While the Ten Wings are the most prominent example of Confucian engagement with the I Ching, the broader influence of early Confucian thought was pivotal in shaping how the text was understood and utilized. Confucian scholars and thinkers increasingly turned to the I Ching not just for oracular guidance, but as a source of profound wisdom about ethics, governance, self-cultivation, and the natural order.
This article will explore how early Confucianism began to interpret the I Ching through its own philosophical and ethical frameworks, emphasizing its didactic value and its role in understanding the "Way" (Dao) of the virtuous individual and the well-ordered society.
From Oracle to Canon: The I Ching as one of the Five Classics
Exploring the process by which the I Ching (Yijing) was elevated to the status of a 'Classic' (Jing) and included in the esteemed Confucian Five Classics.
Han Dynasty: I Ching's Canonization and Early Interpretive Schools
Examining the I Ching's formal canonization as a Confucian classic during the Han Dynasty and the emergence of the foundational Yili (Meaning/Principle) and Xiangshu (Image/Number) schools of interpretation.