《集注太玄经(司马光)》Vol. 4

A textual note first: in the Song edition the word rendered “heart-mind (xin)” appears as “middle (zhong)”; the present reading follows the Song, Lu, and Fan editions.

The Second Third in the Taixuan stands for completing one’s intent and lifting people upward. It means that someone who still keeps learning while in hardship, if they truly give their full heart-mind, nothing stays blocked—how could the teacher be far away?

The Second Fourth: when earth qi is out of harmony, trees grow crooked and sick. The prognostic line says that disharmonious earth means the common people fall ill and suffer. Wang’s commentary takes ke e (a gnarled, diseased trunk) as an image of a sick tree. Sima Guang explains that the Second Fourth sits in the lower lu (stipend/office) position and also falls in “night” (in the Taixuan, day and night mark yin and yang, light and dark; night belongs to obscurity). That figures petty men in power who squeeze the people to feed themselves; when the people are exhausted, the state is endangered—like poor soil that makes the roots sick. Youzi adds: if the people are not rich, how can the ruler be rich?

The Second Fifth: soup with no crushed grain, an empty belly, yet one does not lose proper measure. The prognostic says that eating soup without grain still does not mean leaving the right path. The wording follows the two Song, Lu, and Wang editions: “soup without suan (crushed rice).” Wang notes that holding the middle position makes one lord of poverty, yet one need not lose what fits dwelling in want; soup without grain and an empty belly still need not break the norms of sages—nowhere is the grace of staying poor in want shown more clearly. Chen likewise glosses suan as crushed rice.

The Second Sixth: mountains without horns, water without scales—distress and offense close in on the person. The prognostic says mountains without horns mean the people are trapped in distress. The commentary compares burning mountains to hunt and draining marshes to fish: the catch may be large, but nothing follows afterward; heavy taxes drain the people dry, and when they are destitute they rise against authority, so disaster must rebound on the ruler himself.

The Second Seventh: the feet walk the right path yet one falls into prison; after three years comes pardon and review. The prognostic says upright feet, though perilous, ultimately reach peace. Bi (prison) is read bi. Wang says die (to stumble) is the same as “to fall”; though the line holds the daytime position and walks with straight feet, one still trips—hard times of poverty, not self-invited. Lu means lenient examination and release. Xiao Song reads die as dai, “to tread.” Sima Guang: bi is prison; the Second Seventh meets blame and disaster, hence this image.

The Second Eighth: trudging through frost and snow, neck bound to knees—the suffering of bonds and imprisonment. The prognostic says that even so one cannot fully preserve life. The Song and Lu editions read “neck” as “crown of the head”; the text here follows Fan, Wang, and Xiao Song, with the missing word matching “knee.” Wang says that losing position in the night period, one cannot set the feet straight and crosses frost and snow into hardship; neck chained to knees is the heavy image of imprisonment.

Upper Ninth: smashing round jade (bi), destroying ceremonial jade tablets (gui), frogs appearing in the stove, heaven-sent calamity upon him. The prognostic says breaking bi and ruining gui means meeting misfortune. The Fan edition has “soft-shelled turtle” where others have “frog”; the text follows the two Song, Lu, and Wang editions (wa, frog). Wang says the number of the time has reached its limit and cannot return to free flow; though the line holds the daytime position, calamity cannot be avoided. Breaking bi and destroying gui is losing what one treasures; frogs in the stove means again nothing fit to eat; great disaster comes from outside, yet the fault is not newly invented elsewhere. Sima Guang: breaking bi and destroying gui—the person is precious yet meets the ill fortune of the age; calamity at the extreme of exhaustion, hence this image.

This is a collation note at the end of volume five of the Jizhu Taixuan Jing, explaining that many characters in the main text of this volume were already damaged or missing in the original block-printed edition, and that the collator supplemented and corrected them on the basis of other editions (the Beiyao edition, the Quanshu edition, and so on). Specifically: the originally missing characters jiu ("nine"), xing ("form"), zhe ("the one who/that which"), suo ("that which/place"), yi ("to govern/regulate"), lin ("to oversee/approach"), and others were all restored according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; in one place the character lin was originally omitted, and the text chu shi ye ("dwells in the chamber") and yi ("by/with") and similar passages were originally damaged and were also supplied according to the above editions; the character xi ("rare/faint") was supplied according to the Fan edition and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; the character yu ("in/at") was originally omitted and was supplied according to the Shisanjing Zhushu and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; the phrase wu sang wu de ("no loss, no gain") was originally written as wu sang wu de (suspected to be an error for wu sang wu de) and was corrected according to the Shisanjing Zhushu and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; the characters yan ("saying/words") and ye (final particle) and others were originally damaged and were supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; dui ("pestle") was originally written as yue ("to say") and was corrected according to the Fan edition and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions, and in another place the character dui was originally omitted and was supplied according to the same editions; the characters wang ("king") and yi ("one") and others were originally damaged and were supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions. These entries belong to the record of edition collation in the organization of ancient books; they reflect the damage and restoration of characters and phrases in the course of textual transmission, not the philosophical content of the main text of the Taixuan Jing itself.

These are the collation notes for Sima Guang's Jizhu Taixuan Jing, explaining how the editor supplied missing characters and corrected erroneous characters on the basis of different editions. The phrase "yuan can" means that the character is damaged or incomplete in the base text; "yuan tuo" means that it is omitted in the base text; and "yuan zuo" means that the base text originally reads a certain character. "Beiyao" refers to the Sibu Beiyao edition, "Quanshu edition" to the Siku Quanshu edition, and "Fan edition" to the Fan family annotated edition. The gist of each item is as follows: for item 18, "yi" was originally missing and is supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; for item 19, "guai" is written as "fu" in the base text and is corrected according to the Kangxi Dictionary's quotation of Guangchu; for item 20, "shang" was originally missing and is supplied according to the two editions; for item 21, "li yong ju" was originally missing and is supplied according to the two editions; for item 22, "gu" was originally missing and is supplied according to the two editions; for item 23, "sui" is written as "yuan" in the base text and is corrected according to the Fan edition and the two editions; for item 24, the character "tian" is graphologically erroneous in the base text and is corrected according to the Fan edition and the two editions; for item 25, at a certain place where a character is missing, the base text has "hui," which is corrected according to the main text and the two editions; for item 26, "ping" was originally missing and is supplied according to the two editions; for item 27, "ye" was originally omitted and is supplied according to the commentary text, the Fan edition, and the two editions; for item 28, "mu" is written as "zi" in the base text and is corrected according to the two editions; for item 29, "san fang" is written as "er fang" in the base text and is corrected according to the Fan edition and the two editions; for item 30, "dai" is written as "shi" and "luo" as "yu" in the base text, and they are corrected according to the two editions; for item 31, "ji" is written as "nai" in the base text and is corrected according to the two editions; for item 32, "kou ye" was originally missing and is supplied according to the two editions; for item 33, "ji" was originally missing and is supplied according to the two editions; for item 34, "wu" meaning "do not" is written as "wu" meaning "not have" in the base text and is corrected according to the Shisanjing Zhushu and the two editions; for items 35 and 36, a certain character is written as "chi" in the base text and is corrected according to the two editions; for item 37, "Fan" was originally missing and is supplied according to the two editions.

This text consists of the collation notes to Collected Annotations on the Taixuan Jing (Sima Guang), explaining how the editors corrected or supplied the original text on the basis of different editions. The gist is as follows: in entry 38, “shi” (“beginning”) was originally erroneously written as “ru” (“like/as”), and it has been corrected according to the Fan edition (the textual system of Fan Wang’s commentary) and the Siku Quanshu Huiyao (Essentials of the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) edition and the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries) edition; in entry 39, “san fang” (“three quarters/directions”) was originally erroneously written as “er fang” (“two quarters/directions”), and it has likewise been corrected according to the above editions; in entry 40, “si” (“four”) was originally erroneously written as “ru” (“like/as”), and it has been corrected according to the above editions. In entry 41, the original text of “wei zhun” (“as the standard”) is lacunose, and it has been supplied from the Huiyao edition and the Siku Quanshu edition. Entry 42 concerns a textual lacuna and an emendation in the “Wuxing” chapter of the Guanzi (a chapter title in the Guanzi): “buqi xiaoqi” is revised by deletion to “buxiaoqi.” In entry 43, the original text of “wei” (“danger”) is lacunose, and it has been supplied from the Huiyao edition and the Siku Quanshu edition. In entry 44, the original text of “yi” (“one”) and “dianchou” is lacunose, and it has been supplied from the Shisanjing Zhushu (a compilation of commentaries and subcommentaries on the Confucian Classics). In entry 45, “ti” (tares) was originally erroneously written as “ti” (sprouts), and it has been corrected according to the Shisanjing Zhushu. In entry 46, the original text of “er” (“and/but”) is lacunose, and it has been supplied from the Huiyao edition and the Siku Quanshu edition. In entry 47, “si” (“four”) was originally omitted, and the original text of “wei dang” (“positioned appropriately”) is lacunose; they have been supplied according to the above editions. In entry 48, the original text of “bu” (“not”) is lacunose, and it has been supplied according to the above editions. In entry 49, the original text of “huo xian” (“fire prefecture/county”) is lacunose, and it has been supplied according to the Fan edition and the Huiyao edition and the Siku Quanshu edition. In entry 50, the original text of “ri zhi” (“of the sun”) is lacunose, and it has been supplied from the Huiyao edition and the Siku Quanshu edition. In entry 51, the original text of “wei” (“position”) is lacunose, and it has been supplied according to the Fan edition and the above editions. In entries 52 through 54, the original texts of “ju” (“dwell”), “shi xian che,” and “yun” (“cloud/say”) are lacunose, and all have been supplied from the Fan edition or the Huiyao edition and the Siku Quanshu edition. Overall, these are item-by-item explanations of errors, lacunae, and omissions in the base text; they are not the main scriptural text itself.

These entries are collation notes in and around juan six of the Jizhu Taixuan Jing (Collected Commentary on the Taixuan Jing), with collected commentary by Sima Guang. They chiefly record textual supplements and changes made by the editor on the basis of different editions.

Entry 55: “shao” was originally erroneously written as “ming”; it is corrected according to the preceding phrase “shao ti ming de.” In the Fan edition the place of “shao” is left blank, and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions are also blank there. Entry 56: the character “ye” is missing in the original manuscript and is supplied according to the Fan, Beiyao, and Quanshu editions. Entry 57: the character “yue” is missing in the original manuscript and is supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions. Entry 58: “de” was originally erroneously written as “ming”; it is corrected according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions. Entry 59: “yi shi” is missing in the original manuscript and is supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions. Entry 60: the character “yue” is missing in the original manuscript and is supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions. Entry 61: “dao” meaning “to guide” was originally written as “dao” meaning “the Way”; it is corrected according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions. Entry 62: “yun” was originally written as “yun”; it is corrected according to the sense. Entry 63: “qie” was originally erroneously written as “mao”; it is corrected according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions. Entry 64: “mo” was originally erroneously written as “wei”; it is corrected according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions.

“Jizhu Taixuan Jing, juan six” is the juan title; “san fang er zhou san bu yi jia ge” is the chapter marker of the Taixuan. “San fang er zhou san bu yi jia” belongs to the Taixuan’s format of marking the opening head by fang, zhou, bu, and jia; “ge” is the corresponding head name.

The Shou “Yin Family Fire” corresponds to the Bo (Splitting Apart) hexagram of the Zhouyi (the Taixuan uses “shou” to imitate hexagrams and “zan” to imitate lines; the zan are divided into day and night, with day auspicious and night inauspicious): Yin Qi is strong and, like a knife cutting, injures all things; the form of Yang Qi disperses, is suspended and unused, is harmed by Yin Qi, and within seven days is nearly extinguished. Commentators differ on the word “kill”: some read it as “decline and weaken,” others in its literal sense as “kill and injure”; in general they all mean that Yang Qi declines.

First One: cutting off the ears and eyes, with the harm reaching the heart and belly; danger. The Ce (appraisal) says, “Within there is no outer [protection],” that is, the interior loses the outer guard of ears and eyes. Ears and eyes originally assist and protect the heart and belly; when ears and eyes are cut off, the heart and belly are endangered. The First One stands at the beginning of the “Si” (Thought) section yet encounters “night” (inauspicious), symbolizing a petty person who dislikes loyal words and resents remonstrance, thereby injuring their own intelligence.

Second Two: cutting away warts and excrescences on the body is beneficial for removing filth. The Ce says this is to keep evil things from growing. Warts and excrescences are evil tumors of the body; once cut away, they no longer proliferate. Sima Guang holds that the Second Two is in the middle of the “Si” (Thought) section and encounters “day” (auspicious), symbolizing the noble person actively attacking and curing their own faults, not allowing them to expand.

Third Three: cutting off the nose to feed the mouth, losing the master of breathing; there is loss and no glory. The nose is the master of breath; by improper handling, one harms the root in order to satisfy the mouth and belly, and as a result loses an important function and obtains no glory.

Fourth Four: governing and adjudicating fairly and evenly. The Ce says that in this way there can be achievement. Wang’s commentary says that the Fourth Four occupies the minister’s position in a time of prosperity and also encounters “day,” and in handling affairs has the virtue of fairness and balance; Sima Guang says that the fourth is “lower emolument” (xia lu), the image of a noble person beginning to obtain position.

Fifth Five: cutting off one’s own thighs and arms, losing the service horse (the horse used for driving and service). The Ce says, “Losing great ministers.” Thighs and arms are a metaphor for assisting ministers; injuring the thighs and arms and losing the service horse symbolizes destroying one’s own assistants and losing the great ministers on whom one can rely.

This passage centers on the meaning of “Severing” (Ge) in the Taixuan, using the various positions (ci—the ranks of the nine praises in each section of the Taixuan) to explain the way of cutting away and letting go. At the fifth position: one occupies the ruler’s place but is in “Night” (in Taixuan divination, falling into Night signifies darkness and misfortune), lacks the virtue of a ruler, and instead severs his thighs and arms (a metaphor for his supporting ministers) and loses his service horses (the horses that draw the carriage, bearing the yoke and flanking the shaft, carrying heavy loads over long distances—also a metaphor for great ministers). Therefore the appraisal text says, “He loses great ministers.” Sima Guang says that service horses are originally the image of great ministers; when a ruler acts in this way, he naturally loses the team he rides.

At the sixth position: one dwells in a flourishing position and corresponds to “Day”; cutting without causing wounds, one can make the four quarters sufficient. The appraisal text says that the Dao can be spread abroad. The commentary says that this position corresponds to Day: it can broadly spread its Dao; its civilizing instruction and thoughtful care are inexhaustible; it embraces and protects the people without limit; there is no quarter that is not sufficient; and it does no harm to the Dao. At the seventh position: purple secondary rainbows (baleful qi) and sun-piercing clouds (vapors beside the sun that pierce it) gather in flocks and encircle the sun; their harm is severe, yet they cannot be cut away. The appraisal text says, “It does not know to cut them away.” The commentary says that seven is a position of ruin and loss and corresponds to Night, like petty men forming factions to obscure and confuse the ruler and become a calamity to the state, which the ruler cannot cut away. At the eighth position: cutting away grubs (a metaphor for the treacherous and wicked), one exactly gets what my heart hates. The appraisal text says this is “what benefits the state.” The commentary says that eight is in the midst of calamity and corresponds to Day; it can cut away treacherous grubs and remove what my heart bitterly hates. At the top nine: cutting flesh to take bone, with blood submerging the crown of the head, symbolizes excessive cutting away, injuring the root and bringing misfortune and danger.

The appraisal says: Cutting flesh until the blood is exhausted cannot preserve oneself. When stripping and plundering reach their extreme, the common people are already impoverished, and the ruler too cannot preserve himself; therefore it says, “Submerged to the crown in blood” (blood covering the top of the head, a metaphor for disaster destroying the body).

