It took a week for Zhou Hexuan to finish explaining the eight pure hexagrams. If he wanted to explain the complete sixty-four hexagrams, it would take at least two or three months. By then, he would have just started learning the Book of Changes.
As for the two rituals, the three talents, the four images, and the five elements, they were all added by scholars of the past dynasties. Zhou Hexuan did not need to spend time to popularize these theories to foreigners. He even mentioned them in one sentence in the "Yi Zhuan" which is equivalent to the preface.
The introduction is enough for Pound to study for several months.
The original version of the naked "Book of Changes" doesn't even have a Tai Chi Pisces diagram. That thing was invented by the Song Dynasty.
Different from those who pursue immortal fortune-telling, Zhou Hexuan simply reads "The Book of Changes" as a philosophy book. "The Analects" can be included in it, "Mencius" can be included in it, "Laozi" can be included in it, and "Zhuangzi" can also be included in it.
, even Wang Yangming’s theory of mind can find the answer in the "Book of Changes".
Therefore, the "Book of Changes" is the source of Chinese culture, and it has been imprinted in the depths of the Chinese people's souls. From the pre-Qin era to the Republic of China, the shadow of the "Book of Changes" is everywhere, from the national legal system to personal clothing, food, housing and transportation.
.
For Western scholars who study China, truly understanding the "Book of Changes" is equivalent to understanding China and the Chinese people.
In early May, Zhou Hexuan left Italy and sailed to London with his entourage.
Ezra Pound was studying hard, so he was willing to let Zhou Hexuan go like this? After repeated attempts to persuade him to stay, Pound simply abandoned his mistress, bought a boat ticket, and went to England with Zhou Hexuan.
In the cabin of the ship, Zhou Hexuan had no time to talk about the "Book of Changes" and simply talked about the "Book of Changes" and related theories. He said: "It is said that "The Ten Wings" was written by Confucius, but it is not entirely true. Many of the contents in it are influenced by Confucius.
Laozi's thoughts have a profound influence. Therefore, modern scholars speculate that "Ten Wings" should have been completed during the Warring States Period. When was the Warring States Period, do you remember it?"
"Remember, the Zhou Dynasty was divided into the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, and the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was divided into the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period." Pound replied quickly.
Zhou Hexuan was very satisfied with the student's homework and said with a smile: "Then let's talk about Tai Chi, Liang Yi and Four Symbols first. The epilogue of the "Book of Changes", which is the preface, says: 'Therefore, there is Tai Chi in the Book of Changes.
Two rituals give rise to two rituals, two rituals give rise to four images, and four elephants give birth to eight trigrams. Do you understand what that means?"
Pang De said blankly: "I understand a little, but I don't seem to understand."
Zhou Hexuan simply explained: "Tai Chi, you can understand it as the initial chaotic state of the universe. There is nothing, no light, no darkness, no good, no evil, no sun, moon and stars, no matter in the universe."
"I understand." Pound nodded repeatedly.
"This is Tai Chi," Zhou Hexuan drew a circle on the paper, and then divided the circle into two halves, leaving one side blank and the other black. "Tai Chi creates two yangs, and the two yangs are yin and yang. Yin is dark, negative, and weak.
, heavy, such as night, such as women, such as the earth; Yang is bright, positive, strong, and light, such as day, such as men, such as the sky. This is the Chinese people's world view and philosophical view of everything.
Both can be divided into yin and yang. This can be related to the founding myth of China. The universe was originally a chaotic egg shape. The ancient god Pangu split the chaos. The light air rose up and became the sky, and the turbid air fell down and became the earth."
Pound smiled and said: "It's a very interesting view of the ancient universe."
Zhou Hexuan drew another Tai Chi Pisces picture, pointed at the pattern and said: "Two bodies give rise to four images, these are the four images. The qi of yin and yang combine to evolve Taiyin, Sun, Shaoyin and Shaoyang. Look, the one that represents Yang
The fish head is the sun, which is the extreme yang. But the extreme yang also contains yin energy, and that bit of yin energy is its eyes. The bit of yin energy in the extreme yang slowly evolves into shaoyin, which is the yin fish.
The tail, the strong Yin Qi, makes the fish head the Taiyin, and Taiyin contains a little Yang Qi. From this, Yin and Yang complement each other, evolve with each other, go around and over, and never stop. In the simplest way, you can understand the four phenomena as the four seasons. Spring is
Shaoyang, the sun in summer, Shaoyin in autumn, and Taiyin in winter.”
