Yi and the animals

[beatrice380]

I know many hexagrams are symbolized by or related to animals (the dragon in hex. 1 although it is a mythical animal, the mare in hex. 2, the tiger in hex. 10, the grey rat in hex. 15, and so forth…). Is there any study or book that delves more into the animals of the I Ching?

 

[Liselle]

Elephants in 16. Birds in 62 (maybe elsewhere, too). Pheasants in 36 (Hilary wrote a blog post about this one just last month).

 

[beatrice380]

Elephants in 16. Birds in 62 (maybe elsewhere, too). Pheasants in 36 (Hilary wrote a blog post about this one just last month).

Yes! I read it and found it very interesting.

There are also several animals in 26, a bird in 30, a pig in 33, different animals in 40, and more…

 

[hilary]

...big livestock in 26, three tigers stalking through the lines (10, 27.4, 49.5), the geese of 53 and the wonderful crane of 61.2...

If no-one's written this book yet, someone should!

 

[blewbubbles]

61. Chung Fu. Inner truth, sincerity
Here is mentioned hog and fish. 豚魚. Tun Yu. Some translations gives it as porpoise, or dolphin, or, sea lion, or simply pigs and fishes. Ritsema makes it difficult to distinguish the two animals and fuses them together by saying, hogfish, significant. My favourite translation so far is Sugiura:
LXI. CHÛ-FU (Truthful at heart)
Chû-fu. Lucky, if truthful, even to a dolphin. Advantageous to wade a large river. Advantageous to be constant.

De Harlez translate it as:
Right sincerity moves even pigs and fishes.

De Harlez adds a footnote to this hexagram
1 Pigs and Fish: The Siao-hio contains an edifying story where we see a pious child breaking ice in the depths of winter to catch a fish and serve it to his mother. Two carp come out of the hole and place themselves under his hand.

I will soon make a full list of all the animals in the yijing and reports back

 

[Liselle]

Blewbubbles, what is the Siao-hio?

 

[blewbubbles]

Blewbubbles, what is the Siao-hio?

I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think it is a minor work of Chinese fables which was translated into French by the same author.

CORRECTION.
The Siao hio, or little school teaching, roughly translated as, the Morality of youth.

Excerpts from the Introductions: "The Siao Hio, that is to say the little teaching, the little school, is one of the most important books of Chinese literature. It is he, in fact, which is intended to train the education of the entire nation. Every Chinese must know it, study it, and put its precepts into practice. Even more, when the average education is completed or when the instruction is completed for those who do not aspire to the degree higher, the Siao Hio remains a constant object of study, the moral book of reading for families." - De Harlez c.1889

and a link :

Siao Hio ou Morale de la jeunesse. Trad. de Harlez

La Siao Hio ou Morale de la jeunesse, trad. Ch. de HARLEZ (1832-1899). Paris, 1889. Le livre d'enseignement de la morale et des rites, pour la jeunesse. Il énonce les principes et décrit les cinq devoirs, avec de nombreux exemples.

www.chineancienne.fr

 

[blewbubbles]

beatrice380, I don't know of any particular title to suggest, but I have compiled this list of animals and plants appearing in the Zhouyi text. This excludes any further references you will find in I Ching books which present the core text interwoven with the commentaries. Here is my list. I used Gregory Richter's transcription as a guideline

List of animals and plans in the Zhouyi.

Animal, or plant name in hanzi, followed by pin-yin, and English meaning, with hexagram number occurrences.
(please add if I've missed out any)

