Chapter 154: Diagram of the Innate

Hua Feng continued to listen to the figure transformed within the Emperor Yan Mark as it spoke: This assertion is doubtful, because whether the Yellow River Diagram and the Luo River Writing—both grounded in the fish of yin and yang—even existed is itself uncertain. How can one claim that "the three diagrams are fundamentally one"?

Aside from Zhang Xingcheng himself, the only person who truly valued this diagram and apprehended the "wondrous" Dao from it was Zhao Huiqian, who stated: "Having repeatedly and deeply contemplated it, I perceive the natural subtlety of the Taiji containing yin and yang, and yin and yang containing the Eight Trigrams."

This word "subtle" was realized only after repeated and meticulous contemplation by Zhao. It is evident that predecessors did not engage in such contemplation, failed to comprehend the inner subtlety therein, and naturally did not attach importance to it. Therefore, one cannot use the fact that Hong Mai and Zhu Xi never commented on the Yin-Yang Fish Diagram to deny that Zhang Xingcheng transmitted or created this diagram.

Third, whether Shao Yong discussed the heavens in terms of the armillary sphere is not important here; the crux is how Zhang Xingcheng understood Shao Yong's Early Heaven Diagram. In Guo's text, a dash was placed between "The Book of Changes Early Heaven Diagram" and "armillary sphere," whereas in the *Yi Xuan*, the four characters "the armillary sphere" appear as double-column smaller characters attached below "The Book of Changes Early Heaven Diagram," clearly serving as a commentary, which Guo mistook for the main text.

Zhang Xingcheng believed that the "Changes" is the armillary sphere, and that Shao Yong's Early Heaven Diagram is fundamentally based on the armillary theory. "For the principle of the cosmos is identical; Tang Yixing was able to understand this, while the scholars of the Gaitian school lost their original source. Therefore, both Ziyun and Kangjie rejected their theory" (*Yi Xuan*, Volume 1), holding that Shao Yong did not endorse the Gaitian (dome-heaven) theory.

He also explicitly pointed out: "Now, the Changes represents heaven employing the numbers of earth... it is the armillary sphere; the Xuan represents earth sustaining the numbers of heaven... it is the Gaitian sphere."

Fourth, Guo asserts that there could not possibly be diagrams with binary symbols in the *Yi Xuan*. One wonders whether Mr. Guo has ever actually read the *Yi Xuan*. Almost the entire text of the *Yi Xuan* is devoted to comparing the *Changes* and the *Xuan*. In other words, the *Yi Xuan* elucidates the *Tai Xuan* precisely through comparison with the *Changes*. One could say that "Changes" and binary symbols are present everywhere.

For example, Volume 1 states at the outset: "The One is the Xuan. The One gives birth to three, and their number culminates in six, which is the function of heaven. Hence, a hexagram of the Changes has six lines." "The Changes is heaven; that which is divided from earth is the ruler employing the minister. The Xuan is earth; that which takes earth as its ancestor in heaven is the minister honoring the ruler." "The Xuan employs the number nine, thus centering upon eight; the Changes employs the number fifteen, thus centering upon nine."

"The Changes incorporates both nine and six, while the Xuan solely employs nine. The eight of the Changes is the body of heaven, while the nine of the Xuan is the function of earth." Furthermore, the "Changes Early Heaven Diagram" was presented precisely by comparison with the "Tai Xuan Diagram," with the "Early Heaven Diagram" considered the armillary sphere and the "Tai Xuan Diagram" the Gaitian sphere.

The four points above are argued solely in response to Guo's text, and they can only demonstrate that Zhang Xingcheng may have created the Taiji Diagram (the Changes Early Heaven Diagram), which is still insufficient to prove that the Taiji Diagram was definitely created by him.

This requires analysis based on Zhang Xingcheng's own writings. The "Changes Early Heaven Diagrams" mentioned by Zhang Xingcheng in the *Yi Xuan* are roughly three: one is the Early Heaven Square Diagram, one is the Early Heaven Circular Diagram, and one is the Combined Square-and-Circular Diagram.

(1) The Changes Combined Square-and-Circular Diagram. Volume 1: "The two diagrams of the Changes, square and circular, represent heaven and earth serving as substance and function for one another." "Now, the Changes treats heaven as employing the numbers of earth. The square and circular diagrams are combined into one: the circle enfolds the square, with earth inside heaven, which is the armillary sphere." Volume 7: "The combined square-and-circular diagram of the Changes has earth within heaven, representing the armillary sphere." This diagram is none other than Shao Yong's Early Heaven Sixty-Four Hexagrams Positional Diagram, which is also included at the beginning of Zhu Xi's *Original Meaning of the Book of Changes*.

(2) The Early Heaven Square Diagram. Volume 1: "In the Early Heaven Square Diagram, the position of Qian is northwest and the position of Kun is southeast; these are the Heavenly Gate and Earthly Portal..." Volume 9: "The Early Heaven Square Diagram transforms starting from earth, whereupon a single hexagram intersects with eight hexagrams, resulting in sixty-four hexagrams." This diagram is precisely the square diagram within Shao Yong's Early Heaven Positional Diagrams, representing the earth enfolded by heaven.

