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Chapter 21 of 25
皇极经世
Heaven is round, Earth is square; Heaven's southern side is high while its northern side is low, thus it appears like a tilted canopy. Yet the terrain features low southeast and high northwest, hence the southeast abounds in waters and marshes, while the northwest abounds in mountains and ridges. Heaven covers Earth, Earth bears Heaven, and the two envelop each other. Thus it is said that within Heaven there is Earth, and within Earth there is Heaven. 🌏
Heaven revolves seamlessly above, too deep to fathom, so people observe the Big Dipper to calculate celestial time. The direction the Dipper handle points indicates the direction of Heaven's movement. When the handle points to the Zi position, the Dipper bowl points to the Yin position, and the stars take the Yin position as the starting point of day. The Big Dipper has seven stars, hence the division of daylight does not exceed seven periods. ⭐
Heaven's movement produces day and night; the Sun's movement produces cold and heat. Summer days are long (shallow), winter days are short (deep)—this is the result of the intermingling of Heaven and Earth. Heaven rotates to the left, the Sun moves to the right—this is the interactive movement between Heaven and the Sun. ☀️
The Sun is in the east at dawn and in the west at dusk, following Heaven's movement. It shifts north in summer and south in winter, following Heaven's intermingling. Heaven completes one revolution and exceeds one star, corresponding to the Sun's movement. At the spring equinox, unitary (酉) hour is the meridian; at the summer solstice, noon (午) hour is the meridian; at the autumn equinox, mao (卯) hour is the meridian; at the winter solstice, zi (子) hour is the meridian—corresponding to the intermingling of the Sun and Heaven.
The Sun moves slowly yet advances; the Moon moves swiftly yet retreats. When Sun and Moon conjoin once, adding or subtracting half a day creates the intercalary remainder. The Sun advances six degrees in one great motion, the Moon retreats six degrees in one great motion, thus forming the intercalary difference. When the Sun moves in yang degrees it becomes full; when it moves in yin degrees it contracts—this is the way of host and guest. When the Moon is far from the Sun it is bright and moves slowly; when near the Sun it regenerates its illuminated portion and moves swiftly—this is the principle of sovereign and minister. 🌙
When yang qi recedes, yin is produced, so the Sun sets and the Moon emerges from the west. When yin qi flourishes, it contends with yang, so at full moon it rises from the east. Heaven is the father, the Sun is the son, hence Heaven rotates leftward and the Sun moves rightward. The Sun is the husband, the Moon is the wife, hence the Sun rises from the east and the Moon is born from the west.
When Sun and Moon obscure each other (solar and lunar eclipses), it is the convergence of cosmic fate. When the Moon directly faces the Sun, a lunar eclipse occurs; when the Moon covers the Sun, a solar eclipse occurs—just as water and fire overcome each other. Thus the noble person employs wisdom, while the petty person relies on brute force.
The Sun revolves with Heaven; the Moon follows the Sun; the stars and constellations manifest following the Moon. Thus the stars emulate the Moon, the Moon emulates the Sun, and the Sun emulates Heaven. Heaven is half bright and half dark; the Sun is half full and half contracting; the Moon is half round and half waning; the stars are half in motion and half at rest—this is the principle of yin and yang.
Heaven is visible both day and night; the Sun is visible only in daylight; the Moon is visible at night but only half the time; stars are visible only during part of the night—this manifests the gradations of nobility and lowliness.
The Moon is sometimes visible during the day, so it is yin within yang; stars are visible at night, so they are yang within yin.
The number of Heaven is odd; the number of Earth is even. Therefore those who observe celestial phenomena need only observe the stars, and those who investigate terrestrial features need only observe mountains and waters. By observing the stars one can understand the body of Heaven; by observing mountains and waters one can understand the body of Earth. The body of Heaven contains all things; the body of Earth bears all things, hence the bodies of Heaven and Earth are nearly opposite.
