Zhou Wen Wang's Development of Yijing (Book of Changes) 64 Hexagrams

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Zhou Wen Wangs Development of Yijing (Book of Changes) 64 Hexagrams

AN INDUCTIVE RECREATION OF BINARY EXTRAPOLATIVE OPERATIONS END OF SHANG DYNASTY, FOUNDING OF ZHOU DYNASTY 12TH/11TH CENTURIES BCE CHINA
By Kevin Mequet 2013
The Master said, Reviewing the old as a means of realizing the new such a person can be considered a teacher.
Confucius, Analects (2, 11)
Introduction Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646 1716) spent a significant amount of his time and creative intellect upon the subject of China.1 While not the first western sinologistthat singular distinction went to Li Madou/Matteo Ricci (1552 1610) a century before2he was certainly an ardent sinophile. Whether in conversations and studies in Western Europe or extensive correspondences with Roman Catholic missionaries in China, he investigated a broad range of subjects from natural philosophy, theology, philosophy, politics or as is the focus of this essay upon mathematics. As the popularizer of a base-2 binary number and arithmetic applications system in Europe, he was intrigued and transfixed by his vicarious encounter with the very real possibility of ancient Chinas invention and use of this very same systemliterally several thousand years before its (re)invention in Western Europe. Unfortunately Leibniz had two liabilities operating against him. First, unbeknownst to him, the materials made available to him in Western Europe and the correspondences with which he prolifically participated were teleological and imprudent by todays standards of scholarship and academic practice. Second, also unbeknownst to him, the first emperor of unified China in 221 BCE, Qin Shihuangdi (259 210 BCE), destroyed practically all mathematical and literary materials in a systematic consolidation of power disrupting a long-
Michela Fontana, Matteo Ricci: A Jesuit in the Ming Court, Rowmann & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., (2011), p. 290 2 Ibid, p. 264
Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world: indeed its the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead 1
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lived continuity of rich intellectual provenance.3 The importance of this cannot be overstated as we will see. A workable base-2 binary system was extant in Western Europe with which Leibniz was fascinated and conversant such that Roman Catholic Church Reverend Father Joachim Bouvet (1656 1730), a Jesuit missionary to the Imperial Capitol in Beijing for most of his life, corresponded with him about coincident resonances with the 64 Hexagram matrix he erroneously associated with Fu Xi First of The Three Sovereigns of Ancient China 30th century BCE.4 The first iteration of the Yijing (Book of Changes) by Wen Wang of Zhou occurred in late 12th century BCE. The hexagrams they were looking at were Wen Wangs and not Fu Xis. Due to the loss of continuity precipitated by Qin Shihuangdi an inferior turn-of-the-eras reconstruction of Wen Wangs Yijing was reformed by Shao Yung (1011 1077 CE) during the great intellectual renaissance of the Song Dynasty.5 The Jin northern insurrection and Mongol invasion brought the Song dynasty to an end in the Late 13th century CE. Mongol Khan successors were assimilated and alloyed into Chinese culture founding the Yuan Dynasty that lasted into the Late 14th century CE. The collapse of the Yuan gave birth to a golden period of civil society valorizing Confucius and ushering in Neo Confucianism under the Ming Dynasty that lasted until 1644 CE, two years shy of Leibniz birth. The venerated Li Madou/Matteo Ricci, a Roman Catholic Church Jesuit missionary, opened the doors to a broader relationship between China and Western Europe at the decline of the Ming Dynasty. It is during the advent of the turbulent and truncated Manchurian insurrection that gave rise to the last dynastic Empire of the Great Qing. By the
Ibid, pp. 255 6 Daniel J. Cook and Henry Rosemont, Jr., Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: Writings on China, Open Court Publishing Co., Chicago (1994), p. 63 [from Leibniz autograph, On the Civil Cult of Confucius, (1700/1701)] 5 James A. Ryan, Leibniz Binary System and Shao Yongs Yijing, University of Hawaii Philosophy East & West Volume 46 (1996), pp 67 73
4
