (the original character is pronounced chen and means swelling flesh); this is a disease of the body. The Ce statement says: The shin of the arm means that subordinates are too flourishing. In the editions, the Wang edition and the Small Song edition have “zhi” (pronounced die, meaning swelling) for “jing” [shin]; here I follow the Song, Lu, and Fan editions. The Fan edition’s Ce statement reads “arm and shin like a thigh”; here I follow the Song, Lu, and Wang editions. Fan’s commentary says: When branches are larger than the trunk and ministers are greater than the ruler, both are diseases. Sima Guang’s note: “Arm and shin like…” means the arm is as large as a shin and cannot be used. Six, by its yin substance, passes the middle and is extremely great, like subordinates being powerful and the ruler unable to control them. Jia Yi (a Western Han political thinker) said: The world is suffering from the disease of great swelling—one shin is almost as large as the waist, and one finger almost as large as a thigh.

The seventh line: Contending for shields, spears, and other weapons, to serve in the front ranks of the ruler. The Ce statement says: The contention over shields and spears is to protect the ruler’s person. The Wang edition has “zheng yu ji fang” for “zheng gan ji mao,” and its Ce statement has “yu fang zhi zheng”; here I follow the various editions. The Song and Lu editions have “yong xiang wang yu qian xing” for “yong heng yu wang qian xing”; here I follow the Fan and Wang editions. “(Zhou) is the same as zhou; xing is read with the fanqie hu-lang.” Seven is the beginning of disaster and disorder; it is contending by arms, and so it says “contending over shields, spears, and helmets” (zhou means helmet).

This section revolves around “contention” (zheng): when arms are used in contention not out of private motives, no fortune could be greater; but when contention degenerates into greed for profit and a fight to the death, one must know how to withdraw. Textually it follows the editions of the various commentators and of Fan, Wang, and others; “zhou” means helmet, and “xing” is read as hang.

The seventh line says: Seven is the beginning of calamity, the position of contending by armed force, and so the eulogy says, “Contention reaches shields, spears, and helmets”—that is, contention develops to the point of shields and dagger-axes, spears and armor. If arms are used in contention not for private gain but for public affairs, what fortune could be greater? The Shijing says, “Ten great war chariots, to go first and open the way”—that is, ten great war chariots go ahead to clear the road.

The eighth line says: The wolf greedily stuffs its mouth full, yet the arrow has already been shot toward its rear. The appraisal says, “The wolf fills its mouth and ignores the harm,” meaning it only cares about filling its mouth by contention and pays no heed to later disaster. Wang’s commentary says that when a wolf bites something it contends with a full mouth, unaware that someone behind will harm it. Sima Guang says that by nature the wolf is greedy and must stuff its mouth full, but does not know the arrow is behind it, just as a petty person contends for profit without regard to disaster. In astronomy, the Bow and Arrow asterism lies directly behind the Wolf Star, precisely symbolizing “the arrow is behind it.”

The top nine says: When two tigers bite and fight each other, only one who knows how to pull back and withdraw can preserve himself. The appraisal says, “Two tigers bite each other; one knows what to pull back,” meaning one knows to withdraw. Wang’s commentary says that contention at its extreme is nowhere more severe than tigers fighting and biting, and there must be the danger of death or injury; if one can fear the harm and draw oneself back, then one may be preserved. One must not contend to the very end; therefore at the extreme of contention the image of withdrawing oneself appears. That one can know the way of self-withdrawal is because yang occupies the daytime (daytime governs brightness). Sima Guang says that “che” means to pull or draw back.

The final phrase, “one region, three provinces, three divisions, second family, Wu,” is a positional marker for the chapter entry in the Taixuan, indicating that it belongs to the first region, third province, third division, and second family, with “Wu” as its head.

This passage of scripture belongs to the “Wu” head of the Taixuan (a Taixuan head name, comparable to a hexagram in the Yi), belongs to the Yin family and to Wood among the Five Phases, and corresponds to the Gu hexagram of the Yi (a hexagram name in the Zhouyi). The phrase “entering Wu, the fourth secondary, the sun lodges in Mao” means entering the fourth Praise of the Wu head; the sun moves and stops in the Mao mansion (mao, one of the twenty-eight lunar mansions). Its general meaning is: yang qi diligently engages in generation and transformation; the ten thousand things all follow their own nature and rejoice; it gathers their affairs together and is single-minded without duplicity.

The first Praise says: When beginning an undertaking there is as yet no fixed method; even a petty person may apply it, but in the end nothing is accomplished. “Wang” means “wu” (nothing). The prognostic commentary says: Beginning an undertaking without a fixed method—this is not something a petty person can govern and grasp. The annotation further says: The first one is at the beginning of thought and consideration; originally one could respond to circumstances without a fixed formula, but at this time it corresponds to night, and it is not something a petty person can accomplish.

The second Praise says: Fresh and clean, seeking value in oneself, keeping the refined fragrance pure—this is the way walked by the noble person. The prognostic commentary says: Fresh and self-seeking value means illuminating oneself. The annotation says: The second one is in the middle of thought and consideration and corresponds to day; the noble person purifies his heart, and will accomplish something.

The third Praise says: Unrestrained and unhampered, yet one’s heart is already rotten and disordered. The prognostic commentary says: If unrestrained and unhampered, the body too is not intact. The annotation says: The third one is at the end of thought and consideration and corresponds to night; the petty person indulges his emotions and acts, and thereby loses his mind and damages his body. “Che” is pronounced che and means to hold back or restrain.