The extreme south is intensely hot; the extreme north is intensely cold. Hence the south dissolves and the north solidifies, becoming the places of death for all beings. In summer the Sun moves northward with the Big Dipper; in winter the Sun moves southward with the Big Dipper. Thus Heaven and Earth intermingle and cold and heat are harmonized; when cold and heat are harmonized, all things can grow. 🌱
Heaven takes firm vigor as its virtue, hence the soft and weak cannot manifest; Earth takes yielding obedience as its substance, hence the firm and strong cannot grow. Therefore the Zhen trigram (震) is yin within Heaven, and the Xun trigram (巽) is yang within Earth. Where there is yang, yin then emulates it. Thus the utmost yin is the celestial bodies (辰), and the utmost yang is the Sun, both in Heaven; while on Earth there are only water and fire, therefore all things on Earth have physical form. Yin harboring yang within produces physical form; yang harboring yin within produces nature and disposition. Thus yang generates yin, yin generates yang; yang overcomes yin, yin overcomes yang. What yang qi cannot harbor cannot manifest within Earth. What yin qi cannot overcome cannot manifest within Heaven. The few that harbor yang qi will necessarily have soft bodies, thus they fear yang and are used by yang. Those that harbor much yang qi will necessarily have hard bodies, thus they can resist yang and are employed by yin. Therefore water and fire move and follow yang, while earth and stone are still and follow yin. 🔥💧
Yang generates yin, hence water forms first. Yin generates yang, hence fire forms later. Yin and yang mutually generate, and their substances are mutually interdependent. Thus when yang qi departs, yin qi withers; when yin qi is exhausted, yang qi perishes.
When metal and fire remain together, they melt and flow; when fire and wood meet, they burn—these are like-kind following like.
When water encounters cold, it solidifies; when it encounters fire, it dries up—this is the conquered conquering the conqueror.
When yang encounters yin, it turns into rain; when yin encounters yang, it turns into wind; when firm encounters soft, it turns into clouds; when soft encounters firm, it turns into thunder. Without yin, rain cannot form; without yang, thunder cannot occur. Rain is soft and belongs to yin, but yin cannot accomplish things independently, so it awaits yang and then arises. Thunder is firm and belongs to substance, but substance cannot activate itself; it must await yang and then burst forth. 🌧️🌩️
King Wen created the Zhou Yi—truly attaining the great function of Heaven and Earth! Thus Qian and Kun intermingle to become the Tai hexagram (泰); Kan and Li intermingle to become the Jiji hexagram (既济). Qian is born at the Zi position, Kun at the Wu position, Kan ends at the Yin position, Li ends at the Shen position—corresponding to celestial timing. Placing Qian in the northwest, retiring Kun to the southwest, the eldest son (Zhen) takes charge while the eldest daughter (Xun) serves in the mother's stead; Kan and Li each attain their positions, Zhen and Dui pair with each other—corresponding to terrestrial positions. The regulations of the king are fully contained herein!
Qian and Kun are the root of Heaven and Earth; Kan and Li are the great function of Heaven and Earth. Hence the Zhou Yi begins with Qian and Kun, passes through Kan and Li in between, and ends with Jiji and Weiji. The Pi and Tai hexagrams are in the middle of the first scroll, while Xian and Heng begin the second scroll—all discussing their function.
Kun commands the three daughters (Xun, Li, Dui) in the southwest; Qian commands the three sons (Zhen, Kan, Gen) in the northeast. The first scroll begins with three, the second scroll ends with four—both are principles of intermingling and prosperity. Thus Yi means "function." Qian employs nine, Kun employs six, the Great Expansion employs forty-nine, and the hidden dragon does not act. How great is function! From this I perceive the mind of the sage.
When Qian and Kun intermingle, they become the Tai hexagram; when they transform, they become the miscellaneous hexagrams.
Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li constitute the function of the first scroll; Dui, Gen, Zhen, and Xun constitute the function of the second scroll. Yi, Zhongfu, Daguo, and Xiaoguo serve as the correct substance of both scrolls.
Yi is the Way of one yin and one yang. Zhen and Dui are the beginning of intermingling, hence they occupy the positions of dawn and dusk; Kan and Li are the culmination of intermingling, hence they occupy the Zi and Wu positions; Xun and Gen, though not intermingling, still have yin and yang intermingled, hence they occupy the lateral positions within function; Qian and Kun are pure yin and pure yang, hence they occupy the positions of non-function.
Qian and Kun are arrayed vertically while the six children are arranged horizontally—this is the foundation of Yi. Zhen and Dui are arrayed horizontally while the six hexagrams are arranged vertically—this is the functioning of Yi. Heaven's yang is in the south and its yin in the north; Earth's yin is in the south and its yang in the north; the human yang is above and yin below; when already intermingled, then yang moves below and yin moves above.
The number of celestial bodies (辰) is twelve; the conjunction of Sun and Moon is called Chen. Chen is the body of Heaven; the body of Heaven is the qi without physical substance.