_________________________

龍 long, dragon 1 2
馬 ma, horse 2(female) 3(team) 22(white) 26(fine) 35(abundant) 36(strong) 38 59(is strong) 61(team)
鹿 lu, deer 3
禽 qin, fowl 7 8 32
畜 chu, cattle 9 26
履 hu, tiger 10 27 (49 虎)
茅 mao, reed 11 12 28
桑 sang, mulberry 12
莽 mang, grass 13
豫 yu, happiness (Ritsema : ideogram, sonhood and elephant) 16 <thank you Liselle>
蠱 gu, corruption (Ritsema : ideogram, platter of worms) 18
魚 yu, fish 23 61
果 guo, fruit 23
牛 niu, ox 25 26 30 38 49 (黃 huáng, yellow) 56 63
豕 shi, boar 26
龜 gui, tortoise 27 41 42
楊 yang, willow 28
華 hua, blossom 28
叢棘 cong ji, thorn bush 29
遯 dun, retreat (Shaughnessy : piglet) 33
羊 yang, goat 34 (羝 ram) 43 54
鼫鼠 shi shu, flying squirrel 35
夷 yi, diminish (Shaughnessy : pheasant) 36
家 jia, household (Ritsema : ideogram, lid and pig) 37
豕 shi, pig 38 44
狐 hu, fox 40 64
隼 sun, falcon 40
莧 xian, amarinth 43
魚 yu, fish 44 61
杞 qi, willow 44
瓜 gua, mellon 44
牲 sheng, cattle 45
木 mu, tree 47 53
蒺蔾 ji-li, star thistle 47
葛藟 ge lei, kudzu vine 47
鮒 fu, carp 48
虎 hu, tiger 49
豹 bao, leopard 49
雉 zhi, pheasant 50 56
鴻 hong, wild-goose 53
鳥 niao, bird 56 62
豚 tun, swine 61
豚魚 tun-yu, porpoise 61
燕 yan, swallow 61
鶴 he, crane 61
小狐 xiao hu, small (young) fox 64

Animal attributes:
角 jiao, horns 34 35 44
三品 san pin, three tipes (of game) 57
羣 qun, flock 59
翰 han, feathers, wings 22 61
尾 wei, tail 10 33 63 (狐 fox)

 

[Liselle]

I never knew there was a flying squirrel! (I don't think, anyway.) I don't have Richter handy, but am interested to look.

 

[blewbubbles]

I never knew there was a flying squirrel! (I don't think, anyway.) I don't have Richter handy, but am interested to look.

I'm not sure which bushy tailed rodent it is, but this one from wikipedia fall within the habitat, and could easily have been the shi shu referred to in the Zhouyi.

It is variously translated. Here is the rat-pack:

35,4
鼫鼠 Shi shu

Wilhelm Baynes hamster
Legge marmot
Lynn flying squirrel
Blofeld squirrel
Richter flying-squirrel rodent
Richmond rodent
Sugiura big rat

I would like to add the google translate from a chinese online yijing interpretation, originally from yixue.com, and imbedded in the eee learning website by Jack. [ https://www.eee-learning.com/book/5006 ] Here goes...

Nine four, advance like a mole, steadfast and sharp.

"Xiang" says: Moles are steadfast and sharp, but they are in the wrong position.

Entering like a mole, insisting is dangerous.

The traditional interpretation of "mole" is a metaphor for being like a villain, greedy and burrowing everywhere, so you can't stick to it.

Mole is a ground mouse or a five-skill mouse. Here, we should look at it from the perspective of the use of tactics, and we should attack in a hidden way like a mole. Or we should not be restricted to regular tactics or a single tactic, but have five techniques like a mole. If we insist on regular or single tactics, it is "steadfast", and steadfastness is sharp, which is dangerous.

Nine four is in the mutual body Kan and Gen. Kan is hidden, Gen is rat, and the rat hiding below is the mole.

Mole: Mole, pronounced as "shi", there are many different opinions on what kind of animal a mole is. The traditional popular saying is that a mole is a kind of greedy rat that likes to burrow underground. It is used to describe a person's despicable behavior and personality. "Zixia Zhuan" calls it "Shuoshu". Zheng Xuan: "The Book of Songs says: 'A good rat, a good rat, don't eat my millet.'" The Book of Changes by Nine Schools: "Mole is a metaphor for greed, which refers to the number four. Its body is in Li and wants to rise, and its body is in Kan and wants to fall. It does not swim across the stream and does not go out of Kan. It does not fly onto the roof and does not reach the top. Its edge does not reach the extreme of a tree and does not go out of Li. Its hole does not cover its body, and the five Kun are thin. It does not run with its feet first, and the outer Zhen is below. Its five skills are all inferior, and the four Yaos are in line with it. Therefore, it is said that Jin is like a mole." "Explanation of Texts": "Mole is a rat with five skills. "Compendium of Materia Medica": Cricket is also called mole." Zhai Yuan: "Mole hides during the day and walks at night, and is greedy and vulgar. It means that although it inherits the number five, it lurks in the lower Yin and has been in an improper position for a long time, so it is dangerous." The silk book says "roasted rat".

 

[beatrice380]

...big livestock in 26, three tigers stalking through the lines (10, 27.4, 49.5), the geese of 53 and the wonderful crane of 61.2...

