A Comparative Study Of Huang & Lao And Yi Zhuan

In recent years,with the excavation and research of unearthed literature,the research popularity of the Theory of Huang&Lao and Zhouyi has been rising continuously,which also makes it necessary for us to comprehend and analyse thoroughly the theory contents of early Zhouyi,in particular the Yizhuan,and the Theory of Huang&Lao.It is well known that,after the phase of academic contention during the middle and late Warring State period,an integration of all academic theories in pre-qin times gradually converged together,which created new fields and directions for academic ideas,resulting in more inclusive new theories and schools of thought.This trend made the boundary within different theories not so distinct as before.To some extent,Both Yizhuan and the Theory of Huang&Lao integrate all academic theories in pre-qin times,the frontier based on the Confucianism while the latter based on the Taoism.In the premise of fundamental standpoints,both sides have shown common perspectives in the discussion on many issues with their depth and breadth reaching a theoretical realm ever since.With similar academic idea,Yizhuan and the Theory of Huang&Lao have similar discourse systems concerning the same social issues.For instance,both try to interpret Tao through Qi,the law of all things in the world through Yin and Yang,human nature through concepts like "nature","fate",and "emotion",as well as explore policies for governance and administration of state affairs through"virtue" and "law".And the two theories attach great importance to the management of relationships among monarch,courtier and people.Besides,the abundant documents of astronomical calendar and Yin&Yang recorded in literature about the Theory of Huang&Lao have an significant reference value for research and development of divination and Yi-ology.However,in the terms of theoretical research result in the current academic circle,comparative research of Zhouyi and the Theory of Huang&Lao is inadequate,apart from any results from systematic comparative research of relevant philosophical issues,such as "Taoist Qi Theory","Theory of Mental Cultivation" and "Theory of Governing the Country",and to explore the Divination Thought in literature on the Theory of Huang&Lao so as to trace the clues of Divination and Yi-ology in Han Dynasty amid the transition period of Warring States to Qin-Han Dynasties..Given that,the author expects to discuss and compare the attitudes and views of the Theory of Huang&Lao and Yizhuan on several philosophical issues amid the transition period from Warring States to Qin-Han dynasties,so as to reveal their connectivity and differentiation and to analyse the reasons behind.This article takes the comparative research—of the Theory of Huang&Lao and Yi Zhuan during the transition period between Warring States and Qin-Han Dynasties as the theme.And the introduction of this article has interpreted the reason and significance of that.It has also collated several issues in the Theory of Huang&Lao,i.e.to determine which literature can serve as representative for research of the Theory Huang&Lao based on its ideological characteristics.And then logic of relevant theoretical results will be reviewed and confirmed according to the literature mentioned above.On the one hand,we found that,from current research results,the inadequate research status lies in lack of comparative research on the Theory of Huang&Lao and the Yi Zhuan integrally and interrogatively.On the other hand,we learned from scholars’ research theme to construct the framework and interpret the research method in this articleThe first chapter of this paper aimed to analyse the feasibility of comparing the Theory of Huang&Lao with Yi Zhuan.The first section briefly discussed the formulation and development process of the Theory of Huang&Lao,and elucidated the main idea of the thought,which is "releasing Tao through Qi,following the Tao Method" and "harmony of form and spirit,be open,focused and quiet",and explained the Confucianism,Taoism and Legalism in the theory.The second section summarized the basic questions such as the formation of Yi Zhuan,and argued that Zhouyi itself is one of the sources of Confucianism,Taoism and Legalism,and the ideological characteristics of Yi Zhuan can also be summarized as:taking the Confucian theory of "virtue" as the main line,it combines the important ideas of Taoism and Legalism to prove the importance and necessity of "virtue".Therefore,it can be said that there are possibility and necessity to conduct the comparative study between the Theory of Huang&Lao and Yi Zhuan from the aspects of historical background,ideological theme and theoretical framework.The third section analyzed the discussions of the formation,ideological characteristics and quality of Yi