Annotated Book of Changes · Hexagram 51

zhen

The Arousing

See also: Wilhelm commentary for Hexagram 51

Hexagram Statement

卦辭

經 Classic Text

震震下震上 震,亨。 震來虩虩,笑言啞啞。 震驚百里,不喪匕鬯。 「震來虩虩,笑言啞啞」者,「虩虩」恐懼之貌也,「啞啞」笑語之聲也。震之為用,天之威怒,所以肅整怠慢,故迅雷風烈,君子為之變容,施之於人事,則是威嚴之教行於天下也。故震之來也,莫不恐懼,故曰「震來虩虩」也。物既恐懼,不敢為非,保安其福,遂至笑語之盛,故曰「笑言啞啞」也。 「震驚百里,不喪匕鬯」者,匕,所以載鼎實;鬯,香酒也。奉宗廟之盛者也。震卦施之於人,又為長子,長子則正體於上,將所傳重,出則撫軍,守則監國,威震驚於百里,可以奉承宗廟,彝器粢盛,守而不失也,故曰「震驚百里,不喪匕鬯」。

Translation

Zhen: Zhen below, Zhen above.

Zhen signifies Success.

"When Thunder comes, there is fearful trembling; then laughing talk, ha ha."

"Thunder startles for a hundred li; one does not lose the sacrificial ladle and libation."

"When Thunder comes, there is fearful trembling; then laughing talk, ha ha": "fearful trembling" is the appearance of dread and fear; "ha ha" is the sound of laughing speech. The function of Zhen is the awesome wrath of Heaven, by which the negligent and complacent are brought to order.

Thus when swift thunder and fierce wind arise, the noble person changes countenance accordingly. Applied to human affairs, this means the teaching of awe-inspiring authority is carried out throughout the realm. "

"Thunder startles for a hundred li; one does not lose the sacrificial ladle and libation": The ladle (bi) is used to carry the contents of the ritual cauldron; libation (chang) is fragrant sacrificial wine. These are the most solemn offerings to the ancestral temple.

The Zhen hexagram applied to persons also represents the eldest son. The eldest son embodies the ruling line above and bears the weight of succession. When he goes forth, he commands the army; when he remains, he oversees the state. "

注 Wang Bi's Commentary

懼以成,則是以亨。 震之為義,威至而後乃懼也,故曰「震來虩虩」,恐懼之貌也。震者,驚駭怠惰以肅解慢者也,故「震來虩虩,恐致福也。笑言啞啞,後有則也」。 威震驚乎百里,則足可以不喪匕鬯矣。匕,所以載鼎實;鬯,香酒,奉宗廟之盛也。

Translation

Through fear one achieves completion, and thus there is Success.

The meaning of Zhen is that awe arrives and only then does fear follow — hence it says "When Thunder comes, there is fearful trembling," which is the appearance of dread and fear.

Zhen startles and shocks the negligent and idle, bringing order to the complacent — hence "When Thunder comes, there is fearful trembling — fear brings blessing. "

When awesome authority startles for a hundred li, this is sufficient to not lose the sacrificial ladle and libation. The ladle is used to carry the contents of the ritual cauldron; the libation is fragrant wine, the most solemn offering to the ancestral temple.

疏 Kong Yingda's Subcommentary

正義曰:震亨者,震動也。象雷之卦,天之威動,故以震為名,震既威動,莫不驚懼,驚懼以威,則物皆整齊,由懼而獲通,所以震有亨德,故曰「震亨」也。

Translation

The Correct Meaning states: "Zhen signifies Success" — Zhen means shaking, movement. As a hexagram symbolizing thunder, it represents the awesome movement of Heaven, hence it is named Zhen. Since Zhen awesomely moves all things, none fail to be startled and fearful.

When things are startled and fearful through its awe, all things are brought to order. "

注「威震至廟之盛也」:正義曰:先儒皆云:雷之發聲,聞乎百里。故古帝王制國,公侯地方百里,故以象焉。竊謂:天之震雷,不應止聞百里,蓋以古之啟土,百里為極。文王作《繇》在殷時,明長子威震於一國,故以「百里」言之也。「匕所以載鼎實,鬯香酒」者,陸績云:「匕者棘匕,橈鼎之器。」先儒皆云:匕形似畢,但不兩岐耳。以棘木為之,長三尺,刊柄與末。《詩》云「有捄棘匕」是也。用棘者,取其赤心之義。祭祀之禮,先烹牢於鑊,既納諸鼎,而加冪焉。將薦乃舉冪,而以匕出之,升于俎上,故曰「匕所以載鼎實」也。鬯者,鄭玄之義,則為秬黍之酒,其氣調暢,故謂之「鬯」。《詩傳》則為鬯是香草。案:王度《記》云:「天子鬯,諸侯薰,大夫蘭。」以例而言之,則鬯是草明矣。今特言「匕鬯」者,鄭玄云:「人君於祭祀之禮,尚牲薦鬯而巳,其餘不足觀也。」

Translation

On the note "Awesome thunder... the most solemn offering to the ancestral temple": The Correct Meaning states: Earlier scholars all said that the sound of thunder is heard for a hundred li.

Therefore the ancient emperors, in establishing states, granted dukes and marquises territories of a hundred li on each side, using this as the standard image.

I humbly suggest that Heaven's thunderclaps should not be limited to being heard for only a hundred li; rather, in antiquity the granting of territory took a hundred li as the maximum.

When King Wen composed the line texts during the Yin [Shang] dynasty, it was clear that the eldest son's awesome authority extended over one state, hence "a hundred li" was used. " Earlier scholars all said the ladle resembles a bi-fork but without the two prongs.

It is made from jujube wood, three chi long, with the handle and tip shaped by carving. The Odes say "there is a curved thorn-wood ladle" — this is it. Jujube wood is used for its meaning of a "red heart" [sincerity].

In the rites of sacrifice, one first boils the sacrificial animals in the cauldron, then places them in the ding vessels and covers them.

" As for chang (libation), according to Zheng Xuan's interpretation, it is wine made from black millet, whose aroma flows harmoniously, hence it is called "chang" (meaning "flowing freely"). The Shi zhuan (Commentary on the Odes) says chang is a fragrant herb.

" By this analogy, it is clear that chang is an herb. "

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Source: eee-learning.com (易學網) · Edition: 武英殿十三經注疏