The “Zhi” (Stopping) Head of the Taixuan is located in the third region, second province, third section, and second family; it belongs to the Yang-family Wood and corresponds to the Gen trigram in the Zhouyi (Gen has the meaning of stopping). Yin Qi is at its height and blocks all things above, while Yang Qi also blocks all things below; above and below are both in cessation. Song Zhong (a commentator) says: At this time all things are obstructed above by Yin Qi and below attach to Yang Qi; each stops in its place and does not move.

The First One: “Stopping at stopping; inner clarity, no blame.” The appraisal says: To stop where one should stop—wisdom sufficient for clear discernment. The First One is the beginning of thought and corresponds to day (occupies day); it can stop and attain its proper place. When wisdom is not clear, one is seduced by external things; therefore, by stopping where stopping is possible, the inner mind becomes clear and free of fault. The Zhouyi says, “Gen stops at stopping”—that is, stopping at what should be stopped. The Great Learning says, “Knowing where to stop, one then has stability; with stability, one can be calm; with calm, one can be at peace; at peace, one can deliberate; deliberating, one can attain.” Things have root and branch; affairs have end and beginning. To know what comes first and what comes after is to be near the Dao.

The Second Two: “The cart is blocked by the lin and waits; the horse’s head stops.” The appraisal says: The cart is held back by the lin-block and waits; it cannot proceed. The lin (a wooden block that obstructs the wheel) is wood that impedes the wheel. The Second Two is the middle of thought and corresponds to night (occupies night). The petty person’s wisdom is insufficient to clarify principle: stopping is still acceptable; action brings misfortune.

The Third Three: “Close its doors and gates; use this to stop mad gu.” The appraisal says: Closing the doors and gates is to guard against what is improper. Gu means delusion; yu (defense) also means stopping. The Third is the door; it is also the high point of thought, and is completed intention and corresponds to day. The noble person thinks three times before acting; if one is madly deluded and improper, it can no longer be concealed.

Therefore, when an intention has already formed and is about to issue into action, one must be cautious and only then act. The fourth eulogy (ci four) says: “Stopping beside the bare, branchless young tree, one seeks edible sparse grain.” The Ce commentary (the explanation of the eulogy) says: “Stopping beside the young tree, what is sought will surely be exhausted without gain.” Wang’s commentary says: “‘Young tree’ refers to a tree that is bare and without branches or trunk; ‘sparse grain’ refers to the edible parts of plants and trees.” Sima Guang says: “Ci four belongs to ‘Lower Emolument’ and also meets ‘night’ (the Taixuan uses day and night to distinguish good and bad fortune, and night mostly indicates disadvantage); a petty person seeks rank and emolument but does not follow the right way, and so will certainly have no gain.”

The fifth eulogy says: “The pillar is fixed in the round thatched hut; the carriage canopy covers the carriage; the hub evenly distributes the spokes.” The Ce commentary says: “For the three—pillar, canopy, and hub—what is valuable is that they are centered.” The Fan edition writes gu meaning “valley” where the text has gu meaning “hub”; here I follow the editions of the two Songs, Lu, Wang, and others; in ancient usage the two characters were interchangeable. Wang’s commentary says: “Dian means ‘fixed.’ It is like a pillar fixed in a thatched hut, finding its resting place; the carriage canopy covers the carriage, and when the carriage moves the canopy does not move along with it; the hub gathers the spokes evenly, and although the spokes turn, the hub itself always remains in the center. All these take ‘stopping’ as their function. The fifth eulogy occupies the center and attains its position; it is good at the way of moving and stopping, and so this image is used.” Sima Guang says: “Lu is a round thatched hut; one must first set up a pillar in the middle to secure it. The carriage canopy has a canopy-boss to receive the bow-shaped supports; the wheel has a hub to even out the spokes. When the human mind has something on which to stop, it must long maintain the middle way; being like these three is what makes it valuable.”

The sixth eulogy says: “Square wheels and an edged axle make the carriage bumpy and jolting.” The Ce commentary says: “Square wheels are bumpy; this is instead bringing vibration upon oneself.” The Fan edition writes guang for lian; here I follow the various editions. For kanke, the Fan edition and the Xiao Song edition use a different second character; here I follow the Song and Lu editions; both characters are read ke. Wang’s commentary says: “If the wheel is square, it must be hard to move; if the axle has edges, it must get stuck. Using it on the road, it will surely jolt the carriage and cannot arrive smoothly.” Sima Guang says: “Ci six belongs to ‘Upper Emolument’ and symbolizes abundance, yet it meets ‘night’; a petty person advances without following the right way, and although he stops in an abundant position, in the end he cannot be at peace.”

This is a passage from the Collected Commentary on the Taixuan Jing (Classic of Supreme Mystery), Sima Guang’s collected commentary on Yang Xiong’s Taixuan Jing. “The Seventh” and “The Eighth” refer to the seventh and eighth zan in a certain shou of the Taixuan; a zan is roughly equivalent to a yao line in the Zhouyi.

The Seventh says: The carriage wheel is tied and the horse’s hooves are snagged; at this time it is fitting to stop and keep to what is correct. The Ce (Measuring) statement says: When the carriage is entangled and the horse is obstructed, movement will be constrained; one should not force oneself forward. In the collation of editions, in the Song and Lu editions the graph read zhi in the Chen pronunciation is written as the graph read jiao; the Fan edition has the zhi/chi graph; here I follow the Smaller Song edition. In the Smaller Song edition the graph read lin is written as the graph read lian; here I follow the Song, Lu, and Fan editions. The Chen pronunciation of the zhi/chi graph is like zhi, and the Wu pronunciation is like chi. For the next graph, the Wu pronunciation is given by the fanqie liang-she; some commentators write it as lie, which is a copying error. Fan’s commentary says that the graph in question, also written with the zhi/chi form, is the carriage wheel, and that the next graph means “to trample or overrun”; Wang’s commentary says that lei means “to have something tied” and that the next graph means “to have something hung up.” When carriage and horse are tied and obstructed, this is precisely the time to stop and seek correctness. Sima Guang says: Seven is the position of failed resolve and loss or damage, yet it encounters “day”—the Taixuan judges fortune and misfortune by day and night—and so there is tying and obstruction. If the noble man stops when he sees danger, he does not lose his correctness.

The Eighth says: A good bow is also contrary, a bad bow is also contrary; a good horse is also stubborn, a bad horse is also stubborn. This will snap the bowstring and smash the carriage, and in the end there can be no stopping. The Ce statement says: When the bow turns contrary and the horse is stubborn, in the end they cannot be used. In the collation of editions, the Wang edition reads: “The bow is good yet contrary, the horse is good yet stubborn, the bad horse is stubborn”; the Song edition reads: “The bow is good yet contrary, the bad bow is contrary, the horse is good yet stubborn, the bad horse is stubborn”; the Fan edition writes the word for “stubborn” as the word for “resentment.” Here the word for “stubborn” follows the various commentators, and the rest follows the Fan edition. Peng, read by the fanqie bo-meng, is the bowstring; yan means to stop. Song’s commentary says: Breaking the string and smashing the carriage means it cannot be used. Wang’s commentary says: A contrary bow cannot shoot, and a fierce, bad horse cannot be controlled; if one forces their use, there will certainly be the trouble of snapping the string and breaking the carriage, and in the end there can be no stopping. Sima Guang says: Though the bow is good, it likes to turn contrary; though the horse is good, its nature is fierce; in the end they cannot be used—how much less so when they are inherently bad?

The eighth appraisal, “Calamity Within” (“Huozhong”) and “Peeling and Falling” (“Boluo”), also coincides with “Night” (the Taixuan uses day and night to mark the auspicious and inauspicious character of the appraisals; night mostly symbolizes the misfortune and blame of petty people), symbolizing a petty person who is perverse, obstinate, and does not know when to stop. The Xunzi says: If a bow is ultimately unusable, how much more so something worse than it? It also says: A bow is first adjusted and only then is strength sought; a horse is first tamed and only then is goodness sought; a scholar is first trustworthy and only then is intelligence sought. The top nine (the ninth appraisal) says: Being broken by a tree trunk and obstructed by a zhi stone, one then stops. The Ce statement says: Breaking wood and obstructing with stone—this is precisely where the gentleman should stop. In textual collation, for “zhi” the Song and Lu editions read “bian,” the Xiaosong edition reads “xian,” and the Wang edition reads “zhi,” pronounced zhi, referring to a stone used for pounding silk; here the Wang edition is followed. Mr. Wu says that the graph kai is pronounced kai and means “obstruction.” Sima Guang says: Nine symbolizes limits and barriers and stones, and is also the end of calamity, yet it encounters “Day”; when the gentleman’s Way can no longer be put into practice, one should stop. The final “Third Region, Second Province, Third Department, Second Family, Jian” is the head-title coordinate of the Taixuan, indicating that this passage belongs to the “Jian” (Firm) head.

This passage discusses the First One and Second Two zan (appraisals) in the “Jian” section of the Taixuan. The “Yin family” is correlated with Metal among the Five Phases and is also compared to the Gen trigram in the Zhouyi (Gen symbolizes mountain stone and multi-jointed wood, both of which have the image of hardness). When one enters the First One of the “Jian” section, calendrically it corresponds to eight fen and twenty seconds; the sun reaches the Ximu star station, corresponding to the solar term Beginning of Winter; the handle of the Northern Dipper points to the hai position, and the pitch pipe corresponds to Yingzhong. At this time yin Qi is dense and abundant, yang Qi has lost its order, and the myriad things therefore vie with one another in displaying hardness and strength. Commentators explain “pianmao” as the appearance of dense abundance and “xu” as undertaking: yin Qi is robust and flourishing, while yang Qi has lost its proper work and is powerless, and so the myriad things rely on yin Qi and compete in strength. Some commentators also explain “pian” as firm.

The appraisal text of the First One says, “A boulder is firm within; it is not transformed in its integrity,” and the Ce (assessment) statement says, “A boulder is firm within; it cannot be transformed.” This means that the heart is obstinate like a boulder and cannot be transformed so as to enter into correctness. Sima Guang holds that the First One occupies the lower position, belongs to “Reflection at the Beginning,” and falls at night; it symbolizes the petty person, who is foolish and stubborn, with a heart as hard as a boulder and difficult to educate. Confucius said, “Only the most foolish do not change,” meaning that the most benighted fools will not change.

The appraisal text of the Second Two says, “Firm as the form of white jade, inwardly transformed in integrity,” and the Ce statement says, “Firm as the form of white jade; change is possible.” This means that although it is firm like the form of white jade, inwardly it can be transformed and return to correctness; such change can be accomplished. Sima Guang holds that the Second Two is “Reflection in the Middle” and falls in the daytime; it symbolizes the noble person, whose heart, though firm and white as jade, can nevertheless move toward good as soon as he sees it and correct his faults as soon as he has them, inwardly renewing himself day by day and returning to correctness. This is the firm integrity described in the Yi as “firm as a stone.”

This passage contrasts the First One and the Second Two: both are firm, but the petty person is firm and cannot be transformed, while the noble person is firm yet able to be transformed.

Although the noble person’s inner heart is firm and pure as white jade, when he sees goodness he yearns for it and follows it; when he has faults he corrects them. Inwardly he continually transforms and renews himself day by day, and thus returns to the right path. The Yi says, “Firm as a stone, not waiting the whole day, upright and auspicious”—meaning that his conduct is firm as a rock, and without waiting for the whole day he can hold to correctness; the result is auspicious.

The third Zan (Ci San) says, “Firm but not freezing; perhaps something leaks from within”—that is, though hard, it cannot form ice, and one fears that yang qi is leaking out from inside. The Ce statement says, “Firm but not freezing; it cannot hold to the center.” Here “qi” means “center,” indicating failure to maintain central correctness. The Song commentary says that qi means center; the Fan commentary says that in the month when hard ice should form, ice does not form, and one fears that yang qi is leaking within. Sima Guang holds that the third Zan occupies the position of “completing intention” and meets “night” (night symbolizes darkness and deviation from correctness); the petty person’s heart is not firm, good and evil contend within him, he is of two minds, has a beginning but no end, and cannot keep his thoughts and actions within the rules or sincerely hold to the middle way. It is like ice that wishes to be firm on the outside, while an abnormal yang qi leaks out from within, so that in the end it cannot become ice. The textual differences in the original—where the character for “ice” is sometimes written as that for “mound,” and so on—are collations by old commentators; here I follow the Fan, Wang, and Xiaosong editions.

The fourth Zan (Ci Si) says, “Little bees buzz busily, working at their hive and its base; what matters is not a large base but a firm one.” The Ce statement says, “Little bees buzz busily, consolidating their shi”; shi means root, meaning to consolidate its root. Old commentaries differ: Fan Wang takes di as virtue and yi as the state; Wang Ya takes di as bee larva and yi as the hive; Sima Guang holds that di is interchangeable with ti, the base of the hive, that jie means “large,” and that di metaphorically denotes virtue while yi denotes the state. The fourth Zan occupies the position of “lower emolument” and meets “day” (day symbolizes brightness and uprightness); the noble person cultivates virtue in order to secure his position. The state does not lie in being large but in diligently cultivating virtuous governance to consolidate its foundation. It is also like little bees busily building a hive: they must first make the base well; the hive need not be large—so long as the base is firm, it will not fall.

The fifth Zan (Ci Wu) says, “The hive is large and the base small; emptiness”—that is, when the hive is large but its base is small, the result is empty and unstable. This means that when the root on which one relies is small but what one carries is large, there will be depletion and instability.

This scriptural passage and its commentary say: the prognostic verse states, “When the honeycomb is large and its stem small, the state will be empty.” Fan’s commentary says: when the state is small but has De (Virtue/Power), the people are prosperous; when the state is large but its De is thin, the people are empty. Sima Guang says: among the Qi (vital energy) of central harmony, none is more abundant than “Five,” but if it encounters “Night” (the Taixuan regards Day as auspicious and Night as inauspicious), the petty person enjoys abundant fortune yet cannot preserve it. Though the state be large, if its De is thin, it is like a large honeycomb with a small stem—before long it will fall. What is called “empty” means that outwardly its power is strong, while inwardly it is actually utterly empty.

The Sixth Line (the sixth yao position) says, “A slender stem, minute and tiny, hangs over the Nine Provinces.” The prognostic verse says: the slender stem hangs, and the people thereby are secure and well. The collation note explains that “sha” is sometimes written “you,” meaning a minute and fine appearance; the two forms of “xian” are identical, and “xian” means “to hang”; Wang’s commentary says “sha” is the same as “miao.” Sima Guang says: Six symbolizes the highest emoluments, abundance, and extreme greatness, and it falls on “Day” (auspicious). The Son of Heaven holds fast to firm De; one person has blessing and felicity, and the myriad people rely on him, just as a fine small stem suspends a large honeycomb—supporting the great with the small and remaining secure.

The Seventh Line says, “A hard crown strikes a tomb.” The prognostic verse says: with a hard head one butts a grave mound, not knowing where to go. “Dian” means the top of the head. Seven symbolizes loss of resolve, damage and defeat, descent from the mountain, and it falls on “Night” (inauspicious). The petty person is stubborn and vicious and does not understand the Dao (the Way); it is like using a hard head to butt a mound—one does not know where one will end up.

The Eighth Line says, “Hardness brings calamity; only by using Jie’s uprightness [can it be resolved].” The prognostic verse says: because of hardness and rigidity one invites calamity; one must use uprightness and rectitude to dissolve it. In the collation note, “jie” is the same as “xiezhi”; Wang’s commentary says the xiezhi is a beast that butts evil. Sima Guang says: Eight is in the midst of calamity and falls on “Day”; it is one who relies on hardness and rigidity to incur calamity. Yet the gentleman’s resolve lies in butting evil; though because of hardness he treads into calamity, he does not lose the correct Way.

The Top Nine says, “The bee burns its wings; it is lost upon the corpse.” This is the image of the extreme position: like a bee whose wings are burned away, it finally loses its life upon a corpse.

