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Constancy in the Yi Jing: Reflections from the Analects Constancy in the Yi Jing: Reflections from the Analects Yu-Yi Lai A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters by Research University of New South Wales School of Humanities and Languages Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences February 2017 PLEASE TYPE THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Yu-Yi First name: Lai Other name/s: Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: Masters by Research School: School of Humanities Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Title: Constancy in the Yi Jing: Reflections from the Analects Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) This thesis offers an original account of the idea of constancy (heng )in the Confucian-oriented Yi Jing through a creative rendition of heng in light of ideas in the Analects of Confucius. It argues that Confucian practices exemplify characteristics of heng which are communicated in the Yi Jing, namely, responsiveness, flexibility and timeliness. That is to say, a person who might be said to have the characteristic of heng responds to situations fittingly, taking into account the salient features of the circumstance. To demonstrate this, the thesis starts from the analysis of heng in the Yi Jing, where heng is understood as human responsiveness. In particular, changes in the world where one is situated in one’s position (wei ), occur in time (shi ). Therefore, a person must respond to events in his or her social-political context with flexibility— remaining constant in a changing world. Following the analysis of heng in the Yi Jing, themes in the Analects, such as benevolence (ren ) and trustworthiness (xin ), are selected to demonstrate the characteristics of heng. Both ren and xin are context-and practice-oriented, allowing us to focus more sharply on how a person can maintain his or her ultimate commitments in light of changing situations. This thesis presents a new interpretation of heng as human responsiveness that is valuable for understanding the Confucian-oriented Yi Jing and the Analects, and it also discloses the nature of Confucian ethical commitment and practices. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). …………………………………………………………… ……………………………………..……………… ……….……………………...…….… Signature Witness Signature Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed .............. Date .............. COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed ........................... Date ........................... AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.’ Signed ........................... Date ........................... Abstract This thesis offers an original account of the idea of constancy (heng ) in the Confucian-oriented Yi Jing through a creative rendition of heng in light of ideas in the Analects of Confucius. It argues that Confucian practices exemplify characteristics of heng which are communicated in the Yi Jing, namely, responsiveness, flexibility and timeliness. That is to say, a person who might be said to have the characteristic of heng responds to situations fittingly, taking into account the salient features of the circumstance. To demonstrate this, the thesis starts from the analysis of heng in the Yi Jing, where heng is understood as human responsiveness. In particular, changes in the world where one is situated in one’s position (wei ), occur in time (shi ). Therefore, a person must respond to events in his or her social-political context with flexibility – remaining constant in a changing world. Following the analysis of heng in the Yi Jing, themes in the Analects, such as benevolence (ren ) and trustworthiness (xin ), are selected to demonstrate the characteristics of heng. Both ren and xin are context- and practice -oriented, allowing us to focus more sharply on how a person can maintain his or her ultimate commitments in light of changing situations. This thesis presents a new interpretation of heng as human responsiveness that is valuable for understanding the Confucian-oriented Yi Jing and the Analects, and it also discloses the nature of Confucian ethical commitment and practices. ii Acknowledgements First, it had been a long journey to finish this thesis. I have to thank my supervisor, Karyn Lai. She was always patient and rigorous regarding my writing style, expression, and most importantly, my logical flaws when I was not thinking my points through. Furthermore, she has been that kind of supervisor that helps one builds one’s ability to reflect. She encouraged me to reflect on my own writing in order to be an independent researcher. I hope this thesis is a step forward in my process of becoming a mature scholar. I also have to thank my vice supervisor, Ping Wang. She gave me comments that helped me clarify my thoughts. Second, I have to thank my colleague Thomas McConochie (). He read my thesis and gave me valuable feedback. Especially, he helped me to correct language problems. He is a good friend. I have to give special thanks to Meng-Chun. She read my thesis from a different angle, since she is not from this field. She spent a lot of time digesting my thesis. I know reading a philosophical paper can be painstaking. Thank you for doing this for me. In the end, I owe my appreciation to other colleagues and friends who are not listed above. To my fellow colleagues and scholars in the discussion group, Dr. Wu, Dr. Jing, Yuzhou, Oceana, Chari, and Andrew: I received valuable comments from all of you. I also have to thank Dr. Wai-Wai Chiu for giving me feedback to my thesis proposal. Finally, I would not be here without Wai-Wai. iii Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Chapter 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Aim and Significance ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 2 1.2 Background of the Yi Jing .................................................................................................... 7 1.2.1 The structure of the Yi Jing ......................................................................................................... 8 1.2.2 The authorship of the Yi Jing ..................................................................................................
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