Chapter 812 811 [Tai Chi Diagram]

It took a week for Zhou Hexuan to finish explaining the Ba Chun Gua. If you want to tell the complete sixty-four hexagrams, it will take at least two or three months. By then, the "Book of Changes" has just begun.

As for the two rituals, three talents, four images, and five elements, they were all added by scholars of the past dynasties. There is no need for Zhou Hexuan to spend time popularizing these theories to foreigners. He even mentioned the "Yi Zhuan" which is equivalent to the preface. If he really started to talk about it, the preface alone would be enough for Pound to study for several months.

The original version of the naked "I Ching" doesn't even have a Tai Chi Pisces diagram. That thing was invented by the Song Dynasty.

Unlike those who pursue immortal fortune-telling, Zhou Hexuan purely reads the "Book of Changes" as a philosophy book. "The Analects" can be incorporated into it, "Mencius" can be incorporated into it, "Laozi" can be incorporated into it, and "Zhuangzi" can also be incorporated into it. Even Wang Yangming's psychology can find the answer in the "Book of Changes".

Therefore, the "Book of Changes" is the source of Chinese culture, and it has been imprinted deep in the souls of the Chinese people. From the pre-Qin era to the Republic of China, the shadow of the "Book of Changes" is everywhere, from the national legal system to personal clothing, food, housing and transportation.

For Western scholars who study China, truly understanding the "Book of Changes" is equivalent to understanding China and the Chinese people.

In early May, Zhou Hexuan left Italy and sailed to London with his entourage.

Ezra Pound was studying hard, so how could he let Zhou Hexuan go like this? Unable to retain her after repeated attempts, Pound simply abandoned his mistress and bought a boat ticket to go to England with Zhou Hexuan.

In the cabin of the ship, Zhou Hexuan didn't have time to talk about the "Book of Changes", so he just talked about the "Book of Changes" and related theories. He said: "It is said that "Ten Wings" was written by Confucius, but that is not entirely true. Many contents in it were deeply influenced by Laozi's thoughts. Therefore, modern scholars speculate that "Ten Wings" should have been completed during the Warring States Period. When was the Warring States Period? Do you still remember?"

"Remember, the Zhou Dynasty was divided into the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was divided into the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period." Pang De replied quickly.

Zhou Hexuan was very satisfied with the student's homework and said with a smile: "Then let's talk about Tai Chi, Liang Yi and Four Symbols first. The epilogue of the "Book of Changes", which is the preface, says: 'Therefore, there is Tai Chi in the Book of Changes. Two rites give rise to two rites, two rites give rise to four images, and four signs give birth to Bagua. Do you understand what it means?"

Pang De said blankly: "I understand a little, but I don't seem to understand."

Zhou Hexuan simply explained: "Tai Chi, you can understand it as the initial chaotic state of the universe. There is nothing, no light, no darkness, no good, no evil, no sun, moon, stars, no matter in the universe."

"I understand." Pang De nodded repeatedly.

"This is Tai Chi," Zhou Hexuan drew a circle on the paper, and then divided the circle into two halves, leaving one side blank and the other black. "Tai Chi creates two yangs, and the two yangs are yin and yang. Yin is dark, negative, and weak. , heavy, such as night, such as women, such as the earth; Yang is bright, positive, strong, and light, such as day, such as men, such as the sky. This is the Chinese people's world view and philosophy, everything is It can be divided into yin and yang. This can be related to the founding myth of China. The universe was originally a chaotic egg shape. The ancient god Pangu split the chaos. The light air rose up and became the sky, and the turbid air fell down and became the earth."

Pound smiled and said: "It's a very interesting view of the ancient universe."

Zhou Hexuan drew another Tai Chi Pisces picture, pointed to the pattern and said: "Two bodies give rise to four images, these are the four images. The qi of yin and yang combine to evolve Taiyin, Sun, Shaoyin and Shaoyang. Look, the one representing Yang The fish head is the sun, which is the ultimate yang. But the extreme yang also contains yin energy, and that bit of yin energy is its eyes. The bit of yin energy in the extreme yang slowly evolves into shaoyin, which is the fish of the yin fish. The tail, the fish head is the Taiyin with strong Yin energy, and Taiyin contains a little Yang energy. From this, Yin and Yang are mutually reinforcing and mutually reinforcing each other, evolving over and over again, never ending. In the simplest way, you can understand the four images as the four seasons. Spring is Shaoyang, the sun in summer, Shaoyin in autumn, and Taiyin in winter.”