Zhuan in the Theory of Huang&Lao,and took these discussions as the corroborative evidence to describe the influence of Yi Zhuan on the Theory of Huang&Lao.The second chapter is the main part of this paper.This chapter mainly used the relationship between "Tao and Qi" as the entry point to compare the "Tao-Qi" thought in the Theory of Huang&Lao and Yi Zhuan.First,this chapter explored the source of the "Tao-Qi" thought in the Theory of Huang&Lao,clarify the influence of the theory of focusing on the extreme calm and the original "Qi" in the Tao Te Ching and the main part of Chuang tzu on the construction of "Tao-Qi" thought,and then analyzed the Cosmogenesis and Creation in relevant literature on the Theory of Huang&Lao in accordance with the two veins,i.e.the Theory of vitality and the Theory of spirit,and clarified the difference between Vitality and Spirit,that is Vitality tend to explain the origin and nature of the universe and Spirit tend to explain the feeling and thinking of all things for the reason that Spirit is "changeable" and "vital" and connected with hearts.The "Tao-Qi" thought in Zhouyi is mainly in Yi zhuan,the thought used "Tai Ji" as the origin of the universe,which generally has the same meaning with "Vitality" and"Taichu" in the Theory of Huang&Lao,they both mean the status that Yin and Yang are mixed into one.Liang Yi is the origin of Yin and Yang,which can also be called Qian Yuan and Kun Yuan,and all life changes can be attributed to Yin and Yang.In contrast,Yi Zhuan paid more attention to the interpretation of the virtue of life through the changes of Yin and Yang,while the Theory of Huang&Lao focused on the discussion that in the final analysis that all things,events or spiritual phenomena related to "heart" are just for "Qi" to use.In the end,on the basis of the theory of Qi,this chapter sorted out two things:the gasification induction theory in the Theory of Huang&Lao which interpreted the sense of heaven and man through the sense of the same Qi;the gasification induction theory in Yi Zhuan which interpreted the life of all things through the sense of different Qi.The third chapter aimed to compare the theory of mind cultivation between the Theory of Huang&Lao and Yi Zhuan.Firstly,this chapter used the relationship between Qi,Heart and Body in the Theory of Huang&Lao as the entry point to discuss the two meanings of "Heart",one is the "heart of the body" is the king of the body,the other is the state of the whole heart when it’s filled with Spirit,that is,the perfect state of "the heart of Qi".On the basis of the two meanings of "Heart",scholars of the Theory of Huang&Lao proposed two ways of cultivation,namely heart cultivation and body cultivation.In terms of heart cultivation,scholars of the Theory of Huang&Lao thought that it is necessary to "adapt oneself to one’s feelings","reduce one’s desires" and "remove one’s wisdom" to achieve the purpose of"vacuous one’s heart".And make one’s heart be in a state of quiet,peace and right,so the Spirit will be stored,so that the heart will be in line with Tao.At this time,the person is dedicated to the heart,that is,dedicated to Tao,and then be benevolent and righteous,and fully prepared for the heart without external demand;in terms of body cultivation,scholars of the Theory of Huang&Lao put forward the idea that stay calm to nourish the mind and move to refine the shape.Next,the author tried to discuss the relationship between"heart" and "virtue" in "Yi Zhuan ",and clearly stated that "virtue" lives in the heart in"Yi Zhuan",and heart influences what people say and do through "intention" and "aspiration".From this point of view,the cultivation path in "Yi Zhuan " is "see and define virtue" and "results and cultivate virtue",that is,first let people know what "virtue" is through "teaching",and then practice the specific content of "virtue" in daily life.Finally,in the process of cultivation,"virtue" is matched with time and position to survive and stand for life,so as to realize the great cause of virtue,highlighting the cultivation method of "Yi Zhuan" is implemented in "practice".Finally,in the summary,the author discussed and analyzed the reasons for the big differences in the cultivation methods of the Theory of Huang&Lao and Zhou Yi from the mental states of "Jingbai" and"Shenming".The theme of Chapter Four is to compare concepts of governing a state in the Theory of Huang&Lao and Yi Zhuan.Firstly,we discuss the governing thought focused on putting virtue and law first above everything else.Undoubtedly,they attached great importance to the role of "law" and advocated "governing the country by law" to achieve the goal of ruling with inaction.Scholars learning the Theory of Huang&Lao believe that "law"—including rules,regularity,systems,etc.