To address how the image of the Tai Hexagram (Hexagram 11, 泰) corresponds to its Decision Commentary (彖传, Tuàn Zhuàn), we first clarify the core of the hexagram’s image and then link it to the commentary’s key arguments—focusing on their shared emphasis on "harmony, communication, and flourishing."
Step 1: Core Image of the Tai Hexagram
The Tai Hexagram is a upper trigram of Kūn (坤, Earth, Yin) and a lower trigram of Qián (乾, Heaven, Yang). Its structural image is "Heaven below, Earth above" (乾下坤上).
In traditional Chinese cosmology:
• Qián (Heaven) inherently has the attribute of "ascending" (Yang qi rises).
• Kūn (Earth) inherently has the attribute of "descending" (Yin qi sinks).
When Heaven is below and Earth above, their qi (energy) can interact and blend (Yang rises upward, Yin sinks downward, meeting in the middle). This "interpenetration of Yin and Yang" forms the core image of Tai: harmony, smooth communication, and the unobstructed flow of all things.
Step 2: Correspondence to the Decision Commentary (from typical versions, aligning with the thematic focus of pp.37-38 in common I Ching editions)
The Decision Commentary on Tai explains the hexagram’s meaning by directly tying it to its "Heaven-Earth interaction" image. Their correspondence lies in three key dimensions:
1. The image’s "qi interaction" justifies the commentary’s claim of "great peace"
The commentary opens with: "Tai: The small departs, the great arrives. Softness and firmness communicate and respond; all things flourish in their proper way." (泰：小往大来，吉亨。则是天地交而万物通也，上下交而其志同也。)
• Correspondence: The image of "Heaven (great, firm Yang) below, Earth (small, soft Yin) above" directly embodies "the small departs, the great arrives" (Yin moves up, Yang moves down, exchanging positions). Their overlapping qi (communication) is the visual basis for the commentary’s assertion that "all things flourish"—just as Heaven and Earth’s interaction nurtures growth in nature, human society (rulers and the people, "upper and lower") will also achieve unity of purpose when they communicate smoothly.
2. The image’s "order of Heaven and Earth" supports the commentary’s moral implication
The commentary further states: "Heaven and Earth follow their proper paths, so the four seasons proceed without error. The sage aligns with Heaven and Earth to establish order; thus, the people receive great peace." (天地之道，恒久而不已也。利有攸往，终则有始也。日月得天而能久照，四时变化而能久成。圣人久于其道而天下化成。)
• Correspondence: The Tai image is not random—"Heaven below, Earth above" does not reverse their essence (Heaven is still Yang, Earth still Yin) but describes their functional interaction (Yang ascends, Yin descends) that follows cosmic order. This "orderly interaction" in the image justifies the commentary’s argument: just as Heaven and Earth’s regular communication sustains the four seasons, the sage (modeling Tai) should facilitate "upper-lower communication" to bring stability to society.
3. The image’s "smooth flow" echoes the commentary’s "auspiciousness"
The commentary concludes with the hexagram’s auspiciousness (吉亨, jí hēng) and the advice "beneficial to go forward" (利有攸往, lì yǒu yōu wǎng).
• Correspondence: The unobstructed blending of Yin and Yang in the Tai image is the root of its "auspiciousness." When energy flows without blockage (like rivers running smoothly, seasons changing naturally), all endeavors (going forward) will be supported—this is why the commentary links the image’s "communication" to practical guidance for action.
Summary
The Tai Hexagram’s image ("Heaven below, Earth above, Yin-Yang interacting") is the visual foundation of its Decision Commentary. The commentary does not exist in isolation; it interprets the hexagram’s meaning by unpacking the cosmic and social implications of the image—turning the trigram structure into a philosophy of "harmony through communication" (for both nature and humanity).
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