As soon as the Tai Chi Pisces Diagram came out, Pound was stunned. He stared at the Tai Chi Diagram for a long time, his thoughts were already flying to the sky, and he was obviously making various associations about it.
“The Chinese are so awesome!”
Pound clapped his hands suddenly and praised: "The picture you drew perfectly illustrates the rise and fall of all things in the universe. It is a work of art, a work of art given by the gods!"
Zhou Hexuan smiled and continued to draw the Eight Diagrams around the Tai Chi Pisces Picture: "Well, the Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Diagrams. This Eight Diagrams is the Eight Diagrams I told you before. The Eight Diagrams are combined in twos to derive sixty-four Hexagrams. The ancient Chinese used six
The fourteen hexagrams explain everything in the world. All traditional Chinese culture and ideas are contained in the sixty-four hexagrams. Even after Buddhism was introduced to China, it was integrated with the ideas of the sixty-four hexagrams."
After talking about this, Zhou Hexuan started to talk about the three talents and the five elements again, which frightened the little old man Pang De.
When the ship was approaching the London dock, Pound stood up and danced excitedly: "I have decided, I want to go to China, and I will spend my whole life studying the "Book of Changes"!"
"Uh..." Zhou Hexuan was speechless. It seemed that he really wanted to train a magic stick.
…
pier.
Ornis was holding his granddaughter, followed by several entourages, looking for a cheap son-in-law among the crowd.
Suddenly, Xiao Chunxi pointed forward and said in English: "Dad, that's dad!"
Zhou Hexuan walked up to him, smiled and nodded at Ornis, then opened his arms: "Chunxi, do you miss daddy?"
"Yes." Xiao Chunxi nodded heavily and struggled to fall into his father's arms.
Ornis had no choice but to let go, and handed his granddaughter into the hands of Zhou Hexuan, saying: "His Majesty the King was still talking about you yesterday, saying that he wanted to talk to you all night long, and also mentioned some prophecies. Did you tell His Majesty the King any prophecies?
"
"Haha, I said he will be the king." Zhou Hexuan laughed.
Pound suddenly jumped out and said excitedly: "You must be using the divination technique in the "Book of Changes". No wonder the Americans call you the Wizard of the Far East."
Ornish looked at Pound and asked doubtfully: "Who is this gentleman?"
"Ezra Pound." Zhou Hexuan introduced.
Ornis was immediately in awe and said enthusiastically: "Are you Mr. Pound, Eliot's best friend and the outstanding craftsman?"
"It's me, but I'm not an outstanding craftsman." Pound nodded.
The most popular poet in the world in the 1930s was undoubtedly Eliot, and the European poetry world has already praised him to the heavens. In Eliot's greatest work "The Waste Land", there is a line in brackets below the introduction, which reads:
: "Dedicated to Ezra Pound, the finest craftsman."
In other words, the greatest works of the greatest poet today are directly written as gifts to Pound.
This alone is enough for the world to know Pound.
Ornis often hangs out in the circle of nobles and ladies, and reciting poetry is a necessary skill, so now he is extremely excited to see Pound himself. He held Pound's hand and shook it vigorously: "Mr. Pound, today is really wonderful.
Well, I can actually meet you."
Zhou Hexuan introduced: "This is my wife's father, Mr. Ornish Hartley."
Upon hearing that Ornish was Zhou Hexuan's father-in-law, Pound also became enthusiastic and said with a smile: "Hello, Mr. Hartley, I am now Zhou's student and study Chinese culture with him."
"So that's it," Orniston felt that his face was greatly improved, and he happily invited, "Does Mr. Pound have a place to live in London? Why don't you stay at my house, and I can hold a poetry salon for you."
Pang De waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, I want to seize the time to study the "Book of Changes", and I don't want to hold salons or anything like that."
"That's such a pity." Ornis sighed. He was still thinking of dragging Pang out to show off in the aristocratic circle.
Everyone chatted and laughed as they left the pier and went straight to Ornish's country villa. That villa was specially built by him for his granddaughter because the air quality in London was very bad.
As soon as he returned home, Zhou Hexuan opened his suitcase, took out a wooden tumbler and said, "Chunxi, look what is this?"
"Is this round little man a gift from my father?" Xiao Chunxi immediately hugged the roly-poly in her arms.
Zhou Hexuan taught his daughter to put the tumbler on the ground and then fiddle with it. The tumbler swayed and looked funny.
"Giggle, giggle... Oh, the little man is so awesome, he can't wrestle!"
Little Chunxi squatted in front of the roly-poly, staring at it intently, and from time to time she let out a series of laughter like silver bells.