The fourth Praise says: Seeing the arrow rise of itself, it is beneficial to take wings as one’s kind, like a canopy fitted onto a carriage and carried as it moves. The prognostic commentary says: The arrow reaches the canopy—such is the natural course of its path.

The eulogy for Ci Er, the second line, reads, “The arrow reaches the covered cart.” The collation note says: the Song and Lu editions have the Ce text as “seeing the arrow reach the cover,” while the Fan edition has “the arrow reaches the cover”; the present text follows the Wang edition. Fan Wang explains: An arrow can rise by itself because of the power of its feathers; only when feathers and the metal arrowhead are joined can it fly—this is like ruler and minister sharing one heart before moral transformation can be carried out. A cart can carry things, comparable to a noble person aiding the world.

The fifth line: The spider’s busy activity is not as good as the cloth woven by the silkworm. The Ce commentary says: The spider’s busyness is of no benefit to people. The word xu denotes cloth; the Wang edition emends it to yu, read yao. Fan Wang says: Although the spider has silk and diligently spins it, it is not what people need; it is not as useful as the silkworm weaving a piece of cloth. Sima Guang says: In image-number correspondence, the fifth line corresponds to weaving, clothing, and silkworm cocoons; when a petty person does what is not their proper duty, they labor without achievement, hence this image. The “Lü Ao” says: If one does not pursue useless things to the detriment of useful things, achievements can be completed.

The sixth line: Flowers and fruits are fragrant; when employed, they are excellent. The Ce commentary says: “Flower fragrance is good for use, beneficial in the current year.” The Fan edition lacks the word “fruit”; the present text follows the Song, Lu, and Wang editions. Sima Guang says: Six is the position of the utmost greatness, the great completion of affairs; great completion is not as good as complete virtue. When flowers and fruits both flourish and the season is at its height, where could their use be bad?

The seventh line: Losing fragrance, there is nowhere to go. The Ce commentary says: Losing fragrance means virtue declines. The word sang is read with the fanqie xi-lang. Fan Wang says: Seven is the position of lost purpose, and therefore virtue declines.

The eighth line: Keeping to the Way of the Yellow Center, one can avoid disaster and keep to correctness. The Ce commentary says: “The Yellow Center avoids disaster” because one uses harmony and compliance to uphold correctness. Wang’s commentary says: Eight occupies excessive fullness and is close to disaster; but it obtains the proper position and corresponds to a marked line, is situated in the middle of the upper body, and attains the Way of the Yellow Center, so it can avoid blame and regret. Sima Guang says: Eight is amid disaster and corresponds to a marked line; the noble person makes central correctness their task, and even if there is disaster, they are not harmed.

The top line, Shang Jiu: When an affair is about to succeed, it ruins itself; when rain is about to form, it falls by itself. The Ce commentary says: “Striving to complete, it ruins itself”—this is not due to its original destiny. The word dui is the same as zhui, meaning “to fall.”

Wang, a commentator, says: When one carries an undertaking to its utmost limit but one’s position is inappropriate and one happens to encounter “Night” (the time-position in the Taixuan that represents Yin), then even if the work one manages is completed, it will inevitably fail. It is like Yin Qi condensing into rain that must fall; this is an inevitable tendency of the circumstances and cannot be remedied. Sima Guang says: The myriad things rush about and labor, often seeking completion but ending in failure; the reason lies in petty people becoming arrogant and slack after achieving success, unable to do their utmost to fulfill Heaven’s mandate. “One region, three provinces, three departments, three families’ affairs” is the organizational marker of the departments, provinces, and families in the Taixuan; phrases such as “Yang-family Metal” once again clarify this principle: the myriad things labor and strive, seeking completion but ultimately failing, all because after success they become arrogant and indolent and do not exhaust their efforts to fulfill Heaven’s mandate.

This section belongs to the Yang family and Metal, and it also imitates the Gu hexagram of the Zhouyi (Gu is a hexagram name, carrying the sense of rectifying and ordering, of undertaking and acting). The yang Qi (vital energy) vigorously encourages the myriad things, causing each to make clear its own office; the myriad things thereupon stretch forth (the character xin is used for shen, “to stretch”), each exhausting its own strength. What is called “wu” is to have something sought and done; what is called “shi” is for each to bear its own duty. The roots, kernels, pods, and fruits of grasses and trees also each clarify their office, exhaust their own strength, and each follow their own affair.

The first line says, “Attend to affairs through no-affairs; ultimately there is nothing not attended to”: by handling affairs without acting arbitrarily, in the end there is nothing that cannot be accomplished. The Appraisal says: To make no-affairs one’s affair is to act in accordance with the Dao (the Way). Wang’s commentary says: All affairs have their own principle—where is there any need to force action? One simply rectifies the root. Being in yang and corresponding to daylight, and standing at the beginning of affairs, it is precisely able to rectify the root. Sima Guang says: The First One is the beginning of thought, the source of the mind’s essence and the root of all affairs; if the noble man clarifies the source and rectifies the root, then no affair is left unaccomplished. The Laozi says: “Through Wuwei (non-action), nothing is left undone.”

The second line says, “When the affair lies at the hinge, if one does not consult and does not inquire, one loses one’s wise tally”: when an affair is at the pivotal juncture, if one does not consult and does not deliberate, one will lose the wise tally (fu), the auspicious credential one guards. The Appraisal says: If one does not consult and does not inquire, one’s wisdom is lost. “Zou” means to consult; “zhi” meaning “to know” is used for “zhi” meaning “wisdom.” The second line lies within thought and deliberation, and so it says, “the affair lies at the hinge”; the hinge is the critical point on which honor and disgrace, safety and danger depend. When an affair is at the critical point and one has thought but not yet acted, one should inquire into the good way in order to seek what is perfectly appropriate; if one is foolishly self-reliant and neither consults nor inquires, one loses the tally of wisdom. Yao examined matters with the multitude, Shun delighted in adopting others’ good qualities, and Confucius asked about every matter—all are examples.

