Written by Li Xueqin

(Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy, Shandong University , Jinan 250100, China )

( Institute of Ideology and Culture, Qinghua University , Beijing 100084, China )

Translated from Chinese by Zhang Jiwen

(Department of Foreign Languages, Weifang University , Weifang 261001, China )

 

As the first speaker in this symposium, I think it best not to discuss the more academic issues I have prepared. At this time, I would like to discuss some issues that most of us may be interested in. There are three points I would like to address. The first relates to the position of the Yi -ology in Chinese culture; the second refers to its influence on traditional Chinese culture; and the third is on Confucius' great contributions to the Yi -ology. I welcome your critiques if any flaws are perceived in my presentation.

    Firstly, regarding the position of the Yi -ology in Chinese culture, much has been said on this point by many scholars and I agree with most of their views because the Yi -ology is indeed extensive and profound, playing a very important role in traditional Chinese culture. But what kind of a subject is the Yi -ology? This question reminds me of the conference held almost ten years ago in China in memory of Dr. Joseph Needham who specialized in the history of Chinese science and technology. At that conference Mr. He Bingyu, the director of the Joseph Needham Institute at that time, made a thematic speech on the history of Chinese science, pointing out that we have been performing research for a very long time. From the perspective of its overall framework, the history of Chinese science is extensive and profound, encompassing almost all fields. Given this fact, is it possible for us to perform further studies? According to Mr. He Bingyu, it is. The way toward further research is to study it according to the development of the history of Chinese science itself. His speech impressed us deeply. I think this idea is of great significance. For a long period of time in China , studies on the history of Chinese science and technology have been made according to western scientific and technological tradition and within the purview of western science, instead of being based on the development of the history of Chinese science and technology. This has resulted in consequences such as studies of Chinese Physics and studies of Chinese Dynamics. In ancient China there was no such subject as Physics; in fact, there was no such word as “physics” at all. Then how could studies on “physics” have been performed? The procedure was to look up anything in ancient Chinese texts which were related to contemporary physics and compile the findings in a book entitled “The History of Chinese Physics”. It was the same case with “The History of Chinese Dynamics”. We all hold that the history of Chinese science is not like that of the Western countries. At this point Mr. He Bingyu inspired me greatly; it became clear that there may be another way to perform studies on the history of Chinese science and technology which is not based on western research traditions. The correct manner is to perform studies according to the reality of the history of Chinese science and technology. In the same manner, we can look again at the Yi (the Zhouyi , and Yi -ology ) to regard its position in Chinese culture. I myself consider it a kind of philosophy which arose from western academic classification. In ancient China there was the so-called “Dao Shu” as mentioned in Zhuang Zi · Tian Xi a : “This is one of the connotations of ancient ‘Dao Shu.'” Over time, this “‘Dao Shu' will be interpreted in different ways according to different people.” But the manner in which to interpret the connotations of “Dao Shu” in China is of great significance. This is precisely what occurred during a symposium that was held on the Chu slips at the Institute History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, during which I made a brief speech before having to leave. I later heard that after I had left, the topic turned to whether “philosophy” existed in China . This is a question which has been disputed for many years. Some foreign scholars held that there was “thought” in lieu of “philosophy” in China . But why did they arrive at this conclusion? Because their so-called “philosophy” refers to the Greek and Roman philosophy: the philosophy of wisdom, which is indeed quite different from that of China . As a matter of fact, there is nothing in China which can be discussed according to the definition of the western word “philosophy.” Nowadays we say that China has philosophy and some foreign scholars admit this as well. There are even “Chinese Philosophy courses” in some foreign universities. However, we have broadened the definition of “philosophy” in these cases. The word “philosophy” here is not the word “philosophy” with its original European connotation when we say that “ China has its philosophy, the Western World has its philosophy, and India has its philosophy. There cannot be a perfect fit when one culture regards the tradition and thought of another culture. Therefore, I think the most important point for understanding the real position of the Yi -ology in Chinese culture is to view its function based upon the structure, the ways and the approaches of Chinese culture itself. As a result, the role of the Yi -ology in the entire Chinese culture and the key role of the Yi -ology in the whole Chinese academy should be further understood.