Heaven's yang is in the south, hence the Sun is positioned there. Earth's firmness is in the north, hence the mountains are situated there. Thus Earth is high in the northwest and Heaven is high in the southeast. Heaven's spirit resides in the Sun; the human spirit issues forth from the eyes. The human spirit resides in the heart when waking and in the kidneys when sleeping—this emulates Heaven, and this constitutes the principle of day and night.
Clouds move and rain falls; lightning flashes and thunder roars—each following its kind. Blowing, expelling, sighing, exhaling, and vocalizing correspond to wind, rain, clouds, mist, and thunder—speaking of like-kind mutual resonance. All things have the sequence of Taiji, Two Modes, Four Images, and Eight Trigrams, and likewise have the images of past and present. Clouds differ as water, fire, earth, and stone; other categories of things are likewise.
The summer and winter solstices are separated by one hundred and eighty degrees from east to west, and sixty degrees from north to south. In the month of the winter solstice, Heaven moves as it does at the summer solstice's Sun; in the month of the summer solstice, Heaven moves as at the winter solstice's Sun. The four cardinal points are Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li. Observing their images, they have no cyclical change—thus they are called correct. When yang is within yin, yang moves retrograde; when yin is within yang, yin moves retrograde; when yang is in yang and yin is in yin, both move in direct sequence. This is the most truthful principle; consulting the diagram, one may see it. The subtleties of grasses may be attributed to Kun. Among the Five Phases, wood is the category of the myriad things. Among the Five Phases, metal emerges from stone. Hence water, fire, earth, and stone do not involve metal and wood; metal and wood are generated in between them.
This chapter revolves around the interactive generation of Heaven and Earth, yin and yang, with core ideas summarized as:
The circular Heaven square Earth cosmological model: Shao Yong adheres to the ancient cosmology of "circular Heaven, square Earth," which, though differing from modern astronomy, truly intends to describe the Heaven-Earth relationship through yin-yang attributes—Heaven as yang, firm, and dynamic; Earth as yin, soft, and still. The circle symbolizes yang's ceaseless circulation; the square symbolizes yin's stability and formation.
The hierarchical order of Sun, Moon, and Five Stars: The original text establishes a rigorous cosmic hierarchy—"stars emulate the Moon, the Moon emulates the Sun, the Sun emulates Heaven"—advancing level by level, presenting an order with Heaven as the ultimate authority. This hierarchy is not merely physical movement but a projection of ethical order (the sovereign as the principle of ministers, the husband as the principle of the wife).
Mutual concealment and generation of yin and yang: Yin concealing yang, and yang concealing yin, is this chapter's most important philosophical proposition. Water is yin concealing yang (externally yin but internally dynamic); fire is yang concealing yin (externally yang but internally still). Yin concealing yang gives rise to physical form; yang concealing yin gives rise to nature and disposition—this mutual concealment theory transcends simple binary opposition.
The positions and functions of the Eight Trigrams: Shao Yong embeds the Eight Trigrams into a system of directions and time—Qian and Kun positioned, Kan and Li serving the main function, Zhen and Dui presiding over dawn and dusk, Xun and Gen occupying peripheral positions—forming a complete integrated spatiotemporal model.
The philosophy of "function" (Yong): The entire text repeatedly emphasizes "function"—Qian employs nine, Kun employs six, the Great Expansion employs forty-nine, and Kan and Li are the function of Heaven and Earth. "Function" is the crucial category in Shao Yong's philosophy connecting the metaphysical and the physical, substance and function.
From a modern scientific perspective, several points in this content merit deep consideration:
Astronomical level: The text's description of solar-lunar movements and intercalary remainder mechanisms reflects the high achievements of Song-dynasty astronomical calendrical science. Shao Yong's statement that "the Sun advances six degrees in one great motion, the Moon retreats six degrees in one great motion" in fact describes the cumulative difference between the synodic month (the lunation cycle) and the tropical year—the astronomical basis for intercalation. His observation that "when the Sun moves in yang degrees it is full; when it moves in yin degrees it contracts" corresponds to the non-uniformity of the Sun's apparent motion caused by the ellipticity of Earth's orbit—faster at perihelion (full) and slower at aphelion (contracted). Notably, Shao Yong imbues this astronomical phenomenon with the ethical meaning of "the way of host and guest"—a dual path of scientific observation and humanistic interpretation.
Geographic and climatic level: The observation that "the southeast abounds in water, the northwest in mountains" matches East Asian continental topography remarkably well. China's terrain descends from west to east, with the southeast coast rich in waters and the northwest interior full of mountains and plateaus. Without modern geological methods, Shao Yong arrived at approximately correct geomorphological distributions through yin-yang theory, suggesting that the empirical inductive methods of traditional natural philosophy possess explanatory power within specific spatiotemporal limits.