The third line says, “Time goes and time comes; the interval leaves no room for waste”: the opportune moment departs and arrives; the interval is extremely tight, leaving no room for idle waste or delay.

The Ce statement says: Opportunity has its goings and comings; do not miss its direction. The Wang edition does not have the character rong; here I follow the Two Song, Lu, and Fan editions. The third Zan indicates that when reflection has ripened, one should resolve to act; once the opportunity is missed, regret will be too late. Thus it says, “Times go and come; the interval does not admit a hair.” This means that the difference between gain and loss is extremely slight.

The fourth Zan says: When a man does a woman’s work, he cannot replace her in bearing and rearing children. The Ce statement says: When men and women do each other’s work, it is not their proper duty. Wang says: To do what one ought not to do must bring danger; for a man to do a woman’s work is a great error—why should he not replace her in nurturing? This Zan loses its position and occupies a night place (inauspicious); because it goes against what is fitting, it says this. Sima Guang holds: If a man acts on behalf of a woman, the household is unlucky; if a ruler takes away the duties of his subjects, the state is in disorder. This shows that each matter has its constant portion.

The fifth Zan says: Do well what is within one’s own share, and the ruler grants food and salary. The Ce statement says: Doing what one ought to do is what duty assigns. Wang says: “Jia” means “to bestow.” Sima Guang says: “To serve one’s own service” means to do what one ought to do; each abides in his office, and therefore the ruler gives food and salary, and one enjoys blessings and emoluments.

The sixth Zan says: To undertake a great matter and take it solely upon oneself, when affairs are just surging in, there is no way to save it. The Ce statement says: To undertake a great matter and take it solely upon oneself—how can one bear it? The sixth Zan exceeds the midpoint and is exceedingly great; this is a case of small strength and heavy responsibility. Thus it says, “assuming a great responsibility and taking the affair upon oneself”; affairs are just arriving in great quantity, and so it overturns and cannot be saved.

The seventh Zan says: The elder supports the orphan; the young boy carries a pot and brings water. The Ce statement says: The elder supports the orphan, and the young boy also knows the principle. Wang says: Although the seventh Zan is overfull, it obtains its position and occupies a day place (auspicious); it does not lose the appropriateness of action. This means that the elder has the matter of supporting the orphaned and weak, while the young boy also knows to carry a pot and bring water to provide support.

The eighth Zan says: When a woman does a man’s work, even ten years cannot teach her (meaning that she oversteps her proper share and is difficult to correct).

The Ce statement says: If a woman undertakes what is properly a man’s work, in the end the household’s way cannot prosper. Fan Wang’s annotated edition has “men’s and women’s affairs”; here, following the Song, Lu, and Wang editions, it is read as “women’s and men’s affairs.” Wang’s commentary says: To occupy a position that is already overfull, then lose one’s place and encounter “Night” (in the Taixuan, Day is auspicious and Night inauspicious), and to contravene what is proper to the order of things—this is a woman managing affairs in place of a man. “Ten years” is the limit of number; “not instructed” means that she cannot be taught. Sima Guang says: When a woman takes on a man’s business, the household does not prosper; when a subject usurps the ruler’s authority, the state does not flourish. After ten years, strength and circumstance have already taken form and can no longer be controlled. Thus the woman does not receive the man’s instruction, and the subject does not accept the ruler’s command. Upper Nine (the last zan of each shou in the Taixuan) says, “Dào ěr shùn zhǐ, shì zhēn” (dào is interchangeable with dǎo, “to turn/reverse”; zhǐ with zhǐ, “toe/foot”), and the Ce statement says, “Dào ěr bù chāng,” and also, “Dào ěr shùn zhǐ, nì wén shùn xíng”: if one turns a deaf ear and refuses to listen, one cannot prosper; but if one can listen to remonstrance that grates on the ear and act according to principle, then one accords with the correct way. Upper Nine is the point at which misfortune ends and one meets “Day”; one can adopt loyal words and remedy faults, without losing upright compliance. Loyal advice that grates on the ear benefits one’s conduct; good medicine that is bitter to the mouth benefits one’s illness. Here ends volume two.

These are the collation notes for Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan Jing (Sima Guang), explaining the correction of omissions, lacunae, and erroneous characters in the base text (the edition used as the basis for collation) on the basis of different editions; the Beiyao edition and the Quanshu edition are the consulted editions, the Fan edition and the Wang edition are respectively the Fan and Wang editions, and “main text” refers to the main text of the scripture.

9. The base text omits the two characters mei and chu; they have been supplied according to the main text and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

10. The base text reads nianji where it should read yuji; according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions, it has been changed to yuji.

11. The base text reads mifu where it should read dafu; according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions, it has been changed to dafu.

12. The character qi is omitted in the base text; it has been supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

13. In Sima Guang’s comment “Guang remarks,” the character wei is defective in the base text; it has been supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

14. At “er wei si,” the base text is defective; it has been completed according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

15. At “san wei cheng,” the base text is defective; it has been completed according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

16. At “Wang ben shen,” the base text is defective; it has been completed according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

17. At “yingwu neng,” the base text is defective; it has been completed according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

18. At “er dang ye,” the base text is defective; it has been completed according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

19. At “de zai,” the base text is defective; it has been completed according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

The later repeated entries for items 17–19 have the same collation and supplementation.

