When we study traditional culture and historical classics, we will see "Zhou Yi" and "I Ching", beginners who do not know the difference between "Zhou Yi" and "I Ching", think that the two are the same, and now many scholars also hold the same view. But there is a difference between the two fundamentals, so before systematically learning the I Ching, let's first understand the difference between the I Ching and the Zhou Yi.
First of all, the Book of Changes is the oldest document in China, there is no one, the pre-Qin period is also called "Yi" or "Zhou Yi", from the Han Dynasty the name was determined, called "Book of Changes"; It is one of the "Six Classics" of Chinese Confucian classics, and they are the Book of Songs, the Book of Rites, the Book of Music, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Period. According to legend, they were all edited or modified by Confucius, the founder of Confucianism. Among them, the "Book of Music" died in the process of Qin Shi Huang's "book burning and Confucianism", and only the "Five Classics" remained. "I Ching" has always been respected by Confucianism as the first of the "Five Classics", and before the Southern Song Dynasty, Confucianism has always been respected by the "Five Classics", to the Southern Song Dynasty Guangzong Shaoxi Yuan (1190), the famous physicist Zhu Xi in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province "University", "Analects", "Mencius", "The Mean" brought together as a set of scriptures and periodicals engraved out. After Zhu Xi's continuous and vigorous promotion, the "Four Books" gradually replaced the status of the "Five Classics" and became the first of the Confucian classics. Therefore, the Han and Tang dynasties were the era of the Five Classics, and the Song Dynasty was the era of the Four Books.
Secondly, the Book of Changes is the sum of the Lianshan, Guizang and Zhouyi, which are collectively known as the Book of Changes, but the Lianshan and Guizang have been lost in the historical inheritance. Now only Zhou Yi has been handed down, which is the main reason why many people equate "Zhou Yi" with "I Ching".
The Book of Changes was written very early, and it is believed that it was around the Shang and Zhou dynasties. There are three copies of the Book of Changes, one of which is the Zhou Yi, and the Zhou Yi is the only one that has been handed down; The "Zhou" in "Zhou Yi" refers to the Zhou Dynasty (Western Zhou), and "Yi" means change. "King Wen detained and played Zhou Yi", "Zhou Yi" is when King Wen of Zhou was imprisoned in Jinli, through the study of the "Book of Changes", combined with the social status quo at that time, the gossip was derived into sixty-four hexagrams, and each hexagram was equipped with hexagrams. "Zhou Yi" is divided into "Shangjing" 30 hexagrams, "Xiajing" 34 hexagrams, with the continuous development of the times, the continuous evolution of words, the meaning of "Zhou Yi" hexagram is also constantly evolving with the times, the content of the hexagram of "Zhou Yi" in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period has been difficult to understand, Confucius read "Zhou Yi" after greatly appreciated. In order for "Zhou Yi" to be understood and studied by more people, Confucius specially made a biography for "Zhou Yi", that is, "Yi Chuan", also called "Ten Wings", and each of the 64 hexagrams was equipped with a word for each of the six hexagrams, a total of 384 words. So far, "Zhou Yi" has finally become a book, and the "Zhou Yi" we see now is the "Zhou Yi" after Confucius added the epithet. Another major contribution of Confucius to the Book of Changes was to include it as a philosophical classic, including it in the Six Classics. It mainly expounds the law of change of heaven and earth, as well as the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Completely hand over the application of divination and other techniques to "Lianshan Yi" and "Guizang Yi". Therefore, most of the schools of thought contended by the sons of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were derived from the Book of Changes. The ideas and theories of the hundred schools of thought can be traced back to the "Book of Changes", and they all originate from these hexagrams drawn in the "Book of Changes".
Third, in fact, there are two "I Ching", one is called "Lianshan Yi", the other is called "Guizang Yi", plus "Zhou Yi", which is collectively called "Three Changes". "Lianshan Yi" is the "Yi" of the Shennong era, the "Yi" of the Yellow Emperor era is called "Returning to Tibet", and "Zhou Yi" is the "Yi" of the Zhou Dynasty.
The position of the gossip drawn in "Lianshan Yi" and "Returning to Tibet" is different from the position of the gossip in "Zhou Yi". "Lianshan Yi" is headed by the Gen hexagram, "Gui Zang Yi" starts with the Kun hexagram, and "Zhou Yi" takes the Qian hexagram as the first hexagram, which is the difference between the three Yi.