Systems theory perspective: The "stars—Moon—Sun—Heaven" hierarchy and the statement that "all things have the sequence of Taiji, Two Modes, Four Images, and Eight Trigrams" are essentially a nested hierarchical system—each level contains the complete structure of the next lower level. This shares remarkable affinity with the holographic theory and fractal structures in modern systems science. All things containing Taiji means each part embodies information about the whole.
Ecological perspective: "When cold and heat are harmonized, all things can grow" reveals a simple ecological principle: moderate periodic variation is the precondition for life. Extreme environments (extreme south and north) are "places of death for all beings," while temperate zones with balanced cold and heat are most suitable for biological flourishing. This aligns remarkably with modern ecology's biodiversity distribution patterns—temperate and subtropical regions typically harbor the richest biodiversity.
Demystification treatment: The original text explains solar and lunar eclipses as "the convergence of cosmic fate" (literally "the meeting of numbers"), fundamentally a natural encounter of celestial motion cycles rather than the work of spirits or demons. Shao Yong explicitly states that this is "like water and fire overcoming each other," explaining natural phenomena through interactions among elements—a rationalist advance in its time. The statements that "Heaven is the father, the Sun is the son" and "the Sun is the husband, the Moon is the wife" should be understood as projections of ancient human ethical order onto nature, not claims that nature possesses human ethical attributes—an exercise of analogical thinking rather than scientific propositions.
In contemporary life, the wisdom of this chapter can be transformed into the following actionable methodologies:
Hierarchical decision-making model 🔄
The original text's "stars emulate the Moon, the Moon emulates the Sun, the Sun emulates Heaven" reminds us: any complex system has a hierarchical structure. In modern organizational management and project planning, one can decompose layer by layer: core goal (Heaven) → key strategy (Sun) → execution rhythm (Moon) → daily actions (stars). Each layer "emulates" the one above it, ensuring directional consistency, and the system will operate as stably as the solar-lunar system.
Balance strategy of mutual yin-yang concealment ⚖️
"Yin concealing yang gives rise to physical form; yang concealing yin gives rise to nature and disposition" is an insight of tremendous practical significance: every extreme contains the seed of its opposite. In personal development, firmness needs suppleness as support, and suppleness needs firmness as guardianship. For instance, a leader with only the "yang-firm" decisiveness but lacking the "yin-soft" capacity for listening will ultimately fail through obstinacy; the reverse is also true. In practical terms, one can periodically conduct a "reverse-capability audit"—the firm should practice softness (e.g., authoritative persons training in listening), and the gentle should practice firmness (e.g., mild persons training in assertiveness).
Rhythm and cycle time management ⏰
The original text's detailed analysis of solar-lunar movement—expansion and contraction, advance and retreat, slowness and speed—reveals the laws of nonlinear rhythm. No system operates at constant speed: sometimes advance is rapid (expansion), sometimes slow (contraction), and sometimes apparent retreat is actually accumulation (lit. "the Sun advances by being slow"). In modern work rhythms, one can borrow the wisdom of "the harmonization of cold and heat": do not pursue constant high-intensity output, but actively design tension-release rhythms—alternating high-efficiency focus periods (summer) with rest and recovery periods (winter); only through their alternation and balance can sustainable productivity emerge.
The thinking of "function" 🛠️
Shao Yong repeatedly emphasizes "function"—substance as foundation, function as manifestation. In the modern knowledge economy, knowledge itself is "substance," while application scenarios are "function." Learning the Yi is not about reciting hexagram statements but about "applying" yin-yang thinking to practical problems in decision-making, management, and daily life. One can create a "substance-function comparison table": for every concept learned, ask "where is its function?"—the closed loop of "hypothesis—action—review" should become the norm.
Wisdom in environmental choice 🏞️
"The extreme south is intensely hot, the extreme north is intensely cold… cold and heat must harmonize for things to grow." This shows that extreme environments hinder growth, while moderate environments foster prosperity. In career choices, residency selection, or entrepreneurial track selection, one can borrow this principle: it is not the "hottest" or "most niche" fields that are optimal, but rather environments with balanced cold and heat, moderate variation that most likely nurture long-term development. Practically, one can use an "extremity assessment checklist" to evaluate environmental choices.