20. At “Shi” (the Odes), the base text is defective; it has been completed according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

21 and 22 (marked in the original as “2122”). The base text reads shoufa where it should read zhanfa; according to the Fan edition and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions, it has been changed to zhanfa.

23. The base text reads jiaoshou where it should read jiaozhan; according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions, it has been changed to jiaozhan.

24. The character gou is defective in the base text; it has been supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

25. The base text reads the character qu written with the corpse radical where it should read the character qu written with the speech radical; according to the main text and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions, it has been changed to the latter.

26. The base text reads shu where it should read Ding Chong; according to the Fan edition and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions, it has been changed to Ding Chong.

27. The base text reads “two provinces” where it should read “three provinces,” and “three families” where it should read “two families”; according to the Fan edition and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions, these have been corrected.

These are the collation notes from the critical edition of Sima Guang’s Jizhu Taixuan jing, explaining item by item the textual differences between the base text and the consulted editions: Item 28, “long ye,” is defective in the base text and has been supplied in full according to the Fan, Beiyao, and Quanshu editions; Item 29, “tian,” is defective in the base text and has been supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 30, “san,” originally reads “er” and has been changed to “san” according to the Fan, Beiyao, and Quanshu editions; Item 31, “shang yu,” is defective in the base text and has been supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 32, “jia qie,” is defective in the base text and has been supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 33, “tan,” originally reads “wu” and has been corrected according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 34, “ye,” is defective in the base text and has been supplied according to the Fan, Beiyao, and Quanshu editions; Item 35, “Wang ben,” is defective in the base text and has been supplied on the basis of the later passage “jin gan rou cong wang”; Item 36, “zhi li,” originally reads “ye li” and has been corrected according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 37, “le,” is defective in the base text and has been supplied according to the Fan, Beiyao, and Quanshu editions; Item 38, “lu,” is omitted in the base text and has been supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 39, “shi” and “suo,” are defective in the base text and have been supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 40, “xian,” originally reads “guang” and has been corrected according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 41, “wanwu” originally reads “mei wanwu”; “mei” is a superfluous character, and “ye” is omitted in the base text; according to the Shisanjing Zhushu edition, “mei” has been deleted and “ye” supplied; Item 42, “wang,” is defective in the base text and has been supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 43, “jiu,” “zheng,” and “dao,” are defective in the base text and have been supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 44, “zhi,” originally reads “dang” and has been corrected according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; Item 45, “ben,” is omitted in the base text and has been supplied according to the Beiyao edition. The item 43 listed again later is identical to the preceding entry; it still explains that the three characters “jiu,” “zheng,” and “dao” were originally defective and have been supplied in full according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

These are a set of collation notes for Volume Three of Collected Annotations on the Taixuan Jing, explaining that the editor corrected and restored erroneous, omitted, and damaged characters in the original manuscript on the basis of the Beiyao edition, the Quanshu edition, the Fan edition, and the main text.

In entry 44, "zhi" was originally written "dang" and is changed to "zhi" according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions. In entry 45, "ben" was originally missing and has been supplied from the two editions. In entry 46, "ke" was originally written "he" and is corrected according to the two editions. In entry 47, "ze he" was originally written "he ze" and is changed to "ze he" according to the two editions. In entry 48, "shang ti" is damaged in the original text and has been completed according to the two editions. In entry 49, "zhi" is damaged in the original text and has been supplied from the two editions. In entry 50, "da" is damaged in the original text and has been supplied from the Fan edition and the two editions. In entry 51, "zao" is damaged in the original text and has been supplied from the two editions. In entry 52, "shi" is damaged in the original text and has been supplied from the main text. In entry 53, "wang ye" is damaged in the original text and has been supplied from the Fan edition and the two editions. In entry 54, "shou zhi" is damaged in the original text and has been supplied from the two editions. In entry 55, "er" was originally written "san" and is corrected according to the main text and the two editions. In entry 56, "wang" is damaged in the original text and has been supplied from the two editions. In entry 57, "shi zhang" is damaged in the original text and has been supplied from the two editions. In entry 58, "ju" was originally written "jun" and is corrected according to the two editions. In entry 59, "bu guo" is damaged in the original text and has been supplied from the two editions.

Among these, entries 54 through 57 appear once again, repeated, in the collation notes. At the end it is indicated that this is Volume Three of Collected Annotations on the Taixuan Jing, together with the Taixuan structure marker "Second Fang, First Zhou, First Bu, First Jia, Geng."

The character geng in“Geng Head”is read as“ju-heng qie.”In the Taixuan system it belongs to the Yin family and Water nature, corresponds to the Ge hexagram of the Zhouyi, and has as its main theme alteration. Entering the Initial One of the Geng Head, the calendrical count is twenty fen and nine miao, corresponding to the Grain Rain solar term; by the eighth position, the sun reaches the Bi lodge, one of the twenty-eight lunar mansions. At this time yang Qi has already ascended; the situation changes, and the myriad things alter their spiritual nature. The Song commentary says: “Moving in the heavens is called ‘flying.’”

Initial One: Secretly changing without holding to correctness, as if by innate nature. The Appraisal says: “Secretly changing without holding to correctness is changing direction already in youth.”“Shao”is read as“shi-zhao qie.”Initial One is in the first stage of thought and corresponds to night. When people in early childhood become accustomed to what is not correct, it is like their innate nature, and later it is difficult to change. Jia Yi said: “What is cultivated in childhood is like nature; what habit forms is like the natural.”The phrase“in youth changing direction”means that in youth the path has already changed.

