Research On Li Guangdi’s Yi-ology

In the early Qing Dynasty,Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism was officially worshipped,and there was also a new trend from Wang Yangming thoughts towards Neo-Confucianism.The revival of Neo-Confucianism made the Yi studies represented by Li Guangdi have a significant impact in the early Qing Dynasty.The Zhouyizhezhong,compiled under under Li’s supervision,was an exemplary work of Yi-ology.However,the current research focus in academia is on the Bianwei(verificationist)school,represented by Huang Zongxi and Mao Qiling,who critically reflected and summarized the studies of Hetu and Luoshu.Wang Fuzhi’s philosophy has made him a key figure for contemporary scholars studying Yi-ology in the Qing dynasty.It can be seen that scholars pay more attention to studying folk Yi-ology and hold it in high regard.However,the official Yi-ology led by Zhang Lie and Li Guangdi is relatively lackluster,and the gap between its influence and current research status is significant.This phenomenon may be due to many scholars’ focus on their role as heirs of the Zhu Xi and neglecting their renovation and innovation in Yi-ology.Therefore,there are still valuable research areas in exploring Li Guangdi’s representation of Yi studies.In-depth research on Li Guangdi’s Yi-ology contributes to a better understanding of official Yi-ology and grasping the multidimensional development of Yi-ology during that time.This paper is divided into four parts.The first chapter mainly discusses Li Guangdi’s learning process,and analyzes the time,content,and characteristics of his Yi books.At the same time,the paper examines the relationship between Zhouyizhezhong and Li Guangdi’s thoughts.Li Guangdi was influenced by family from a young age,with his father teaching him the principles of moral philosophy and focusing on the Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi’s Yi learning.After starting his official career,Li Guangdi met many like-minded teachers and friends,among whom Mei Wendeng and Gu Yanwu had a great influence on him.Mei Wending taught him mathematical knowledge,inspiring his illustration of Yi through numbers,while Gu Yanwu made Li Guangdi not overlook the meaning of the classics.Li Guangdi’s Yi publications include Zhouyitonglun,Zhouyiguantuandazhi and Zhouyiguantuan,with different themes,providing a foundation for understanding Li Guangdi’s Yi studies.The official Yi work of the Qing Dynasty,Zhouyizhezhong is mainly based on the Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi Neo-Confucianism,incorporating the ideas of various schools of thought.Although the book was supervised by Li Guangdi,there may have been other contributors,making it necessary to examine Li Guangdi’s Yi ideas.This section focuses on exploring the part of "Yili" "Qimeng Fulun" and "The Meaning of Xugua and Zagua" based on previous research.In "Yi Li" the time,position,virtue,and correspondence in Yi studies are consistent with Li Guangdi’s thoughts.However,the Guazhu differ greatly from Li Guangdi’s Yi publications and should be distinguished.While some content in the "Qimeng Fulu" is identical to Li Guangdi’s Yi ideas,the others are not.The "The Meaning of Xugua and Zagua"agrees in logic and wording with Li Guangdi’s Yi books,and therefore represents his Yi learning ideas.The second chapter mainly discusses Li Guangdi’s basic understanding of the Zhouyi.Li Guangdi advocates for the basic viewpoint that the Four Sages authored Yi and that the intentions of the sages are consistent.Therefore,he favors incorporating the Yijing and Yizhuan(interpretation of Yijing)to illustrate the meaning of the text.One of his books is named "Guan Tuan" demonstrating his emphasis on the Gua records.He specifically explains examples of the names and terms of the Gua in the Tuanzhuan,referring to the Xiangzhuan,and summarizing the meanings of Gua.After understanding the main points of each Gua,Li Guangdi explores the relationship of Guas through the opposition of Gua meanings,corresponding Gua meanings,Gua names,and Gua images,revealing the unique and true connotation of Gua."Xugua" and "Zagua" are two types of Gua sequences arranged based on different meanings in the Yizhuan.In Li Guangdi’s view,Xugua is divided based on Yin and Yang.The first 30 hexagrams are Yang and represent the will of heaven,while the latter 34 hexagrams are Yin and represent human affairs.Within the division of Yin and Yang,Guas are further distinguished by the changes,intermixing,and the order of Yin and Yang.Regarding Zagua,Li Guangdi interpreted the mutual relations of the middle four lines to explain the Gua sequence.He believes that Zagua is also based on the division of Yin and Yang,composed of 28 Yang Guas and 28 Yin transforming Guas,totaling 56 Guas.The sequence of the last eight Guas is different from the preceding and he proposes the "Huanhu"to discuss the sequence of the last eight hexagrams fully,with a well-rounded view that surpasses his predecessors.Chapter three elucidates Li Guangdi’s thoughts on the Xiantian and Houtian schools and the implications of Hetu and Luoshu.During the late Ming and early Qing periods,the Xiantian and Houtian schools and the theories of Hetu and Luoshu were fiercely criticized by the Bianwei school.On the basis of defending Zhu Xi’s Yi learning,Li Guangdi diminishes the importance of Xiantian thoughts in his theory.He attempts to prove the rationality and accuracy of the Xiantian eight trigrams through the interpretations of Yizhuan.He believes that the Xiantian diagram is the root of Fu Xi,reveals the "Three Yi" principles of immutable,intercourse and changeable in the "Tian Di Ding Wei"section of Shuoguazhuan and the "Tian Zun Di Bei" section of Xicizhuan,and argues that the Xiantian eight trigrams corresponds to the theory of the "Three Yi".He also believes that the Houtian eight trigrams corresponds to the Zhouyi and puts forth the sequence of the Houtian eight trigrams starting and ending with Yang while Yin helps Yang to form the order of the Yin and Yang principles.Li Guangdi combines the Xiantian and Houtian eight trigrams and believes that although the sequence of the two diagrams differs,"their meaning is the same".He expounds the meaning of "Di(god)"and "Shen(spirit)" in the eight trigrams from cosmology to mind studies and emphasizes that the diagram represent mind learning,highlighting