Is there any connection between the genesis of Chinese characters and the Book of Changes? Absolutely. As for the precise nature of this connection, it is not something that can be clarified in a few words. Our culture is so vast, with the Chinese civilization spanning five thousand years. Yet, are these five millennia merely a mathematical measure of time? No, it is the deeply embedded collective unconsciousness of the Chinese nation. Whenever we speak of our culture, of our Huaxia heritage, this very notion instills in us a profound confidence and provides our culture with its foundational roots. As Zhu Xi aptly expressed, “I ask the pond, how can its water be so clear? / Because from the source flows fresh vitality incessantly.” Why do we invoke this? It reveals that exploring the origins of Chinese characters and probing the aesthetic roots of the Book of Changes are intrinsically one and the same. Viewed through its modes of expression, the cultural form most quintessentially Chinese is calligraphy. Yet today, what have we reduced it to? Merely the simplistic framework of “five major script styles.” Is this truly honoring our traditional culture, or is it instead an act of self-imposed confinement? This warrants deep reflection. What sustains the unbroken continuity of the Chinese civilization over five millennia? It is our writing system – Chinese characters. As long as Chinese characters endure, the flame of Chinese culture will never be extinguished. Therefore, the history of Chinese civilization is, in essence, a history of the continuous writing and perpetual transcendence embodied in Chinese characters. Given this, how could we not see its profound connection to the Book of Changes?
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