Second Two: Sometimes seven, sometimes nine, it moves along its way like a wheel turning. The Appraisal says: “Sometimes seven, sometimes nine, without losing its appropriateness.”Seven is when yang Qi is full; nine is when yang Qi declines. Zhen means wheel. Second Two is in the middle stage of thought and corresponds to day. The noble person understands waxing and waning, increase and decrease, fullness and emptiness; he follows the times in their flourishing and decline, like a wheel turning, responding inexhaustibly without losing utmost appropriateness.

Third Three: Turning white things into mud and making them black (zi means black). The Appraisal says: “White transforming in mud is change that is not clear.”Wang’s commentary says: “In the way of change, what is valued is turning from evil to good; now instead it becomes muddy black, losing the fitness of change.”Sima Guang says: “Zi means black.”Third Three is in the upper stage of thought and corresponds to night. Associating with unvirtuous people is like dyeing something white in mud: one turns black along with it.

Fourth Four: Changing with a small gain; when applied, nothing is disadvantageous. The Appraisal says: “Change with a small gain is what the people hope for.”Wang’s edition adds the six characters“wo fou fei qi you chi”after“not disadvantageous”; here I follow the editions of the various commentators. Fourth Four is the beginning of blessing and corresponds to day; it is change with a small gain.

There is some alteration and a small gain; so long as it accords with the people’s wishes, putting it into practice will bring no harm.

The Fifth Zan: A hornless ox and a horned horse are suited neither to the present nor to antiquity. The Ce says: An ox without horns and a horse with horns means changing the natural constant order. Wang’s commentary says: The fifth occupies a flourishing position but encounters “Night” (in the Taixuan, “Night” is an unfavorable position); this means the way of change is excessive and inappropriate. For an ox instead to be hornless and a horse instead to be horned is neither present nor ancient; fundamentally there is no such thing. Sima Guang’s note says: Being hornless is called “tong.” When petty men obtain position, recklessly alter laws and measures, and invert the heavenly constants, it suits neither the present age nor the ancient institutions—like the likes of Liu Xin (a Western Han scholar who assisted Wang Mang) and Wang Mang (who usurped the Han and founded the Xin dynasty).

The Sixth Zan: To enter water yet use a cart, and to leave water yet use a boat—this reciprocal use of cart and boat is fitting for a king carrying out change. The Ce says: Cart and boat are interchanged for going out and coming in, showing that the Dao lies in alteration. Hang is equivalent to “navigate” and means boat. To travel by boat on water and by cart on land is the normal principle, just as a shoe, though new, must still be worn on the foot, and a cap, though old, must still be worn on the head—each has its proper place. Tang of Shang and King Wu of Zhou understood expedient change, responded to Heaven and followed the people, and exchanged the positions of ruler and subject; their Dao was inherently thus, and they could not but change.

The Seventh Zan: When change is warranted but not made, harm thereby arises. The Ce says: To change when one ought but not to change is failure to perfect oneself. The seventh position is the beginning of calamity and also encounters “Night”; when customs and moral teaching decay, the fault lies in failing to change when change is due. Dong Zhongshu (a Western Han Confucian) said: When government measures are implemented but do not go through, in serious cases one must certainly reform and transform them before there can be order.

The Eighth Zan: Four horses do not keep pace; one can replace the driver. The Ce says: When the four horses are not in step, it is well to change the charioteer. Fan Wang’s commentary says: Juju means “not in harmony.”

Wang says: When one is in a fitting position and also encounters Day (in the Taixuan, Day is auspicious and Night inauspicious), one should make changes according to the proper Dao (the Way). The four horses hesitate and stumble, unable to move forward; only by changing to a good charioteer does one attain what is fitting. Sima Guang says: Eight is in the midst of calamity, so it says the team of horses has difficulty moving, symbolizing that the state is unsettled; but since it exactly meets Day, it says to change the charioteer. Changing the charioteer symbolizes replacing appointments with worthy men and causing them to reform and clarify government. Upper Nine: One cannot bring one’s virtue to a good end; within three years one will be replaced. The Ce statement says: A replacement that does not end well cannot last long. The Fan edition lacks the character jiu (long); here we follow the Song, Lu, and Wang editions. Nine is the extreme of calamity and also meets Night (inauspicious); a petty person cannot maintain virtue, and through arrogance, luxury, and licentiousness loses his position; another will replace him. The Ce statement says: A replacement that does not end well cannot endure long. In Taixuan divination, this passage belongs to the position of “second fang, first zhou, first bu, second jia.”

“Yang-family Fire, modeled on Jue”: this is a head (shou) in the Taixuan Jing belonging to the Yang family and Fire, taking its image from the Jue (Decisiveness) hexagram of the Zhouyi and discussing the way of decision-making.

First One: Make the decision in the heart, without using axes, halberds, or punishments, while secretly conforming to the cord, ink line, compass, and square. The Ce commentary says this is inner self-governance. First One stands at the beginning of thought and encounters “day” (timely clarity); it can judge inwardly according to standards and leave no outward trace.

Second Two: Benighted and unable to decide, the problem lies in blocking the ears and refusing to listen. The Ce commentary says this is because of doubt in the heart. Second Two occupies the middle stage of thought and encounters “night” (untimely obscurity); the mind is obscured and cannot decide. Even with good plans, it does not know which way to follow, and it cannot take in good advice—hence “blocking the ears.”

Third Three: Remove the blockage of hearing; this is beneficial for remedying filth and defects. The Ce commentary says that removing the blockage benefits planning. Third Three is at the time when intentions are formed and encounters day; it can decisively remove obstructions and accept good plans.

