校对前记

Preface to Proofreading

Overall Paraphrase

The art of Liu Yao divination (Six Lines) has been transmitted for over two thousand years since the Jing Fang of the Han Dynasty established the Najia divination method. However, due to historical changes, scattering and loss during wars, and various other reasons, few works have survived to this day.

The Complete Book of Divination (Bu Shi Quan Shu) was completed in the late Ming Dynasty. This work gathered many important texts predating the Ming Dynasty, such as the Tian Xuan Fu (Heaven's Mystery Rhapsody), providing invaluable material for later researchers.

The proofreader has two editions at hand: first, the first edition published by Zhongzhou Ancient Books Publishing House in May 1994, with proofreading and punctuation by Guo Xiaoming; second, the first edition published by China Book Publishing House in March 1991, compiled by Guo Zhicheng, Li Zhigao, and Liu Yingjie as the "Divination Volume" of A Survey of Chinese Occult Arts (Zhongguo Shushu Guanguan). Both editions use the Gujin Tushu Jicheng (Complete Collection of Ancient and Modern Books) completed in the sixth year of the Yongzheng reign (1728) as their base text for punctuation and collation.

Examining both books, the punctuation and annotation are not entirely accurate, and there are textual omissions—likely errors introduced during successive hand-copying throughout history. Fortunately, from the internet, I obtained a facsimile electronic edition (1630 edition) provided by the Shushu Library (Occult Arts Library). Based on the header and preface, this should be the original edition reprinted under the reorganization of Mr. Yao Baiyu. To facilitate study by later scholars, I have, therefore, transcribed and proofread this text into an electronic edition based on this version.

The principles for this transcription and proofreading are as follows: traditional characters in the original edition are replaced with simplified characters; typographical errors are directly corrected; rare characters are annotated in parentheses with modern pinyin notation and brief explanations of meanings; characters that are illegible or unrecognizable in the original edition are marked with square brackets to indicate missing text. Despite multiple rounds of proofreading, errors are inevitably unavoidable. Should readers discover proofreading mistakes, or possess a better edition, please inform us so that corrections can be made in time, to avoid misinforming and misleading future learners.

Annotations for rare characters:

• 筮 (shì, fourth tone): In ancient times, divination using yarrow stalks.
• 郅 (zhì, fourth tone): Extremely; to the utmost.

🧠 Deep Understanding

Core Concepts 💡

Though this proofreading preface is a technical explanatory text, it reflects several important concepts:

• The seriousness of academic transmission: The proofreader explicitly lists the source editions used, version information, and collation principles, and even readily admits that "errors are inevitably unavoidable," demonstrating a high sense of responsibility toward the work of ancient text collation.
• Awareness of textual criticism: The proofreader compared three versions (two modern collated editions and one 1630 facsimile edition), discovered that the modern editions have inaccurate punctuation and textual omissions, and traced back to the earlier original edition—this exemplifies the methodology of tracing narratives to their origins in textual criticism.
• The altruistic spirit of facilitating later scholars: The entire purpose of this proofreading work is clearly stated—"for the convenience of later scholars"—not for fame or profit, but to avoid leading later learners astray. This scholarly public-spiritedness deserves respect.

Modern Interpretation 🌟

In the contemporary context, the significance of this proofreading preface far exceeds its surface content:

• Pioneering consciousness in the digitization of ancient texts: The proofreader's transcription of the facsimile edition into electronic text is, in essence, an early practice of "ancient text digitization." Before the widespread availability of the internet, such work was extremely arduous but opened a gateway for I Ching enthusiasts to access original classical texts.
• The practical dilemma of textual proliferation: The transmission of the various editions of The Complete Book of Divination reflects the general condition of all Chinese occult arts classics—errors from hand-copying, misprints from block printing, and mixed quality among collated versions. Modern learners who encounter various "secret editions" and "ancient editions" online must discern the original provenance of editions, and cannot blindly trust them.
• The exemplary significance of rigorous methodology: The proofreader clearly distinguishes four methods of treatment—"replacement of traditional characters," "correction of typographical errors," "pinyin annotation of rare characters," and "marking illegible characters"—this categorical editorial standard remains a fundamental principle in ancient text digitization to this day.

Practical Value ⚡

• A guide to edition selection: When studying Liu Yao divination, one should prioritize current collated editions that are based on earlier block-printed texts as their bases. This preface reminds us that modern collated editions, though convenient, may contain punctuation errors and textual omissions; when encountering perplexing passages, one should refer back to facsimiles of the original printed versions for comparison.
• A self-directed collation methodology: The proofreader demonstrates a workable process for ancient text collation—selection of foundations → comparison of multiple editions → notation of textual variants → explication of editorial rationale. While average enthusiasts need not do exhaustive scholarly collation, when reading key chapters one should at least cultivate the habit of cross-referencing multiple editions upon encountering uncertainties.
• Reference points for a learning path: The works mentioned in the text, such as the Tian Xuan Fu, constitute an important part of the Liu Yao system. Starting with The Complete Book of Divination allows one to gain a systematic understanding of the complete picture of divination methods before the Ming Dynasty.

Philosophical Reflection 🤔

This seemingly mundane editorial note conceals a profound cultural proposition: How does knowledge survive through time?

The two-thousand-year tradition of Liu Yao relies on the hand-copying, block-printing, collation, and arrangement done by each successive generation. Every transcription may introduce errors, and every edition is an act of "rescue." What the proofreader does here is essentially struggling against the erosion of time—the fading of texts, the dispersion of editions, the deviation of understanding. This struggle is inevitably imperfect ("errors are inevitably unavoidable"), yet it is this very imperfect effort that has enabled ancient wisdom to traverse time and space, reaching today's readers.

This reminds us that: The vitality of tradition lies not in immaculate "preservation," but in the faithful "re-editing" and "reinterpretation" carried out by each generation.

📚 Related Knowledge

Related Concepts

Further Reading

• The primary formal prologue (first and vertical columns) of The Complete Book of Divination—an understanding of the provenance of Mr. Yao Baiyu's redaction.
• The divination chapters in the Bouu Huibian · Yishu Dian Volume of the Gujin Tushu Jicheng—a comparison with these collected texts.
• Jingshan Yi Zhuan, The Book of Changes in Master Jing Fang — tracing back to Wang Bi's nāshù yì interpretation from Jing Fang’s system.
• The complete text of Tian Xuan Fu—for the systematic learning of the essential operative formulae of Liùyáo yì.

Modern Research

• Digitization projects for classical texts: In recent years, Chinese national library institutions, Harvard-Yenching Library, and other archives have made numerous digitized scans of ancient Chinese occult–traditional divination works available online, dramatically improving access to original editions.
• Current editorial status of esoteric-class text collation: Contemporary scholars have shown a growing interest in bringing scientific, consistent methodological frameworks to classic esoteric texts addressing Six Lines (liùyáo). However, in general, edition problems have rendered solid version-history analysis—less rigorous than that concerning canonical (jīng) and historical (shǐ) works of scripture, historical sagas —apparent weakness in overall methodological boundaries.
• Research in Six (Yáo) system: Modern Yi domain researchers have tried methodologies charting Najia divination and reconstruct theoretical ruptures across early Jing Fang Yixue lineages relative to that today, offering new reflective orientation spaces around the " _Complete Book of Divination" interpretive landscape frame across scientific integration systems.