A Study On Wang Fu-chih’s Thought Of Hermeneutics On I Ching Learning

The thoughts about Yi(Changes)formed the essence of the whole system of thoughts belongs to Wang Fu-chih.Interpret his thoughts from Yi will bring us deep understanding of this important figure of Chinese philosophy,as well as new perspectives into the study filed of Yi including the history of itself.This paper tries to go through every work of Wang Fu-chih concerning Yi(Changes),analyze them both diachronically and synchronically,hence get a comprehensive interpretation about his thoughts about Yi.Living in the chaos of collapse of Ming and rise of Qing,Wang Fu-chih’s thoughts changed and developed throughout his life.His study of Yi had been always corresponding to the politics and social environment he lived in.Zhou Yi Kao Yi,Zhou Yi Bai Shu(A Detailed Commentary on the Book of Changes),Zhou Yi Wai Zhuan(External Commentary on the Book of Changes),Zhou Yi Nei Zhuan(Internal Commentary on the Book of Changes),all these classic works tell us Wang Fu-chih’s.thoughts about Yi from different periods of life,in different forms of literature.Form and content are united,by clear out the reason why he wrote down a certain book in a certain time,and why he chose a certain form to write his book,we can understand what he tried to tell his time,and what is implied between the lines,hence grasp his rule of interpretation the Yi.At the very beginning,Zhou Yi Kao Yi and Zhou Yi Bai Shu(A Detailed Commentary on the Book of Changes)are written to critic the phenomena that emptiness in theories and studies led to the fell of dynasty.In order to solve the problem created by Li Xue(school of principle)and Xin Xue(school of mind)since late Song,cut their shortage of nothingness,Wang Fu-chih chose the form of Xun Gu(scholia,or explain ancient works with words and grammar in his time)and Kao Ju(search for evidences,or analyze different versions of books throughout time),corrected the errors and retell the authentic meanings little by little.These detailed research of explanation or textual criticism,became the base of his interpretation works later on.By the time he wrote Zhou Yi Wai Zhuan(External Commentary on the Book of Changes),the anti-Qing movement was sweeping the country.Wang Fu-chih was affected by the movement,took the abrupt changes into his thinking,and tried to answer the severe problems of politics and society.He wants tomake the best use of everything,therefore,he chose to write a new book in the form of Wai Zhuan,which form is more open and causal,and which content focus more on practical use.Together with his method of image,he made a rule of explaining the changes of images and numbers(Tui Guang Xiang Shu Zhi Tong Bian).He thinks Qi(air)is real and essential,and based on this ontology of Qi,one can tell the different between Tian(heaven)and Ren(human),while Xiang Shu is the way to connect Tian and Ren,Dao(theories)and Qi(objects).By knowing Xiang Shu we can deal with the changes with the unchanged,and abstract the unchanged through changes,this shows how us human get to be the ruler and subject,and emphasize that Yi is available and comprehendible to us.In his middle age,he wrote Zhou Yi Da Xiang Jie after Wu Sangui failed in the rebellion towards Qing,and the last hope of rebuild Ming is gone.Because historically the meanings of images(Da Xiang Zhuan)is independent from the meanings of each number(Tuan Yao),Wang Fu-chih decided to conduct a deeper explanation about the images,in the form of Jie.Jie is the second oldest literature form next to Zhuan,taking this form also showed Wang’s determination of dating back the Confucius authentic.This book has functioned as a transit,inheriting the practical thoughts from Zhou Yi Wai Zhuan,he discussed methodology of governing here,while the self-cultivation and focus on inner peace laid the basis for his next book.Wang witnessed a steady development under Qing Dynasty in his old age,aggression and rebellion seemed reckless and inappropriate,so did any theory support aggressive rebuilding of the old empire,or any thoughts encourage men’s subjective dynamics.This time,he has to think about how intellectuals,the former scholar-officials should behave themselves under the new regime,and how they can preserve the sprits of their culture.In this Zhou Yi Nei Zhuan,he set the main purpose as Ti Tian Ren Zhi Li(comprehend the principles of heaven and human),hoping the left-over citizens from Ming can get Li,and use them to guide their life through changes in life,hence everyone finds his proper way to face the society.To achieve this,Wang evoke the theory of Yi Lei Xiang Tui and Shou Tuan Yao Li Cheng Zhi Bian,turning his interpretation from the ontology and human-subjected way in Zhou Yi Wai Zhuan,to a more epistemology and human-nature way,discussed how to make good use of the heart to deal with relationship between object and subject,others and oneself,and what is the transcendent process from nature to moral.Reviewing Wang’s work on the studies of Yi,we find the different emphasize of his thoughts,and the variation in his interpretation and explanation.Meanwhile,we can also discover the unity within all the books from different periods,which lead to our analyze about the synchronic in Zhou Yi Nei Zhuan Fa Li(Introduction to the inner commentary of the Zhou Changes).By detecting the dialect tension between diachronic and synchronic,between form and content,we would be able to view his thoughts more throughly and accurately,therefore revalue his position in history of Yi study or even the history of Jing study and make the best use of it.