Fourth Four: Cut off one’s own improprieties; if one consumes emoluments beyond one’s due, there is shame. The Ce commentary says: cut off what is improper; to eat emolument not one’s due is shameful. Fourth Four occupies a low emolument and encounters night, situated in a place unsuited to its position; it enjoys emoluments beyond its due yet cannot decisively depart—truly shameful.

Fifth Five: The great belly decides; its thighs fall away (or the variant reads “the garments slip off”). The noble person has decisiveness, and the petty person thereby survives. The Ce commentary says that “the great belly decides and the thighs fall away” means the decision is fitting. Fifth Five is bright and corresponds to day, an image of abundant decisiveness. The great belly can decide and does not tolerate treachery and evil; “the thighs fall away” metaphorically means discarding the small to preserve the great whole. Thus the noble person can decide, and the petty person relies on this and survives.

Sixth Six: When one should decide but does not, enmity and resentment are not far off; afterward axes and halberds are applied to the body. The Ce commentary says: when it is time to decide and one does not, the guilt falls on oneself. Sixth Six has passed the middle position and fails in decisiveness; hence there is later trouble.

Next Six: It oversteps the middle position and falls into “night” (a Yin and inauspicious period). When one ought to decide but does not decide, enemies are not far off, and in the end one will surely suffer execution and humiliation.

Next Seven: Using the “righteousness” of Geng metal to cut off the “benevolence” of Jia wood, my heart is greatly expansive, and only then is there beautiful radiance. The Ce commentary says: Geng cutting Jia means using righteousness to cut off benevolence. Fan Wang’s commentary: Geng is righteousness, Jia is benevolence; “kong” means “very,” “shuo” means “great,” and “shuo” means “beautiful.” Sima Guang says: Geng metal governs “righteousness,” Jia wood governs “benevolence”; Next Seven symbolizes a knife and has the image of applying punishment. The noble person uses righteousness to cut off benevolence, discards the small and selects the great, and only then is there the beauty of orderly peace. The Book of Xia says: Only when majesty can overcome private affection can one truly succeed.

Next Eight: Displaying bravery and launching an attack without the Dao, like a benighted thief forcing a decision. The Ce commentary says: The decision of a benighted thief is a reckless judgment. Fan Wang’s commentary: To be without the Dao is called “zhu”; to violate righteousness is called “fa.” The wording of this sentence is corrected according to the various masters and the editions of the two younger Song, Lu, and Fan.

Top Nine: The axe blade is raised high and sharp; it is beneficial for the craftsman to keep to what is correct. The Ce commentary says: The raised-high axe is beneficial for punishing disorder. Nine symbolizes weapons and battle-axes, and also symbolizes calamity at its extreme, therefore it says, “the axe blade is towering high.” The craftsman holds the axe to cut wood; the noble person upholds righteousness to punish disorder.

The Resolve Head: It belongs to the second region, first province, first department, third family. It is of the Yin family and Wood nature, and it also imitates and aligns with the Guai hexagram (the Guai hexagram of the Zhouyi). Being able to decide and reaching bold resolve is “resolve” (yi); the Guai hexagram has the phrase “displayed in the royal court,” so the Resolve Head also has the image of speech. Yang Qi is just then beautiful and good; resolutely daring to act, the myriad things extend their wills. “Xin” is interchangeable with “shen” (to extend). This Head is the “Resolve” of region one, province one, department one, family three.

This shou belongs to Yin-family Wood and corresponds to the Guai hexagram in the Zhouyi (Guai symbolizes decisiveness). To be capable of resolute decision is “Yi” (fortitude); the Guai hexagram contains the phrase “displayed in the king’s court,” and so “Yi” also carries the image of verbal expression. Yang qi is just at its beautiful, good, and flourishing strength; therefore one acts with firmness and decisiveness, and the myriad things all extend their intentions. “Xin” is the same as “shen” (to extend). Master Song’s commentary says: being good and not bent or yielding is called “liang” (good).

First One: Harboring authority in the heart yet filled with emptiness. The Ce (appraisal) text says: Harboring authority in the heart yet filled with emptiness is the loss of Dao and De. The First One stands at the beginning of reflection and falls on “Night.” (In the Taixuan, “Day” images the noble person occupying a position, and “Night” images the petty person occupying a position.) When the petty person’s heart is filled with authority, he is one who relies on force and destroys moral principle.

Second Two: Firmness and fortitude are kept within; guard uprightness. The Ce text says: Firmness and fortitude kept within means the heart is strong and upright. The Second Two stands in the middle of reflection and falls on “Day.” The noble person holds to the right way; strong and resolute, he cannot be shaken.

Third Three: Wearing authority fully on the head; the noble person finds it insufficient, the petty person finds it more than enough. The Ce text says: Wearing authority fully on the head—this is what the petty person excels at. In the Third Three, thought has already been completed, and firmness and fortitude are exposed outwardly, so it says “wearing authority full on the head.” When the noble person is in this position, he considers himself insufficient; when the petty person is in this position, he considers himself to have more than enough.

Fourth Four: The noble person’s speech is like a vessel; his words are gentle yet firm. The Ce text says: The noble person’s speech is like a vessel—this means his words have proper measure. The Fourth Four occupies a lower emolument rank and falls on “Day.” The noble person’s words all have proper measure and are fit for use like vessels: gentle without being timid, firm without being obstinate.