The dialectic of "intersection" and "non-intersection"
The entire text takes "interaction" as its core thread: Heaven and Earth interact to form Tai, Qian and Kun interact to form Jiji, Sun and Moon interact to form the celestial cycle, cold and heat interact and things are born. In Shao Yong's cosmological view, all things are born from interaction and die from the lack of it. But what is most intriguing is that he simultaneously points out that "although Xun and Gen do not interact, yin and yang are still intermixed within them" — that is, although Xun and Gen do not directly interact, yin and yang remain mingled within them. This hints at a deeper philosophy: neither the extreme of "interaction" nor the extreme of "non-interaction" represents the optimal state. Qian and Kun are pure yin and yang, non-interacting, hence "not employed"; Kan and Li represent the extreme of interaction, hence "employed." Without interaction, there is stillness and motionlessness; with extreme interaction, there is turbulence and instability. True wisdom lies in grasping the measure between interaction and non-interaction — much like the predicament of modern people facing an age of information overload: completely rejecting external information (non-interaction) leads to self-seclusion, while indiscriminately accepting everything (extreme interaction) results in the loss of subjectivity. Shao Yong's "the partial position within employment" is precisely such a subtle middle state.
The Tension between "Employment" and "Non-employment"
"Hidden dragon, do not act" and "How great is employment!" appear contradictory, yet they are two sides of the same coin. "Not acting" does not mean uselessness, but rather gathering momentum for future action — just as winter storage prepares for spring germination. While affirming the greatness of "employment," Shao Yong also points out that the initial line of Qian is the "hidden dragon, do not act." This tension reveals profound practical wisdom: knowing when not to employ is more difficult than knowing when to employ. In modern society, the "use of the useless" (such as seemingly impractical basic research, or leisure time) often turns out to be the most fundamental "employment."
The Cosmological View of Substance and Function as One
The essence of Shao Yong's philosophy lies in the unity of substance and function (ti-yong as one): Heaven and Earth are substance, their intermingling is function; stillness is substance, motion is function; yin and yang are substance, transformation is function. But this is not a simple "two-world" view — substance does not exist apart from function, and function does not manifest apart from substance. The statement "the substance of Heaven is the qi of the formless" is particularly profound: Heaven as "substance" is structurally emptiness, yet functionally it is the sovereign of all things. This view that takes emptiness as substance and all things as function is continuous with the Daoist notion of "the usefulness of non-being," and also coincidentally aligns with the quantum field theory in modern physics, where "a vacuum is not truly empty" — seemingly void space (substance) is in fact the locus where energy and particles arise and vanish (function).
The Deep Significance of the Principle of Direct and Reverse Motion
"Yang moving within yin moves in reverse; yin moving within yang moves in reverse; yang within yang and yin within yin both move direct." On the surface, this passage discusses astronomical motion, but in essence it reveals a profound philosophical principle: when a certain attribute finds itself in a foreign environment, its direction of motion undergoes a reversal. This can be generalized to many domains: when a minority is situated within a majority environment, its behavior tends toward radicalization (reverse motion); while within a homogeneous environment, it naturally flows direct. Understanding this principle offers illuminating insights for dealing with cultural conflicts, generational differences, and the dissemination of innovation.
| Concept | Meaning | Relationship to This Text |
|---|---|---|
| Former Heaven Bagua Directions | Qian south, Kun north, Li east, Kan west, Zhen northeast, Xun southwest, Dui southeast, Gen northwest | "The yang of Heaven is in the south" corresponds to the Former Heaven position of Qian in the south |
| Later Heaven Bagua Directions | Li south, Kan north, Zhen east, Dui west, Xun southeast, Gen northeast, Qian northwest, Kun southwest | "Placing Qian in the northwest, withdrawing Kun to the southwest" refers to the Later Heaven directions |
| Naji Theory | Correlating lunar phases with hexagram symbols; Qian corresponds to Jia and Ren, Kun to Yi and Gui | "Qian is born at Zi, Kun is born at Wu" is inherently related to Naji |
| Yaochen Theory | Matching the twelve earthly branches to the six lines; e.g., Qian's initial nine corresponds to Zi, nine-two to Yin | "Kan ends at Yin, Li ends at Shen" employs the yaochen approach |
| Number of the Great Derivation | Fifty; forty-nine are used; originating from the Xici | The text's direct citation of "the Great Derivation uses forty-nine" |
| Sun-Moon Conjunction Cycle | Synodic month approximately 29.53 days, tropical year approximately 365.24 days | "Adding half a day, subtracting half a day" describes the conjunction difference |