Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.5, 2020

From Shamans and Historians to the Syncretism of Yi and Confucianism: The Evolutionary Approach of the Thought of the Yi School

(Abstract)

Liu Zhen

As one of the oldest scholarly systems in China, Yi (易the doctrine related to the core thought in the Yi Jing ［Book of Changes］) has always been valued. Historically, the Yi Jing was often seen as the essence of the study of Confucian classics. This approach has the disadvantage of ignoring the scholarly development and transmission of Yi before it was incorporated into Confucianism. In fact, thought on Yi underwent development and evolution: from Yi as divination and Yi as the Book of Changes to Yi as a Confucian classic. Not only did each of these stages have its own characteristics, they also formed a logical progression. To interpret Yi simply from the perspective of Confucianism obviously does not facilitate our understanding and grasp of the whole picture of Chinese traditional culture. If we set out from the Yi school, we can not only rearrange the evolutionary path of Yi from the pre-Qin era to the Han Dynasty, but also examine the internal value of Yi from a perspective independent of Confucianism.