Fifth Five: Not plowing yet obtaining grain; firmness and fortitude are used in choosing emolument and rank. The Ce text says: Not plowing yet obtaining grain—the food obtained is not commensurate. The Fifth Five falls on “Night.” To enjoy a generous salary without virtue, and to apply firmness and decisiveness only to selecting emolument and rank—therefore it says, “Not plowing yet obtaining grain; firm in picking and choosing salary.” The Book of Songs says: “You do not sow, you do not reap; by what right do you take away three hundred bundles of grain?”

Sixth Six: Firmness and fortitude like beams and pillar-stones; beneficial for stabilizing the ruler. The Ce text says: Firmness and fortitude like beams and pillar-stones—this is a powerful minister on whom the state relies. The Sixth Six occupies the highest emolument rank and falls on “Day.”

This passage is about how “firm resolve” must be used correctly. The great ministers of the state should be loyal and capable, firm and resolute, able to bear heavy responsibilities and bring stability to the realm. It then explains this according to the zan positions of the Taixuan: the seventh position symbolizes the firm resolve of the “gongyang” (a large sheep), but its bleating does not accord with the good way; the ce text says this is “words not following the law,” meaning that speech does not observe rules and norms. Fan’s commentary says that gongyang is a large sheep; Sima Guang says that sheep are fierce and stubborn creatures, that “lei” means good, that “seven” is a step that invites disaster, and that it also occupies the “night” (an obscure position), so it resembles a petty person who is fierce and stubborn, whose words are indiscriminate and who pays no heed to rules and norms.

The eighth position says that amid calamity one can still be firm and resolute and keep to what is correct; this is precisely where the noble person obtains his name. The ce text says that such firmness and correctness cannot be obscured by darkness (bu, “to cover”). Wang’s commentary says that eight dwells amid calamity, and so it is called “resolute in calamity,” but since its position is in the day and it does not lose upright correctness, it is praised by the noble person. Sima Guang says: the noble person keeps to correctness; when he meets calamity he is firm and unyielding; though his body may be killed, his name cannot be concealed.

The top nine says that it is like a great boar (xi, a large pig) flaunting its strength and baring its tusks, and as a result it attracts the drawing of bows and hunting; the ce text says “what officials hunt,” that is, it is hunted by officials (Wang’s edition has “person” for “official”; here I follow the various commentators). Wang’s commentary says that dwelling at the extreme of firm resolve and also being in the night, like a wild boar showing off its tusks, it is certain to suffer the calamity of bows being drawn to shoot it. Sima Guang says: the petty person pushes fierceness and stubbornness to the extreme and brings disaster upon himself, just as a pig shows off its tusks and precisely invites the hunt.

The Yang family belongs to Metal and corresponds to the Lü (Wanderer) hexagram. Entering the fourth Zan of the “Zhuang” Head, the calendrical number is thirty-eight fen and thirty-two miao; the sun travels to Shishen (one of the twelve stellar stations), corresponding to the solar term Beginning of Summer; the handle of the Northern Dipper points to the Si position, and the pitch pipe corresponds to Zhonglü (one of the twelve pitches). “Zhuang” means arranging one’s baggage and preparing to set out. Although yang qi is upright, great, and in active operation, subtle yin crouches below, so yang qi packs its bags and intends to leave. Lu Ji says: Yin qi is below; therefore yang qi gathers its baggage, its resolve set on departure.

First One: It packs in secret; no one sees its actions. The Ce text says: Packing in secret so that it cannot be seen means the heart has already gone outward. First One is at the beginning of “Si” and also meets Day (in Taixuan divination, Day is auspicious); the noble man sees the subtle and knows the manifest: secretly he already has the resolve to leave, while others do not know it.

Second Two: The goose—Wang Ya’s commentary identifies this character as “goose”—is wretched on the ice; it spreads its wings and rides the south wind, while in its heart it longs for its mate and flock (four geese make one cheng, and cheng also means companion). The Ce text says: The goose’s distress means its heart harbors grief and is not at ease. Second Two is in the middle section of “Si” and meets Night; the petty person craves favor and is mired in salary, unable to avoid misfortune from subtle beginnings, just as the goose, longing for its mate, cannot fly far. The Yi says, “Retreating while tied—there will be illness; danger,” meaning that clinging and delaying withdrawal will bring illness and danger.

Third Three: Going forward to fulfill one’s purpose, one may perhaps receive good fortune. The Ce text says: Going forward, one attains one’s will and meets with delightful matters. Third Three is in the upper section of “Si” and meets Day; although one is lodged abroad, going forward can attain one’s will, and so perhaps good fortune will follow.

Fourth Four: The kunji bird (a bird name) rises at dawn and scatters toward the north; chirping yingying, they answer one another and peck at food without cease.

This passage consists of the eulogies and prognosticatory explanations for the Zhuang head of the Taixuan Jing, from Ci Wu through Shang Jiu, together with Wang's commentary and Sima Guang's commentary. "Ce yue" ("the prognostication says") explains the auspicious or inauspicious import of the eulogy; Ci Wu and the like are position numbers within a head; "day" and "night" are the Yin-Yang qualities by which the Taixuan Jing judges good and bad fortune. The passage also contains collation notes: for example, in the case of the graph pronounced cui, the Song and Lu editions have the graph kua meaning "boast," while the Wang edition has the graph kua meaning "stride across"; the present text follows the Fan edition. The graph for the kun bird is read like kun, and the graph pronounced cui is read like cui or by the fanqie spelling ci-xu; these notes merely clarify the written form and pronunciation.