The “Ce” statement of the Taixuan says: “The bee burns the wings on which it relies for support” (“yi” here is borrowed to refer to what the bee relies on; this line follows the Fan, Wang, and Xiaosong editions as “the bee burns its yi”; “sang” is read as xi-lang qie and means “to lose”), and what it relies on is thereby lost. Fan Wang’s commentary glosses “shi” as “zhu” (master). Sima Guang holds that the character “yi” should be understood according to the corrected reading; Nine is the extreme of calamity and also occupies the “night” position, symbolizing a petty person whose wickedness is obstinate and who ultimately brings ruin to the household, just like a bee that burns its own hive and loses its master. He therefore cites the Zhouyi phrase “the bird burns its nest” as evidence. The final line, “Sanfang Sanzhou Yibu Yijia Cheng,” is the arrangement position in the Taixuan, indicating that this shou belongs to the Three Regions, Three Provinces, One Division, and One Family, and that the name of the shou is “Cheng.”

This passage discusses the doctrinal meaning of the “Cheng” head in the Taixuan Jing. It is classified as Yang-family Water and is paired with the Jiji hexagram of the Zhouyi; the sun moves to the Ji lunar mansion. At this time Yin Qi (vital energy) is clear and cold, while Yang Qi is hidden in the earth (here “ling” refers to the earth), and the myriad things rely on it to complete their forms and substance. Sima Guang says: Yang Qi is stored beneath the earth and broadly serves as the master of the myriad things; the myriad things rely on it to be brought to completion and to fulfill their forms.

First One: When an affair has succeeded but one acts as if it has not, its function will not cease; it is merely hidden and not displayed. The appraisal says: Succeeding yet seeming not to have succeeded—therefore one does not fail. Wang’s commentary says: At the beginning of success, it obtains its position and corresponds to day (daytime); achieving success without boasting, its function therefore does not cease and secretly accords with the Dao (the Way). Sima Guang says: The First One is positioned below and corresponds to day; the way of the noble person grows daily more manifest even while hidden; “ming” means hidden and not exposed. The Laozi says: “Achieve success but do not dwell in the merit.” It is precisely because one does not dwell in it that the merit is not lost.

Second Two: Success is still slight, yet one keeps changing it back and forth; before the affair is completed there is danger. The appraisal says: Success is still slight and one changes it again; this means it cannot complete itself. Wang’s commentary says: Losing position and corresponding to night, success is still slight; if one further alters it, the affair will certainly fail and there will be danger. Sima Guang says: The Second Two has the meaning of repetition and corresponds to night; the petty person’s mind is not focused, so there will certainly be no success. The Zhouyi says: “Advancing like a marmot—even steadfastness is dangerous.”

Third Three: At the time of success, one leaps forward and then withdraws; one can fly but does not pursue. The appraisal says: Leaping and withdrawing at the time of success—completed De (Virtue/Power) is instead robust. Wang’s commentary says: When the affair has already succeeded, to advance and then withdraw, knowing to caution oneself, means that advancing will be without fault. Sima Guang says: The Third Three has the meaning of “completion” and corresponds to day (daytime).

This passage of the scripture says: When a noble person encounters an affair, he should keep a wary and cautious heart. He may advance or retreat, hesitating and unresolved, because once the matter is completed it is like a bird that has already flown away and cannot be pursued and brought back. Therefore advancing and retreating must be handled with caution. The Yi says, “Or leaping in the abyss; no blame” — weighing the time and advancing or retreating, and thus having no fault — and this is also the meaning.

The fourth line: If, when a matter is about to succeed, one is arrogant and self-important, one will ruin the success. The Ce commentary (the text explaining the praise-verse) says: To be arrogant when success is near is a defect in the way of success. Wang’s commentary says: This position has lost its proper place and also meets “Night” (the Taixuan pairs day and night with the praise-positions to symbolize good and ill fortune); therefore, when a matter is about to succeed, if one gives oneself airs, one will certainly ruin that success. The way of success most abhors boasting of one’s merits and claiming credit for oneself. Sima Guang remarks: The fourth line occupies the position of “lower emolument” (a relatively low emolument rank), and so it is called “about to succeed”; it also meets Night, and so it has the image of arrogance. Duke Huan of Qi, at the assembly at Kuiqiu (the covenant meeting of the feudal lords presided over by Duke Huan of Qi), overawed the feudal lords and became proud; as a result, nine of the feudal states rebelled and departed.

The fifth line: To succeed in the middle period, to supervise alone, and to have a grand scope. The Ce commentary says: “Succeeding in the middle and supervising alone” means being able to keep to the middle way. The Qi of central harmony is nowhere more abundant than in the fifth line, and it also meets “Day,” symbolizing that after a ruler has achieved success, he alone wields the August Ultimate (the central highest norm), oversees the four quarters, and his virtue and undertakings become greatly illustrious.

The sixth line: To become the leader of success yet act in a petty manner, and instead to bring disaster upon oneself through success. The Ce commentary says: “The leader of success is petty” because one is not modest and yielding. Wang’s commentary says: The sixth line occupies a position of fullness and flourishing, yet it has lost its place and meets Night. Although it is the chief leader of success, if inwardly it harbors petty conduct, it will surely destroy its achievements and incur disaster. Sima Guang remarks: The sixth line is at the extreme of greatness and meets Night. Whenever a great achievement is completed, there are many who wish to share in the credit; as the leader, since one has presided over the great achievement, one should distribute the small merits to others, and only then will the multitude be pleased and submit. If one wishes to possess it all, one will be resented by the multitude and instead incur disaster because of success.

The seventh line: When success has omissions and deficiencies, one should supplement and repair them.

The Appraisal text says: “When success is about to be achieved but has a deficiency, and one remedies it, it is inherently difficult to continue.” The Song and Lu editions have “rely on” for “continue”; here I follow the Fan and Wang editions and read “continue.” Fan’s commentary says: The seventh yao is the image of losing one’s resolve, hence there is a deficiency; the way of the noble person is skilled at repairing faults, and so when there is a deficiency, it is repaired. Wang’s commentary says: Under success it is difficult to continue; one should reflect on the means of repairing faults.

The Second Eight says: The time may allow completion, but completion does not occur; Heaven sends down calamity and blame, and one loses rectitude. The Appraisal text says: “The time may achieve, yet it does not achieve; it alone misses the Mean.” The Wang edition reads “stop” where others have “lose”; here I follow the various commentators and read “lose.” Fan’s commentary says: Eight is Wood, the time when autumn brings completion. Sima Guang says: The petty person finds himself in a time when achievement is possible, but lacks the virtue to complete it; he misses the Mean of the opportune time, and so Heaven sends calamity and he loses the correct Way.

The Upper Nine says: When success reaches exhaustion, it enters decline, and accomplished merit is destroyed; the noble person does not seek such completion. The Appraisal text says: “Success exhausted and thereby ruined: the noble person thereby makes an end.” The Younger Song edition has “the petty person ruins success”; here I follow the various commentators. Nine is the number of exhaustion and decline, yet it corresponds to “day” (in the Taixuan, “day” means Yang and good fortune). When the sun reaches its zenith it inclines; when the moon is full it wanes. That success, when exhausted, enters decline is the natural principle of things; a single failure destroys accomplished merit. The noble person knows that where there is completion there must be destruction, so he constantly restrains and diminishes himself, not allowing affairs to develop into the fullest success, in order to preserve blessings and emoluments for life. Yang Youji shot willow leaves from a hundred paces, hitting the mark with every shot. A man beside him said: “Excellent! If you do not rest because of your good shooting, after a while your breath will weaken and your strength tire; the bow will be awry and the arrow bent; if one shot misses, the achievement of a hundred hits will be completely wasted.” This is the sort of principle being spoken of.

“Third Fang, Third Zhou, First Section, Second House” marks the section and ordinal position of this passage in the arrangement of the Taixuan.

This shou (section) belongs to the Yin-family Fire and corresponds to the Shike hexagram of the Zhouyi (Shike symbolizes biting and closing). The name of the shou means closing and joining: Mr. Fan and Mr. Wang read it as “zhimi” (dense/close); Mr. Chen holds that it should be “gui,” pronounced zhi-li qie, meaning to shut a door; Mr. Wu reads it ding-jie qie, the same as “zhi” (obstruct); Mr. Lu says “ke” means to join, and this shou also refers to Yin and Yang closing together. When Yin and Yang interact excessively and merge into one body, the calamity makes all things weep. Song Zhong says: at this time Yin Qi is excessive and closed above, while Yang Qi declines and guards below; above and below are closed and guarded, tightly joined as one. Sima Guang says: “die” means excessive.

First One: Square and round do not fit; wuni is unsettled, and within, hollow and scattered, they separate. The Ce commentary says: “Square and round are wuni” means that internally they lose each other. Fan Wang says: Water is in the Fire family, and they mutually overcome and attack, like a round hole and a square tenon, entirely incompatible. Sima Guang says: this shou is about joining; First One is the beginning of thought, yet it meets “night” (the Tai Xuan regards day as auspicious and night as inauspicious), so its mind cannot join.

Second Two: There is no gap. The Ce commentary says: “No gap” means making the two join as one. Fan Wang says: the two fires meet and are as close as a single body. Sima Guang says: Second Two is the middle of thought and meets “day,” so it joins without gap; the two are as one. The Zhouyi says: When two people are of one mind, their sharpness can cut through metal.

Third Three: The dragon enters a cave not its own; its brightness disappears in the chamber. The Ce commentary says: “The dragon enters a cave not its own” means it loses its usual place. Mr. Wang says: “xi” means to enter. One edition lacks the character “dragon”; here I follow the Song, Lu, and Fan editions.

Fourth Four: Fragrant richness is strong and strikes the nose; it is beneficial for fine steadfastness. The Ce commentary says: “The uprightness of extinguishing the nose” means the fragrance has a place to return and sink (this sentence has textual variants; here I follow Wang’s edition, which reads “mei suo fang”). This shou corresponds to Shike, so it has the image of eating and drinking; Fourth Four is the beginning of blessing and also meets “day.”

This scriptural passage and its commentary discuss food and drink, cravings and desires, the self-injury that comes from greed for profit, as well as the repairing of faults and the principle that things reverse when they reach an extreme.

The scripture says: When food and drink arrive, one must first distinguish whether their odor is fragrant or foul; when one sees profit that can be obtained, one must think of the Dao and righteousness and must not lose the upright Dao.

The Fifth Line says: Biting bone injures the teeth, and one still fills an earthenware vessel (fou) to the brim; the appraisal commentary calls this “great greed for profit.” Although Five occupies a fortunate position, it meets with “Night” (in Taixuan divination, “Night” mostly indicates misfortune and the way of the petty person); therefore the petty person greedily pursues profit and injures himself, just as the Yi (Classic of Changes) says of biting dried meat and encountering poison.

The Sixth Line says: Drinking moisture and taking small sips, one obtains the smoothness of fat; the appraisal commentary says, “The Dao is sufficient for one’s cravings”—that is, what the noble person craves is the Dao, and even if he takes much, there is no harm. In his commentary Sima Guang compares variant readings among editions, such as “kengkeng” sometimes written “shunshun,” “han” sometimes written “wu,” and “shuoshuo,” etc.; the present text follows the Song, Lu, and Fan editions. Master Fan holds that “han” means moistening; when the moistening is abundant, it is kengkeng-like.

The Seventh Line says: A fault appears; what was previously joined later separates; the appraisal commentary says, “It is their joining and separating.” Seven is decline, ruin, and loss, and it also meets Night; thus one believes oneself meticulous and correct yet stumbles—first joined, later separated.

The Eighth Line says: Support what is broken and conceal what is lacking; the person is radiant and brave (jie means martial bravery); the appraisal commentary says that by repairing the broken and covering the lacking, one may still turn toward good. Eight is depletion and stripping away, yet it meets Day; hence this image.

The Top Nine says: Yin and Yang open; their transformation is red and white; the appraisal commentary says Yin is red and Yang is white; when they reach the extreme, they reverse. The wording differs slightly among editions (for example, “open”/“open” and “red”/“dark red”), but the main idea is that Yin and Yang change at the extreme and then reverse.

“Ceyue” (“the appraisal says”) refers to the explanatory and divinatory phrases that follow each shou in the Taixuan. Their general meaning is: yin appears red and yang appears white; when things develop to an extreme, they turn into their opposite. In Fan’s edition, “ce” is written as “yin and yang open; at the extreme they reverse,” while Wang’s edition writes “yin and yang are red and white; at the extreme they reverse.” The Xiaosong edition also has variant readings, including a phonetic gloss for “open” and “red” written as “yan” (pronounced wu-xian fanqie), and also has the wording “yin is dark red and yang is white; at the extreme they reverse.” Here Sima Guang follows the Song and Lu editions. As for the character e (pronounced wu-he fanqie), Wang considers it the ancient form of hua (“to transform”), while Wu considers e simply to be hua. Sima Guang holds that e indicates the sign of yin and yang being blocked and not penetrating; when things reach their extreme they reverse, and so they again change and open through, transforming and generating the myriad things—at sprouting they appear red, and when the sprout first emerges it appears white. The final sentence, “third fang, third zhou, first bu, third jia: Shi,” is an organizational marker in the Taixuan, indicating that the “Shi” shou belongs to the third fang, third zhou, first bu, and third jia.

The Yang family belongs to Wood and corresponds to the Daguo (Great Excess) hexagram in the Zhouyi. Entering the fourth line (the Fourth Praise) of the “Loss” (Shi) Head, its calendrical number is twenty-six fen and eleven miao, corresponding to the Minor Snow solar term. At this time Yin qi is at its fullest and acts as a thief; Yang qi can obtain nothing, and the myriad things fall into an unfathomable condition. Song Zhong’s commentary says: This means that at this time Yang qi is attacked and seized by the Yin thief and can no longer obtain anything.

The first line Praise says, “Piercing the void, the blade disappears.” The Ce (appraisal) text says: “Piercing the void, the blade disappears” means that one must deeply reflect on oneself from the incipient and subtle point. “Ji” are the subtle signs of movement, where good and bad fortune first become manifest. “One” is the subtle beginning of thought; in generating and nurturing the wondrous spirit, nothing comes before the One, and this Praise corresponds to day (belongs to Yang). Even if a noble person occasionally has a fault, he can think deeply and plan far ahead, correct himself at the incipient point, and not display it outwardly. It is like piercing the void with a blade: even if the blade is hidden, in the end there is no trace of injury.

The second line Praise says, “Slight De is numinous and subtle; loss.” The appraisal says: The loss of slight De lies in not knowing to revere the subtle signs. Here the character wei is written zheng in the editions of Song, Lu, and Fan; the present text follows Wang’s edition and reads wei. Miao is read as miao, meaning remote and small. The second line lies within “thought,” and therefore it is called “slight De.” The mechanism of gain and loss is both numinous and hidden, and at this point it corresponds to night (belongs to Yin). The petty person cannot carefully attend to the subtle signs, and so brings about a great fault.

The third line Praise says, “In the end he follows; he is anxious and reverent; it is the ancestor in his heart.” The appraisal says: “In the end he follows” means that he can reform himself. Wang’s commentary says: “Zu” means end, “cong” means accord, “xu” means worry, and “song” means reverence. The third line is in the time of “Loss,” but it obtains the proper position and corresponds to day; therefore it can in the end accord with the Great Dao, worry over faults, and add reverence. “It is the ancestor in his heart” means that the thoughts in his heart take this as the master. Sima Guang remarks: The third line is the Praise of “Completing the Intention” and meets day, and so has this image; the first line corrects before it has yet taken form, while the third line reforms faults and adds reverence. What is called “it is the ancestor in his heart” simply means that the mind takes this as the master.

Each shou of the Taixuan is divided into nine zan, and each zan text is followed by an appended ce commentary. When a zan falls on “Night,” it mostly indicates misfortune; the positions of stipend and rank have upper and lower gradations. The opening says: “When a matter has not yet become manifest, rectify it once; after it has taken shape, correct it three times.”