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late 18th century Imperial China had closed its doors to Western European meddling in its internal affairs of state.6 This was the context that influenced Leibniz sinology. Fu Xi never formulated nor knew of the 64 Hexagrams in 30th century BCE China. He formulated the 8 Trigrams of Harmony Between Heaven and Earth. Leibniz worked out a sufficient documentation of the binary system in his seminal short autograph Explication de lArithmtique Binaire (1703Published Memoires de lAcademie Royale des Sciences) or Explanation of Binary Arithmetic, and later recapitulated it in Remarks on Chinese Rites and Religion (1708)by which he attempted unsuccessfully to translate Fu Xis trigrams into binary numerals. Leibniz project was to legitimize the superiority of mathematics as the only authoritative system of reconciliation between the Roman Catholic Church of Europe and the Natural Philosophy and Theology of China thereby not only positioning himself as a leading authority in the burgeoning East/West relationship but also forging a durable accommodation between Reformation Protestantism and the same Roman Catholic Church. It was perhaps too grand and self-congratulatory. He quite possibly was unaware of this being Li Madou/Matteo Riccis very same project in China by then in decline and outright repudiation by Pope Clement XI and eventually long after Leibniz death strident nonaccommodation was permanently institutionalized as Church policy by Clement XIV.7 Leibniz thesis was that Fu Xis trigrams were binary in another format in the following way. He took the trigrams three horizontal lines, solid signifying unity or (1) and broken or gapped signifying aught or (0) giving 2 options for each line position to be 23 = 8 total unique configurations: 010 (0002), 110 (0012), 210 (0102), 310 (0112), 410 (1002), 510 (1012), 610 (1102), and 710 (1112). He committed two foundational errors that had Leibniz traveled to China would have been revealed to him. First, there has never been, nor is there, in traditional Chinese
Michela Fontana, Matteo Ricci: A Jesuit in the Ming Court, Rowmann & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., (2011), p. 294 7 Ibid, p. 294
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pictography a numeric representation for zero (0), which leads to the second error. The Fu Xi 8 Trigram Sequence was numeral characters 1 8, and not 0 7. Consequently, Chinese binary numerology could never be directly reconciled, but only tangentially analogized, because it followed binary rules using 1, 2, and the doubling principle or 2x. The numeral character for 1 at the beginning of the sequence as (12) stood symbolically for Harmony and Heaven, and 10002 ended the series as 8 for Disharmony and Earth. Thus the series should be represented as 11 = 110 = 12, 21 = 210 = 102, 310 = 112, 22 = 410 = 1002, 510 = 1012, 610 = 1102, 710 = 1112, and 23 = 810 = 10002. As we now can see, Leibniz could never make the Fu Xi Trigrams sequential character line position options obey a doctrinaire adherence to solid unity for 1 and broken/gapped aught for 0 in the Western representational binary numeral sequence. The Fu Xi Trigram Sequence follows binary extrapolative rules, is pictographic, but are not binary numerals in the Western sense, nor are they sequenced as such. We will return to this line of inquiry below. QED Why would anyone want to translate Arabic/Hindus numeralslet alone Chinese pictographic trigrams and hexagramsinto binary in the first place? Because the binary arithmetic system becomes advantageous in the simplification of handling large number manipulation and also provides for the elimination of multiplication and division. 0 X 0 = 0, 0 X 1 = 0, 1 X 1 = 1; 0 / 1 = 0, 1 / 1 = 1; therefore, these two operations are rendered void. Addition and subtraction are the only operations required as long as a durable and reliable system for conversion from base-10 to base-2 and back is used and one makes no computational errors. Multiplication and division are accomplished by specialized rules of addition and subtraction, respectively. This will become important below. Fu Xi was erroneously associated with the Yijing (Book of Changes)s 64 Hexagrams by the Roman Catholic Church Jesuit missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries CE. At the time, it was impossible for Leibniz to know that Wen Wang of the 12th century BCE invented the 64 hexagrams.