The prognostication at the beginning says: The kun bird, a kind of large bird, rises in flight at dawn - what is there to rely on? Wang's commentary says: When a large bird flies in the morning, it should properly head toward the sun to settle itself; if instead it flies back toward the north, it loses its direction. Even if its calls answer one another in a chirping chorus, it never ceases its intent to seek food; since it has already lost the Way, what advantage is there?

Ci Wu: The wild geese, fully prepared, arrive at the Zi River, the name of a waterway, where food and drink are peaceful and joyous. The prognostication says: "The wild geese are prepared at the Zi River" - this symbolizes a great general attaining his aim.

Ci Liu: Passing through the six great avenues and going all around the nine roads, one does not restrict his trading journeys. The prognostication says: This concerns merchants and travelers. Wang's commentary says that among the six thoroughfares and nine roads there is nowhere he does not go; toiling and hurrying after profit is the business of a petty person. Sima Guang says: Six represents abundance and multiplicity, but this position corresponds to "night," which is inauspicious and Yin; the petty person circulates throughout the world without limiting his movements, not for the sake of practicing the Way, but with his will set only on pursuing profit, no different from a merchant.

Ci Qi: The traveling gear is empty and exhausted - there is a textual variant here: the Song, Lu, and Wang editions have li meaning "separation," while the Fan and Little Song editions have a graph of the li meaning "pair" type, pronounced li. To set out at this time seeking profit will bring disaster and blame. The prognostication says: "The traveling gear is empty and exhausted" - misfortune is about to arrive.

Ci Ba: Ji Zhong, a personal name, scatters and ruins the carriage tracks, and weeps by the roadside as he is sent on his way. The prognostication says: "Ji Zhong scatters the tracks" is an image of being sent to death. The Fan and Wang editions have "weeping on the road" as "weeping on the way" with an extra zhi, while the present text follows the Song and Lu editions.

Shang Jiu: Making preparations in the darkness. The prognostication says: "Making preparations in the darkness" - one may still avoid misfortune. Wang's commentary says: To prepare and avoid misfortune should properly be done early; now, occupying the extreme position, one has already rather lost the way of taking refuge from disaster. Yet the position attained corresponds to "day"; if, in a time of darkness, one makes preparations to avoid misfortune, although it is said to be too late, one may still escape. Sima Guang says: Nine is the end of misfortune and corresponds to day; when the noble person reaches the exhaustion of misfortune and makes preparations to leave, although it is already late, it is still better than remaining at ease and not moving.

The phrase at the end of the section, "second fang, first zhou, second bu, second jia, Zhong," is an organizational marker in the Taixuan Jing, indicating that the Zhong head is located in the second fang or region, first zhou or province, second bu or section, and second jia or family.

This passage discusses the “Zhong” shou of the Taixuan (belonging to the Yin family and Earth; it imitates the Shi hexagram of the Zhouyi and discusses the way of using the multitude and employing troops). The scripture says, “Entering Zhong, the Fourth Zan: too late, yet one may still avoid it.” This means that when one enters the fourth Zan of the Zhong shou, although action is already somewhat late, one can still avoid calamity. Sima Guang comments: The ninth Zan is when calamity has ended and one encounters the day (auspicious); when a gentleman meets calamity at its extremity, he packs his baggage and departs; although it is late, it is still better than peacefully staying put and not leaving. The directional configuration of this shou is two directions, one province, two departments, and two families. The day-course of the Fourth Zan reaches Zixi (the name of a lunar mansion), and the Eighth Zan reaches the Shen mansion. Yang qi stretches out and rises high, embracing and equalizing the myriad things; the myriad things are bright and beautiful, grand and numerous. “Xin” is the same as “shen” (to stretch/extend), and “hu” means beautiful appearance.

The First Zan: “Dark soldiery begins; fire enters the ear. Farmers cease work, grain goes to horses; corpses will be distributed in the fields.” The Ce text says: “The beginning of dark soldiery—if it begins, it is not good.” Sima Guang comments: The First Zan is dark and subtle, situated at the beginning of the use of troops; the sprout of war has already emerged but is not yet visible, hence it is called “dark soldiery begins.” Weapons are inauspicious instruments; people are alarmed as soon as they hear of them, hence “fire enters the ear.” Farmers stop plowing to supply military grain, and grain is taken to feed warhorses in preparation for the general’s use; corpses fill the fields, indicating that the dead are numerous.

The Second Zan: “Weapons without blades; troops without formation. A qilin may guest them; warm.” The Ce text says: “Weapons without blades—virtue subdues without fixed direction.” Master Fan says that the qilin is an animal with horns but that does not butt. Master Wang says that the Second Zan occupies the middle of the lower body, obtains its position and occupies the day, and attains what is fitting for the multitude; therefore it can have weapons without crossing blades and troops without deploying formations, and strong neighboring enemy states also come as guests and submit. Sima Guang says: The Second Zan is “Thinking of the Mean” and occupies the day; the gentleman cultivates virtue in his heart, and the four seas submit; weapons have no use, hence it says weapons without blades and troops without formations. “Guest” means coming from outside; “a qilin may guest them” symbolizes having martial power but not using it; “warm” means not treating others with harsh severity.

The Third Zan: “The army may entangle carts; the elder destroys his wife and children; internally one treads on the flaw.” The Ce text says: “The army may entangle carts—temple warfare injures internally.” Commentary: The Third Zan is “Thinking of the End”; before battle one first makes plans internally. Carts are dragged along and overturn their loads; “elder” means the household head, and “wife and children” means his family. Poor planning is like the household head himself ruining his family. Where does defeat come from? It comes because internally one has already stepped on a flaw or calamity; only then can the enemy enter through the gap. Sunzi said: Before battle, the temple calculations already cannot secure victory.