The fourth zan says, “Trusting one’s fault and not eating, one reaches slanting and hiding.” This means: to allow and persist in one’s own fault and not eat—referring both to not eating food and metaphorically to not enjoying a salary—all the way until the sun slants and sets. The ce commentary says, “Trusting one’s fault and not eating: losing one’s salary is correct.” To persist in one’s fault and not eat means one will lose one’s proper salary. The Fan edition has “proper salary”; here I follow the Song, Lu, and Wang editions, which read “losing one’s salary is correct.” Master Wang says: When one is in a time of losing position, and again loses position while falling on Night, if one cannot correct one’s own fault, this is to trust one’s erroneous conduct and not eat. As for “slanting and hiding,” it means the whole day. Not eating for a whole day will surely ruin the body. “Eating” also metaphorically refers to salary, so the ce text and the zan text illuminate each other. Xiao Song says: The sun slanting is called “ce”; the sun setting is called “ni.” Sima Guang says: Four is lower salary, and it also falls on Night, hence this image.

The fifth zan says, “Huang er through the center, it becomes a fence. The gentleman uses it to wash away faults.” The ce commentary says, “Huang er through the center: faults are thereby washed away.” The “er” is read wu-ji (fanqie). Master Fan says: “Huang er” refers to the signs of old age—yellow hair and child’s teeth. Master Song says: When white hair changes again, it is called “huang”; when teeth fall out and grow again, it is called “er.” “Fan” means fence. One can use centrality and rectitude as a fence; the gentleman relies on this to wash away faults. The ce text says that by relying on centrality and rectitude, faults are thereby washed away.

The sixth zan says, “Filling his granaries, overgrowing his fields; eating the fruit, not nourishing the root.” The ce commentary says, “Granaries full and fields overgrown: he cannot cultivate the root.” Master Fan says: He does not cultivate his virtue but occupies an upper salary; though the granaries are full, the fields are overgrown; the common people are utterly exhausted. He only eats the fruit and distresses the root; when the root is not firm, the loss is severe. Sima Guang says: Six is upper salary, symbolizing abundance and extreme greatness, but it falls on Night, hence this image. When the people are affluent, the ruler is affluent, just as only by nourishing the root can one eat the fruit.

The seventh zan says, “For illness, then medicine; the shaman, then pours libations.” The ce commentary says, “Medicine for illness and libations by the shaman: disaster can be turned.” Master Fan says: The shaman’s invocation is used to give thanks and remove faults; when faults are removed, the illness heals, and then one pours wine to pray for blessings. Sima Guang says: Seven is the lower position of misfortune; one encounters blame and harm and incurs disaster, but its time is Day, hence this image. For illness there is medicine, and the shaman pours libations and prays; disaster can be turned.

“Ci ba” (the Second Eight) discusses images of anomaly: a hen crows at the Chen hour, a cow grows horns, and a fish runs onto wood. The prognostic verse says that this means the normal order has been inverted. Fan Wang (a commentator on the Taixuan) explains: a hen should not herald the dawn; a cow should not grow horns yet does; a fish should be in water yet climbs onto wood—all are serious departures from correctness, and so these images are chosen.

“Shang jiu” (Top Nine) says: as the sun and moon move on, even after a person has died (is in the coffin), one must still correct one’s faults. The prognostic verse says that correcting one’s faults after death is still not far off. Fan Wang says: the Way of the noble man is practiced in the world, and even in death it still survives; one does not abandon it because of advanced age or because the sun and moon have passed; when there are gains and losses, even in the coffin one still thinks of correcting oneself. Wang Ya (a commentator) says: the former worthies left profound admonitions; to correct after death still cannot be called far off. Sima Guang says: for faults committed in life, to admonish one’s descendants at the end to correct them is still not far off. King Gong of Chu, on the point of death, told the Lingyin (a Chu official title) to promote Zhisu and expel Shenhou. Liu Xiang (author of the Xinxu, New Preface) says that doing so could enlighten descendants and warn future generations, better than remaining unaware until death. Sima Guang points out that the character “Zhi” is not found in dictionaries, and that Shenhou was originally a minister of King Wen of Chu; this is a mistaken record in the Xinxu.

The arrangement at the head of “Ju” belongs to the Three Regions, Three Provinces, and Two Sections (number twelve), with one family named “Ju”; its nature belongs to the Yin family, among the Five Phases it belongs to Metal, and it also corresponds to the Daguo (Great Excess) hexagram in the Zhouyi. Entering the first Ci four of “Ju” (number thirteen), the sun reaches the Southern Dipper lunar mansion. Wang Ya says: “Ju” means extreme, referring to transgression reaching its utmost. Sima Guang says: Daguo is an age when the ridgepole bends; “Ju” is also an image of separation and disorder. Yin qi, exhausted to the utmost, becomes abundant.

The Yin family belongs to Metal, and this head also accords with the Daguo hexagram of the Zhouyi. Entering the fourth zan of the “Ju” head (each head of the Taixuan is divided into nine zan; the “next fourth” is the fourth zan), the Sun takes its lodge in the Southern Dipper. Wang’s commentary says: “Ju” means extreme; it is when excess and deviation reach their utmost. Sima Guang says: Daguo symbolizes an age when the ridgepole bends and is about to collapse; “Ju” is also a symbol of disorder and separation. Yin qi is at its utmost and exceedingly great, making yang qi weep, and it has not the slightest merit toward the myriad things; this is the extreme of disorder and separation. Song’s commentary says: this is when yin qi is extremely flourishing, bullying and weakening yang qi, making yang qi weep, and no longer having the slightest merit toward the myriad things. Sima Guang says: “chou” means those of the same kind; all the myriad things that obtain yang qi and are born belong to the yang category. Since yin qi has already reached its utmost and holds sway, the yang category all encounters the calamity of Ju.

First One: Bones and flesh are entangled and bound together, dark and unclear. The appraisal says: bones and flesh entangling one another means internal corruption. The commentary says: bone and flesh are originally things close to one another; the First One is the beginning of thought and falls in “night” (in the Taixuan, night is baleful and dark); the source of calamity and disorder arises from within, like bone entangling and binding flesh, hidden and unseen by people.

Second Two: Blood flows out and erodes; misfortune. Even keeping upright is misfortune. The appraisal says: blood issuing and eroding means the noble man is inwardly injured.

Third Three: Drinking wine causes loss of virtue; ghosts peer into his room. The appraisal says: losing virtue through drink is failure to maintain oneself. Shan means to peer.

Fourth Four: Seeking food amid the disorder of Ju, one’s parents send cooked food; it goes smoothly. The appraisal says: obtaining food amid the disorder of Ju and going smoothly means obediently receiving sustenance. Jun means cooked food.

Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan Jing is Sima Guang’s work gathering various masters’ annotations on the Taixuan. In the Taixuan, each shou (head) has nine zan (commendations); after the zan text a “Ce” (appraisal) is appended to explain it. “Facing day” and “facing night” are the yin-yang positions in which the zan is situated: day symbolizes accordance with the right way and the junzi (gentleman) meeting the time, while night symbolizes depravity gaining power and petty persons being employed.

The Fourth: The meaning of the zan centers on “cooked food and compliance” (jun ruo). Jun means cooked food, and ruo means compliance. Sima Guang says that the fourth occupies a lower-grade salary position and corresponds to day: the junzi takes office in a chaotic age, seeks salary in order to support his kin, and still does not fail to comply with the Way. Fan Wang’s commentary also says: jun is cooked food, and ruo is compliance.

The Fifth: Going out into the wilds, one sees ruins, and there is also a tiger pasturing pigs, seizing people’s trousers and short jackets. The Ce says, “Going out to the wilds, one sees emptiness,” meaning there is nowhere to settle. Sima Guang says that the fifth occupies the middle salary rank and corresponds to night: petty persons take advantage of chaotic times to occupy a flourishing position, giving themselves over to greed and cruelty and injuring the common people, like a tiger pasturing pigs, leaving the people at a loss as to what to do. “Xu” meaning “empty” is the same as “xu” meaning “ruins,” referring to a ruined site; “qian” means to take; “ku” meaning “trousers” is the same as “ku” meaning “pants”; “ru” is a short jacket.

The Sixth: The states of the four quarters are full of people, and so one seeks a secure dwelling. The Ce says, “The four states are full here,” which means seeking a dwelling in which to settle oneself.

The Seventh: Externally fat and abundant, yet wearing calamity on the head. The Ce says (the original text reads “lü er feng er”): amid abundance, calamity is manifest. The original character “feng” has variant readings such as ban, niu, and yang; here we follow the Song and Lu editions; “pao,” “feng,” and “jiao” are pronunciation glosses.

The Eighth: The water-drawing bottle is entangled by the well rope; keeping to correctness, one becomes haggard. The Ce says: The bottle is bound by the rope because its duty is urgent and it must draw water. “Yu” is the well rope.

The Top Nine: Seawater surges up in flocks and flies, covering Tianhang (high and distant places such as the sky vault or the Milky Way). The Ce says: When seawater flies in flocks, such a situation ultimately cannot be spoken of. “Bi” meaning “harm” is interchangeable with “bi” meaning “to cover”; “Tianhang” follows the various editions.

This is a vernacular exposition of the scripture text and commentary of the Xun Head in the Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan Jing.

In the Taixuan (Yang Xiong’s divination-philosophical work modeled on the Zhouyi), the Xun Head occupies the position “third fang, third zhou, second bu, second jia” (third direction, third province, second section, second family). It belongs to the Yang family and the Earth phase and corresponds to the Kun hexagram in the Zhouyi. Song Zhong’s commentary says: Kun means yielding, and Xun also means yielding. When yin qi is greatly compliant, it is chaotic and boundless, with no endpoint, and its source cannot be seen. This means that after yin qi has completed its work and reaches the time of great compliance, the results return to yang; its affair is chaotic and without beginning, so its root cannot be seen.

The first zan says, “The yellow spirit is hidden and steadfast; Xun.” The ce says, “The yellow spirit is hidden and steadfast; it is compliant and thereby correct.” The commentary explains: because it belongs to the Earth family, it is called “yellow”; because it generates spirit, it is called “spirit”; because it occupies the lower-lower position, it is called “hidden”; because it corresponds to day, the daytime position, it is called “steadfast.” At the very beginning of thought it possesses these four virtues, being both compliant and able to keep to correctness.

The second zan says, “Its moisture; the woman’s toil; if not quiet, she loses her life.” The ce says, “The loss of moisture is because one cannot be pure and quiet.” Old editions have variant readings: some write it as sheng, “rope”; some write the ancient character for yun, “pregnant”; some read it as yuan; and some gloss it as “beautiful.” Fan’s commentary says that gao means moistening; the Wang edition has zheng in place of wang, and here I follow the various commentators. The gist is: the reason the nourishing moisture is depleted is that one cannot be pure and quiet; when a woman toils without peace, quiet, and settledness, she will consume her life.

The third zan says, “The female is steadfast and constantly compassionate, guarding its root.” The ce says, “The female is steadfast and constantly compassionate; she does not forget the root.” The Zhouyi says, “Persisting in one’s virtue and being steadfast, for a woman it is auspicious.” Kun symbolizes the mother; the third zan by nature delights in benevolence and love and has many children, and it corresponds to day, so it says that the maternal nature keeps to correctness and constantly harbors compassion; this means that constant compassion is the woman’s proper way. The third belongs to Wood; it is the upper stage of thought, the completion of intention, and natural spontaneity, and it can not forget its root.

The fourth zan says, “Parading one’s toil is not as good as the heroism of the fifth.” The ce says, “Parading one’s toil is boasting of one’s goodness.” This means that boastfully displaying one’s achievements is not as good as the hero of the fifth zan. Wang’s commentary says: one whose virtue can embrace a thousand people is called a hao, a hero. Sima Guang says: the fourth zan is the position of lower emolument and also corresponds to the night position; therefore it has the meaning of boasting of one’s toil and not being equal to the hero of the fifth.

When a petty person serves a ruler, he boasts of his own achievements; he is not like the fifth position, “Numinous Sack, Great Wrapping,” which does not dare to fill itself to overflowing. The fifth line: “Numinous Sack, Great Wrapping; its De (Virtue/Power) is precious yellow.” The Commentary says: “Numinous Sack, Great Wrapping” means not daring to make oneself full. The fifth position takes its image from the sack and the wrapping; Earth is containing, expansive, and greatly luminous, and so it is called “Numinous Sack, Great Wrapping.” The fifth occupies a flourishing position and corresponds to day. It symbolizes a noble person serving as a minister: high in position but not arrogant, great in merit but not boasting. Hence this image. The Yi (Book of Changes) says, “Yellow lower garment: supremely auspicious.” Yellow is the central color; the lower garment occupies the lower place, symbolizing dwelling in the center, holding to uprightness, and being humble and lowly. Here the text follows the editions of the various commentators in reading “Numinous Sack”; “precious” means valuable and weighty, while “yellow” takes the meaning of centrality and uprightness. The sixth line: “The sack loses its tie, leaking the precious vessel.” The Commentary says: “The sack loses its tie” means a minister’s tongue leaks secrets. The sixth position is the pit and the aperture; it passes beyond the center and corresponds to night. A petty person cannot contain and conceal the good and beautiful in order to serve the royal affairs; he is like a sack that loses its tied mouth and leaks its precious contents. The Yi says: “If a minister is not discreet, he loses his life.” The seventh line: “Square and firm, offending compliance; it is beneficial for a minister to be upright.” The Commentary says: “Square and firm, offending compliance” means guarding upright integrity. The seventh encounters blame and disaster but corresponds to day. When a noble person serves a superior, he offers what is acceptable and sets aside what is not; he acts with squareness and uprightness and guards himself with firmness. Although he may offend in some way, he does not conceal it, and still does not fail in compliance. This accords with the way of a minister, and therefore it is beneficial. The eighth line: “Compliant but not upright, one cannot preserve one’s life.” The Commentary says: “Compliant but not upright” means there is no unifying standard. The eighth is illness and stagnation, depletion and loss, stripping and falling away, and it corresponds to night. When a petty person serves a superior, in advancing and retreating, in moving left and right, in right and wrong, in yes and no, he merely complies with the ruler. He cannot guard the Dao and hold to the One, and therefore he cannot preserve his life. Top Nine: “Compliant in righteousness, forgetting life; one relies on Heaven’s uprightness.” The Commentary says: “Compliant.” That is, following righteousness and principle and forgetting life, relying on the uprightness of the Dao of Heaven. The Commentary’s mention of “compliant” makes clear that it means acting in accordance with righteousness.

The appraisal “Eight” symbolizes the stagnation of illness, depletion, and stripping away, and it coincides precisely with “night” (the Taixuan uses day and night as metaphors for yin and yang, good and evil). Thus it resembles a petty person serving a superior: swaying this way and that, uncertain whether to advance or retreat, blindly compliant about right and wrong, unable to firmly uphold the right Dao or hold fast to principles, and therefore unable to preserve life. The “Top Nine” says: One follows righteousness and forgets the self, relying on Heaven’s firm correctness. The “Ce” phrase (the Taixuan’s explanatory phrase) says: Following righteousness and forgetting life, one will surely receive Heaven’s mandate. The ninth position is the point where calamity is exhausted, yet it coincides with “hua” (daylight, a metaphor for the yang and firm gentleman): the gentleman serves his ruler with complete integrity, preferring death to a divided heart; following righteousness and forgetting life, what he relies on is only Heaven’s correct mandate. The final line, “Third Region, Third Province, Second Department, Third Family, Jiang,” is an organizational coordinate of the Taixuan Jing, indicating that this passage belongs to the Third Region, Third Province, Second Department, and Third Family, and that its first name is “Jiang.”

This passage discusses the “Jiang” head of the Taixuan: it belongs to the Yin family, is paired with Water, and corresponds to the Weiji hexagram of the Zhouyi. It occupies the eighth position—the “Jiang” head. The sun moves into the Xingji station, and the solar term corresponds to Great Snow; the handle of the Northern Dipper points to the zi position, and the pitch pipe matches Huangzhong. Master Lu says: “Jiang” means that Yin and Yang, having exhausted themselves above, turn to return below, and are just about to connect with the hexagrams Fu, Sheng, Jiji, and others. The Yi says that the myriad things cannot be exhausted, and so what follows is Weiji; the meaning is the same. Yin Qi above completes its benefiting and nourishing of the myriad things, while Yang Qi is about to extend and return, beginning from below. The Wang edition writes shi (beginning) as ru (as if); here we follow the editions of the various masters. Master Song says: At this time Yin Qi above brings the myriad things to completion; when the work is accomplished, the achiever withdraws, and so Yang Qi again begins to return from below.