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Leibniz takes up the Fu Xi [Wen Wang] Hexagram Matrix in the fourth section of Discourse on the Natural Theology of the Chinese (1715/1716) Concerning the Characters of Fohi, Founder of the Chinese Empire, Used in His Writings, and Binary Arithmetic. There is some progress made between 1708 and 1716 from his earlier work. Now he attempts to conform the Fu Xi Trigrams into a systematic method for combining them by stacking two at time into the Wen Wang Hexagrams. As we will see he came so very tantalizingly close to solving it. But it seems as though he had given up any attempt at reconciliation. Unfortunately, while it might be reasonable to extrapolate the remainder of this autograph from Explanation of Binary Arithmetic (1703), this cant be done because it cannot be postulated how Leibniz would have reworked it for the missing remainder ending with than the natural numbers themselves which are their roots The documentation of this autograph is disrupted, jarringly so, and ends here. Would Leibniz have figured out the Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix? Would he have made a leap of logic to postulate an ancient Chinese binary number system? Posterity records no resolution to this conundrum because sadly Leibniz did not finish this last work before his death. 1 It is extremely difficult to precisely establish provenances in Before Common Era China, principally though not exclusively due to the actions taken by Qin Shihuangdi. At some point in the late 12th century BCE Zhou Wen Wang (1152 1056 BCE), born Ji Chang, King Wen Wang of Zhou, honored by his son Wu as the founder of the Zhou Dynasty after the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty, extrapolated the 64 Hexagrams while he was imprisoned as a rival political dissident by King Zhou of Shang during which he composed the first iteration of the Yijing (Book of Changes). It is impossible to know with certainty his was the first iteration. We can only know his was the earliest written iteration that has survived. Hence forth we will refer to them as the Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix or 64
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Hexagrams. For this essay we will use the traditionally accepted Yijing (Book of Changes) 64 Hexagrams format which we will see is the very matrix created by Wen Wang thirty-onehundred years or so ago.
Fig. 1
Credit: Wen Wang 64 Hexagrams Yijing, Late 12th Century BCE
At bottom right we find the Yijing interpretive hexagram for Heaven or the numeral 1 in the beginning position which is interestingly known as the seed position. There is a very surprising reason why it became known as the Heaven hexagram as we will soon see. In the top left we find the Yijing interpretive hexagram for Earth or the numeral 64 in the completion position which is also interestingly known as the exhaustion position. Let us at this point dispense with the extant methods of divination, its manifold iterations of evolved prophetic, divine and/or theological interpretations, and proceed only with mathematical designations. Once we have performed this recreation we will then return to some
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observations on divination. From this point forward each of the 64 pictograms will be identified with a single base-10 and base-2 numeral. While not the original purpose of the matrix, it is my contention that it also serves an unexpected ancillary purpose. One that might very well explain why it was invented in the first place. The key to deciphering this arrangement requires two postulates. Postulate One: the pictograms are idiomatic and not numerals as westerners would attempt to read them. Postulate Two: this arrangement is not a binary number system, but a rudimentary doubling number system rigorously following binary rules which provides for the ancillary benefit of functioning as a rudimentary digital binary calculator for the performance of the simple operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, analogous to the binary arithmetic system without employing binary numerals. Each character consists of 6 horizontal lines. Let us now dispense with Leibniz interpretive symbolic terminology and return to traditional Chinese Yijing interpretive symbolic terminology. The lines can be either solid symbolizing harmony 1 or broken/gapped