(3) The Early Heaven Circular Diagram. Volume 1: "The circular diagram of the Changes proceeds from one yin and one yang through [characters missing] two, moving from the outside inward." Zhang Xingcheng seems to have had a special fondness for this diagram, often referring to it simply as the "Early Heaven Diagram." For instance, Volume 10: "The Early Heaven Diagram combines to form a single heaven." "That which moves rightward in the Early Heaven Diagram reverses the generation of vital breath to transform the seasons; that which moves leftward smoothly distributes the breath to generate living beings. The Dao of heaven and earth is such that adversity is the means by which the self is nurtured, and prosperity is the means by which others are generated—this is also the principle of loyalty and reciprocity... The Early Heaven sphere is circular, and that which combines into one is heaven."

It is entirely reasonable and logical to incorporate the "Yin-Yang Fish" design into the center of the Early Heaven Circular Diagram. The "Yin-Yang Fish" shape serves precisely as a figurative illustration of the circular diagram of the sixty-four hexagram positions.

The *Yi Xuan* already employs the terminology of "rightward movement" and "leftward movement" regarding the Early Heaven Diagram. In addition to the citations above, Volume 10 also states: "In the Changes Early Heaven Line-Image Diagram, those starting from Qian and Kun represent the images of yin and yang, with both upper and lower moving rightward; those starting from Fu and Gou [should be a mistake for Gou] represent the images of yin and yang, with both upper and lower moving leftward, arranged in two." Do not the leftward and rightward movements of the yin-yang fish correspond precisely to the leftward and rightward movements of the hexagram lines? If "arranged in two" does not refer to the arrangement of yin and yang—the two colors of black and white—what else could it refer to?

In another specialized monograph, *Penetrating Variations of the Changes*, Zhang Xingcheng included fourteen diagrams, the first of which is the "Diagram of the Has-Polarity," and the "Diagram of the Has-Polarity" is none other than the "Early Heaven Diagram." This diagram is actually a combined square-and-circular diagram (with the circular diagram deformed into an octagon). The meaning of the "Yin-Yang Fish" diagram can be discerned from the explanation of the circular diagram within it. "The Taiji encompasses all phenomena, considered existent yet not yet seen, considered non-existent yet permanently preserved... The images of heaven and earth are already complete within the primeval chaos; this is the totality of the Taiji."

(Volume 1) "That which moves rightward in the circular diagram represents six transformations of hexagrams that do not yet have the single line; that which moves leftward represents five transformations of hexagrams that already have the single line." (Volume 1) "The Early Heaven Diagram, through six transformations from one yin and one yang, each reaching thirty-two, constitutes the one softness and one rigidity of earth. Fu and Gou replace Qian and Kun as parents, while rigidity and softness inherit yin and yang to complete transformations, and the tasks of all under heaven are accomplished." (Volume 1) The arrangement of the sixty-four hexagram circular diagram is explained through the transformations of yin and yang lines, and the "Yin-Yang Fish" design accurately and vividly reflects this transformation of hexagram lines.

Within the "Yin-Yang Fish" design, the "white fish" in the upper right moves leftward from large to small, sequentially being Qian, Dui, Li, and Zhen (including the 4 x 8 = 32 hexagrams that take these four hexagrams as their lower trigram), representing the gradual decrease of yang lines; the "black fish" in the lower left moves rightward from large to small, sequentially being Kun, Gen, Kan, and Xun (including the 4 x 8 = 32 hexagrams that take these four hexagrams as their lower trigram), representing the gradual decrease of yin lines.

Meanwhile, as yang lines decrease, yin lines increase; as yin lines decrease, yang lines increase, which is why they are depicted as intertwining "black and white fish." The two "fish eyes" signify that there is yin within yang and yang within yin, wherein the "black eye" within the "white fish" represents the Li trigram, and the "white eye" within the "black fish" represents the Kan trigram.

In the *Yi Xuan* Early Heaven Diagram, the diagram of the sixty-four hexagram line position transformations represented by small black and white squares shows Qian and Kun respectively as six white squares and six black squares (serving as the greater parents), and Fu and Gou respectively as one white and five black, and one black and five white (serving as the lesser parents). Yin-yang transformation begins with Fu and Gou, moving leftward from Fu and rightward from Gou.

If one combines them according to the quantity of black and white squares (disregarding positional height), the result is precisely a "Yin-Yang Fish" diagram. Based on having discovered the regular patterns of hexagram line transformations for the sixty-four hexagrams, for Zhang Xingcheng to create the interlocking Yin-Yang Fish diagram should be considered entirely logical and natural. For Mr. Guo to assert that the "Yin-Yang Fish" diagram arose "solely through temporal evolution based on the black-and-white semi-circular diagram" is altogether too arbitrary.

