Author Archives: Harmen Mesker

Message from the London Yijing Society

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The Yijing / I Ching (易經 / 周易) has been studied over at-least two millennia and remains today a cryptic text of un-certain origins. Despite being an enigmatic text, it has attracted countless people throughout time across the world to investigate it for a variety of reasons. People are encouraged to study the Yijing / I Ching as a form of Divination for:-

  • Self-Cultivation – to develop positive attitudes when confronted with difficult situations. Constancy and calm in the face of adversity
  • Self-Knowledge – to learn to notice and be confident with our inherent wisdom

The London Yijing (I Ching) Society has been set-up following a discussion amongst a few friends who have studied the text over decades. It is to be a place for anyone interested in the subject and want to share their ideas and experience. The society aims to inspire people to use the text wisely and effectively or at the very least encourage a serious approach.

Historically the Yijing / I Ching has been studied and used by people from a wide-range of backgrounds and in the same way the Society will receive diverse members from all walks-of-life. We will hold meetings in Central London over tea and biscuits and if enough people are inclined we may even partake in one of London’s cosy public-houses.
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The month hexagrams of Hu Yigui 胡一桂

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pdfI originally wrote this paper (in Dutch) for a friend, but I thought I might as well share it with the community. The article discusses the origin of the month hexagrams as found in Jou Tsung Hwa’s The Tao of I Ching and reiterates the error in this book as mentioned earlier in my article on the Eight Houses.

The month hexagrams of Hu Yigui

Hexagram 08, Judgment

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吉.原筮.元永貞.無咎.不寧方來.後夫凶.

Yuan 原: many old commentaries say that yuan should be read as zai 再, ‘again’. But this meaning of yuan is quite rare. The Shanghai Museum Manuscript has 备 (not to be read as the simplified character of bei 備) instead of yuan. It is an abbreviation of the character yuan 邍 which is a known loan character of 原 (see 戰國古文字典, p. 1014; 古文字詁林, vol. 2, p. 454-455 and the Multi-Function Chinese Character Database). This also narrows down the possible meanings of 原. Continue reading →

Hexagram 02, surplus text

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利永貞.

Yong zhen 永貞: long-term (長久) divination:

戊寅卜Heji-248-10-character貞我永.
Crack-making on day 15, Heji-248-10-character divines for my long-term prognosis.
(Heji 合集 248)

Several oracle bone inscriptions end with a character or phrase denoting the auspiciousness of the received oracle, like ji 吉 or da ji 大吉 (see for examples Heji 合集 27013, 27020, 27041, 27973, 28142, 28663). Sometimes we find the character yong 永 as such an end note, probably denoting an auspicious long-term divination (Heji 合集 6108 臼, 6527 臼, 6855 反, 10199 反, 17555 臼, 21381).

Favourable long-term divination.

Hexagram 07, line 6

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大君有命開國承家.小人勿用.

Dajun 大君: ‘great ruler’, respectful title for the king:

大君若不棄書之力… (…)  惟大君命焉.
O great ruler, if you have not forgotten the zealous duty of Shu… (…) It is for you, O great ruler, to issue your command.”
(Zuo Zhuan 左傳, tr. James Legge, p. 491)

湯及太甲、祖乙、武丁，天下之大君.
Tang, as well as Tai Jia, Zu Yi and Wu Ding were the great rulers below heaven.
(Kongcongzi 孔叢子)

Compare with a similar sentence in Yanzi Chunqiu 晏子春秋:

夫汤、太甲、武丁、祖乙，天下之盛君也.
Now Tang, Tai Jia, Wu Ding and Zu Yi were the grand rulers below heaven.

You ming 有命: receive an order or appointment, often as a reference to tianming 天命, a mandate of Heaven to the (self-titled) ruler, but also used in a more general sense, ‘to receive an order (from the king)’.

Kaiguo 開國: establish a feudal state (建立諸侯國). The Shanghai Museum manuscript and the Mawangdui manuscript have qi 啓 for kai 開. The Shanghai Museum manuscript has bang 邦 for guo 國:

For qi bang 啟邦, “to open the country,” R (=the received text HM) reads kai guo 開國, kai 開 replacing qi 啟 to avoid a Han-dynasty taboo on the name of Liu Qi 劉啟, Emperor Jing 景 (r. 156-141 B.C.), and guo 國 replacing bang 邦 to avoid a taboo on the name of Liu Bang 劉邦, Emperor Gaozu 高祖 (r. 202-195 B.C.). M (= Mawangdui manuscript HM) reads qi guo 啟國, observing the taboo on the name of Liu Bang, but not on that of Liu Qi, while F (= Fuyang manuscript) reads as does the Shanghai Museum manuscript.
– Edward L. Shaughnessy, Unearthing the Changes, p. 78

The phrase qi bang 啟邦 is also found in a bronze inscription, where it is read as ‘to expand the country’ (金文常用字典, p. 361; see image in 殷周金文集成 15.9734).

Cheng 承:  continue a heritage (秉承). The Shanghai Museum Manuscript has cheng 丞, a common loan for 承.

Jia 家: ‘family’, but might also refer to the nation or country.

Xiao ren 小人: people of lower standard – commoners, those that are ruled instead of the rulers, those with narrow minds & views.

The great ruler received the order to expand the country and continue the nation he inherited. People of lower standard should not be used (for this).