If no-one's written this book yet, someone should!

Thank you Hilary, for including this post in the newsletter! Let’s see what comes out…

 

[beatrice380]

Thank you blewbubbles! So exhaustive with the plants too!

It seems so odd to me that there isn’t a book on this already. I was interested in deepening animal symbolism in the I Ching. I personally know a little more about animals’ archetypes and meanings in other cultures and was curious to learn more about how each animal was regarded in the Chinese culture of that time. Also considering how each animal is connected to the different elements and the role the elements play in the I Ching - which is fundamental to say the least…

 

[Liselle]

Ditto the thanks!

What translation gizmo did you use for eee.learning.com? The one built into my browser doesn't seem to do as good a job.

 

[blewbubbles]

Ditto the thanks!

What translation gizmo did you use for eee.learning.com? The one built into my browser doesn't seem to do as good a job.

Yes, I know, somehow Google translate in the browser doesn't translate that site very well. But if you copy the contents into the Google translate app, the translations is much more accurate. Some kind of glitch. Try that

 

[blewbubbles]

Thank you blewbubbles! So exhaustive with the plants too!

It seems so odd to me that there isn’t a book on this already. I was interested in deepening animal symbolism in the I Ching. I personally know a little more about animals’ archetypes and meanings in other cultures and was curious to learn more about how each animal was regarded in the Chinese culture of that time. Also considering how each animal is connected to the different elements and the role the elements play in the I Ching - which is fundamental to say the least…

I found a direct link to a file hosted on the Max Planck Society document repository! Quite a lucky find. It is a Cambridge press publicatcion, but the pdf is made available here for a quick browse. Have a look..

link:
Animals through Chinese History
or,
Cambridge core open access link

 

[hilary]

I know this "ji-li" from childhood. Online the word 蒺藜 is used for tribulus terrestris, We used to go barefoot most of the time, and these thorns were our prime enemy. Their called "duwweltjies", dɜvɪlkɪs, in my mother tongue. The name means "little-doubles", since the thorny seeds of this plant have two thorny protrusions, and also come in clusters of four, which often seperate into pairs. But, because a single seed, on removal from one's foot, also has the appearance of a horny head, either a goat's head or a human head of grim aspect, we used to think of the name of the plant, or thorn, referring to "little-devils" instead, and so it became commonly called devil's thorn in South African English.

Sounds gruesome, but I am delighted to learn you know the plant! What would happen if you grasped it in your hands, as in the line? Would you be picking the thorns out for ages? (Of course I'm assuming it's the same plant, might not be, I don't suppose anyone can be sure... )

Some of the chapter headings for 'Animals through Chinese history' are mouth-watering. Thank you for the link!

 

[blewbubbles]

Thank you blewbubbles! So exhaustive with the plants too!

It seems so odd to me that there isn’t a book on this already. I was interested in deepening animal symbolism in the I Ching. I personally know a little more about animals’ archetypes and meanings in other cultures and was curious to learn more about how each animal was regarded in the Chinese culture of that time. Also considering how each animal is connected to the different elements and the role the elements play in the I Ching - which is fundamental to say the least…

Your welcome! I will keep looking for material on the animals in the yijing, I have a vague memory that I bumped into something somewhere, but didn't make a note of it, or I'm deluded. But I am also fond of this particular aspect of the text.
It is interesting that three of the plants are thorny plants. 叢棘 cong ji (thorn bush, a bit vague, perhaps hawthorn or worse! See theink below), 蒺蔾 ji-li (star thistle, Richter's translation, or tribulus), 葛藟 ge lei (kudzu vine, or bramble).
I know this "ji-li" from childhood. Online the word 蒺藜 is used for tribulus terrestris, We used to go barefoot most of the time, and these thorns were our prime enemy. Their called "duwweltjies", dɜvɪlkɪs, in my mother tongue. The name means "little-doubles", since the thorny seeds of this plant have two thorny protrusions, and also come in clusters of four, which often seperate into pairs. But, because a single seed, on removal from one's foot, also has the appearance of a horny head, either a goat's head or a human head of grim aspect, we used to think of the name of the plant, or thorn, referring to "little-devils" instead, and so it became commonly called devil's thorn in South African English.

This webpage describes how early prisons in China were constructed using the branches of a tipe of thorny shrub. Probably the plant meant as 叢棘 cong ji in hexagram 29,6 which must be referring to a prison.

