《易說》Vol. 1

What is the profound knowledge of sages and worthies if not understanding the patterns of the heavenly Dao (the Way) and aligning humanity with it? To achieve this harmony between heaven and humanity, there's no secret other than following the tides of time. When the moment isn't ripe, maintain stillness and steadfastness; when the time comes, be vigilant against the dangers of excess. By observing the waxing and waning of Yin-Yang, one can foresee the signs of fortune and misfortune. Thus, whether revealing or concealing themselves, sages adapt to circumstances with perfect timing in advance and retreat.

From this perspective, isn't following the tides of time the essence of sage wisdom? Unfortunately, scholars with limited vision often force themselves forward when they should withdraw and rush ahead when they ought to remain still. Ignorant of the Dao of silent perseverance and unaware of the warning against excess, they either act impulsively or arrogantly. Failing to heed danger's early signs and lacking prudence when facing change, they ultimately court disaster.

Therefore, the sages created the "Yijing" (Book of Changes), using the six lines (Yao - the Yin and Yang symbols composing hexagrams) to elucidate heaven's patterns. The principles of Yin-Yang transformation, rise and fall, advance and retreat, survival and demise are all contained within. It provides perfectly complete guidance for pursuing fortune and avoiding misfortune, yet its meanings are both evident and hidden, its language both clear and subtle. Superficial readers treat it merely as a divination manual, while profound thinkers consider it concealing celestial secrets. Even great scholars like Jing Fang, Wang Bi (styled Fusi), Jiao Gan, and Yang Xiong (styled Ziyun) understood it this way—how much more so ordinary people?

Indeed, from national governance to family prosperity, down to personal conduct and social interactions, none can depart from the "Yijing's" principles. How magnificent is the "Yijing"! Where else can one seek the Dao for securing one's life and comprehending heavenly principles? Now that the sages have passed, their subtle teachings are severed; the "Yijing's" Dao remains obscure, and the learning of heaven-humanity declines. Who will worry about prosperous ages' crises to preserve perfection without fail?

Confucius said: "Give me a few more years, and at fifty I would study the 'Yi,' then I might come to be without great faults." Regarding learning to reduce faults, truly nothing surpasses the "Yijing." How can one not study it? It's precisely out of concern for the world's moral condition that I've selected the sixty-four hexagrams for detailed explanation and clear analysis. May later scholars observe the hexagram images and ponder the prognostications to discern fortune's signs within Yin-Yang's transformations. Whether advancing or retreating, revealing or concealing, may they never lose the proper path, thus finding guidance in governing states, ordering families, preserving themselves, and managing affairs. My "Discourse on the Yi" dares not claim great merit...

This passage was inscribed by Master Lü of Yellow Crane Mountain in the Empty Elegance Pavilion. He expressed his aspiration in studying the Book of Changes (Yijing): hoping to elucidate the principle of "humanity aligning with heavenly order" (the harmony between human Dao and celestial Dao) to enlighten future learners. In this way, people could frequently attain the auspicious fortune of "favorable perseverance" (a propitious hexagram statement in the Yijing), while avoiding perilous circumstances. Master Lü considered this the fundamental purpose and ambition behind his study of the Book of Changes.