Abstract
ZhouDunyi 周敦頤 (1017–1073), also known as Zhou Lianxi 周濂溪and Zhou Maoshu 周茂叔, has long been regarded as a pioneer of what has become known as the Cheng-Zhu tradition of Learning of the Way (daoxue 道學).1 A native of Daozhou 道洲in present day Hunan, Zhou spent most of his adult life working as a minor official at provincial level. His uneventful career in the government was duly compensated by his brilliant achievements in writing and teaching. During one of his postings in southwestern China, he tutored the young two Cheng brothers—Cheng Hao 程顥 (1032–1085) and Cheng Yi 程頤 (1033–1107)—who later became the leading eleventh-century daoxue thinkers. Through the two Cheng brothers, his writings were passed on to other daoxue thinkers, particularly the great synthesizer Zhu Xi 朱熹 (1130–1200). In the last few years of his life, Zhou Dunyi retired at the picturesque Mount Lu in central China. He named his study at his Mount Lu residence after the stream Lianxi (Stream of Waterfalls), hence came his courtesy name Lianxi and his posthumous honorific title Master Lianxi.2
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- 1.
A shorter version of this essay appears in Cua (2003: 891–895). In some writings, daoxue is translated as “Neo-Confucianism.” Neo-Confucianism gives a misleading impression that daoxue was the only intellectual movement in Chinese history that revived and renewed Confucian thought. For the advantages of using daoxue, see Tillman (1992, 1994). For a counter-argument, see de Bary (1993, 1994).
- 2.
For a detailed biography of Zhou Dunyi, see Huang and Quan (1965: 11:1a–1b, 2:1a–22b; Zhang (1990: 10:1a–22b).
- 3.
I follow Joseph Adler in translating taiji 太極 as “Supreme Polarity” rather than “Supreme Ultimate.” As Adler points out, for Zhou Dunyi, taiji means the unity of the yin-yang polarity rather than the ultimate or the extremity of a cosmic process (Adler 2008).
- 4.
The Ten Wings consists of eight pieces of commentarial writing (divided in ten items) on the Book of Change: Tuan 彖 I (Judgments I), Tuan 彖 II (Judgments II), Daxiang 大象 (Great Image), Xiaoxiang 小象 (Small Image), Wenyan 文言 (Words of the Text), Xici 系辭 I (Attached Phrases I), Xici 系辭 II (Attached Phrases II), Zagua 雜卦 (Miscellaneous Notes on Hexagrams), Shuogua 說卦 (Discussion of Trigrams), and Xugua 序卦 (Sequence of Hexagrams). Beginning in the third century, the Ten Wings have been included in the standard text of the Book of Change. In the standard text, Tuan I, Tuan II, Daxiang, Xiaoxiang, and Wenyan appear under the sixty-four hexagrams, and Xici I, Xici II, Zagua, Shuogua, and Xugua are grouped together as appendixes.
- 5.
Over the centuries there were various drawings of the Diagram of the Supreme Polarity and it is unclear which one zhou Dunyi used when he wrote the “Taiji tu shuo” (see Zheng 2002: 231–244; Ogiwara 1935: 216–331). Despite these differences, the basic structure of the Diagram of the Supreme Polarity is more or less the same. In this essay, I use Zhu Xi’s version as preserved in Song Yuan xue’an.
- 6.
From the perspective of the Book of Change, the second circle is actually a picture of two trigrams. On the right side (dark-light-dark) is the Kan 坎 trigram; on the left side (light-dark-light) is the Li 離 trigram. For a detailed discussion of the images of Kan and Li and their relations to the Daoist quest for elixir, see Zheng (2002: 234–238).
- 7.
The translation of “Taiji tu shuo” is mine. For alternative translations, see Chan (1963: 463–465); de Bary and Bloom (1999: 673–676).
- 8.
For a summary of medieval Chinese metaphysics, see Kong Yingda’s eight essays at the beginning of Zhouyi zhengyi. For a discussion of Kong’s philosophy, see Hon (2005: 28–48).
- 9.
See Wang Bi’s (226–249) commentary of Chapter 11 of Laozi in Laozi zhu 老子注 (Commentary on Laozi). See also Kong Yingda’s first essay “On the Three Meanings of Change (“Lun Yi zhi san ming” 論易之三名) in Zhouyi zhengyi. For a discussion of you and wu, see Hon (2005: 41–45).
- 10.
The term “moral metaphysics” (道德的形上學) was coined by contemporary Chinese philosopher Mou Zongsan 牟宗三 (1909–1995) (1968: 1:115–189).
- 11.
Both Cheng Hao and Zhu Xi employed the Confucian concept of ren 仁 (humaneness) to denote the part-whole relationship between human beings and the universe. See Cheng Hao’s essay “On Understanding the Nature of Jen [Ren]” (“Shi ren pian” 識仁篇) and Zhu Xi’s essay “A Treatise on Jen [Ren]” (“Ren shuo” 仁說) (Chan 1963: 523–526; 593–597).
- 12.
See, for instance, Huang and Quan (1965). The editors intentionally placed “Tong shu” before “Taiji tu shuo.”
- 13.
In the Book of Change, trigrams and hexagrams are graphic representations of the trinity of heaven, earth, and humankind. In a trigram, the top line represents heaven, the middle line humankind, and the bottom line earth. In a hexagram, the top two lines represent heaven, the middle two lines humankind, and the bottom line earth.
- 14.
The translation of “Tong shu” is mine. For an alternative translation, see Chan (1963: 465–480).
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Hon, Tk. (2010). Zhou Dunyi’s Philosophy of the Supreme Polarity. In: Makeham, J. (eds) Dao Companion to Neo-Confucian Philosophy. Dao Companions to Chinese Philosophy, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2930-0_1
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