The beauty of life encompasses two themes—the previous topic was “the effortless birth of all things,” and this section focuses on “the beauty of continuous generation.” Observe how the Tuan Zhuan (Commentary on the Judgment) of the Qian hexagram states: “Grand is the primal power of Qian! All things owe their beginning to it; it commands the heavens. Clouds drift and rain falls; all things flow into form. The bright sun completes its course, and the six positions align in time. Riding the six dragons, it soars through the sky. Through the changes of the Dao of Qian, all things attain their nature and destiny. Preserving harmony and supreme peace, it brings benefit and constancy. Emerging first among all things, it brings tranquility to all lands.”
The Tuan Zhuan of the Kun hexagram adds: “Supreme is the primal power of Kun! All things owe their life to it; it obediently receives from heaven. Kun’s thickness carries all things; its virtue merges with the boundless. Embracing breadth and radiating light, all things flourish in harmony.” Does this not explain the concept of “heaven gives birth and earth completes” we discussed earlier? Notice the subtle distinctions: in the Qian hexagram’s Tuan Zhuan—which, though essentially equivalent to the hexagram statements composed by King Wen of Zhou, is called “Tuan” to avoid redundancy—it speaks of the “grand primal power,” while Kun’s Tuan Zhuan uses “supreme primal power.” Both signify beginnings, but Qian’s beginning is “grand” because heaven is vast; earth comes next in greatness, followed by humanity. As Laozi also noted: “The Dao is great, heaven is great, earth is great, and humanity is great”—the four greatnesses.
Qian represents the primal origin, the beginning of all things—this is the source. “Beginning” here signifies the formation of energy, but energy that has not yet found a place to settle, a womb, or a maternal body. “It commands the heavens” means it has attained this energy, unifying the cosmic forces. “Clouds drift and rain falls; all things flow into form”—like wind and thunder stirring, clouds and rain moving—all things are still in a floating, fluid state. “The bright sun completes its course” refers to the sun, moon, and stars—the “bright sun” here is the sun itself, cycling ceaselessly. “The six positions align in time” refers to the six lines of the Qian hexagram: initial Nine, second Nine, third Nine, fourth Nine, fifth Nine, and top Nine. These are the “six dragons,” each at a different position and state, though all are dragons. Just like all of us here are graduate students, but our future positions—where we stand—matters greatly. “Riding the six dragons, it soars through the sky”: while Apollo in the West drives a sun chariot, Chinese culture envisions soaring on six dragons across the heavens.
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