the ideas of heavenly mind and human mind.He makes significant theoretical contributions to the development of the Xiantian and Houtian eight trigrams.Facing many doubts about the Hetu and Luoshu,Li Guangdi reiterated the heart of the sages and the Dao of heaven and earth reflected by the Hetu and Luoshu.He also removed the theory of the Five Elements from the origins of the Hetu and Luoshu schools,and integrated mathematical knowledge to interpret the diagrams.He presented the numbers and principles of Yin and Yang in Hetu.Through calculations,he illustrated the principles of the intersection of Yin and Yang in Luoshu,revealing the three elements of heaven,earth,and humanity respectively.He expounds the important significance of number theory in the Hetu and Luoshu theories and confirms the importance of numbers as a manifestation form of Yi studies,deepening the mathematical meaning and cultural value in Yi learning.Chapter four discusses Li Guangdi’s ethical thoughts in the perspective of his theory of human nature,including the concepts of Taiji,the Dao of Heaven,the theory of mind and human nature,and the self-cultivation.The connotation of Taiji is the foundation of Yi thoughts.Li Guangdi believes that Taiji is the nature of heaven and earth,the fundamental essence of the universe,and that human beings and all things derive their nature from heaven and earth.He proposes that Qian represents Taiji,as Qian resembles heaven and represents its Dao.The nature of heaven and earth also comes from heaven,thus Li Guangdi discusses heaven based on Qian,and discusses the Dao of Heaven based on its ontology,believing that the nature of heaven is not beyond the things but in them.He believes that nature and Qi(energy)are integrated,and nature is the dominion of energy.He uses nature as the basis to supplement the deficiencies of the theory of regarding Li(principle)as the root and the theory of regarding mind as the root.Li Guangdi proposed that the Dao of heaven and earth is Yin and Yang,and through his interpretation of the concepts of dark and bright,death and life,ghosts and gods,he highlighted that the Dao of heaven and earth corresponds perfectly with the Yin and Yang of human nature.Therefore,according to Li Guangdi,there is nothing bad in human nature that comes out of the Dao of heaven and earth.The theory of mind and human nature is the key content of Li Guangdi’s thoughts constructed through Yi.He absorbed the thoughts about soul of the Cantongqi and based on the idea that the spirit is governed by heaven and the body is governed by earth,proposed that the spirit is the mind in human beings and the body is the physical body.Using Qian and Kun to reveal the correspondence between heaven,earth,and the human body and to refine the connection of heaven and human body,Li Guangdi believed that the body and mind of human beings are the Dati and Xiaoti as said by Mencius.He incorporated Taoist ideas,with his focus remaining on Confucianism.On one hand,from the perspective of human beings looking at heaven,he believes that the heart of heaven and earth has the virtue of generation,and the human heart can cope with everything because of the virtue.On the other hand,he looks at people from the perspective of heaven,emphasizing that heaven has emotions and order,highlighting the personality and divine characteristics of heaven,and expounding on the connection between heaven and human.Through the discussion of "the return of heaven and earth’s mind",Li Guangdi points out that the image of a Yang above and five Yin below in Fu Gua is like the hidden nature of the mind before the emotions are revealed,and the heart contains the subtleties of nature and emotions.Therefore,his understanding of the Fu is neither "returning the origin" as said by Wang Bi nor "the disappearance of the conscience"as said by Zhu Xi.Regarding the discussion of the Dao mind and the human mind,he believes that these two cannot be separated,and the Dao mind needs to be in harmony with the human mind and give the appropriate space for emotions and desires.As for the self-cultivation,Li Guangdi uses the nature of reality and emptiness of the mind as the basis to govern Qian and Kun,and uses the Wuwang Gua to represent the reality of nature,manifesting the virtue of heaven.The cultivation of the Gua is to practice the principle of human nature.The Zhongfu Gua represents the intangible mind when encountering external things,manifesting the virtue of earth.The cultivation is to practice the principle of mind.Li Guangdi discusses the reality and emptiness of Qian and Kun,in which the sincerity of Qian is the actual principle of mind,and the respectfulness of Kun is the emptiness of the mind in accordance with principle.That is based on the theory of the mind’s reality and intangible.The cultivation of the mind is implemented in both the heart and the body,and has specific ways of realization.In addition,Li Guangdi combines the discussion on the cultivation of Qian and Kun with the "Chengming" and "Zhonghe" concepts in the Doctrine of the Mean.He extends the Qian’s sincerity and standing firm to sincerity and brightness,and extends the Kun’s respectfulness to the cultivation of moderation and harmony.Both are rooted in the ontology of the mind’s moderation and sincerity,and achieve the application of harmony and brightness.He adheres to the harmonious cultivation of starting from the ontology to the utilization,and from the utilization returning to the ontology.In the conclusion,it is proposed that Li Guangdi constructed the core thought of "the connection of heaven and human" through his interpretation of the Zhouyi.This idea is reflected throughout his ideological system.Especially after being acutely aware of the characterization of no connection between heaven and human in Western thought,the value of his idea is more apparent.At the same time,this article points out Li Guangdi’s continuation and transformation of Zhu Xi’s Yi learning.Li Guangdi dissolved the overly theories in Zhu Xi’s thinking and emphasized practicality,focusing on the real principle and action.Finally,this article believes that Li Guangdi’s Yi learning embodies the spirit of inclusive and open academic ideas.He was able to incorporate Taoist,mind school,and mathematical thinking into his ideas without restriction,ultimately creating an Yi idea that connects heaven and human.