繫辭上傳

The Great Commentary, Part One

12 sections · Commentary by Han Kangbo · Subcommentary by Kong Yingda

章

Chapter 1

第一章

經 Classic Text

天尊地卑，乾坤定矣。卑高以陳，貴賤位矣。動靜有常，剛柔斷矣。方以類聚，物以羣分，吉凶生矣。在天成象，在地成形，變化見矣。是故剛柔相摩，八卦相盪，鼓之以雷霆，潤之以風雨，日月運行，一寒一暑。乾道成男，坤道成女。乾知大始，坤作成物。乾以易知，坤以簡能。易則易知，簡則易從。易知則有親，易從則有功。有親則可久，有功則可大。可久則賢人之德，可大則賢人之業。易簡而天下之理得矣，天下之理得而成位乎其中矣。

Translation

Heaven is exalted, Earth is humble — thus Qian and Kun are established. The humble and the high are displayed — thus the positions of noble and base are set. Movement and stillness have their constancy — thus the firm and the yielding are distinguished.

Things gather by kind, creatures divide into groups — thus fortune and misfortune arise. In Heaven images are formed, on Earth shapes are completed — thus change and transformation are made manifest.

Therefore the firm and the yielding rub against each other, the eight trigrams stir and shake one another. They are drummed by thunder and lightning, moistened by wind and rain. Sun and moon revolve in their courses; now cold, now hot.

The Way of Qian completes the male; the Way of Kun completes the female. Qian knows the great beginning; Kun brings about the completion of things. Qian through ease is known; Kun through simplicity is capable. What is easy is easy to know; what is simple is easy to follow.

Easy to know, and there is affection; easy to follow, and there is accomplishment. With affection, there is durability; with accomplishment, there is greatness. Durability is the virtue of the worthy person; greatness is the enterprise of the worthy person.

Through ease and simplicity the principle of all under Heaven is grasped; when this principle is grasped, one takes one's place in their midst.

注 Wang Bi's Commentary

乾坤其易之門戶，先明天尊地卑，以定乾坤之體。天尊地卑之義既列，則涉乎萬物貴賤之位明矣。剛動而柔止也，動止得其常體，則剛柔之分著矣。方有類，物有羣，則有同有與，有聚有分也。順其所同則吉，乖其所趣則凶，故吉凶生矣。象謂日月星辰也，形謂山川草木也。懸象運轉以成昏明，山澤通氣而雲行雨施，故變化見矣。相切摩也，言陰陽之交感也。相推盪也，言運化之推移也。天地之道不為而善始，不勞而善成，故曰易簡。順萬物之情故曰有親，通天下之志故曰有功。有易簡之德，則能成可久可大之功。天地易簡，萬物各載，故以賢人目其德業矣。天下之理得而成位乎其中矣。極易簡則能通天下之理，通天下之理故能成位乎其中。

Translation

Qian and Kun are the gateway to the Changes. First making clear that Heaven is exalted and Earth is humble establishes the substance of Qian and Kun. Once the principle of Heaven's exaltation and Earth's humbleness is set forth, the positions of noble and base among the myriad things become clear.

The firm moves and the yielding is still; when movement and stillness attain their constant nature, the distinction of firm and yielding is evident. Kinds have their categories, creatures have their groups — thus there are affinities and associations, gatherings and separations.

Following what is akin brings fortune; going against one's natural tendency brings misfortune — hence fortune and misfortune arise. 'Images' refers to sun, moon, and stars; 'shapes' refers to mountains, rivers, plants, and trees.

Suspended images revolve to produce darkness and light; mountains and marshes communicate their vapors so that clouds move and rain falls — hence change and transformation become manifest. 'Rub against each other' means mutual friction, speaking of the interaction of yin and yang.

'Stir and shake' means mutual pushing, speaking of the movement and transformation that drives things forward. ' Possessing the virtue of ease and simplicity, one can achieve the merit of durability and greatness.

Heaven and Earth are easy and simple, and the myriad things are each sustained — hence the term 'worthy person' is used to characterize their virtue and enterprise. When the principle of all under Heaven is grasped, one takes one's place in their midst.

Bringing ease and simplicity to their utmost, one can penetrate the principle of all under Heaven; penetrating this principle, one can therefore take one's place in their midst.

疏 Kong Yingda's Subcommentary

正義曰：此篇章數，諸儒不同。先儒以繫辭之辭，凡有二義。一則繫屬之辭，於其文卦之下繫辭焉，以斷其吉凶。二則繫辭別為篇名，分為上下二篇。此上篇凡十二章。第一章自「天尊地卑」至「成位乎其中矣」，明易之大理。

Translation

The Correct Meaning states: The number of chapters in this text varies among different scholars.

Earlier scholars identified two senses of 'appended statements' (xici): first, the statements appended beneath each hexagram and line to determine fortune and misfortune; second, 'Xici' as a separate text title, divided into upper and lower parts. This upper part contains twelve chapters.

The first chapter runs from 'Heaven is exalted, Earth is humble' through 'one takes one's place in their midst,' illuminating the great principle of the Changes.

鎖

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