Phenomenological Interpretation Of The Xiangshu(Image-Number Structure) In Zhouyi(The Book Of Changes)

This paper attempts to interpret the philosophical sense of Xiangshu in Zhouyi by phenomenological method,for the certain reason that there could be some communication between these two thoughts.Both of them are rooted in a non-readymade and original experience,which is pre-dichotomous of Subject-Object.In addition,both aim at presenting the real spirit of this very experience by a non-objective and non-conceptual approach.Phenomenology,a subtle and profound interpretative method,could help us understand the previously mentioned sense of Xiangshu in Zhouyi in the contemporary context.Zhouyi is a book on Xiangshu.Because scholars were confined in the dichotomy of Xiangshu and Yili(principles),it follows that the former was ascribed to divination and the latter to philosophy.It leads to the perennial academic disputes on the nature of Zhouyi,including some misunderstandings of Xiangshu.By means of phenomenological analysis,it could be showed that the invention of Xiangshu was not originated from divination and cosmology;on the contrary,the authors of Zhouyi,invented Xiangshu to reveal,disseminate and participate in the original experience of the The Unity of Man and Heaven.Firstly,Xiangshu is the generating structure of this very original experience.From a perspective of philosophy of language,the invention of Xiangshu is related to the genesis of Meaning and the substitutive structure of character-becoming.Therefore,Xiangshu is able to constitute Meaning.As a result,original experience could present itself through the Meaning-constitution of Xiangshu.Secondly,the Yin-Yang of Meaning-constitution of Xiangshu is the genesis of Taichi,and Taichi is already one way to attain the The Unity of Man and Heaven.Yin and Yang are inter-rooted,and compose Taichi after overlapping.This structure of Taichi is related to the generating time:in generating time,each time dimension includes all past,present and future completely,therefore the overlapping exists among the time dimensions.As is claimed,it is the source of Taichi.In terms of content,Taichi is associated with the generating experience.It cannot be fed back for the fertility of Parents and Tiandi(Heaven and Earth),since Parents give birth to their children and Tiandi to all things on earth.Therefore,Parents and Tiandi are untranscendeable transcenders."Fertility" is the "De"(virtue)of Parents and Tiandi by its nature,and children would grow up and become parents.De is a sort of normativity which we have innately.By this way,Taichi attains the generating sense of man" having De by the means of understanding Tao".Thirdly,it was based on the experience of generating time that the ancients invented Xiangshu.Isomorphism exists between Xiangshu and generating time.Huxi claims,time has three phases,and position has three levels,so Zhouyi uses three lines to make a Gua(trigram);time and position are inseparable,so six lines duplicates a Gua;time is for heaven and position is for earth,namely,the generating of Tiandi is for all things on earth,so the genesis of Zhouyi means the interaction of Qian Gua and Kun Gua creates the other sixty-two Guas;and the sense of Gua needs to be interpreted from the interaction of Qian Gua and Kun Gua.At last,Xiangshu teaches us the The Unity of Man and Heaven,which means that a man transcends the individual life-time and takes a part in the generating time,and establishes his way of existence according to the generating sense between Man and Nature.The theories of Harmony between Man and Nature said by Confucian and Taoists are all based on Tai chi of Zhouyi.It is concluded that the constitution and presentation of experience of Harmony between Man and Nature through Xiangshu only can be seen by the means of its Meaning-constitution,or the Theory of Genesis of time and position.Further,the genesis of Xiangshu and its implicit lessons on the Harmony between Man and Nature can be understandable,and it is possible to dispel the dichotomy of Xiangshu and Yili.