The Two Great Traditions - Yili (Meaning/Principle) and Xiangshu (Image/Number)

The interpretation of the I Ching (Yì Xué hermeneutics) is not a monolithic practice. Over its vast history, two main scholarly traditions have emerged from Chinese scholarship, offering distinct yet often complementary lenses through which to understand the Book of Changes. These are the Yili Pai (義理派), or the school of Meaning and Principle, and the Xiangshu Pai (象數派), or the school of Image and Number. Understanding these foundational approaches is crucial for appreciating the depth and breadth of I Ching interpretation.

1. Yili Pai (義理派) - The School of Meaning and Principle

The Yili tradition primarily focuses on the text of the I Ching itself, delving into its philosophical, moral, and literary dimensions. Practitioners of this school approach the I Ching as a profound treatise on ethics, wisdom, and the principles governing human conduct and cosmic order.

Core Focus:

• The philosophical and ethical teachings embedded in the Judgments, Images, and Line Texts.
• Moral self-cultivation and the application of I Ching wisdom to personal and societal virtue.
• The literary value and profound insights of the written word.

Methods of Interpretation:

• Textual Analysis: Deep study of the etymological origins of Chinese characters used in the text.
• Authorial Intent: Seeking to understand the original intentions of the sage-authors.
• Philology: Examining relevant historical and linguistic material, including other classical commentaries and critiques. This involves comparing different historical versions of the text and debating their authenticity.
• Literary Appreciation: Treating the text as a form of poetry, studying its rhythms, speech patterns, and the emotional resonance conveyed by the “music” of the words, seeing this as integral to its meaning.
• Textual Criticism: Within this, scholars identify branches like the School of Explanation (ch’üan-shih), which develops interpretations based on a general understanding; the School of Commentary (chu-shu), which annotates sentence by sentence; and the School of Textual Criticism (k’ao-cheng), employing sophisticated philological and phonetic methods (notably influential in Ch’ing Dynasty China).

Approach:

Often considered a more literary or intellectual exercise, the Yili school emphasizes that the text (assuming one has the “right” or most authentic version) is authoritative. It teaches virtue and explores the profound philosophical landscape of the Book of Changes.

Key Figures:

Wang Bi (王弼, AD 226–249) is a seminal figure in this tradition, whose commentary emphasized the philosophical and moral meaning of the I Ching, steering away from some of the more complex numerological systems of his Han Dynasty predecessors. Cheng Yi (程頤, AD 1033–1107) of the Song Dynasty is another major proponent of the Yili approach.

2. Xiangshu Pai (象數派) - The School of Image and Number

In contrast to the Yili school’s textual focus, the Xiangshu tradition emphasizes the symbols, numbers, diagrams (trigrams and hexagrams), and structural aspects of the I Ching. This school often reads the I Ching as a manual of divination and a map of cosmic processes, employing more analytical and sometimes esoteric methods.

Core Focus:

• The symbolic meaning of the trigrams and hexagrams (the “images” - xiang).
• Numerological principles and calculations (the “numbers” - shu).
• The structural relationships between lines, trigrams, and hexagrams.
• Cosmological correspondences, including astrology and astronomy.

Methods of Interpretation:

• Diagrammatic Analysis: Extensive use of diagrams (tu 圖) to illustrate relationships and cosmic patterns.
• Numerology: Applying numerical values to trigrams, lines, and temporal cycles (as seen in methods like Plum Blossom).
• Hexagram Relationships: Examining how hexagrams relate to each other through transformations (changing lines), inversions (upside-down hexagrams - fuxiang), or other structural correspondences.
• Image Observation: Interpreting “image programs” associated with the Eight Trigrams and observing images at different structural levels: individual lines, multiple-line “half images” (banxiang), full trigrams, and the overall hexagram.
• Correlations: Linking I Ching elements with other systems like Wu Xing (Five Phases), the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and astronomical phenomena.

Approach:

Viewed as an investigative or divinatory process, where the interpreter looks for clues via correspondences and structural patterns to arrive at conclusions about a reading or underlying cosmic principles. It is often considered more esoteric than the Yili tradition.

Key Figures:

Shao Yong (邵雍, AD 1011–1077), the developer of the Plum Blossom method, is a paramount figure in the Xiangshu school. Zhu Xi (朱熹, AD 1130–1200), while also a great synthesizer, contributed significantly to Xiangshu interpretations, particularly in his reconstruction of the yarrow stalk method and his emphasis on diagrams.

Blurring Lines and Eclectic Approaches

While traditionally presented as distinct, the lines between the Yili and Xiangshu traditions have often blurred in practice. Many great commentators and practitioners have drawn from both.

• Reconciliation Attempts: The Song Dynasty, for example, saw scholars attempting to reconcile the different approaches found in the commentaries of Yili proponents like Cheng Yi and Xiangshu-leaning scholars like Zhu Xi.

• Eclecticism: In places like Tokugawa Japan, there was considerable support for both traditions, alongside a strong focus on practical divination. Scholarship was often eclectic, maintaining a balance between philosophical inquiry and divinatory application, drawing from Han Dynasty Xiangshu and Song Dynasty Yili, as well as indigenous Japanese perspectives.

Understanding these two grand traditions provides a vital framework for appreciating the diverse ways the I Ching can be approached. Most modern interpreters, consciously or unconsciously, draw upon elements from both schools, recognizing that the full wisdom of the Book of Changes often lies in the integration of its profound textual meaning with its intricate symbolic and numerical structure.

In the next article, we will begin Part 2: Decoding the Symbolic Language of the I Ching, starting with “Article 3: The Language of Images (象 Xiang) - Visual Wisdom in Trigrams and Hexagrams.”