Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 16.djvu/22

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xviii

PREFACE.

His general view of the Yî is stated in the following sentences:—'Ex Fû-hsî figuris, Wăn regis definitionibus, Kâu ducis symbolis, et Confucii commentariis, Liber conficitur, qui a mutationibus, quas duo elementa in hexagrammatum compositione inducunt, Yî (Mutator) vel Yî King (Mutationum Liber) appellatur. Quid igitur tandem famosus iste Yî King? Paucis accipe: ex linearum qualitate continua vel intercisa; earumque situ, imo, medio, vel supremo; mutuaque ipsarum relatione, occursu, dissidio, convenientia; ex ipso scilicet trigrammatum corpore seu forma, tum ex trigrammatum symbolo seu imagine, tum ex trigrammatum proprietate seu virtute, tum etiam aliquando ex unius ad alterum hexagramma varietate, eruitur aliqua imago, deducitur aliqua sententia, quoddam veluti oraculum continens, quod sorte etiam consulere possis ad documentum obtinendum, moderandae vitae solvendove dubio consentaneum. Ita liber juxta Confucii explicationem in scholis tradi solitam. Nil igitur sublime aut mysteriosum, nil foedum aut vile hic quaeras; argutulum potius lusum ibi video ad instructiones morales politicasque eliciendas, ut ad satietatem usque in Sinicis passim classicis, obvias, planas, naturales; tantum, cum liber iste, ut integrum legenti textum facile patebit, ad sortilegii usum deductus fuerit, per ipsum jam summum homo obtinebit vitae beneficium, arcanam cum spiritibus communicationem secretamque futurorum eventuum cognitionem; theurgus igitur visus est iste liber, totus lux, totus spiritus, hominisque vitae accommodatissimus; indeque laudes a Confucio ei tributas, prorsus exaggeratas, in hujus libri praesertim appendice videre erit, si vere tamen, ut communis fert opinio, ipse sit hujus appendicis auctor^[1].'

There has been a report for two or three years of a new translation of the Yî, or at least of a part of it, as being in preparation by M. Terrien de Lacouperie, and Professor R. K. Douglas of the British Museum and King's College, London. I have alluded on pages 8, 9 of the Introduction to some inaccurate statements about native commentaries on the Yî and translations of it by foreigners, made in connexion with this contemplated version. But I did not know

↑ (pp. 522–523) 'From [...] the figures 卦 of Fúxī, the definitions 彖 of king Wén, the symbols 爻 of the Duke of Zhōu, and the commentaries 傳 of Confucius, the Book is put together, which from the exchanges wherein are represented a hexagram by the composition of two elements, is called 易 (Exchanger) or 易經 (Book of Changes). Wherefore so famous, the Yìjīng? In brief: from the contiguous or broken qualities of lines; and their situations low, middle, or high; and in turn their relations meeting, dissenting, or convening; from itself it is known the body or form of a trigram 卦體, then from the symbol or image of a trigram 卦象, then from the property or virtue of a trigram 卦徳, then also sometimes from the variety of one hexagram or another 卦變, some image is cast, some sentence is deduced, as if containing a certain oracle, that by lots you too may consult the example to be obtained, suitable for managing life or resolving a doubt. Thus is the book, alongside the explication of Confucius, taught in schools, usually. Thus you here query neither the sublime nor the mysterious, neither the foul nor the vile: I see there keen, perhaps playful moral and political instructions to be elicited, just as are abundantly obvious, plain, and natural in Chinese classics: only, with that book, as the entire text will make readily apparent to the reader, it will be derived for the use of the cleromancer, by whom now man is to obtain the highest benefit of life, arcane communication with the spirits and secret knowledge of future events; the book then is the sight of the theurge, all light, all spirit, and most suited to the life of man; and thence the lauds bestowed on it by Confucius, outright exaggerated ones, to be seen particularly in the appendix of this book, if indeed, as is the commonly held opinion, he is the author of this appendix.' (Wikisource contributor note)

[1] (pp. 522–523) 'From [...] the figures 卦 of Fúxī, the definitions 彖 of king Wén, the symbols 爻 of the Duke of Zhōu, and the commentaries 傳 of Confucius, the Book is put together, which from the exchanges wherein are represented a hexagram by the composition of two elements, is called 易 (Exchanger) or 易經 (Book of Changes). Wherefore so famous, the Yìjīng? In brief: from the contiguous or broken qualities of lines; and their situations low, middle, or high; and in turn their relations meeting, dissenting, or convening; from itself it is known the body or form of a trigram 卦體, then from the symbol or image of a trigram 卦象, then from the property or virtue of a trigram 卦徳, then also sometimes from the variety of one hexagram or another 卦變, some image is cast, some sentence is deduced, as if containing a certain oracle, that by lots you too may consult the example to be obtained, suitable for managing life or resolving a doubt. Thus is the book, alongside the explication of Confucius, taught in schools, usually. Thus you here query neither the sublime nor the mysterious, neither the foul nor the vile: I see there keen, perhaps playful moral and political instructions to be elicited, just as are abundantly obvious, plain, and natural in Chinese classics: only, with that book, as the entire text will make readily apparent to the reader, it will be derived for the use of the cleromancer, by whom now man is to obtain the highest benefit of life, arcane communication with the spirits and secret knowledge of future events; the book then is the sight of the theurge, all light, all spirit, and most suited to the life of man; and thence the lauds bestowed on it by Confucius, outright exaggerated ones, to be seen particularly in the appendix of this book, if indeed, as is the commonly held opinion, he is the author of this appendix.' (Wikisource contributor note)

[1]