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Chapter 3 of 20
卜筮全书
Although the book Complete Book of Divination (Bu Shi Quan Shu) has long circulated in old editions, its arrangement was disorderly and its sequence unclear. Now the proprietor of the book workshop has sincerely invited Mr. Yao Baiyu to oversee its revision—deleting the redundant and supplementing the omissions—so that this work appears in an entirely new light, far surpassing all other editions. Upward, it illuminates the subtle mysteries bequeathed by the ancient sages; downward, it explores the esoteric essentials transmitted by the various schools.
Readers must not treat this carefully crafted work with negligence or disrespect.
Engraved and published by Weng Shaolu of Jinchang.
[Translator's note: The character "迴" in the phrase "迴异他书" is annotated in the original text as equivalent to "回" (return), but in light of the intended meaning, it should be read as "迥异" (utterly different). "迥" (jiǒng) means vastly distant or completely distinct. Here it carries the sense of "迥异".]
Though brief, this preface reveals several key concepts in the transmission of classical Chinese divination texts:
I. Conscious Awareness of Textual Organization. The preface explicitly states that old editions were "disorderly and sequence-less," indicating that Ming-dynasty divination texts, through long processes of hand-copying and reprinting, commonly suffered from jumbled chapters, duplicated content, and omissions. Those overseeing revisions required a clear scholarly awareness of textual organizing principles, rather than simply reproducing old editions.
II. The Editorial Principle of "Deleting the Redundant and Supplementing the Omissions." These four characters constitute the core methodology of classical text restoration. "Deleting the redundant" removes repetitive and superfluous passages; "supplementing the omissions" restores what has been lost or scattered. This demands not merely philological competence from the reviser, but also a deep understanding of divination principles—only then can one judge what is redundant and what is missing.
III. The Dual Positioning of "Illuminating the Sage's Mysteries and Exploring the Schools' Esoteric Teachings." The former points toward tracing principles back to their source—returning to the philosophical heights of the I Ching itself; the latter points toward integrating techniques—absorbing the essence of divination experience accumulated across generations. This embodies the scholarly ideal of "governing technique through principle, and verifying principle through technique."
IV. A Solemn Admonition to Readers. The four characters "幸毋忽焉" (do not treat lightly) function both as the publisher's self-assertion and as a requirement for readers—the art of divination cannot be grasped through superficial acquaintance; one must approach it with reverence and depth.
This preface can be viewed as the "editor's note" of Ming-dynasty divination publishing—the equivalent of a preface to a revised edition in contemporary academic publishing. The information it conveys remains illuminating in today's context:
Textual Awareness: The ancients were already conscious of the problem of "disorderly old editions," a concern that echoes modern scholarly attention to textual lineages and variant readings. Today's readers of Complete Book of Divination must likewise attend to differences between editions, and should not assume that any single copy represents the complete picture.
Professional Division of Labor: The book workshop (publisher) funded a professional (Mr. Yao Baiyu) to oversee the revision, indicating that divination publishing had already developed a "capital + expertise" operational model. This bears strong resemblance to contemporary publishing practices of commissioning scholars as editors-in-chief or lead translators.
Contemporary Significance of "Deleting the Redundant": In the face of the vast ocean of divination literature, the modern learner's greatest difficulty is not "having no books to read" but rather "too many to read." The wisdom of "deleting the redundant" lies in grasping the core framework first, then gradually expanding into details—avoiding the exhaustion of energy on repetitive material.
A Warning in "Supplementing the Omissions": Classical texts frequently suffered losses in transmission, meaning that today's editions may not be complete. When encountering semantic ruptures or logical discontinuities, students should remain vigilant, consult other editions or related sources for corroboration, rather than forcing an interpretation.
For modern learners of divination, this preface offers the following practical guidance:
Edition Consciousness: When studying Complete Book of Divination, priority should be given to professionally collated editions rather than arbitrarily chosen online texts. The quality of the edition directly affects learning outcomes.
Learning Pathway: The hierarchy suggested by the preface—"the sage's mysteries first, then the schools' esoterica"—corresponds to a two-step strategy in modern study: first master the fundamental principles and hexagram logic of the I Ching (the level of principle), then study specific divination techniques and case studies from various schools (the level of technique). The order should not be reversed.
Attitudinal Requirements: The admonition "do not treat lightly" remains golden advice today. The art of divination involves complex symbolic systems and logical reasoning; a restless mind and a desire for quick results are the first obstacles to learning.
Methodological Inspiration: "Deleting the redundant and supplementing the omissions" is also an effective method for organizing personal knowledge. In the learning process, one should periodically clear away redundant information and fill knowledge gaps, maintaining a clear and complete knowledge structure.
Behind this brief preface lies a deeper philosophical proposition: the transmission and reconstruction of knowledge.
Any knowledge system undergoes "entropy increase" through time—order degenerates into chaos, structure gradually loosens. The "disorderly and sequence-less" old editions are a manifestation of this process. Each earnest revision and reorganization is a "negative entropy" operation, attempting to restore order and vitality to knowledge.
Yet revision itself is also a form of "creative deviation." Mr. Yao Baiyu's "deleting and supplementing" inevitably bore his personal understanding and judgment. The "definitive edition" we read today is actually the layered product of generations of editors. This reminds us: there is no purely "original" text, only traditions continuously reinterpreted.
For the art of divination, this "continuous reconstruction" is precisely the source of its vitality. From the I Ching to the Complete Book of Divination, from pre-Qin divination to Ming-dynasty Six Lines (Liuyao) practice, each reorganization and revision is a dialogue between ancient wisdom and contemporary experience. Today's learners are themselves continuing this conversation spanning millennia.
| Concept | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Deleting the redundant, supplementing the omissions | Fundamental method of classical text restoration; also applicable to personal knowledge management |
| The sage's mysteries | Refers to the essential principles contained in the I Ching's hexagram and line statements, as well as the Ten Wings commentary |
| The schools' esoterica | Refers to divination techniques and insights of successive generations of masters (e.g., Jing Fang, Shao Yong, Master Wild Crane) |
| Jinchang (金阊) | A place name in Suzhou, one of the national centers of woodblock printing in the Ming dynasty, equal in stature to Nanjing and Hangzhou |
| Zixing (梓行) | "Zi" refers to the woodblock; ancient book publication was called "fuzi" (delivering to the block); here denotes printing and distribution via woodblock |