The Yili (Meaning/Principle) Lens - Focusing on Ethics, Philosophy, and Textual Wisdom

The Yili Pai (義理派), or the School of Meaning and Principle, represents one of the two great historical traditions of I Ching interpretation. This approach prioritizes a deep engagement with the Chinese language texts of the I Ching, seeking to understand them figuratively and to uncover the profound moral, ethical, and philosophical wisdom embedded within. Unlike the Xiangshu (Image and Number) school, which emphasizes hexagram structure and objective methods, the Yili lens finds meaning primarily within the words themselves—the Judgments (guaci 卦辭), Line Texts (yaoci 爻辭), and particularly the Ten Wings.

Core Tenets of the Yili Lens: A Quest for Moral and Philosophical Insight

At its heart, the Yili school views the I Ching not merely as a tool for fortune-telling, but as a guide for life, rich with principles for self-cultivation and ethical conduct.

• Focus on Textual Meaning: The Yili approach stresses that the texts themselves are the primary source of wisdom. It involves a careful, nuanced reading to understand the layers of meaning.

• Moral and Philosophical Principles: The central aim is to discern the ethical teachings and philosophical concepts embedded within the I Ching. The Great Commentary (part of the Ten Wings), for instance, refers to the text as a tool used by sages “to cleanse hearts and minds” and notes its concern for the common folk’s anxieties. The text is seen as having a “way of thinking” that is often situational and relative, characteristic of the “Book of Changes” rather than a “Book of Fixations.”

• Self-Cultivation (xiūshēn 修身): A primary goal of interpreting the I Ching through the Yili lens is to draw insights for personal moral development and the cultivation of virtue. The I Ching is seen as having significant psychological potential as a means of attaining self-understanding and embodying the qualities of a noble person (jūnzǐ 君子). Inner self-cultivation is often linked to the study of philosophical texts and even occult arts in this broader tradition.

• Distancing from Pure Prediction: Proponents of Yili often consciously distance themselves from using the I Ching solely for predictive fortune-telling, instead highlighting its role as a profound work of literature and philosophy.

Influential Figures: Architects of the Yili Tradition

The Yili approach has been shaped by many scholars, but two figures are particularly pivotal:

Wang Bi (王弼, AD 226–249): Though living in the earlier Jin Dynasty, Wang Bi is widely considered the founder of the Yili exegetical method. He penned significant commentaries (the Zhouyi zhu and Zhouyi lueli) that boldly disregarded purely philological concerns to get to the “essentials.” His approach, sometimes described as sao xiang (“sweeping out the images”), aimed to move inward from the words and symbols to the core ideas or principles (li 理) at the center, believing that once the idea was grasped, the symbols and words were secondary.

Wang Bi interpreted the I Ching through the lens of the Dao De Jing and viewed readings as a form of practical problem-solving, arguing against imposing moral judgments on external events and instead seeing them as the natural course of the Dao. However, due to his short life, some argue his philosophical maturation was limited, and he might have overlooked certain structural dimensions by dismissing words and symbols too quickly.

Cheng Yi (程頤, AD 1033–1107): A major figure of the Song Dynasty’s Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism, Cheng Yi followed Wang Bi’s Yili method, reading the I Ching as a moral and philosophical treatise. His influential commentary, the Yichuan yizhuan (伊川易傳), consciously avoided predictive language and focused on textual meanings.

Cheng Yi believed the Ten Wings (which he, like most scholars in late imperial China, attributed to Confucius) summarized Confucius’s moral teaching. His work spoke directly to the educated elite, offering detailed instructions for navigating specific problems in daily life, particularly in politics and relationships. A key concept in Cheng Yi’s approach is lèi (類), meaning “kind” or “category,” emphasizing that understanding principle (li) involves proper categorization. For Cheng Yi, the ability to discern lèi defined a noble person (jūnzǐ), who knows how to put everything in its proper place.

While Zhu Xi respected Cheng Yi, he found his interpretations sometimes limiting, for example, by primarily restricting the meaning of a hexagram like Qian (乾) to political matters and reducing the text to a moral treatise.

Thus, even within the Yili framework, nuances exist. Wang Bi’s interpretation was influenced by Xuanxue (Neo-Daoism) and focused on abstract principles, while Cheng Yi’s was more firmly rooted in Confucian moral philosophy and practical ethics for the ruling class.

How to Use the Yili Lens: Practices for Interpretation

Applying the Yili lens involves several key practices:

Close Reading and Textual Analysis:

• Judgments (guaci) and Line Texts (yaoci): These are the primary focus. Line statements often describe an event, act, or status, accompanied by a judgment of fortune. Reading from bottom to top (line 1 to line 6) can represent a developmental process, and these statements also often relate to relative social positions or situations. Wang Bi sought the underlying “idea” of the line, while Cheng Yi offered practical advice for individuals in different roles. A changing line can also be seen as an interpolation in meaning between the original and resulting hexagrams.

• Etymology and Philology: The origins of words and the author’s original intentions are considered crucial. This involves studying associated literary texts, various commentaries, and critiquing past interpretations.

Focus on Ethical and Philosophical Implications:

• Uncover the moral teachings and metaphysical truths within the text, particularly as illuminated by the Ten Wings.
• Reflect on how hexagrams and lines teach virtue and offer guidance for proper conduct.

The I Ching as a Guide for Virtuous Action and Self-Cultivation:

• Seek detailed instructions for resolving specific problems and making ethical choices, as exemplified by Cheng Yi’s commentaries.
• Use the text to foster self-understanding and embody the principles of the noble person (jūnzǐ). The ideal of perfectly harmonious action is a significant concept.

Examples of Insightful Applications of the Yili Lens

The Yili lens offers profound insights, particularly when exploring:

Psychological States and Ethical Responses: Hexagrams like Kan (坎, #29, “The Sinkhole”), symbolizing anxiety and “heartsickness” but also the mind’s potential, or Xian (咸, #31, “Reciprocity/Influence”), linked to psychological concepts like stimulus-response and consciousness/unconsciousness, are rich fields for Yili interpretation. Cheng Yi’s commentary on Kan, for instance, highlights how sincerity can overcome difficulties.

Moral Guidance for Specific Situations: Cheng Yi’s detailed advice for scenarios like factional politics or dealing with difficult rulers demonstrates the practical ethical application of the Yili lens. Zhu Xi, while sometimes differing, also emphasized applying the wisdom of hexagrams like Qian (乾, #1) broadly to various life roles (emperor, official, father, son).

Understanding Abstract Principles: Wang Bi’s focus on principles (li) allows the Yili lens to delve into metaphysical concepts. The Xici Zhuan (Great Commentary), for example, discusses the Dao as “that which is above forms” and “implements” (qi 器) as “that which is below forms”—fundamental concepts in later Chinese metaphysics. The dao-xiang-qi (道象器) triad (abstract principles, emergent manifestations, concrete objects) is another relevant framework.

In essence, the Yili lens approaches the I Ching as a profound literary and philosophical work. Through diligent study of its texts and commentaries, one uncovers layers of meaning concerning ethics, self-cultivation, and the fundamental principles that govern change and guide virtuous human conduct.

Next, we will explore the contrasting yet complementary approach in “Article 3: The Xiangshu (Image/Number) Lens - Deciphering Cosmic Patterns and Symbolic Structures.”