Speaking of which, we probably all have a concept, the "Book of Changes" we see now, only "Zhou Yi" is a scripture, and it is often covered by this "Zhou Yi". Because "Lianshan Yi" and "Returning to Tibet" have been lost and extinct. Is there anything else there is?This is a big problem, and hopefully one day when two more scriptures are found in an ancient tomb somewhere, we will be able to see the complete Book of Changes. Although the two scriptures of "Lianshan" and "Guizang" have been lost, but the content and ideas have not completely disappeared, and a set of things that have been circulated in the "rivers and lakes" that we have talked about in China from ancient times to the present, such as witch doctors, Kanyu, feng shui, faces, etc., as well as the inheritance of Taoism in divination, are the development and combination of "Lianshan" and "Guizang".
Fourth, the "Zhou" of "Zhou Yi" is the meaning of thoughtful and complete, Zhou Yan universal, and Zhou Dynasty, and the word "Yi" contains three meanings, and the so-called "easy to change, not easy to change", that is, "Yi" contains three meanings of simplicity, change, and change. Here, "Yi" means movement and change, and the core elements of "Bagua Diagram" and "Hexagram Words" explain the law of development and change of all things.
Fifth, the "Zhou Yi" is a classical Chinese philosophy developed and perfected by King Wen of Zhou on the basis of Fuxi's "Bagua Diagram", which widely applied the logical principles of the "Book of Changes" and developed and perfected it in a practical way, including two basic theories: "the unity of heaven and man" and "the growth and decline of yin and yang".
The text recorded: "Yi, lizard Yi....Shougong also. Pictographic. The secretary said: The sun and the moon are easy, like yin and yang.
Translation: Yi is a lizard, called a lizard in the field, and also called Shougong in the living room, that is, a gecko. Secretary, the word Yi is composed of two words, the day and the month, the upper is the day, the lower is the month, like the change of yin and yang";
Translation: The meaning of the scriptures is the longitudinal thread on the loom, that is, the warp thread on the loom. "This is all a revelation of the essence of the I Ching!
The Book of Changes uses a set of yin and yang gossip symbols to describe the changes in the state of all things, reflecting the philosophical outlook and cosmology of classical Chinese culture. Its core idea is to use the opposition and unity of yin and yang to describe the changes of all things in the world.
Today's scholars generally believe that the Book of Changes was originally a book for divination, and later after thousands of years of development and improvement, it has become an ideological classic that has influenced Chinese philosophy, religion, medicine, astronomy, arithmetic, literature, art, military and martial arts.
Sixth, now in a narrow sense, the Book of Changes can be regarded as the Book of Changes, and the two are the same book. Because the other two copies of "Lianshan" and "Returning to Tibet" have been lost. The Book of Changes consists of two parts, the Book of Changes and the Book of Changes. "Zhou Yi" talks about the sixty-four hexagrams, each hexagram and the hexagram and the hexagram and the hexagram of each hexagram. The Book of Changes is about the interpretation and further explanation of each hexagram or the I Ching as a whole.
And we usually talk about the "Book of Changes" is a broad concept, "Book of Changes" includes "Zhou Yi", "Book of Changes" is the origin of all natural science and social science, "Book of Changes" includes astronomy, calendar, astrology, astrology, astrology, Heluo, Bagua, Lianshan, Guizang, Zhou Yi, Five Elements, Ganzhi, Qimen, Taiyi, Xuankong, Liuren, Kanyu, Chinese medicine, physiognomy, divination and many other knowledge.
Finally, we can conclude that the Book of Changes and the Book of Changes are two different concepts, and their differences are mainly reflected in the formative period, content form, scope of application, and influence of dissemination. The Book of Changes is an ancient philosophical classic, which mainly expounds the law of change of heaven and earth, and the harmonious relationship between man and nature. "Zhou Yi" is the commentary, interpretation, development and improvement of the Book of Changes, which mainly expounds the methods of divination and **, as well as the moral relationship between people and society. **10,000 Fans Incentive Plan The Book of Changes is a broader concept that includes not only the classic Book of Changes, but also many doctrines and systems of thought related to it. The Book of Changes was widely studied and applied in ancient China, and was regarded as an important reference in many fields such as philosophy, religion, divination, medicine, and politics. The main content of the "Zhou Yi" covers hexagrams, epigrams, yin and yang, five elements, and hexagrams, etc., through these concepts and symbols, people can speculate and interpret the laws of change in the natural world and the human world, so as to guide people's behavior and decision-making.
Therefore, it can be said that the Zhou Yi is the core part of the I Ching and an important part of the I Ching. With its unique hexagram system and principle of change, "Zhou Yi" helps people understand the operation of the universe and explore the meaning and direction of life. The Book of Changes, on the other hand, includes the study and application of the Book of Changes, covering a wider range of fields and levels, and has become a treasure in Chinese culture.