First One: It is about to take an evil path; there is danger from the very beginning. The Ce commentary says: Jiang is about to create evil; it takes danger as its master. Master Fan says: “Li” means danger; “yuan” means beginning. Master Wang says: At the very beginning of Jiang, it loses its position and falls on night; thus it is about to create evil. Taking danger as its root, therefore it says “acts as master.” Sima Guang says: First One is the beginning of “Si” and falls on night, and therefore has this image.

Second Two: Jiang is without fault; its root is pure and beautiful. The Ce commentary says: Jiang is without blemish; afterward it will be easy to continue. Master Fan says: “Sui” means pure. Master Wang says: It gains its position and falls on the day; Jiang will have few faults, and so it says “Jiang is without blemish.” The second position’s original substance is pure and beautiful, and so it says “primordial purity.” If the beginning is without blemish, what follows will surely be easy to carry on. Sima Guang says: Second Two is the middle section of “Si” and falls on the day; hence this image.

Third Three: The furnace and potter’s wheel—smelting/casting and pottery-making—do not go smoothly; it is fitting to stop. The Ce commentary says: The furnace and wheel are blocked; the transformative nurturing is injured within. The Song and Lu editions have the Ce text as “The wheel does not transform; there is internal injury”; now we follow the Fan and Wang editions. Master Fan says: Smelting and casting make the furnace; making pottery makes the wheel. Master Wang says: The furnace and wheel are the beginning of creation; if the beginning does not follow its Way, the benefit lies in stopping quickly.

Here it explains the image-meanings of several positions in the Jiang Head of the Taixuan. “Ci” refers to a position within a Head. “Night” and “day” (daylight) are the positions of Night and Day in the Taixuan divination method; losing one’s position and corresponding to Night is usually inauspicious. At the beginning it says: the Way of Jiang is inherently capable of growing ever more flourishing, but if it loses its position and encounters Night, then even though it has a momentum to advance, it is not in accord with principle. Sima Guang’s commentary says: “Fou” is read as “bi,” meaning unwholesome; the third position symbolizes “Cheng Yi” (Completing the Intention) yet corresponds to Night, and so this image appears.

Fourth position: When about to take flight, it obtains feathers; it is beneficial to ascend to Heaven. The Ce text says, “About to fly, it obtains feathers,” because its support is strong. The fourth position is Xialu (Lower Stipend) and Waita (Outer Other)—terms of Taixuan positional imagery—and it also corresponds to Day. It symbolizes the ruler obtaining his position and having others assist him, like a bird about to fly that is given added feathers.

Fifth position: The great sparrow (jue is interchangeable with que, “sparrow”) is about to fly, but its large wing feathers (he) are plucked out; although it has many feathers, it cannot reach its destination. The Ce text says that when the great sparrow has its large wing feathers plucked out, it is not enough to rely on. Wang’s commentary says: The fifth position occupies a flourishing position and should originally serve as leader, but it loses its position and corresponds to Night, which is not fitting; it is like a great bird about to fly whose six large wing feathers have been plucked out—though it has many feathers, how could it get off the ground? Sima Guang cites the story of Duke Ping of Jin: Duke Ping said that he had more than three thousand retainers—did this not count as being fond of scholars? Gu Sang said that the swan goose’s ascent to the heavens depends on its six large wing feathers; whether the fine down under its belly and the feathers on its back are increased or decreased by a handful does not affect how high or low it flies. I do not know whether your retainers are the “six large wing feathers” or the down on the belly and back. The point is that the key lies in core assistants, not in numbers.

Sixth position: The sun has declined to the west (shi is read as die, referring to the sun’s decline) and is still fiercely hot; the noble man will decline and lower himself. The Ce text says, “The sun declines, fiercely hot; it is bright and great of itself.” Commentators explain that there is a textual variant here (the reading “decline and lower” is sometimes given as “Xianglong”), but the sense is still decline and lowering. Fan’s note: jiang means to go down; the fifth position is midday, and the sixth is the sun’s decline; lie lie means flourishing; the sun’s heat after the zenith is therefore called lie lie. Sima Guang says: The sixth position is Shanglu (Upper Stipend), but it has already passed the midpoint and corresponds to Day; although there is fierce flourishing, the noble man knows he will decline and can lower and restrain himself, and therefore does not lose his brightness and greatness.

Seventh position: Reckless actions such as kicking a boat or trampling a cart—their harm is not far. The Ce text says, “Kicking a boat and trampling a cart—harm is not far,” meaning that disaster will arrive very soon.

The Wang edition holds that when a thing has passed the middle position and is at the height of its power, even if it displays the image of blazing flourishing, the noble person knows it is about to decline and can abase himself; thus he does not lose his radiance. The Seventh Line says: “Kicking the boat and treading on the chariot, disaster is not far.” The Appraisal (ce) says: “Kicking the boat and treading on the chariot” means disaster is not far. The Wang edition writes “boat” as “upper arm” and “far” as “distant”; here we follow the Song, Lu, and Fan editions. Fan Wang says: The seventh line is the image of losing one’s resolve; boats and chariots are instruments that carry governance, and the worthy are also instruments for governing the world. A ruler who has lost his resolve tramples them and discards the instruments of ordering the world; disaster is self-invited, hence “not far.” Sima Guang says: The seventh line is the beginning of disaster and falls at night, hence this image; when a state is about to fail, it first discards worthy assistants. The Eighth Line says: “The youth is in the deep abyss; the elder rows the boat (to rescue him).” The Appraisal says: “The elder rows the boat” means saving the drowning world. Fan Wang says: “The youth” refers to the common people, trapped in calamity as if in a deep abyss; the elder rows the boat to save them. Sima Guang says: The eighth line is in the midst of disaster and falls in daylight, hence this image. The Top Nine (Ninth Line) says: “A red silkworm climbs on a withered mulberry; its cocoon is not yellow.” The Appraisal says: “Climbing the withered [mulberry] and not yellow”—the silkworm’s work is ruined. The Fan edition’s Appraisal reads “climbs on the withered mulberry”; the Wang edition reads “the withered mulberry is not yellow”; here we follow the Song and Lu editions. Fan Wang says: When a silkworm is newly born it has hair and is called “old”; therefore it is a red silkworm. Wang Ya says: The ninth line occupies the extreme of arrogance, loses its position and falls at night, so nothing further can be accomplished; the red silkworm is a diseased silkworm. Clinging to a withered mulberry, how can it form a cocoon? “Not yellow” means unusable.

Third Region, Third Province, Third Department, One Family; the heading “Nan” (Difficulty).

This passage consists of the scripture text and commentary for the “Nan” shou of the Taixuan Jing. “Nan” is pronounced nàn (the fanqie spelling is nai-dan qie). This shou belongs to the Yang family and Fire, and corresponds to the Jian hexagram of the Zhouyi. The head statement says: Yin qi is at its height and thereby creates hardship; water congeals into ice, the earth freezes and cracks, and yang qi lies faintly hidden beneath the abyss. Xiao Song explains: when yin qi reaches its extreme, yang qi stretches forth and returns; yin qi fears yang qi, and so greatly produces peril and hardship.

Here “nan” means to obstruct, block, or cause calamity.

At the First One: “Nan wo mingming.” The appraisal says: “Nan wo mingming, jian wei xing ye.” This means: to obstruct it while the calamity is still dark and unmanifest; the appraisal says this is being able to perceive misfortune before it has taken form. The commentary says that “nan” is the image of obstruction; the First One is the position of refined and subtle thought and also corresponds to day, so it can obstruct evil before it takes shape—what worry or trouble could there be?

At the Second Two: “Frozen in an icy channel, a mad horse blindly strikes wood.” The appraisal says: “A mad horse blindly strikes wood, recklessly giving rise to trouble.” This means: it is like being frozen in an icy ditch, or like a mad horse blindly running into a tree; the appraisal says this is trouble produced by reckless movement. The commentary holds that this is the hardship generated by not knowing how to handle difficulty and acting lightly and rashly. The wording differs slightly among editions; here the common editions are followed.

At the Third Three: “Inner firmness and strength, one obstructs extraordinary hardship.” The appraisal says: “Inner firmness and strength, in the end one is not overthrown.” This means: with inner firmness and strength, one can block extraordinary difficulties; the appraisal says that because the inner self is firm and strong, one will ultimately not be overturned. The commentary says that the Third is the position in which the mind’s intention is brought to completion and also corresponds to day; the mind can be firm and strong, and therefore can obstruct extraordinary hardship.

At the Fourth Four: “An egg is broken against a stone; it rots.” The appraisal says: “The rotting of the broken egg is the petty person’s hardship.” This means: using an egg to strike a stone, the egg is destroyed and cannot hatch (duan means an egg that is spoiled and cannot hatch); the appraisal says this is how a petty person is placed in hardship. The commentary says that in a time of hardship one loses one’s position and corresponds to night, and does not understand the way to handle hardship; therefore one is like an egg striking a stone, inevitably destroyed and unable to hatch. Here the word “nan” in the text has “za” as a variant in some editions; the present translation follows the Fan edition and the Xiao Song edition, which read “nan.”

At the Fifth Five: “The obstruction has no gap; though great, it does not require toil.” The appraisal says: “The obstruction has no gap; the center is tightly blocked.” This means: the obstruction has no opening through which to enter, so even if one faces great hardship, one need not labor and exert strength; the appraisal says this is because the middle is tightly blocked. The commentary says that the Fifth Five obtains its position and dwells in the center; it is the master that governs hardship, able to stop the beginnings of calamity so that no gap can be exploited, and thus calamity has no way to enter. Even when in the midst of great hardship, one can escape it without diligent effort.

At the Sixth Six: “The great cart moves with difficulty; above it is obstructed by mountains, below it touches the river.” The appraisal says: “The great cart moves with difficulty; above and below it is blocked.” This means: the great cart advances with difficulty, above hindered by mountains and below touching the river waters; the appraisal says that both above and below it encounters obstruction. This line represents the image of being constrained above and below and moving with difficulty in a time of hardship.

This passage from the Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan Jing mainly collates and explains the eulogies (zan) and explanatory statements (ce) in the Taixuan, such as “Da Che Chuan Chuan,” “Ba Shi,” “Chu Shi Jue Mu,” and “Jiao Xie Zan Zhong Yi Zhi.” Its general meaning is as follows.

With regard to “Da Che Chuan Chuan, shang xia ren ye”: the Song, Lu, and Wang editions have variant readings. Mr. Wu takes “chuan” to be an ancient graph. The Fan, Wang, and Xiao Song editions write “shang xia ren” as “shang xia gai”; the present text follows the Song and Lu editions. Wu’s phonetic gloss says that “gai” is read with the fanqie ku-hai and means “obstruction”; “ren” is read with the fanqie er-zhen. Mr. Fan says that “chuan chuan” describes something heavy and slow. Mr. Wang says: The sixth position is in a state of fullness, yet it loses its place and corresponds to night; it cannot obtain the proper conditions for avoiding disaster.

The eulogy for the seventh position, “Ba Shi, li mo yi yin,” and its explanatory statement, “Ba Shi, cheng shi ye.” The Fan edition has “jin” for “yin”; the present text follows the two Song, Lu, and Wang editions. Mr. Song says that “shi” refers to daytime. Mr. Fan says that “stone” is a metaphor for difficulty, and that a certain character describes the appearance of being difficult to reach. Mr. Wang says that “li mo” means exerting all one’s strength to pull, wishing to escape from difficulty; one labors and only barely avoids misfortune, because one obtains one’s position and corresponds to day.

The eulogy for the eighth position, “Chu Shi Jue Mu, wei zhe jiao,” and its explanatory statement, “Chu Shi Jue Mu, fei suo zhi ye.” Mr. Wang says: When the course of difficulty has run to its extreme, and one again loses one’s place and corresponds to night, one cannot free oneself; therefore, in striking stone and cutting wood, one is sure to meet the misfortune of a broken horn. Sima Guang says: When encountering difficulty, one should follow principle in order to avoid it; if one makes an enemy of wood and stone, this is not the method for governing difficulty.

The eulogy for the Top Nine, “Jiao Xie Zan Zhong Yi Zhi, qi you fan,” and its explanatory statement, “Jiao Xie Zan Zhong Yi Zhi zhi ye.” The Fan edition has a variant reading, and the Xiao Song edition has “you suo shi”; the present text follows the Song and Lu editions. “Xie” is the same as the “xie” in “xiezhi” (the legendary beast that can distinguish crooked from straight), and is read like “xie”; “zan” is read with the fanqie zhi-jie. Mr. Wang says: Being at the extreme of difficulty, yet obtaining one’s position and corresponding to day, one can therefore avoid disaster by uprightness. If one uses the horn of the xiezhi to deal with matters by the straight way, in the end there will certainly be something accomplished, and one will not fall into blame or regret.

Sima Guang says: Whatever the horn of the xiezhi—a legendary beast able to distinguish crooked from straight and to gore the crooked with its horn—strikes, it strikes out of rectitude.

“Qin in the Second Family of the Third Section of the Third Province of the Third Region”: The Qin Head belongs to the Second Family of the Third Section of the Third Province of the Third Region in the Taixuan. It belongs to Yin-family Wood and also corresponds to the Jian hexagram (Obstruction) in the Zhouyi. The qi of Great Yin is frozen and blocked; externally there are fear and painful injury. Faint Yang qi pressesnear the dark and stores its strength within. Yin qi has already reached its extreme; though severe cold congeals and closes things, it causes people to fear and be injured externally. Yang qi is still faint and will press against the obscure realm in order to reveal its inner strength. When Yin reaches its extreme, Yang gradually arises, and therefore the image taken is that of diligent toil. Here “nan” means fearful trembling, and “di” is the same as “di” (to press against); variant readings follow the commonly transmitted editions.

Initial One: Diligent in planning within the heart, but blocked and not upright. The Ce text says, “Diligent planning, not upright,” meaning that the heart is not upright. Wang’s commentary: Occupying the first position of the Qin Head, it loses its place and corresponds to night; this is diligence that does not accord with its Dao. “Not upright” means incorrect. Sima Guang says: One is the beginning of thought and of diligence; it dwells in the Qin family and corresponds to night, and so has this image.

Second Two: Laboring with kindness, diligent and sincere; the noble person can keep to the middle way. The Ce text says, “Labor has kindness and diligence,” meaning it comes from true feeling. Wang’s commentary: Two obtains its position and corresponds to day, fitting the Dao of diligence; to labor with kindness is not to waste effort. “Kongkong” is like “kuankuan,” diligent and untiring; moreover, it attains the noble person’s middle way—how could it invite blame or regret? Sima Guang says: “Middle” refers to inner feeling; Two is the middle of thought and corresponds to day. The noble person exhausts loyalty toward others, and kindness and diligence arise from this, utterly sincere and earnest, not merely making an outward show.

Third Three: Like a child whose hair is bound into horns (“jijiao” refers to the hair of young children bound into hornlike knots), wailing and crying, not yet receiving the support of swaddling clothes. The Ce text says, “The ‘I’ of bound horns has not obtained its mandate,” meaning that it has not yet received proper care and fated arrangement.

This passage consists of the collation notes and commentary by Sima Guang in his Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan Jing. The general sense of the collation is: the Xiaosong edition has “wei you” for “wei de”; I now follow the various editions. The Two Song, Lu, and Fan editions have “zhang” for “fu”; I now follow the Wang edition. “Qiang” is read according to the fanqie ju-liang. Mr. Song says that “ji jiao” refers to young children; Mr. Wang says that “boys’ horns and girls’ braids” are children’s hairstyles. “Wuwu” describes having nowhere to turn; “guagu” is the sound of crying. “Qiang” means to embrace, and “fu” means to hold or support. This says that a child, with nowhere to belong, cries, and has no elder to embrace or support him; though he toils and complains bitterly, in the end he has no place to return. It is a metaphor for the third line: being in a time of toil and hardship, and also losing its position and corresponding to night (the Taixuan takes day as obtaining the position and night as losing it), it has nowhere to return.

