The I Ching is an ancient book from China, said to have been written over three thousand years from Fuxi to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. During this time, many versions appeared, including the Lianshan I Ching and the Dizang I Ching, among others. Later, after Confucius read it, he organized and adapted the I Ching according to Confucian thought into the Qian I Ching, which is the form we see today.
Despite this, the I Ching still reflects its strong vitality. Confucius understood the I Ching at the age of fifty, reaching the point of "three times through the bamboo," which shows how obsessed he was with it.
Today, we can gain some insights into life from the Qian hexagram, guiding us to avoid traps and move towards success. In Confucius's view, the Qian hexagram is a very noble symbol, representing meanings such as the ruler and father. Of course, this is not the issue we want to discuss today; we want to explore the positive energy of the hexagram's lines.
The first line is just a simple sentence: "The hidden dragon does not act." The surface meaning is that a hidden dragon has no opportunity to exert its abilities. So why must the dragon remain hidden? What does the dragon represent here? After all, even the ancients thousands of years ago had never actually seen a dragon; why discuss it at all?
The I Ching is not about mythical creatures; it is about people. Therefore, this dragon should represent a kind of spirit or vitality. Isn't there a saying about the spirit of the dragon and horse? This dragon refers to a person's state of mind. In the context of the Qian hexagram, we know that this dragon is currently hidden underground, its range of activity is limited, as if it is trapped.
At this time, if the dragon begins to move, it will cause the earth to shake and mountains to tremble, leading to the slaughter of the strong, which would be very detrimental to itself. Therefore, the best choice at this moment is to remain quiet and accumulate its own strength.
If a patient has not yet recovered and is still in the process of healing, they cannot be active as they would be in a normal state; otherwise, it may lead to backlash and cause greater harm to their body. So the best approach is to rest quietly, replenish nutrition, and wait for the body to recover.
Our lives are similar; there will always be times of low points or illness. At such times, we must understand the need to stop and rest, rather than overexerting ourselves, or we may worsen our condition, leading to greater losses.
"The hidden dragon does not act" may also represent a spirit of humility. This humility is not due to a lack of strength but rather a confidence in the future. Thus, this state of "the hidden dragon does not act" is not a negative state but rather signifies accumulating strength in accordance with the times.
As for the Qian hexagram, which corresponds to the heavens, why start from underground? This is because the earth's fertility is greatly influenced by the weather of the heavens. In winter, although the trees appear bare and seem to be dead, they are actually accumulating energy in anticipation of spring's arrival. If they were to sprout and grow in the cold of winter, they might freeze to death.
Therefore, understanding the timing of the earth and all things, in the cold winter, they will hide their vitality, merely waiting for the arrival of spring. They may seem to have lost their green attire and shine, but once the time is right and spring warms up, they will burst forth with vibrant life.
"The dragon appears in the fields, it is beneficial to meet the great person." The original text uses "meet," which is a homophone for "appear." The dragon is no longer underground; it has now appeared on the surface, and this world should encounter great people. This is the literal meaning of this sentence.
We can see that the dragon appears in the fields, not on rocks or in water, indicating that when it was in the hidden state, it was in the fields, so its appearance is also first in the fields.
The dragon appears because of the call of the weather; it has an agreement with the heavens and earth that it will appear when a certain critical point is reached. Thus, the critical point of the weather has appeared, and it has come according to the agreement.
At this time, it brings vitality to all things, with grass growing and orioles flying, a scene of revival and prosperity. This is the breath of life manifested through all things. Due to the extreme backwardness of ancient production, from the hunting age to the agricultural age, field civilization became the main form of civilization. The dragon appearing in the fields gives people hope for survival and a beautiful expectation for the future.
At this time, it also conveys a signal to people: it is time to work in the fields, to sow the seeds of hope, and in due time, they can reap a harvest. Therefore, the benefit of meeting great people usually refers to the working people.
The common people laboring in the fields, though hard, all wear happy smiles on their faces, knowing that this piece of land will bring great changes to their lives.
If at this time one is still very lazy and unwilling to work, missing the opportunity of the dragon appearing in the fields, then they will enter a mode of regret, because by then, others will be harvesting while their own fields are barren, leading to hunger, which is certainly not a good thing.
Thus, the line nine three states, "The gentleman is diligent all day, cautious as if there were a fault." Of course, we have not yet finished discussing the matter of the dragon appearing in the fields. The dragon has been hidden underground for a winter, accumulating a powerful force, so its vitality is also very formidable. This is the good news brought by the earth being awakened by the heavenly way. The great person at this time is not a great person in relation to a child, nor is it a person in relation to a petty person, but rather someone who follows the natural way.
However, there are always some people who do not believe in the natural way and always act against it. Virtuous people, no matter how they enter the scene to advise them, cannot change them in the slightest, which makes the virtuous feel uncomfortable, unable to sleep at night, as if they have made a mistake and should be blamed. In reality, the gentleman should not be blamed; the ones who should be blamed are those lazy petty people. However, it is precisely because of the disobedience of the petty people that the virtuous suffer, and they are thus tormented.
At this time, virtuous people cannot ascend to the heavens or descend to the fields, so their situation is very awkward. Although they possess advanced theories, they cannot replace those lazy petty people in labor, leaving them anxious. These virtuous people have not yet gained formal organizational power, so despite their good hearts and indiscriminate kindness to all, they still worry about those who do not heed their correct views, as they see their inevitable failure.
By the time we reach the line nine five, it is simply a sentence: "Or leap in the abyss." The words of these virtuous people have been validated; those who listen achieve success, while those who refuse to listen encounter failure, so they feel very surprised. Those who listen are sincerely grateful and treat it devoutly, while those who do not listen also feel admiration, believing that the other's perspective is indeed different.
At this time, virtuous people face two choices: either to advance further and become their leaders, or to hide in the abyss. This entirely depends on their personal choice. Some choose to retreat and hide in the mountains and forests; although they possess great talents, they do not wish to step into the world or engage in cause and effect. The I Ching does not evaluate this matter, neither condemning nor praising it, merely recording it simply.
They do not belong to Confucianism, but Confucianism will not blame them. However, from the character for abyss, it can be seen that there is still some resentment. Because this abyss is a place where ordinary people cannot find, they have hidden away there.