    The second point is in regard to the influence of the Yi -ology on Chinese culture. Disputes have occurred and research has been performed on this point. Recently, the renowned physicist Mr. Yang Zhenning made a speech on “The Influences of the Yi -ology on Chinese Culture” in the Great Hall of the People on September 3, 2004. I believe that many readers of this article have read his speech, and much discussion is conducted on the Internet as well. I did not attend the discussion held after Mr. Yang's speech that day, but I later read it carefully. In my opinion, this speech is very important, very profound and very enlightening. But some reports had not grasped what Mr. Yang really wanted to convey in the speech, or at least their understanding was not the same as mine. I thought that Mr. Yang fully and even highly estimated the influence of the Yi -ology on Chinese culture, and this estimation is much higher than what many scholars imagine. In his speech, three points were mentioned: 1) The Yijing influenced the way in which the Chinese people thought; 2) The Yijing was one of the reasons why the Chinese language became monosyllabic; 3) The Yijing influenced aesthetic conceptions in Chinese culture. These points are terrific indeed. Can you imagine that there is a book entitled Yijing and that there is a branch of learning called the Yi -ology which has influenced the entire way of thinking of a people? Of course, he also mentioned the consequences the Yijing has brought to Chinese culture. Here the most important point we should pay attention to is not these consequences but the fact that a branch of learning can influence the way of thinking of a people. This is extraordinary! Today we consider the Yi -ology quite impressive, but not from the standpoint of a value judgment, as different people have differing value judgments. But if we say that one kind of learning can influence the way of thinking of an entire nation, then we may say that its influence cannot be surpassed by any other kind of learning. Besides its influence on the way of thinking of the Chinese people, The Yijing also influenced the development of the Chinese language. The Chinese language is one of the monosyllabic languages in the world, and our Chinese characters are an extraordinary non-alphabetic system of writing. Mr. Yang pointed out that this language has a close relationship to The Yijing . The same is true with Chinese aesthetic conceptions. Such ideas put forward by Mr. Yang are extremely rare and are not consonant with the perspective which has been disseminated over time. In his speech, Mr. Yang pointed out five definite causes which have hampered the growth of contemporary Chinese science and which have, of course, some relationship with the Yi -ology. These deserve our further consideration. Later Mr. Xi Zongze, the only academician studying the history of Chinese science, commented on Mr. Yang's ideas. Some people said that Mr. Xi held entirely contrary ideas. But a message was published in the newly printed Zhong hua du shu bao , “Chinese Reading Newspaper,” holding that some people had exaggerated his words and that he agreed with Mr. Yang to a great extent. The only difference between them was that he did not think the influence of the Yi -ology was as great as that held by Mr. Yang. What I mean to imply here is that the Yi -ology indeed exerted profound influence upon Chinese culture. I was recently honored to have an opportunity to discuss issues on Chinese science with Prof. Reg. Little (who is participating in this conference). China has its own science, and the Western world has its own science as well. Chinese science, to a great extent, is related to our way of thinking. And the development of science of any nation, any country is also closely related to its own way of thinking. The development of our science differs greatly from that of the West and the best example to illustrate this is, in my opinion, traditional Chinese medicine. It is accepted that traditional Chinese medicine is a branch of medical science, but not a Western one. If the word “medicine” is used to define traditional Chinese medicine, these two “medicines” are not the same, just like the term “philosophy” in Western culture and Chinese culture. We have always held that the two “medicines” are different from each other. We call both of them medical science only in a much broader sense. Prof. Yang Zhenning also gave a talk about so-called “deduction,” which is called “ Yanyi ” in Chinese, upholding that the Chinese people have not adopted deduction in their research methodology. I agree with this position. I studied some logic when a college student and I think that China has logic, but this logic is different from the Indian “ Yinming ” and the so-called logic of Europe . What are the features of Chinese logic? What influences did it have on the development of Chinese academia as a whole? Up until now, many scholars have performed many studies on these points and have made great contributions in this field. Western science actually has a close relationship with its own logical structure. For example, Mr. Yang Zhenning specifically mentioned Euclidean geometry and Newton 's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy . The methodology of “deduction” was used by Spinoza even thought that this methodology could be applied to philosophy. All these reflected the way of thinking of Western science, which differed from our way of thinking. It is for this reason that I put forward a suggestion recently at a conference about education, the methodology of which I do not like. I also do not agree with what has been done in some middle schools, in which the subjects of physics, chemistry and biology have been compiled into one textbook entitled “Science”. Although this may seem very practical at first glance, it does not reflect the logical structure of modern science, which is one weak point of our traditional way of thinking. And this will hinder our youths in the field of modern science