As soon as the Tai Chi Pisces diagram came out, Pang De was stunned. He stared at the Tai Chi diagram for a long time, his thoughts flying to the sky, obviously making various associations about it.

“The Chinese are so awesome!”

Pound clapped his hands suddenly and praised: "The picture you drew perfectly illustrates the rise and fall of all things in the universe. It is a work of art, a work of art given by the gods!"

Zhou Hexuan smiled and continued to draw the Eight Diagrams around the Tai Chi Pisces Picture: "Well, the Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Diagrams. This Eight Diagrams is the Eight Diagrams I told you before. The Eight Diagrams are combined in twos to derive sixty-four hexagrams. The ancient Chinese used six The fourteen hexagrams explain everything in the world. All traditional Chinese culture and ideas are contained in the sixty-four hexagrams. Even after Buddhism was introduced to China, it was integrated with the ideas of the sixty-four hexagrams."

After talking about this, Zhou Hexuan started to talk about the three talents and the five elements again, which frightened the little old man Pang De.

When the ship was approaching the London dock, Pound stood up and danced excitedly: "I have decided, I want to go to China, and I will spend my whole life studying the "Book of Changes"!"

"Uh..." Zhou Hexuan was speechless. It seemed that he really wanted to train a magic stick.

…

pier.

Ornis was holding his granddaughter, followed by several followers, looking for a cheap son-in-law in the crowd.

Suddenly, Xiao Chunxi pointed forward and said in English: "Dad, that's dad!"

Zhou Hexuan walked up to him, smiled and nodded at Ornis, then opened his arms: "Chunxi, do you miss daddy?"

"Yes." Xiao Chunxi nodded heavily and struggled to fall into his father's arms.

Ornis had no choice but to let go, handed his granddaughter into the hands of Zhou Hexuan, and said, "His Majesty the King was still talking about you yesterday, saying he wanted to talk to you all night long, and also mentioned some prophecies. Did you tell His Majesty the King any prophecies? "

"Haha, I said he will be the king." Zhou Hexuan laughed.

Pound suddenly jumped out and said excitedly: "You must be using the divination technique in the "Book of Changes". No wonder the Americans call you the Wizard of the Far East."

Ornis looked at Pound and asked doubtfully, "Who is this gentleman?"

"Ezra Pound." Zhou Hexuan introduced.

Ornis was immediately in awe and said enthusiastically: "Are you Mr. Pound, Elliot's best friend and the outstanding craftsman?"

"It's me, but I'm not an outstanding craftsman." Pound nodded.

The most popular poet in the world in the 1930s was undoubtedly Eliot. The European poetry world has already praised this poet to the sky. Eliot's greatest work, "The Waste Land," has a line in parentheses below the introduction, which reads: "To Ezra Pound, the most outstanding craftsman."

In other words, the greatest work of the greatest poet today is directly stated as a gift to Pound.

This alone is enough for the world to know Pound.

Ornis often hangs out in the circle of nobles and ladies, and reciting poetry is a necessary skill, so now he is extremely excited to see Pound himself. He held Pound's hand and shook it vigorously: "Mr. Pound, today is so wonderful that I can meet you."

Zhou Hexuan introduced: "This is my wife's father, Mr. Ornish Hartley."

Upon hearing that Ornish was Zhou Hexuan's father-in-law, Pound became enthusiastic and said with a smile: "Hello, Mr. Hartley, I am now Zhou's student and study Chinese culture with him."

"So that's it," Orniston felt his face was greatly improved, and he happily invited, "Does Mr. Pound have a place to live in London? Why don't you stay at my house, and I can hold a poetry salon for you."

Pang De waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, I want to seize the time to study the "Book of Changes", and I don't want to hold salons or anything like that."

"That's a pity." Ornis sighed. He was still thinking of dragging Pang out to show off in the aristocratic circle.

Everyone left the pier talking and laughing and went straight to Ornish's country house. That villa was built specifically for his granddaughter because the air quality in London was very bad.

As soon as he returned home, Zhou Hexuan opened his suitcase, took out a wooden tumbler and said, "Chunxi, look what is this?"

"Is this round little man a gift from my father?" Xiao Chunxi immediately hugged the roly-poly in her arms.

Zhou Hexuan taught his daughter to put the tumbler on the ground and then fiddle with it. The tumbler swayed and looked funny.

"Giggle, giggle... oh, the little man is so awesome, he can't fall!"

Little Chunxi squatted in front of the roly-poly, staring at it intently, and from time to time she let out a series of laughter like silver bells.