最早的监狱没人看守也无铜墙铁壁，为何犯人不逃？专家：逃下试试_囚犯

这座被称作“羑里”（或记作“牖里”）的监狱本是一座小城，后因商纣王在此囚禁了西伯侯姬昌而留于史册。 事实上，在狱中别说是帮助其他囚犯了，就是与人交谈都是困难的。即便是他们在劳作一天后还有精力出逃，戴着…

m.sohu.com

 

[blewbubbles]

Sounds gruesome, but I am delighted to learn you know the plant! What would happen if you grasped it in your hands, as in the line? Would you be picking the thorns out for ages? (Of course I'm assuming it's the same plant, might not be, I don't suppose anyone can be sure... )

Some of the chapter headings for 'Animals through Chinese history' are mouth-watering. Thank you for the link!

Hillary, that is an interesting question. If it is tribulus terrestis, or cistiodes, which is referred to in 47,3, then I can think of a scenario that would fit the hexagram text.

Tribulus is growing luxuriantly, in a rocky region. The plant is a kind of weed which is anchored centrally, and grows very low, loose and wide, and forming a kind of blanket. This blanket can spread over solid rock. The plant is innocuous to sight and even quite soft to touch, even pretty, and the stems are elastic and strong. Now, if you are trapped in such a rocky place, and you were to lose your balance, you would instinctively grab at the green growth covering the rocks. Even when you know the plant you would still try to grab hold of it, and try to miss the thorns, which grow, as I explained before, in cluster, as the ripening fruit, which is in continuous production. A crafty hand may grab at these tendril-like blankets and use it as a kind of tentative rope to regain the balance on, and even be able to minimise the sting by mixing in enough of the soft foliage in the hand. Falling with the shoulders against the rocky sides covered by the tribulus with the same intention to buffer a fall, will come to the same erroneous conclusion. The sting of the thorn is deep and painful, even though the thorns are short and easy to remove, but with a lingering effect which makes you wish it didn't happen.

It could be a comic episode from Monkey's Journey to the West.


Tribulus cistiodes growing on a rocky cliff. (CABI digital library)

 

[hilary]

29.6's thorn thicket looks exactly how you'd imagine it, doesn't it? Yikes. Pretty yellow flowers, on the other hand, look entirely innocent.

Now, if you are trapped in such a rocky place, and you were to lose your balance, you would instinctively grab at the green growth covering the rocks.

Emphasis added, just because the line changes to 28, which the Zagua says means "overbalancing".

'Confined by stones,
Grasping at star thistles.
Entering into his house, does not see his wife.
Pitfall.'

It would work as a poetic parallel of sorts, wouldn't it? Something looks promising and supportive, but isn't. And Hexagram 47 does have that tragiccomic theme, or at least Bradford Hatcher always thought it did.

I do hope this is the right plant!

 

[beatrice380]

I found a direct link to a file hosted on the Max Planck Society document repository! Quite a lucky find. It is a Cambridge press publicatcion, but the pdf is made available here for a quick browse. Have a look..

link:
Animals through Chinese History
or,
Cambridge core open access link

Amazing, I know what I’ll be reading next. Thank you so much blewbubbles!
And will add onto this thread whatever interesting facts I should come across!

 

[blewbubbles]

It would work as a poetic parallel of sorts, wouldn't it? Something looks promising and supportive, but isn't.

I fully agree with you.

This also goes hand in hand with the fact that tribulus grows underfoot. In the hexagram, second yang is the thorns, fourth yang is the rock. Third yin is caught between the rock above and the thorns below. It is explained in a popular Chinese edition (http://www.penwsen.com/64gua/64gua-47.html), that if you are in difficulty you have to be humble, and when you are in a strong position you have to be stronger, otherwise it will be embarrassing. Second yang can't give support to third yang, and fourth yang has already lent support to first yin. So third yin is caught, as the old saying goes, between a rock and a hard place. Richard Lynn, I think correctly, translates Wang Bi's commentary of this line as:

Above Third Yin might pair with the impasse-ridden rocks, and below it might “try to hold on to the puncture vine for support,”

Puncture vine is the tribulus weed, or jili 蒺蔾, which is the commonly used name in Chinese herbals for this specific plant.


But on this note, before I look like a I think I should start a new thread for plants, and leave beatrice380 's thread for the animals.