The fourth line: “Diligent in strength, he applies himself to menial attendance and forgets food; the great person is able to succeed.” The appraisal text says: “Diligent in strength and forgetting food—this is the virtue of the great person.” The Fan edition has “bei” for “pei”; I now follow the Two Song, Lu, and Wang editions. The Song and Lu editions have “de” (obtain) for “de” (virtue); I now follow the Fan, Wang, and Xiaosong editions. “Fang” is read according to the fanqie fu-wang. Mr. Wang says: When the way of diligence becomes increasingly flourishing, it obtains its position and corresponds to day, not losing what is fitting. In times of hardship and bitter toil, one can exhaust one’s strength by committing oneself to the affairs of pei-li (lowly servants) and forget the rewards of salary and food and clothing. Only with the virtue of a great person can one do this, and in the end achieve success. Sima Guang says: The fourth is lower stipend and corresponds to day; hence this image.

The fifth line: “Madly halting and stumbling, disaster is near and blessing far.” The appraisal text says: “The madman’s halting and stumbling—blessings are far indeed.” The Song, Lu, and Fan editions have “wang” (to go) for “kuang” (mad); I now follow the Wang and Xiaosong editions. Mr. Wang says: The fifth occupies a flourishing position but loses its position and corresponds to night; being diligent yet greatly losing what is fitting, it images mad recklessness and hardship: blessings are far and disaster near.

The sixth line: “Diligence brings success, approaching Heaven.” That is, by being diligent and industrious one achieves success and comes close to the Way of Heaven.

This passage interprets the Ce statements and old commentaries on the “Qin” (Diligence) Head in the Taixuan jing, composed by Yang Xiong of the Han dynasty in imitation of the Zhouyi. “Ce” is the verdict that explains the Zan statements. The Ce statement says: “Diligent and successful—this is Heaven coming to assist.” In the Song, Lu, and Wang editions, “lai fu” (comes to assist) appears as “jia” (to clamp/assist). Mr. Song interprets “jia” as “to draw near,” meaning that one obtains blessings by drawing near; Mr. Lu interprets it as “harmonious”; the Lesser Song edition reads “that which Heaven supports and assists,” and here the Fan edition is followed. Mr. Wang says: The Six occupies a flourishing position; having obtained its position and meeting “dang zhou” (the daytime, an auspicious position), it is therefore called “diligent and successful.” “Ji” means “near.”

Ciqi (the seventh Zan): Toiling to pull a cow, one does not pull its nose but pulls its tail; the result is exhaustion. The Ce statement says: Toil in pulling brings exhaustion because one’s way is contrary. Mr. Fan says: In pulling a cow, not pulling its nose but pulling its tail is why there is toil and exhaustion. Sima Guang says: Seven symbolizes cords and ropes, and also symbolizes losing one’s resolve; moreover, it meets “dang ye” (the nighttime, an inauspicious position), and hence this image.

Ciba (the eighth Zan): Toiling and rushing about, one’s mind and resolve are clear; though covered with brushwood, one does not retreat. The Ce statement says: Toiling in one’s heart is to sacrifice oneself for the state. “Ji” is pronounced with the fanqie zi-xi; the Lesser Song edition gives the sound “que.”

Shangjiu (the ninth Zan): Diligent, indeed diligent—yet one embraces a cart and enters a deep pool, and carries a boat up a mountain. The Ce statement says: Diligent, indeed diligent—toiling without gaining. Mr. Wang says: Nine occupies a place of extreme height and also loses the proper time, meeting “dang ye”; this is diligence that does not accord with the Way.

The final line, “Third Region, Third Province, Third Division, Third Family: Yang,” indicates the region, province, division, and family to which the “Yang” (Nourishment) Head belongs.

This section is designated as the “Yang Family” and belongs to Metal; it takes its image in accordance with the hexagram Yi (Nourishment). When the number nine is about to be exhausted, the celestial degrees and the movement of qi still have a surplus: 60 fen and 24 miao. Of this, “Ji” accounts for 40 fen and 16 miao, and “Ying” for 20 fen and 8 miao (“Ji” and “Ying” are terms in the Taixuan calendar for apportioning the annual remainder). At this time Yin qi is full and overflowing in the fields, while Yang qi covers and conceals the myriad things and nourishes them, causing newly born creatures underground to appear red. An old commentary says: “Peng” means full to overflowing, and “Qiu” means hidden; the myriad things at their first birth are red precisely because Yin qi is at its fullest in the fields and Yang qi is concealed, so the myriad things below appear red. Some commentators also read “Qiu” as “Ou,” interpreting it as Yang qi soaking and nourishing the roots of the myriad things and causing them to be red; Sima Guang, for his part, glosses “Peng” as full.

First One: Hide the heart deeply in the abyss and keep the spiritual root beautiful. The Appraisal says: The heart hidden in the abyss means that the spirit does not scatter outward. Sima Guang says: The First One is in the lower position of “Thought”; preserving the spirit and solidifying the root is therefore able to nourish life.

Second Two: Silently accumulate what is depraved, harboring impropriety from the very beginning. The Appraisal says: Silently nurturing evil means the inner heart is already corrupted. Commentators say: “Mo” is interchangeable with the word for “silent”; “han” means to contain; “yuan” means beginning. This position is out of place and corresponds to night, losing the proper way of nurturing the correct. Although the petty person’s evil deeds have not yet appeared in words or actions, he secretly forms depraved beginnings; harboring impropriety within, he ultimately cannot enter the way of the gentleman.

This passage of scripture discusses the divination statements and annotations for a certain shou (section) in the Taixuan Jing (composed by Yang Xiong of the Han dynasty in imitation of the Zhouyi), from “Ci San” through “Ci Liu.” Here “Ci San,” “Ci Si,” and the like are similar to the line positions of the Zhouyi; “the ce statement says” is the explanation of the scripture; “day” and “night” are symbols of yang and yin positions in Taixuan divination, with “day” mostly indicating that the noble person obtains the position and “night” mostly indicating that the petty person obtains the position; “Wang’s Commentary” and “Song’s Commentary” are old commentaries, while “Guang says” is Sima Guang’s explanation.

Ci San: Apply manure to a high mound to nourish the roots of plants and trees (gai, grass roots). The ce statement says: Manure is applied to a high mound because, being central and correct, it becomes broad and bright. Wang’s Commentary says: This position obtains its place and coincides with “day,” symbolizing skill in the way of cultivation; thus it is like fertilizing on a high mound and nurturing the roots of plants and trees, whose flourishing abundance can be arrived at immediately.

Ci Si: The swallow flies low and pecks for food; its mind is fixed only on seeking food and profit; it is favorable for traveling far to trade (gu, to do business). The ce statement says: The swallow pecks for food, its aim being “lai”; Song’s Commentary says “lai” means profit. Sima Guang says: The fourth position is a lower emolument and coincides with “night”; the petty person obtains the position, aiming to seek profit to nourish himself, like a swallow flying low and flat, merely seeking to peck food. This is only the way of a traveling merchant.

Ci Wu: The central and correct mind is in the belly; even dry bones can grow flesh; the virtue of sincerity is widely bestowed without seeking return. The ce statement says: The yellow mind is in the belly; the highest virtue is like Heaven. Song’s Commentary says: This means the highest virtue bestows like Heaven. Sima Guang says: Yellow represents the center; bones are withered things; fu is sincerity that is complete and pervasive. The fifth position dwells in the midst of blessing and coincides with “day”; it is the master of nurture. Sincerely holding to the middle way to nurture the world, even white bones can grow flesh—how much more so human beings! How much more so birds, beasts, grasses, and trees! Its virtue is like Heaven: clouds move and rain falls, spreading to all four quarters, and the myriad things cannot repay it with virtue.

Ci Liu: Feeding frequently, three times a day, like an ox that takes fatness as a good omen, but fatness is instead unfavorable. The ce statement says: Feeding frequently, though fat, brings no benefit to oneself. The wording here follows the Song and Lu editions; the Xiao Song edition and others contain variant readings, whose general meaning is that excessive fattening instead harms the body.

This passage is from Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan Jing (with Sima Guang’s commentary) and concerns the collation and interpretation of the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Lines of the Taixuan Jing.

First, the collation of the Sixth Line: the Wang edition lacks the two characters ci ci; the Minor Song edition reads chen chen sui sui, and also writes fei mo shen ye; here we follow the Song, Lu, and Fan editions. Wu says that ci is the same as zi and should be read zi; Fan says that ci ci describes an unsettled appearance. An ox that has already been divined and selected, and is being fattened for sacrifice, must ultimately offer its own body, and so the text says “no body.” Lu says: The Sixth Line occupies a place of excessive fullness; it has lost its proper position and corresponds to “night” (in Taixuan divination, auspiciousness and inauspiciousness are distinguished by day and night). This is cultivation that is excessive and does not fit the occasion. Hence the image is that of feeding it three times a day and making its food abundant, like the oxen used in sacrifices to spirits and at the suburban and ancestral temples, whose fodder exceeds the normal measure. It already matches the omen of divining the suburban sacrifice and presenting the offering, but the fatter its body becomes, the more harmful it is to itself. Sima Guang says: The Sixth Line is “upper emolument” (high rank and generous salary) and corresponds to night, and so it has this image.

The base text of the Seventh Line says: “A youth pulls an elephant; a woman binds a fierce beast; the noble man nurtures illness.” The Ce statement says: “Pulling an elephant and nurturing illness do not follow from each other.” In the Song and Lu editions, hui is written wei; here we follow the various commentators and read hui. Wang says: The Seventh Line occupies a place of excessive fullness and by principle approaches danger; but it obtains its position and corresponds to “day.” If the noble man is in this situation, it is auspicious; if the petty person and woman are in it, it is inauspicious. It is like a youth pulling an elephant: his strength cannot subdue it, and there is certain danger of being overturned. Only the noble man knows that the time and circumstances have reached their extreme and uses the Dao to nurture illness, and only then does he finally obtain good fortune. One is auspicious and one is inauspicious; the two paths are contrary, and so it says “they do not follow from each other.” Sima Guang says: Hui is a large rope, meaning to bind and tie; meng is a fierce beast. The Seventh Line is ruin and loss and a step toward disaster, and so it says “illness.” Its time is “day,” and therefore it refers to the noble man. When cultivation is excessive, fortune reaches its limit and disaster comes. The petty person does not measure his strength and still wants to cling firmly to what he has nourished; the noble man knows the times and follows their waxing and waning, like nurturing illness, and so there is no blame.

The base text of the Eighth Line says: “A bone stuck does not come out; a poisonous illness breaks out; ghosts ascend the grave mound.” The Ce statement says: “The outbreak of the bone-stuck illness returns to the grave.” The Eighth Line is in the midst of disaster and corresponds to “night.” The petty person stubbornly persists in nourishing without stopping, like a bone stuck in the throat that cannot be freed by oneself, until great disaster comes; or like a poisonous illness breaking out, for which there is no cure. “Ghosts ascend the grave mound” means ghosts climb the grave mound (tomb), symbolizing death; “returns to the grave” means returning to the tomb.

The “Upper Nine” says: the stars move like the turning of the year, then again connect back to the beginning. The Ce text (which explains the Zan eulogy) says, “The stars are like the year, and the year is like the stars,” meaning that the end nourishes the beginning. In the Fan edition this sentence reads “end and beginning nourish”; here I follow the Song, Lu, and Wang editions, which read “the end nourishes the beginning.” In the “Yang” (Nourishing) shou, Upper Nine occupies the last position of the opening Zan. The sun reaches the end of its lodge, the moon the end of its marker (ci and ji refer to positions in the courses of the sun and moon), and the stars revolve in heaven; the year is about to begin anew. Nourishing the beginning through the end and continuing the end through the beginning, cycling without terminus—this is why the Dao of Heaven is inexhaustible.

The first Yu Zan belongs to Water. Yu means insufficiency. A year is 365¼ days; the 729 Zan of the Taixuan correspond to 364½ days, and the missing half day is established as the “Yu Zan” (Yu is pronounced according to the fanqie ju-yi). The Zan text says: The extreme cold “Dong” rises to the Red Heaven; the extreme heat “Yan” enters the Dark Spring. The Ce text says: “Dong ascends to the Red Heaven” means the yin-cold Qi occupies the first place. Fan Wang comments: Dong is extreme cold, Heaven is supreme high; Yan is extreme heat, the spring is deepest. Dong is above in Heaven, and therefore it is first. Sima Guang says: Red is the fullness of yang Qi, the dark is the extreme of yin Qi. All things reverse when they reach an extreme. Since antiquity, Yin-Yang have generated each other, day and night have succeeded each other, good and evil have turned into each other, order and disorder have followed each other, gain and loss have ridden on each other, and good and bad fortune have reversed each other—all are natural principles of Heaven and humanity.

The second Ying Zan belongs to Fire. Ying means surplus. Beyond 365 days, the remaining quarter day is established as the “Ying Zan.” The Zan text says: One deficiency, one surplus—these are generated by Yu and Ying. The Ce text says: Deficiency and surplus, Yu and Yu, circulate without cease.

The Fan family edition and the Small Song edition write “yiyi” as “yiqi,” and the Fan edition writes “shan” as “shan”; here I follow the readings of the Song, Lu, and Wang editions. “Shan” is an ancient form of the modern graph “shan,” pronounced like the “shan” in “shanrang” (abdication). Mr. Lu says: when Yin Qi reaches its fullest extent, it gives birth to Yang; Yin and Yang alternate with each other in an endless cycle. Sima Guang holds that even Heaven and Earth cannot make the odd remainders and surpluses in calendrical reckoning completely uniform. It is precisely because they are not uniform that transformation can occur and generation continue without cease. Thus it is said: the twenty-nine days carry a fractional surplus and shift into the next month; the twenty-seven days carry a fractional surplus and complete their circuit through the celestial degrees. Only then do there exist the last and first days of the month (huishuo, month’s end and month’s beginning), the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches; only then does there exist the six jia (liujia, the pairing of stems and branches). This is why the calendrical system of the heavenly Dao can endure. The footnotes at the end of the fascicle are collation notes, indicating that certain characters have been corrected or supplied according to the Commentaries and Subcommentaries on the Thirteen Classics, the Beiyao (Essentials) edition, the Quanshu (Complete Works) edition, the Fan edition, and others.

These entries are collation notes (records of textual variants) in the collated edition of Sima Guang’s Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan Jing; they explain the textual differences between the base text and the consulted editions. “Original reading” means the character as it originally appeared in the base text; “changed according to...” means corrected on the basis of a certain edition; “original lacuna” means that the base text is defective at this point; “original omission” means that a character was omitted from the base text; “supplied according to...” means supplied on the basis of a certain edition.

11. “Fang” (fragrant) originally read “fang” (square); it was changed to “Fang” (fragrant) according to the Sibu Beiyao and Siku Quanshu editions.

12. “Er bu” (two sections) originally read “san bu” (three sections); it was changed to “er bu” (two sections) according to the Fan, Sibu Beiyao, and Siku Quanshu editions.

13. “Si” (four) was originally a lacuna and was supplied according to the Taixuan Calendar appended to the same book.

14. “Wu suo cuo” (nowhere to place it) was originally a lacuna and was supplied according to the Fan, Sibu Beiyao, and Siku Quanshu editions.

15. “Cui” (haggard) was originally a lacuna and was supplied according to the Fan, Sibu Beiyao, and Siku Quanshu editions.

16. “Yu” (at/in) was originally omitted and was supplied according to the Fan, Sibu Beiyao, and Siku Quanshu editions.

17. “Tu jia” (earth household) was originally a lacuna and was supplied according to the Sibu Beiyao and Siku Quanshu editions.

18. “Shi” (beginning) was originally a lacuna and was supplied according to the Sibu Beiyao and Siku Quanshu editions.