After Zhang Xingcheng, no one else seems to have directly mentioned that he created such a diagram. However, when discussing the evolution of the Taiji Diagram, Yuan Jue once mentioned him: "When Xue [Jisuan] imparted it to Yuan [Gai], he once said: The legacy of River and Luo learning largely resides between Shu and Han; hence, scholars and officials who heard of this doctrine competed to acquire it. Later, there were two Zhangs: Zhang Xingcheng, who excelled in numerology and images, and Zhang Bin, who was thoroughly versed in the Xuan. Finally, Master Zhu Wen entrusted his friend Cai Jitong..." (Quoted from Hu Wei's *Discrimination of the Diagrams of the Changes*, Volume 3). Judging from Zhang Xingcheng's life, he was a native of Linqiong. "During the Qiandao reign, from the Office of the Pacification Commissioner of the Chengdu Prefecture Circuit, he requested a temple sinecure and closed his doors for ten years."

(Huang Zongxi's *Scholarly Records of the Song and Yuan Dynasties: Scholarly Records of Zhang, Zhu, and Other Scholars*). He closed his doors to write books, totaling seven works in seventy-nine volumes, taking Shao Yong's learning as his final destination. He "collected forty diagrams including the Early Heaven hexagram numbers transmitted from Chen Xiyi down to the Shao family" (The *General Catalogue of the Siku Quanshu: Masters Category, Divinatory Arts Section* records this as "fourteen diagrams," which is correct).

"Elucidating and explaining them to comprehend the transformations of the various Changes, they initially seemed to follow divergent paths, but ultimately converged on the same conclusion." "Previously, there were fourteen diagrams transmitted from Kangjie's learning, which were not passed down in the world. The Master obtained them from the household of a merchant scribe in Shu, and subsequently expounded and interpreted them to serve as the application of images and numbers." (*Scholarly Records of the Song and Yuan Dynasties*). According to this account, given the convenience of his stay in Shu, Zhang Xingcheng was fully capable of obtaining this diagram before Cai Yuanding (Jitong).

Aside from Zhang Xingcheng, did anyone else in the Song dynasty create a "Yin-Yang Fish Taiji Diagram"? According to historical records, at least two other people created diagrams of this kind. One was Zheng Dongqing (Shaomei), who predated Zhang Xingcheng, and the other was Luo Yuan (Duanliang), who postdated Zhang Xingcheng.

Zheng Dongqing transmitted the "Ancient Early Heaven Diagram": he authored *Annotations on the Early Heaven Diagram*, and in his own preface stated: "Since Dongqing began studying the *Changes*, I have read the writings of over a hundred scholars of the *Changes*. Those worth adopting are merely the Ancient Early Heaven Diagram, Yang Xiong's *Classic of the Supreme Mystery*, Guan Ziming's *Classic of Penetrating the Ultimate*, Wei Boyang's *Kinship of the Three*, and Shao Yaofu's *Supreme Principles Governing the World*... The learning of all four schools originated from the Early Heaven Diagram.

Is not the Early Heaven Diagram the source of the *Changes*? Yet it lacked textual explanations and annotations, and the world regarded it as a useless object. Now I have created the Diagram of Square and Circular Mutual Generation to serve as footnotes to the Early Heaven Diagram, rendering it simpler and easier than those of the four schools." The "Ancient Early Heaven Diagram" mentioned by Zheng Dongqing predated Yang Xiong at the very least; it was not his own creation, and he merely created a "Diagram of Square and Circular Mutual Generation" to serve as footnotes for it.

What the "Ancient Early Heaven Diagram" actually looked like remains unknown. Judging by its name, one may surmise that it belonged to the type of diagram encasing the Early Heaven sixty-four hexagrams (all those crowned with the name "Early Heaven Diagram" at the time referred to this type of diagram, with the only difference being whether the central design was "square" or "yin-yang fish" shaped).

Luo Yuan created the "Yellow River Diagram": According to Song Lian of the early Ming dynasty, "Luo Duanliang of Xin'an created the image of yin and yang embracing one another, divided it into eight parts within itself to serve as the Eight Trigrams, and called it the Yellow River Diagram; he used the grid pattern to divide it into the Nine Palaces and called it the Luo River Writing.

He stated that it came from a hermit on Mount Qingcheng, yet he did not draw it as a physical image." (Quoted from Hu Wei's *Discrimination of the Diagrams of the Changes*, Volume 3). Luo Yuan's diagram is also said to have been obtained from a hermit on Mount Qingcheng in Sichuan, representing the image of yin and yang embracing each other, with the center "divided into eight parts." However, it was still not called the "Taiji Diagram," but rather the "Yellow River Diagram," though the image itself has not been passed down.

Hu Wei believed it resembled what later became Zhao Zhongquan's "Ancient Taiji Diagram." Luo Yuan and Zhu Xi were fellow townsmen (both were natives of Xin'an, present-day Huizhou, Anhui) and close friends. Therefore, it is possible that before entrusting Cai Yuanding to enter Shu in search of the three diagrams, Zhu Xi had already seen Luo Yuan's diagram, but simply did not value it or did not approve of it (Zhu Xi believed that the "Yellow River Diagram" consisted of ten numbers rather than this diagram), and thus refrained from commenting upon it.