—is derived from "Tao",and that "Tao" reflects the regularity of "law" in human world.Therefore,"law" has the characteristics of fairness and universality,and the purpose of ruling the country by law is to define the "justification" or "reality" in accordance to the "fame" through "law".That means it ensures that human being,human interaction and relevant materials are in their own right place in the world and act according to principles.As for violations of laws and regulations,it advocates the implementation of punishment strictly.In addition,regarding to the relationship between the rule of law and the rule of virtue,the Theory of Huang&Lao showed the concept of "virtue before law" and governance under the will of the people.Secondly,the author listed governing thought in Yi Zhuan based on the relationship among monarch,courtier and people.Undoubtedly,"rule of virtue" which was embodied in advocating of delivering a better life for our people and providing stable environment for people to live,is the most important way for governance in Yi Zhuan.So,the main role of "law" is to ensure the social stability and maintain the authority of the monarch.That is why Yi Zhuan does not exclude "law and punishment",but regard them as a supplement to "rule by virtue".In comparison,both the Theory of Huang&Lao and Yi Zhuan realized the combination of "rule of virtue" and "rule of law".The rule of virtue priors to the rule of law,and the latter can guarantee the frontier.The differentiation between the two governance thoughts is whether the "rule of law" is more important than the "rule of virtue",or vise versa.Scholars learning the Theory of Huang&Lao believe that "law" stipulates the bottom line of "virtue",and it can be implemented more easily bringing obvious consequence in short term from the perspective of the ruler.Hence,they attached more importance to the improvement of"law".However,the Yi Zhuan puts forward rational proposals to the ruler from the perspective of scholars and reflected the demands and aspirations of the middle and lower classes,which was undeniably too idealistic and failed to achieve systematic construction.The Chapter Five aims to research the view of Hexagrams or Divination.First of all,it needs to be clear that there was many records about the methods and related results gained to research Hexagrams in literature of the Huang&Lao Theory historically,and they are regarded as one of the main ways of communication between Heaven and Man.However,it can be clearly inferred that people’s way of understanding "Heaven" has gradually shifted from pure divine worship to rational awe,so the entire set of ideological theories in the Huang&Lao actually reflects the strong need and desire to give full play to subjective initiative beyond Hexagrams.The author has sorted out four ways to surpass Hexagrams from the Theory of Huang&Lao.One is to do good deeds and accumulate virtue in order to seek blessings and rewards;the second is to conform to the law of Yin&Yang to adapt to the the Tao of Heaven;the third is to nourish both body and mind for health;and the fourth is to keep benevolence and righteousness in mind for neglect of life and death.From these four approaches,it is obvious that the Theory of Huang&Lao integrates the quintessence of Confucianism,Taoism and Legalism,and its value pursuit beyond Hexagrams is basically consistent with the value orientation of "interpreting rules of things in the world through virtue" in Yizhuan.Furthermore,Chapter five also researches the viewpoint on Divination.Actually,the Theory of Huang&Lao attached great importance to the "divination".For awe and passion to the "Tao",people have been observing and documenting celestial phenomena,transformation regularity of four seasons,and geographical phenomena for a long time to conclude and record the laws of "Tao" through "Yin&Yang","Seasonal Regularity ","Theory of Five Elements",and "Ganzhi(an ancient Chinese chronology)".And then the regularity cognition guide people to do right thing at the right time(for example,to sow in spring and reap in autumn).So,such ideological theory is similar to that of Yi Zhuan.In other words,both the Theory of Huang&Lao and Yi Zhuan express the thought of ascertaining the regularity in "Tao" through"divination".Hence,from this Chapter,the author of this paper begins with astronomy,calendar and solar terms in the Theory of "Tao&Qi",sorts out the theories of "Yin&Yang","Five Elements","Seasonal Regularity" and "Ganzhi",and compares them with the concepts of Divination and Yi-ology in the Han Dynasty,so as to investigate the clues of the Divination amid the transition period from Warring States to Qin-Han dynasties while deepening the"Theory of "Tao&Qi",as well as to analyze philosophical significance behind the Divination from the perspectives of the unity of heaven and man,the unity of time and space.