    The third point I would like to address is Confucius' contributions to the Yi -ology. We cannot help asking: “When did the Yi -ology appear?” I would like to share my opinions with you on this question. The opening speech at this symposium made by Mr. Liu Dajun mentioned that Confucianism inherited the traditions of the dynasties of Xia, Shang and Zhou, which is entirely correct. However, Confucianism, as a branch of learning, in fact started with Confucius. We cannot say that what we call Confucianism, as a branch of learning, existed prior to Confucius. However, there was indeed a Confucianism which may have appeared during the Shang dynasty. A piece of bronze-ware was recently unearthed which bore engraved characters describing the educational system of the early Zhou dynasty. The King of the Zhou dynasty (possibly King Kang of Zhou) invited a person to set up a school, in which the crown prince was subsequently sent to study. A ceremony was held upon completion of the class. A few days later, some other children of noble birth were invited to study as well. These records on the bronze-ware are identical to others mentioned in other received texts. And this is the latest discovery regarding the Chinese system of higher education. Confucius not only initiated Confucianism as a branch of learning, but also ushered in the Yi -ology and I would like to offer my opinion in this regard. I recently read an article including some passages from the Analects of Confucius , in which Confucius' disciples are quoted as having said, “We have not heard the Master's ideas on man's nature and the Dao of Heaven.” On the basis of this, the article holds that the words related to “man's nature and the Dao of Heaven” did not come from Confucius because Confucius had never said such words. I do not agree with this idea. In fact, the expression “I have not heard Confucius' words on man's nature and the Dao of Heaven” was merely a way of showing his modesty. The disciple actually meant that the disciples were not learned and could not understand the Master's words or even get a chance to listen to their master. It is unreasonable to draw the conclusion that Confucius had never spoken on “man's nature and the Dao of Heaven,” according to his disciples' words. The Silk Version of Yao unearthed at Mawangdui states: “Confucius liked the Yi very much in his later years. When he was at home, the Yi had to be on his desk; and if he was out, it had to be in his bag.” There is an example that illustrates the clear relationship between Yao and Yizhuan . According to The Hereditary of Confucius , the period when Confucius took a liking to and began to study the Yi might be placed within the years after the 11 th year of Duke Ai of Lu (484 b.c. ) up to the 16 th year of the Duke Ai of Lu (479 b.c. ), when Confucius died. From this we can conclude that Yao is related to Confucius in his later years when Zi Gong was with him. Zi Gong asked Confucius: “You once taught us: ‘Those who have no moral integrity will turn to the deities; those who have no wisdom will turn to divination.' Why do you like it now?” Confucius answered: “About the Yi , I cannot be compared to those who specifically turn to divination. I only want to know the morality and righteousness in it. The diviners and I reach different goals by the same route.” I learned this passage in the past but had not studied it carefully, although I thought that morality and righteousness should be related to Yizhuan . However, what are morality and righteousness? These are concepts which are often misunderstood because the morality and righteousness we often talk about refer to a pure concept of moral principles, which is quite different from what is meant in the Yi -ology. It is said in Yao that : “Giving mysterious assistance to the spiritual Intelligences to attain to the use of numbers, from the use of numbers to attain to morality. The benevolent substitute righteousness for divination. One will always be a wizard if he can not attain to the use of numbers. One will always be an official diviner if he can not attain to the conception of morality.” Confucius said the reason he was different from the wizards and diviners was that his praises of the deities were expressed through numbers, and the numbers should be in accordance with morality; the benevolent should be those with righteous conduct. Otherwise, he would be the same as the wizards and diviners. “As for the divination methods used by the official divinera, I am interested but not indulged in them; I am fond of yet do not stick to them.” That is why Confucius said he sought to know the morality and righteousness in the Yi . “Morality” and “righteousness” are two Yi -ological terms. Thus we can say that Confucius was the real initiator of the Yi -ology. It is he who differentiated the image-number Yi from the philosophical Yi , which lead to the truer Yi -ology, as we know it today. We can thus say that the most significant contribution Confucius made to Yi -ology was a differentiation between the image-number Yi and the meaning-pattern (or philosophical) Yi , which made the philosophical elements of Zhouyi purer, thereby influencing our way of thinking.

 

 

CHINESE GLOSSARY

 

Chapter Yao                                   帛书《要》篇    The History of Chinese Physics        中国物理学史

Chu slips                                       楚简                    The History of Chinese Dynamics     中国力学史

Dao of Heaven                              天道                    Xia, Shang and Zhou                           夏商周

Dao Shu                                         道术                    Xi Zongze                                           席宗泽

Duke Ai of Lu                               鲁哀公                Yang Zhenning                                    杨振宁

He Bingyu                                     何丙郁                Yanyi                                                    演绎

King Kang of Zhou                       周康王                Yao                                                      《要》篇

Liu Dajun                                      刘大钧                Yijing                                                   《易经》

Mawangdui                                   马王堆                Yinming                                               因明

Silk Version of Yao                        帛书《要》篇    Yi-ology                                               易学

studies of Chinese Dynamics        中国力学            Yizhuan                                              《易传》

studies of Chinese Physics           中国物理学        Zhong hua du shu bao                        《中华读书报》

Spinoza                                         斯宾诺沙            Zhouyi                                                 《周易》

the Analects of Confucius              《论语》            Zhuang Zi·Tian Xia                          《庄子·天下篇》

the Hereditary of Confucius          《孔子世家》    Zi Gong                                               子贡

 

 

This paper, originally published in Chinese in Zhouyi Yanjiu 《周易研究》 (Studies of Zhouyi) in 2005:5, pp.3-7 , is a transcription of an academic speech made at the International Symposium on Yi -ology and Confucianism held by the Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy of Shandong University in conjunction with the Qingdao Laoshan Scenic Spot Administration Committee on August 15, 2005 in Qingdao. It was transcribed by Zhang Kebin, a M. Phil. candidate majoring in Chinese Philosophy at Shandong University , from the recorded speech and revised by the speaker, Pro. Li Xueqin.

Li Xueqin, professor, Institute of Ideology and Culture, Qinghua University; part-time professor of the Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy, Shandong University. Specialties: history of ancient Chinese thoughts, archeology.