Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2020

 

On the Late Qing Turn in Yixue

(Abstract)

 

Lin Zhongjun

 

Accompanying the late Qing social upheaval and the continuous inroads of Western learning were profound changes in Chinese scholarship. In particular, yixue researchers (studying the Book of Changes and its derivatives) used their broad scholarly vision and profound cultural knowledge to build a systemic yixue charged with immediate concerns and directed toward achieving national salvation. On the basis of their acceptance of Western learning and study of Han and Song yixue, especially the image-numerology handed down through the generations, they put forward the theory of “yi images” i.e., “observing phenomena from the standpoint of the world.” They argued for the role of image-numerology in both yixue and scientific and technological development from the perspective of righteousness and principles and of the Way and concrete entities. In doing so, they endeavored to open up material civilization through the image-numerology approach of the Zhou Yi （Book of Changes） by using analogies between the Western theory of evolution and the Zhou Yi to promote progressive ideas such as reform and revolution. The new methods and new contents wrought a profound change in the form of previous studies of the Zhou Yi, transformed the yixue paradigm, and started the reconstruction of the yixue system in the new setting. In particular, the yixue scholarship represented by Hang Xinzhai in the late Qing was indeed a landmark achievement in the transition from ancient to modern yixue; it not only proclaimed the end of late Qing yixue, but also marked the beginning of the new yixue of modern times. However, these scholars were so eager to achieve success and thereby attain the goal of national salvation that they did not put forward rigorous arguments, but simply mined the Zhou Yi for analogies to Western learning. Consequently, their research results were far-fetched and lacked rigor, which cannot but give one cause to think. Reflection on late Qing yixue has great practical significance, but at the same time, it should be noted that not a few of these researchers were out of touch with reality, and preserved the traditional way of studying the Zhou Yi.