19. “Ju ci si” (possessing these four) was originally a lacuna and was supplied according to the Sibu Beiyao and Siku Quanshu editions.

20. “Qing” (clear) was originally a lacuna and was supplied according to the Fan, Sibu Beiyao, and Siku Quanshu editions; “Jing” (pure) originally read “Fu” (float) and was changed to “Jing” (pure) according to the Fan, Sibu Beiyao, and Siku Quanshu editions.

21. “Chun” (pure) originally read “Jue” (cut off); it was changed to “Chun” (pure) according to the Fan, Sibu Beiyao, and Siku Quanshu editions.

22. “Zhou” (day) originally read “Ye” (night); it was changed to “Zhou” (day) according to the main text and the Sibu Beiyao and Siku Quanshu editions.

23. “Gu” (firm) originally read “Gu” (ancient); it was changed to “Gu” (firm) according to the Sibu Congkan edition and the Xinxu, “Miscellaneous Affairs, Part One,” as included in the Siku Quanshu.

24. “Yuan” (far) was originally omitted and was supplied according to the Sibu Beiyao and Siku Quanshu editions.

25. “Yi jia” (one family) originally read “er jia” (two families); it was changed to “yi jia” (one family) according to the Fan, Sibu Beiyao, and Siku Quanshu editions.

26. “Lai” (come) was originally a lacuna and was supplied according to the Sibu Beiyao and Siku Quanshu editions.

27. “Yu” (at/in) originally read “Qian” (thousand); it was changed to “Yu” (at/in) according to the Fan, Sibu Beiyao, and Siku Quanshu editions.

28. “Wang” (king) originally read “Wu” (five); it was changed to “Wang” (king) according to the Sibu Beiyao and Siku Quanshu editions.

29. “Ruo” (if/like) was originally a lacuna and was supplied according to the Sibu Beiyao and Siku Quanshu editions.

These entries are collation notes for the Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan jing, explaining textual differences and corrections of lacunae and omissions between the base edition and the Beiyao, Quanshu, and Fan editions. For example, “kongkong” (sincere/simple) was originally “kongkong” (empty) in the base text and was corrected according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; “lai” (come) was originally “qiu” (seek) in the base text and was corrected according to the Fan edition and the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; the sentence “yue qin you cheng gong” (saying that diligence has achieved success) was originally omitted and was supplied according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; the characters “tian” (field), “man” (full), “Guang says,” “one,” and “shen ye” (the body/person) were originally damaged and were restored according to the Beiyao and Quanshu editions; “cheng” (to receive/assume) was originally “cheng” (to complete) in the base text, and “fan” (to return/oppose) was originally “cheng” (to receive) in the base text, and both were corrected according to the editions. The purpose of these collation notes is to restore a more readable and reliable form of the scriptural text.

The “Preface to the Xuan Shou” explains that the main text of the Xuan Shou has already appeared above, so the preface does not list it again. The phrase “the Xuan image is the spherical heaven” means that the Taixuan takes its image from the huntian (spherical-heaven) cosmology; one yin and one yang mutually pair, and together with their participation form three. The Taixuan has Three Systems, among which “one yang,” inheriting and riding upon one system, transforms and generates the myriad things. Fang, zhou, bu, and jia (the hierarchical units in the Taixuan from larger to smaller) each have divisions of one, two, and three; this is called being formed through the differentiation of the three positions. The phrase “sets forth its nine nines and generates through numbers” means that it arrays the numbers of nine nines, and through numerical principles transforms and generates the myriad things; within the circular flow of the nine operations there are empty spaces, and openings are established to guide them, so that the principle of ceaseless generation is inexhaustible. The appraisal phrases govern all the outlines and items; they are the general phrases of each shou. Then, integrating the names and categories, they are attached under the system of Xuan. The Xuan Shou further states that the texts of the various shou are dispersed beneath the scriptural text and are not listed again.

The Yi (Classic of Changes) governs the calendar by allocating hexagram images: each line governs one day, and rotating through the sixty hexagrams completes exactly three hundred and sixty days. The four hexagrams Kan, Li, Zhen, and Dui are like lords of the four directions, presiding over the seasonal orders; at the two equinoxes and two solstices and other solar-term points they are further coordinated with the four seasons, each line governing one Qi, and one full rotation of the four hexagrams covers all twenty-four Qi. The Commentary (Zhuan) says: the hexagram Qi of the jiazi day begins with the Zhongfu hexagram (a Yi hexagram name). Each hexagram occupies six days and seven-eightieths of a day; this is the beginning of the Taixuan jing (Classic of Supreme Mystery) calendar.

The Zhongfu hexagram governs the first pentad of the winter solstice, the so-called “earthworms knot” (earthworms coil into knots, the phenological sign of the first winter-solstice pentad). From the first line of Zhong (a Taixuan head name, modeled on Zhongfu) to the third line of Zhou (a Taixuan head name), it is then continued by the Fu hexagram (a Yi hexagram name). The Fu hexagram governs the second pentad, the so-called “elk antlers shed” (the elk’s antlers fall off, the phenological sign of the second winter-solstice pentad). From the fourth line of Zhou to the sixth line of Xian (Hard) (a Taixuan head name), it is continued by the Zhun hexagram (a Yi hexagram name). The Zhun hexagram governs the “Yong pentad,” that is, the so-called “springs begin to move” (spring water begins to flow, the phenological sign of the third winter-solstice pentad). From the seventh line of Xian (Hard) to the top nine line of Xian (Restraint) (a Taixuan head name), the Qi of these three hexagrams is then complete.

Moreover, each hexagram has a remainder of seven-eightieths of a day; unevenly interwoven, these constitute the annual calendar. At the year’s end, the sixty hexagrams encompass the eighty-one heads of the Taixuan; Qi and Xuan (the Mystery) thus interpenetrate. Therefore hexagrams will repeatedly appear, because the Qi numbers circulate between heaven and earth: sometimes they are difficult and obstructed and cannot be untied, sometimes they disperse and fall and cannot be controlled, and the hexagram images also imitate these situations. Thus they are continuously accumulated and linked to one another, so the categories of the twenty-one Taixuan heads resemble one another. Some interpreters do not accept the establishment of the four-season hexagrams, but say that the head Ying corresponds to the Li hexagram, the head Yi to the Zhen hexagram, the head Shen to the Dui hexagram, and the head Qin to the Kan hexagram; that too fails to examine the calendar clearly.

The main text of the Xuan Ce Du Xu has already appeared above; its preface is not repeated here.

The gist of this passage is as follows: the sun runs without rest through day and night; that it can comprehend the way of day and night and thereby know things is the work of the sun’s numinous spirit. Thus the Taixuan takes its image from the sun. By day, yang qi raises up the “Five Blessings” (the auspicious blessings listed in the “Hong Fan” chapter of the Shangshu, such as longevity, wealth, and health/peace); by night, yin qi darkly hides and lowers the “Six Extremes” (the misfortunes listed there, such as premature death, illness, and sorrow). Ascent and descent are mutually linked; therefore it takes the upright correctness of the Heads as its starting point and uses the Ce to investigate change and adaptation. One and six are paired with the north; two and seven with the south—this is the “warp.” Three and eight are paired with the east; four and nine with the west—this is the “woof.” The central number five occupies the center as the Ultimate and is also counted as “warp.” The sixty Jiazi circulate and interlace within it; the sun moves in reverse and rides amid them, meeting the Northern Dipper—this is because the Dipper moves in the forward direction. The Northern Dipper determines the four seasons by the first month; the sun meets it once each year, and after 366 days a year is completed. When years, months, days, and hours proceed without disorder, the hundred grains ripen accordingly. Thus when the Taixuan Ce is applied to the human world, it makes brightness manifest, brings the worthy and capable to prominence, and brings peace to families.

The Ce-texts of the Taixuan Ce are dispersed under each Zan and are not listed again; Mr. Xu’s commentary is missing.

Taixuan Chong (in what follows, Zhong, Ying, Zhou, Ying, and the rest are all names of Taixuan Heads): the Zhong Head is the beginning of yang qi; the Ying (Response) Head is the arising of yin qi. The Zhou Head returns to De; the Ying (Welcoming) Head turns against punishment. Yang is De, yin is punishment; De is difficult first and easy afterward, while punishment is beneficial first and difficult afterward. Great grief and isolation mean that upright qi has not yet prevailed; small wishes and closeness mean that benefit has just begun. The Shao Head is tiny; the Da Head is full and fat. The Li Head turns inward in violation; the Kuo Head turns outward in opposition. With inner worry and outer isolation, if one cannot handle them by the way of smallness, one will be harmed; only by guarding smallness can one return to contact—this is the Way of Heaven. Although the Yu and Zao Heads appear full and fat, expansion instead makes them emptier and leads to isolation. If upright qi cannot prevail, many troubles will arise. (Collation note: the various editions lack the character ye; only the Song edition has it.)

Shang, Wen, Gan, Li, Shou, Tao, Xian, Tang, Cha, Chang, Ying, Tong, Du, and so on, are all “Head” names in the Taixuan (equivalent to the hexagram names in the Zhouyi). The “Shang” Head speaks of coming into contact with plain simplicity; the “Wen” Head speaks of the multiplication of affairs. When affairs are many, one must embellish and tactfully bring matters to completion, and so it is called “Wen”; as for linking to plain simplicity and walking the straight way, this is where plain substance surpasses ornamentation.

The “Gan” Head is the madness of aggressive advance; the “Li” Head is square correctness with measure; “Shou” means coming, and “Tao” means vanishing. The commentary says: knowing only to advance and not to yield is the madness of advance, not conforming to the square correctness required by ritual; yet the noble person sometimes also advances, only to save the world. Mencius says, “When speaking to the ruler of a great state, one should look down on him”—this is said with reference to the mad. “Coming” values composure; “vanishing” is fittingly quick. The two Heads “Shang” and “Gan” produce madness; the “Xian” Head produces bias and crookedness. The Liji says, “Ritual is made according to the earth”; from the “Ying” Head to the “Li” Head, its meaning is fully covered in the “Wangzhi” chapter. If one cannot bear the responsibility, then retreat and flee—this is what is called “jia dun” (admirable withdrawal). Ritual and culture arise from external separation, and therefore can forcefully regulate the world. Here the character “ye” is absent in most editions; the Song edition has it.

The “Xian” Head is private-minded crookedness; the “Tang” Head is public-mindedness without greed; the “Cha” Head is fault, but keeping constancy obtains gu (goodness, blessing). From the private crookedness of the Xian Head, action will deviate and overshoot; from the public-mindedness and desirelessness of the Tang Head, one keeps constancy and obtains goodness, so those who cultivate the mind should take this as a warning. The “Tang” Head is the great mind; the “Chang” Head is the way of ruler and minister through ten thousand generations. The eulogistic poem on Duke Xi of Lu, praising that ruler and ministers had the Way, says: “From now on, may the year be fruitful. The noble man has gu, to bequeath to his descendants.” This means that by keeping constancy one obtains gu, can resonate with external things according to kind, and the year’s harvest has its autumn yield. Ritual yields the self and makes the world public; even if the time-cycles of Tao and Tang have passed, the square and correct way of ruler and minister remains unchanged. Only then can one see the function of ritual in forcefully regulating the world. This is what is called advancing by retreating, and accomplishing one’s private interest through selflessness.

The “Tong” Head has little attainment, while the “Du” Head is not lacking. Having little is zhuan (single-minded but not yet fully opened through); being without lack is knowing moderation. The “Tong” Head is beneficial for returning and correcting faults; the “Du” Head is good at preserving blessings and goodness.

These are the glosses on the meanings of the names of the various Heads in the Taixuan: Zeng (Increase) means beginning to flourish; Yong (Eternity) means enduring to the utmost; Rui (Sharpness) means holding fast with single-minded focus; Kun means vast and uniformly equal. Da means daily increasing what is of the same kind; Jian means daily diminishing gathered categories. Jiao means mutually following one another; Yin (meaning closed off or blocked) means not penetrating. Ruan (meaning having something to fear) means the mind harbors fear and caution; Shou means solid and impossible to break through. Xi means waiting for the time and then coming forth; Xi means gathering in and entering. Cong means dispersing; Ju means assembling. Jin means having many strategies; Ji means having many goods and valuables. Du means being good at maintaining and guarding (the wording of this sentence differs slightly among editions; the general meaning is that one maintains with proper measure). The Song edition, the Ding edition, and others add or omit function words such as ye and er in relation to one another, but this does not affect the overall glossed meaning.

This passage uses the chapter titles of the Taixuan—“Tong” (Child), “Zeng” (Increase), “Jiao” (Intersection), “Cong” (Following), “Jin” (Advance), “Tao” (Flight), “Tang” (Recklessness), “Chang” (Constancy), “Du” (Measure), “Jian” (Decrease), “Shou” (Guard), “Ju” (Gather), “Ji” (Accumulate), and “Shi” (Adornment)—to explain how cultivation moves from simplicity to increased De, from holding to the One to responding to things, and how the way of the world passes from order into chaos, so that the noble person should hide and preserve himself.

When “ardent simplicity” receives support, and admiration, loss, and error can all return to original truth, this is the auspiciousness of “Tong” (the first chapter title of the Taixuan, taking the sense of a child’s simplicity). Because the child possesses little, it is single-minded and has few errors. Only when “Tong” develops into “Zeng” does pure and thick De flourish. Holding the One and penetrating it, using it to interact with one’s kind, ultimate action then arises. Therefore one must have reverence, rise above envy and admiration, be vigilant about error, and so guard and preserve one’s De. The old tradition holds that if one intentionally contrives and acts, lightly altering this, vast Heaven does not find such a course fit to adopt.

In the “Cong” chapter, its people distinguish things in this way; those who initiate deliberations, establish laws, and disseminate the Dao and De take their image from this. Although the “Jin” chapter is full of schemes, it does not dare to create anything; if it were lightly altered, Heaven too would not find this fit. Further, being full of schemes yet not daring to create anything within the One, it merely carries this forward and investigates it to the utmost. What the Daxue calls governing the state so that the world is pacified and one delights in bringing things about is precisely this.

“Shi” (Loss) is losing one’s direction and fleeing; “Tang” is forgetting anxiety and becoming unrestrained. Yet “Chang” and “Du” are not yet abolished—this is the function of ritual. “Du” is used to guard Gu (which may be understood as the root, or goodness); when it reaches the time of fullest growth and Great Harmony, it changes into “Jian,” so that with the myriad things each keeps its own guard, returns to itself, and guards itself. When “Shou” cannot be firm, it enters “Ju” and “Ji”; these are the affairs of common people. The poem of declining Zhou says, “Like a merchant making triple profit, the noble man recognizes it”—this is changing with the customs of the age. Once greed for profit has prevailed and De and righteousness have declined, what people rely on in conduct is only outward adornment; this is not the way to reach perfect equality and make sincerity and trust shine throughout the world. Therefore, using falsehood to confuse the people, so that right and wrong disorder one another, making the outside dazzled by withering and scattering while the inner mind loses its calm stability, the world then overturns. This is the age for the noble person to hide and store himself away. Among the people born into the world, order and chaos alternate; such is roughly the principle.

The final sentence is glossed as follows: shi (release) means to extend; shi (adornment) means to decline.

This passage draws on the meanings of the various shou (heads/chapters) of the Taixuan—Yang Xiong’s imitation of the Zhouyi—to explain the principles of self-cultivation and nourishing life: removing encumbrances and preserving one’s true nature, maintaining balance and guarding against partiality, overcoming private interest through public-mindedness, and handling affairs with decisiveness.

When the myriad things are about to become a burden, push them away and let them dissipate; only after one’s essential nature has decayed is external adornment needed. Removal issues from within; adornment is arranged from without. If a person’s true nature is cultivated through accumulated effort over time, it will suddenly open like release from hanging upside down, its radiance becoming evident, and when the time arrives one will not even notice it oneself. “Ju” (Accumulation) is the piling up of decay; therefore in old age one should guard against greed for gain.

