In the “Xici” (or “The Appended Texts”), it is mentioned, “Observe the phenomena in the heavens, observe the laws on the earth, take from the self in proximity, and take from things at a distance.” It then discusses the transmission of the “Xici,” stating, “To exhaust the divine and understand transformation is the greatness of virtue. Those who know the way of change know what the divine does. Things gather by similarity, and entities are grouped by their kind; good fortune and misfortune arise from this.” This revolves around the relationship between heaven and earth, the relationship between humans and the objective world, the relationship between astronomy and human culture, respecting nature and emulating it, as well as achieving cultural elevation above nature. All of this is reflected here.
In this context, you can see an ancient text that you must have encountered before, which refers to “Dan,” meaning the sun appearing on the horizon, and “Fu Dan.” You see, “Fu” is significant. We generally think of “Fu” as in reviewing lessons; if you didn’t pass the graduate entrance exam this year, you would try again next year, which is called a “review student.” However, this “Fu” refers to the cyclical nature of life. Therefore, if you draw the “Fu” hexagram, the time is very quick; in the Western creation story, it takes seven days. In the “I Ching,” the “Fu” hexagram also represents seven days. This means that as long as you draw the “Fu” hexagram, anything you do will manifest within seven days. This is the essence of the “Fu” hexagram. “Dan” signifies the emergence of a new state. Thus, Chinese culture is rich in imagery and symbolism. “Every day is new,” right? “If it is new every day, it is indeed new.” This is all about that.
In fact, this innovation is the presentation of life itself in new ways. Therefore, the concept of “life generating life” refers to this aspect. In this context, we discuss the beauty of symbols. In the West, semiotics has become a discipline. Can we use contemporary Western linguistic semiotics to explain the beauty of symbols in the “I Ching”? Yes, we can. This is because symbols can be divided; for example, if I say, “Chairman Mao is like the sun,” which part is the symbol? Or, within the symbols, we can distinguish between the signifier and the signified. Look, the signifier and the signified—if you say, “Chairman Mao is like the sun,” who is the signifier? This sounds simple, but it is quite difficult to understand. The sun is the signifier, and Chairman Mao is the signified. The sun is the symbol, while Chairman Mao represents Mao Zedong’s thoughts. This is how symbolism works. It is through the brilliance of the sun that we refer to the brilliance of Mao Zedong’s thoughts. Therefore, “The golden mountains of Beijing shine brightly in all directions,” right? This is from songs that praise leaders, sung with deep emotion. I find the songs sung by Tibetans in praise of Chairman Mao particularly moving; they indeed reach a high state.
You see, the symbol “Dan” is quite interesting; it appears as if a sun is rising on the mountain, right?
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