周易反定(5)

[朴籌丙]

Ph. D. Thesis

The Study on Trigrams and Hexagrams of I Ching

- centered on Chong Yak-yong(丁若鏞)'s I­Xue -

Park, Joo-Byung

Department of Philosophy

Graduate School

Yeungnam University

( Supervised by Prof. Dr. Jung, Byung-Seok )

Abstract

Trigrams and hexagrams(卦) and the oracle texts(易詞) compose I Ching but they were not organized at the same time. It is commonly believed that the oracle texts were written according to shiang(象) that trigrams and hexagrams have. So trigrams and hexagrams are the beginning and the bone of I Ching. But this refers only to the visible form. It doesn't mean that trigrams and hexagrams can be the beginning of I Ching without the places that they are based. Chong Yak-yong(1762～1836) said trigrams and hexagrams express things figuratively. But the expression‎ is not one to one. It is one to multi. So they have the meaning of symbol. He said the shiangs of all things stayed trigrams and hexagrams and yao(爻) but saints chose only one or some to make the oracle texts.

It is because of the change of them that we can say the shiangs of all things stay trigrams and hexagrams and yao. Trigrams and hexagrams are all the changes themselves when we take a view of change. King hexagram(辟卦) makes the root and expanded hexagram(衍卦) regenerates from it and forms yaobian(爻變). Chong Yak-yong called these changes as 'three changes in I Ching' and trigrams and hexagrams can be eternal through the three changes. It is the same with the changes that starts from quin(乾) and kun(坤) and ends to jiji(旣濟) and mingyi(未濟) but repeats again and again. Quin and kun of Eight trigrams(八卦) can be the beginning, the door and window of I Ching. Kan(坎) and li(離) are the ends of I Ching but they are connected to quin and kun. So I Ching ends up with mingyi hexagram that means incompletion. Therefore the universe that I Ching symbolizes means the eternity. This is all the changes of trigrams and hexagrams.

Trigrams and hexagrams exist as a shape of change. The shape is shiang. It is the oracle texts that express these changes and shiang with a minimum words. So trigrams and hexagrams and the oracle texts are only the signs of all things in Chong Yak-yong's I-Xue. In a word, all is change when we take a view of change and all is shiang when we take a view of shiang. Hsi-tz'u Chuan(繫辭傳) expresses the former like this; "Only change follows(唯變所適).", and the latter; "I Ching is shiang and shiang is modeling(易者象也 象也者像也)." And the ultimate purpose of this study is to inquire how the changes and shiang include the time and space of I Ching. By the way, we feel I Ching is difficult. I think that it's because there's no systematic and interrelative theory about trigrams and hexagrams. So through this study I want to systemize the theories of trigrams and hexagrams by grouping them according to the characters. In other words I plan to control traffics; traffics of trigrams and hexagrams. Consequently, the direction of this study is to grasp the principles of all trigrams and hexagrams on the whole, not to inquire each trigrams and hexagrams one by one. In detail, first, how are trigrams and hexagrams drawn? Second, what principles make trigrams and hexagrams exist? Third, how are trigrams and hexagrams inspired by the Shang Ti(the Ruler Above, 上帝)? Finally, how are the changes of trigrams and hexagrams planned? Chong Yak-yong's I-Xue explains each word and each sentence of I Ching with shiang that all trigrams and hexagrams have. So it makes shiang consistent with the oracle texts. It is a great blessing to meet Chong Yak-yong's I-Xue and it is enough to arouse our pride.