symbolizing disharmony 2. Since there are two options for each position of a hexagrams 6 lines, this gives us 26 number of combinations totaling 64 individually unique pictograms. So hence forth we will refer to each hexagram in a specific sequential position 1 64, right to left (left-reading), bottom to top, and its line positions as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th, from bottom to top. All the other characters are extrapolated from the beginning seed character. The formatting rules of the matrix are derived from the first hexagrams formatting rules. It makes no difference at all the manner in which you chose the formatting convention of the final matrix. There are 8 possibilities; left-reading, up; up-reading, right; right-reading, down; down-reading, left; left-reading, down; up-reading, left; right-reading, up; and downreading, right. Once chosen, one cannot deviate from the chosen convention. One must apply the rules to the chosen convention until the matrix is completely extrapolated. One can easily understand why the beginning hexagram is associated with Heaven. It is
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embryonic. It gives full bloom to the final matrix of characters. The following binary extrapolative rules open the seed hexagrams iterative developmental potential until the exhaustion hexagram is reached completing the matrix. The first binary extrapolative rule of the hexagrams is that there are 7 exponent numeral character hexagrams in 7 specific locations that graphically denote periodic doubling, and establish the matrixs geometry. Therefore: 11 =110, 21 = 210, 22 = 410, 23 = 810, 24 = 1610, 25 = 3210, and 26 = 6410. In binary the following series is true: 12 = 110, 102 = 210, 1002 = 410, 10002 = 810, 100002 = 1610, 1000002 = 3210, and 10000002 = 6410. Now that we have a beginning theoretical series we can examine the matrix for synchronicity.
810/23/10002 410/22/1002 210/21/102 110/11/12
Fig. 2 Credit: Wen Wang 64 Hexagrams Yijing, Late 12th Century BCE Row 1 (bottom) Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix
The 1st character at the lower right of the first row bottom is 6 solid 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th lines depicting the numerals 110 or 12. The 2nd character to the left is 5 solid 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th lines under 1 broken/gapped disharmony 6th line depicting the numerals 210 or 102. The 4th character to the left is 4 solid harmony 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th lines under 2 broken/gapped disharmony 5th & 6th lines depicting the numerals 410 or 1002. The 8th character to the left end completing the row 1 bottom is 3 solid harmony 1st, 2nd & 3rd lines under 3 broken/gapped disharmony 4th, 5th & 6th lines depicting 810 or 10002 [Fig. 2].
1610/24/100002
Fig. 3 Credit: Wen Wang 64 Hexagrams Yijing, Late 12th Century BCE Rows 1 & 2 (from bottom) Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix
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3210/25/1000002
Fig. 4 Wen Wang 64 Hexagrams Yijing, Late 12th Century BCE Rows 1 4 (from bottom) Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix
Now we must move to the second row from the bottom and to the eighth character to the left end or the 16th character in the numeral series which is 2 solid harmony 1st & 2nd lines over 4 broken/gapped disharmony 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th lines depicting 1610 or 100002 [Fig. 3]. Next we go 2 more rows up to the 4th row from the bottom over to the eighth character to the left end or the 32nd character in the numeral series which is 1 solid harmony 1st line under 5 broken/gapped disharmony 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th lines depicting 3210 or 1000002 [Fig. 4]. Lastly, we now go up another 4 rows to the 8th row to the 8th character to the left end or the 64th character in the numeral series which is no solid harmony lines at all and only 6 broken/gapped disharmony 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th lines depicting 6410 or 10000002 [Fig. 5]. QED
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6410/26/10000002
Fig. 5 Credit: Wen Wang 64 Hexagrams Yijing, Late 12th Century BCE Rows 1 8 (from bottom) Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix
The doubling periodicity becomes obvious in the graphic design of the Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix. Row 1 at the right beginning position depicts 11, double it to the left for 21, double it to the left for 22, and double it to the left end of row 1 for 23. Double row 1 to the left end of row 2 for 24. Double these 2 rows to the left end of row 4 for 25. And finally double these 4 rows to the left end of row 8 for 26 [Fig. 6]. QED
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64 1000000
63 111111
62 111110
61 111101
60 111100
59 111011
58 111010
57 111001
56 111000
55 110111
54 110110
53 110101
52 110100
51 110011
50 110010
49 110001
48 110000
47 101111
46 101110
45 101101
44 101100
43 101011
42 101010
41 101001
40 101000
39 100111
38 100110
37 100101
36 100100
35 100011
34 100010
33 100001
32 100000
31 11111
30 11110
29 11101
28 11100
27 11011
26 11010
25 11001
24 11000
23 10111
22 10110
21 10101
20 10100
19 10011
18 10010
17 10001
16 10000
15 1111
14 1110
13 1101
12 1100
11 1011
10 1010
9 1001
8 1000
7 111
6 110
5 101
4 100
3 11
2 10
1 1
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 6 Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix by binary number theory First binary extrapolative ruleExponent Numerals
The second binary extrapolative rule of the hexagrams is that there are exactly 32 of the same feature common to the first 1 32 numerals that must be the exact opposite for the remaining 32 numerals 33 64, and that this feature must follow the binary principle that all odd numerals in base-10 will end with 1 in base-2 and all even numerals will end with 0 in base-2. The only feature common to all the numeral hexagrams 1 32 is that every characters 1st line is solid harmony denoting 1 in binary base-2 and therefore 1 in Chinese numerology. We will now denote the first rows 1 4, numerals 1 32 as register 1. The only exact opposite feature common to all numerals 33 64 is that every character 1st line is broken/gapped disharmony denoting 10 in binary base-2 and therefore 2 in Chinese
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numerology. We will now denote the second rows 5 8, numerals 33 64 as register 2 [Fig. 7]. QED
64 1000000
63 111111
62 111110
61 111101
60 111100
59 111011
58 111010
57 111001
56 111000
55 110111
54 110110
53 110101
52 110100
51 110011
50 110010
49 110001
48 110000
47 101111
46 101110
45 101101
44 101100
43 101011
42 101010
41 101001
40 101000
39 100111
38 100110
37 100101
36 100100
35 100011
34 100010
33 100001
32 100000
31 11111
30 11110
29 11101
28 11100
27 11011
26 11010
25 11001
24 11000
23 10111
22 10110
21 10101
20 10100
19 10011
18 10010
17 10001
16 10000
15 1111
14 1110
13 1101
12 1100
11 1011
10 1010
9 1001
8 1000
7 111
6 110
5 101
4 100
3 11
2 10
1 1
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 7 Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix by binary number theory Second binary extrapolative ruleRegister Residency
The third binary extrapolative rule of the hexagrams is that there are exactly 32 odd and 32 even hexagram numerals, that the feature common to all odd numerals will follow the binary principle above, and that the exact opposite feature common to all even numerals will do the same. All 64 hexagrams 6th line follows this rule. There are 32 alternating 6th line solid harmony 1 hexagrams in columns 1, 3, 5 & 7. Therefore columns 1, 3, 5 & 7 are odd hexagram numerals. There are 32 alternating 6th line broken/gapped disharmony 2
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hexagrams in columns 2, 4, 6 & 8. Therefore columns 2, 4, 6 & 8 are even hexagram numerals [Fig. 8]. QED
64 1000000
63 111111
62 111110
61 111101
60 111100
59 111011
58 111010
57 111001
56 111000
55 110111
54 110110
53 110101
52 110100
51 110011
50 110010
49 110001
48 110000
47 101111
46 101110
45 101101
44 101100
43 101011
42 101010
41 101001
40 101000
39 100111
38 100110
37 100101
36 100100
35 100011
34 100010
33 100001
32 100000
31 11111
30 11110
29 11101
28 11100
27 11011
26 11010
25 11001
24 11000
23 10111
22 10110
21 10101
20 10100
19 10011
18 10010
17 10001
16 10000
15 1111
14 1110
13 1101
12 1100
11 1011
10 1010
9 1001
8 1000
7 111
6 110
5 101
4 100
3 11
2 10
1 1
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 8 Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix by binary number theory Third binary extrapolative ruleOdd/Even Numeral Columns
