The Early History of Yijing Interpretation

This chapter discusses the origins of the two major “schools” of Yijing interpretation: the xiangshu or “image and number” approach and the yili or “meaning and principle” approach, from the 2nd century BCE to the 3rd century CE. The major figures in each group are introduced with examples of some of their interpretive techniques. The xiangshu group includes Meng Xi, Jiao Yanshou, Jing Fang, and Yu Fan, all during the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). The so-called “Yi apocrypha” are also briefly discussed, including two numerological diagrams, the Hetu (River Chart) and Luoshu (Luo Text), which became more influential during the Song dynasty (960–1279). The last section of the chapter is on Wang Bi (3rd century CE), the first great exemplar of the yili approach.