Research On The Philosophy In Li Guangdi's Study Of The Yi Jing

Li Guangdi is not only an important representative of the official Neo-Confucianism in the early Qing Dynasty,but also a diligent scholar devoted to the study of the Book of Changes.His two monographs,An Explanation of the Book of Changes and The General Theory of the Book of Changes,explained the meaning and connotation of specific hexagram according to the style of ancient scriptures,and expressed a deep,serious thinking and discussion on this book.As the chief editor of Zhouyizhezhong(a book contained many scholars'thoughts about the Book of Changes in different times),Li Guangdi reflected the highest level of the official Yi study in the early Qing Dynasty.This paper discusses Li Guangdi's philosophy on Yi study in the following four aspects.The first chapter discusses the origins of Li Guangdi's Yi thoughts from three aspects.Firstly,the political influences of Emperor Kangxi are demonstrated in here.They drew many Yi pictures combined with philosophical connotations.Secondly,affected by hi's family,Li Guangdi regarded Chengyi,Chenghao,Zhuxi,Caiqing and Lin Xiyuan as his role models.At last,Li Guangdi met many wise men and inspired by them in his official career,and Gu Yanwu and Mei Wending are of utmost importance.The second chapter illustrates the basic viewpoints and characteristics of Li Guangdi's Yi study,which is based on Book of Changes depicted by the four saints.In addition,the features of his Yi study,the compromise between Chenghao,Chengyi and Zhuxi,the compromise between Yi studies of Han Dynasty and Song Dynasty,and the compromise between Yizhuan(ten commentary books on the Book of Changes wrote by Confucians)and the Doctrine of the Mean,not only expressed his attitude toward the Book of Changes but also accomplished the combination of many scholars'thoughts.The images,hexagrams and numbers in Yi study are discussed in chapter three.In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties,as a representative of missionary,Matteo Ricci came to China and brought advanced western natural science and technology,including calendar,mathematics and other knowledge.This enabled Li Guangdi to reinterpret Heluo's studies by combining the traditional mathematical methods in the Jiuzhangsuanshu and Zhoubisuanjing(two Chinese mathematical classics).He believed that five and ten are important among numbers in Hetu and Luoshu,which means people in the heaven and earth should be moral.He used Yin(negative)and Yang(positive)to explain the two images of Eight Diagrams,(which can be distinguished as two different orders)and proved the rationality of the order and position of them by combining the line of divinatory notes(of the Book of changes)and the Shuoguazhuan(one book of Yizhuan).As for the studies of two different orders of Eight Diagrams,he used two methods,honesty and virtue from the Doctrine of the Meany to illustrate the spiritual cultivation in the two Eight Diagrams and believed that the orders of the two are the roads to be moral men.The fourth chapter discusses Li Guangdi's philosophical connotations of moral principles.Regarding the human nature as Taiji,he thought the basic pursuit of a man is to be a virtuous man,just as the human nature.When the nature goes down to the constant change of the world,it specifically becomes the movement of Yin and Yang and the ghosts and deities.As the commanders of the 64 Hexagram,Qian hexagram is mind and Kun hexagram is body.Integratinging Yi's cosmology with the spiritual cultivation of the Doctrine of the Mean,Li Guangdi illustrated the changing natural world in the Doctrine of the Mean and revealed the virtuous mind of things in the universe in the Book of Changes,Finally,Li Guangdi interpreted the connotation of mind specifically and meticulously through the four hexagrams of Fu,Li,Zhongfu and Wuwang with the growth and decline of Yin and Yang,which are the echoes of Qian and Kun's spiritual cultivation.It enables him to complete the spiritual interconnection of the Book of Changes and the Doctrine of the Mean.