“Ge” (Correcting/Standard) is fondness for what is right; “Yi” (Doubt) is aversion to what is wrong. When fondness for “right” has already become fixed, while doubt and wavering about “wrong” remain, likes and dislikes become manifest. This is the sense intended by the so-called “gewu” (investigating things).

“Yi” (Levelness) is flat and upright, while “Shi” (Looking/Inclination) has a slant. “Yi” enables all things to attain their own levelness and ease; “Shi” is mutual encroachment and pressure. The Chunqiu zhuan (Zuo zhuan) says, “still there is observing,” meaning there is still something to look toward. Maintaining balance while being wary of slanting allows one to cultivate virtue and nourish life.

“Le” (Joy) is upward expansion, while “Chen” (Sinking) is downward concealment. “Zheng” (Contention) resembles scholars comparing and aligning, and is public-spirited; “Nei” (Inner/Private) resembles a woman harboring partiality, and is private feeling. When things rest in a level and upright place, they are glad to unfold and strive to keep their proper position. Scholars comparing and aligning is public-mindedness taken to its extreme; a woman harboring partiality is selfishness taken to its extreme. When public-mindedness prevails, one can cultivate virtue and nourish life; when public-mindedness prevails, all things appear clearly to one another; when selfishness prevails, all things separate from one another.

“Wu” (Engagement) brings joy (various editions have xi, “joy”; the Xu and Huang editions have xi, “delight”), while departing from it brings sorrow (the Song edition lacks the word ze, “then”). “Shi” (Affairs) values action; “Hui” (Obscurity) values rest. “Geng” (Change) is transformation and shared laughter; “Meng” (Blindness/Dimness) is long duration and increased sorrow; “Duan” (Decisiveness) is much business; “Qiong” (Exhaustion) is without joy.

Only because there are joy and contention do engagement and affairs arise. To transform and penetrate, becoming the right way for the world, can be borne only by the great person who levels and rectifies all things with fairness. When I make a decision, the multitude follows, and affairs gather around. Harmonious joy, delight, and penetrating all things without exhaustion—this is “Xi” (Joy). Joy necessarily entails engagement; engagement must have its cause; affairs necessarily involve change. Change proceeds according to circumstances, and decisive action with correctness will prevail.

“Yi” (Resoluteness) is bold and cuts away weariness; “Zhuang” (Packing/Moving) is migrating from one’s village; “Zhi” (Stopping) is not proceeding; “Zhong” (The Multitude) is gentle; “Jian” (Hardness) is cold and firm.

In the “Resoluteness” (Yi) head of the Taixuan jing (Canon of Supreme Mystery), composed by Yang Xiong of the Han dynasty in imitation of the Zhouyi, when this head holds sway in its season, it is like packing one’s bags and preparing to set out: whenever there is joy and delight, there must be work to be done; in doing work, faults are unavoidable; and in affairs, change is inevitable. When change comes, one must move in accord with the times and prevail through decisiveness and holding fast to what is correct. Resoluteness can boldly cut away fatigue and hardship; packing up is moving to another place, and stopping is no longer advancing. “Zhong” (the Multitude) takes the image of gentleness and softness; “Jian” (Firmness) takes the image of cold hardness.

Sima Guang (a Northern Song scholar and author of the Collected Commentaries on the Taixuan jing) comments: This is like the Zhou dynasty’s construction of Luoyi (the Eastern Capital), when the people of the four quarters gathered in great harmony—precisely the image of gentleness and softness. When flourishing and decline develop to their extreme, this is the sign of what is inevitably about to arrive. Thus, above, resoluteness dares to act, while below the multitude gladly submits, and the meaning of “packing up and waiting to set out” lies therein. In an age of good government, just when King Cheng of Zhou was at the very height of prosperity, [the text] had already taken thought for the decline of King Ping of Zhou; packing up to await the time—this is precisely where the Duke of Zhou (an early Zhou statesman) could alone perceive what is hidden, subtle, and far-reaching. If, when weary, one stops and no longer advances, holding firm and preserving, one can stabilize what is precarious.

“What is secret cannot be inquired into; what is completed cannot be altered” means that hidden matters cannot be pursued, and a situation already completed cannot be changed. The commentary says: If with bold decisiveness one practices the Way of resoluteness, one will pack up and wait to set out, while gentleness and softness combine within the secret and rise according to kind; when fatigue has been cut away to the utmost, one stops, while cold firmness, by contrast, can preserve its completion, so as to examine what descends. What is hidden and secret cannot be pried apart—this is qing (feeling); what is already completed cannot be altered—this is xing (nature). Qing arises from natural disposition, and xing arises from Heaven’s mandate. Qing makes one firm and resolute without mutual harm and enables one to be good to kin; xing makes one cut off without breaking and enables one to generate and regenerate without cease.

To draw near to goodness and bestow kindness where kindness ought to be bestowed; through gathering and restraint one gains, while through indulgence one loses blessing. Those strong in goodness do not grow weary; those severe in evil do not cease. Sui—moistening, generous, and harmonious—is the Way of the ruler; Xun—compliant, submissive, and preserving—is the Way of the minister. After the prime of vigor comes old age. Only when one can first love one’s kin can one then gather and restrain; only when one can gather and restrain can one then be firm and strong. In this way the ruler’s Way is rectified, and one who dwells in prosperity can become a model for all under Heaven. After one has already received completion, if one errs through severity and returns to compliance, guarding and preserving what one has gained; Yin changes because of old age, and Yang comes through what is improper; this becomes hardship and bitter toil—this is the difficulty of the hidden and minute. As for “Dwelling, one obtains one’s position; in difficulty, one meets with bending,” this means that in peaceful dwelling one can obtain one’s place, while in hardship one encounters the time of bending and stretching. The final sentence—“the various editions make it with er; the Song edition has the character er”—is a textual-critical note, referring to the variant reading of the character er between the various editions and the Song edition.

Once one attains the appropriate position, affairs are not difficult. As for trustworthiness (xin), it means bending oneself to guard the Dao in order to bring credibility to completion; when one encounters difficulties, one simply waits for the right time. Fa (Law) is easy to practice together with all under heaven. If Qin (Diligence) does not accord with the time, it will only bring toil without achievement. From the Zhong (Center) shou to the Yi (Leveling) shou - names of shou in the Taixuan - the text speaks of the upright way of the great person; from the Le (Joy) shou to the Fa (Law) shou, it speaks of the governance of the sage. Fa is easy only when practiced together with all under heaven; if it were not easy, who in the world could observe it together? Qin should be like the movement of the heavenly Dao: though toilsome, it has achievement, and one does not regard it as bitter. When the Dao does not fit the time, toil brings no achievement, and one simply returns to Yang (Nourishing).

Yang receives the many surplus qi: when the noble person nourishes it well, there is good fortune; when the petty person nourishes it improperly, there is misfortune. The Taixuan has eighty-one shou and seven hundred twenty-nine yang (with yang carrying both the meaning of the final shou and that of receiving surplus qi); as categories of things accumulate, whatever has achievement is assigned to Yang. Yang receives the collective surplus; the noble person's nourishing obtains good fortune, the petty person's nourishing obtains misfortune. In the eighty-one shou and seven hundred twenty-nine yang, categories of affairs are heaped up; some are cause for celebration and some bring calamity. All these are collective surplus; Yang receives them as seeds, and from this good and bad fortune multiply.

Xuan Cuo (the chapter of the Taixuan that sets forth mixed and contrasting pairings): starting from Zhong, it circulates and revolves, while Xian, Qu, Yi (Resoluteness), Duan, and the others change according to times and things. In the way of fragmentation and ornamentation, some is pure and thick, some mottled. The commentary explains: Zhong's beginning and circulation speak of Dao and De; Xian, Qu, Yi, and Duan speak of times and things. Zhong's beginning causes the Dao to emerge; circulation causes De to return. Xian and Qu are deluded by the circular movement; Yi and Duan firmly hold to what lies outside the Zhong beginning. Duan gives rise to Sui (pure moistening), Qu gives rise to Wen (ornamentation). Qiang manifests as vigor; Xi (opposed to Qiang and leaning toward weakness; a collation note says that the particle 'er' may precede Xi) manifests as weakness. Accumulation makes abundance; scarcity makes simplicity. Brightness enables seeing; dimness is obscure. Childlike ignorance, yet flourishing and abundant. Departing from the old, welcoming the newly born. The ignorance of the child is like ornamental brilliance emerging from darkness.

This passage uses the various shou of the Taixuan (a shou being equivalent to a hexagram) to explain: Tong (the image of childhood) is originally without knowledge, like something placed before the eyes that obscures them and causes dizziness; even when covered by darkness, the capacity to see remains within it. To make it bright and clear, one need only awaken it. When Sheng (fullness) reaches surplus, it instead turns toward scarcity; to be soft and weak while waiting for the hard and strong, frugal and not accumulating—this is the obscurity of “having little,” and it has not yet departed from the root “One” of the Taixuan. Removing old entanglements and welcoming a new beginning—this is what learning assists.

Da (Great) expands outward, while Xi (Contraction) gathers inward; there is advance and retreat. Le (ease and joy) manifests as free, unrestrained indulgence; Qin (diligence) manifests as unceasing toil. Da (penetration) means that thought is unobstructed; Qiong (exhaustion) means that thought is stymied. Gan (vigor) is like the Qi of morning; Nei (inward gathering) is like the Qi of evening returning to storage. Ease and unrestrained indulgence are the comfort of Wuwei (non-action); diligence and unceasing toil are the hardship of youwei (deliberate action). In the Shijing, “Jue jue sheng” speaks of King Wen’s diligence; “The king is in Hao; how could he not delight in drinking wine?” speaks of King Wu at a time of ease and feasting. To seek convenience and adaptability, yet to ponder repeatedly and still have no way out—this is Qiong. In the morning the Qi is keen, and vigor is esteemed; in the evening the Qi returns, and inward storage is preferred.

Cha (fault/error) is self-loathing, while Shi (adornment) is self-praise: Cha is inwardly reproaching oneself for one’s evil, while Shi is outwardly displaying one’s beauty. Ge (blocking) cannot accommodate others, while Kun (ampleness/generosity) can be tolerant; Zeng daily increases more and more, while Jian (decrease) daily diminishes; Xun (compliance) receives orders and acts, while Li (rebellion) is its opposite; Shi (yielding softness) governs softness, while Jian (hardness) governs hardness. When one is as hard as leather shoes, one loses softness.

The Taixuan Jing (Canon of Supreme Mystery) uses “Yi,” “Duan,” and other such names for its Heads (shou, analogous to hexagram names), and each Head symbolizes a type of situation. The Head Yi is level and simple, yet it is hard to contend against. The Head Duan is often able to decide, yet it still hesitates. The Head Tao has something it avoids, while the Head Zheng has something it seeks. The Head Jin speaks of the intention to advance (one edition has “Jin wishes to act,” which commentators suspect should read “Yu,” meaning circuitous). The Head Zhi speaks of stopping and keeping guard with the firmness of a bird of prey. If advancing is not fitting, one will be injured; if stopping and keeping guard does not conform to the image of a raptor gathering its force, it can instead become unobstructed. Therefore, when the noble man advances, he can rest content with the long reach of the Dao; when he stops and keeps guard, he can maintain strict self-control and win through upright De.

The Head Kuo is empty and broad, without fixed direction or place; the Head Wu is single-minded and undivided. The Head Ying (Response) accords with the present; the Head Du takes the ancients as its model: Ying moves with the times and circumstances and seeks only what is fitting now; Du is derived from the arts of number and simply follows ancient methods. The Head Ying (Welcoming) can know what lies ahead; the Head Yong can see what lies behind. The Head Cong is drawn along; the Head Shou is firm and secure. The Head Xian removes difficulty; the Head Ju grants no pardon. When the faint yang has just begun to stir, even amid flourishing yin it can pull free of difficulty; but if solitary yin cuts off the yang qi, then all is exhausted and there is no pardon.

The Head Tang is vast and boundless; the Head Xian is closed and blocked. The Head Geng creates new matters; the Head Chang follows old laws. The Head Shi is great loss; the Head Lian is small gain. The Head Zao is fond of profit; the Head Fa abhors harshness. The Head Li takes its image from a capital city; the Head Ju takes its image from a dwelling: a capital city differs from the rustic countryside, and a dwelling also lacks the dignified bearing of a capital. The Head Ju (Gathering) makes affairs tend toward emptiness; the Head Zhong (Multitude) makes affairs tend toward fullness: gathering, being yin, contracts and draws in, hence affairs are empty; multitude, being yang, spreads and issues forth, hence affairs are full. What is empty easily scatters; what is full is difficult to overcome. The Praise of King Wu says, “Truly it is you, my lord, who are the proper teacher”—this is the “substantial multitude”; King Zhou of Shang (personal name Shou) had the army of Muye, the wealth of Lutai, and the grain of Juqiao—this is the “empty gathering.” All things accord with “two,” while the completed function of the Head Mi lies in “one.” “Two” belongs to human distinction; “one” is the essence and purity of Heaven. From this, all things each complete their kind, join closely without any gap, and all become fully manifest.

These passages explain the meanings of the titles of the various “Heads” (shou, a section unit similar to a hexagram) in the Taixuan: the Shang Head means lofty aspirations; the Chen Head means low aspirations; the Jiao Head means many friends; the Yin Head means few social contacts; the Rui Head means sharp and enterprising (“chan chan,” pronounced like chan, is the appearance of keen advance); the Meng Head means difficulty in walking (“jian ju” means walking but not advancing). The old commentary also explains the pronunciations and variant readings of “chan,” “jian,” and “ju,” and cites earlier Confucians’ statement that “jian ju” means walking without advancing; because the Meng Head first sees indistinctly, its action is thus.

The Qin Head means affectionate love extended to those who are distant; the Ge Head means cutting wounds to the point of bleeding. The commentary says that when affection reaches the point of drawing close even those who are distant, and cutting reaches the point of injuring and bleeding, these are the extremes of benevolence and non-benevolence as opposites, and of order and disorder. The Yu Head means that when encountering difficulties, one should identify and deal with them early; the Zhuang Head means that when waiting for the proper time, one should carefully anticipate omens. The Shi Head means that exhausting one’s own strength is to apply force outwardly; the Yang Head means that nourishing oneself is to store and multiply internally. The Cheng Head means that when achievements are completed, they cannot be altered.

What follows is a collation note: at the end of Fan Wang’s Xuan Cuo there are phrases such as “Ge is contrary, while Kun is concordant; Zeng has benefit, while Jian has harm; as for Cheng, once the work is accomplished it cannot be changed,” and some say these were supplemented by Song Zhong, while others say Lu Ji’s edition originally had the Cheng Head. On examination, the Lu edition stored in the secret library does not have it, and the ancient edition obtained by Song Weigan also lacks these five Heads; the present edition further contains “Ge does not tolerate, while Kun is broad and generous; Zeng daily increases, while Jian daily decreases” and other phrases, whose source is unknown. Therefore only the four Heads supplemented by Song Zhong are deleted, while the rest are retained as doubtful, awaiting examination by those who discuss the text. In “Xuanchi,” chi means “to spread,” that is, to unfold or set forth.

Xuan (the cosmic origin spoken of in the Taixuan) darkly and invisibly unfolds the myriad things, yet its bodily form is not seen. Relying on emptiness and nothingness to mould and transform, it generates norms and measures; through numinous clarity it establishes standards. It threads through past and present, opens up the categories of things, orders Yin-Yang, and issues Qi. With one division and one union, heaven and earth are fully present; the sun, moon, and celestial bodies move back and forth in cycles, and the firm and the yielding alternately join. Returning to their original place, endings and beginnings are thereby fixed; with one birth and one death, nature and life become clear and luminous. Heaven occupies the upper place through vigorous strength, while the sun, moon, and Five Planets, attached to it and moving, are all the yielding within it. Looking upward, one observes the celestial patterns; looking downward, one examines the conditions of things. Discerning nature, one knows destiny; tracing back to the beginning, one sees the end. The Three Instruments (heaven, earth, and humanity) follow one and the same law; thick and thin grind against one another; when they turn circularly, they become restless and unsettled (wuniè means unstable).