Now that we understand the overall distribution of the hexagrams we can correctly interpret the non-exponent numerals. The 1st lines of all the hexagrams denote register residency 1 or 2. The 6th lines of all the hexagrams denote odd or even numerals. The first cardinal group of characters is the exponent hexagrams whose unique designs begin with the first numeral 1 odd character, the remaining 5 are all even characters and self-organized by the doubling principle into a total of 6 residing in register 1 with 1st lines solid harmony 1, and 6th lines solid harmony for the first numeral 1 character and broken/gapped
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disharmony 2 for the remainder, and a single numeral character residing in register 2 with 1st & 6th lines broken/gapped disharmony 2. The second ordinal group of hexagrams is actually comprised of 16 distinct quadragrams sandwiched between 1st line register residency and 6th line odd or even numeral designation. The fourth binary extrapolative rule of the hexagrams is that all the numerals have quadragrams sandwiched between 1st & 6th line positions, thusly: 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th lines gives us 4 line positions to make 24 = 16. That means 16 different quadragrams are possible. There are 32 hexagrams in a register. There are 16 odd/even pairs, so 1 quadragram can be used for each odd/even pair. Then we will repeat exactly for register 2 because register 1 is 1st solid harmony line, and register 2 is 1st broken/gapped disharmony line. Reusing our previous binary extrapolative rules let us now extrapolate the 16 quadragrams, only now in a 4 by 4 matrix because the exhaustion character is the 16th. Similarly to the hexagrams the beginning seed quadragram has 4 solid harmony lines. The end exhaustion character is 4 broken/gapped disharmony lines. The first character in the series denotes 11 = 1 and the last denotes 24 = 16. Naturally, in a 4 X 4 matrix this must mean the first binary extrapolative rule of exponent characters makes the second character 3 solid harmony lines under 1 broken/gapped disharmony line or 21 = 2. The fourth character therefore is 2 solid harmony lines under 2 broken/gapped disharmony lines or 22 = 4. Next the eighth character will be 1 solid harmony line under 3 broken/gapped disharmony lines. As we have already seen the exhaustion end character must therefore be 4 broken/gapped disharmony lines or 24 = 16 [Fig. 9].
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16 10000
15 1111
14 1110
13 1101
12 1100
11 1011
10 1010
9 1001
8 1000
7 111
6 110
5 101
4 100
3 11
2 10
1 1
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 9 Wen Wang Quadragram Matrix by binary number theory First binary extrapolative ruleExponent Numerals
The second binary extrapolative rule dictates that characters 1 8 are register 1 characters with bottom line position solid harmony lines. Therefore characters 9 16 are register 2 characters with bottom line position broken/gapped disharmony lines [Fig. 10].
16 10000
15 1111
14 1110
13 1101
12 1100
11 1011
10 1010
9 1001
8 1000
7 111
6 110
5 101
22
4 100
3 11
21
2 10
11
1 1
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 10 Wen Wang Quadragram Matrix by binary number theory Second binary extrapolative ruleRegister Residency
The third binary extrapolative rule dictates that the first and third columns of characters must have top line position solid harmony lines denoting odd numeral characters. Therefore the second and fourth columns of characters must have top line position broken/gapped disharmony lines denoting even numeral characters [Fig. 11].
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16 10000
15 1111
14 1110
13 1101
12 1100
11 1011
10 1010
9 1001
8 1000
7 111
6 110
5 101
4 100
3 11
2 10
1 1
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 11 Wen Wang Quadragram Matrix by binary number theory Third binary extrapolative ruleOdd/Even Numeral Columns
Using a variation on the fourth binary extrapolative rule we can complete the quadragram matrix. The middle two line positions must follow the exponent characters lead and have one configuration that applies to each odd/even pair of numeral characters, thusly: numerals 1 & 2 have both middle line positions solid harmony lines, numerals 3 & 4 have 2nd line position solid harmony lines under 3rd line position broken/gapped disharmony lines, numerals 5 & 6 have 2nd line position broken/gapped disharmony lines under 3rd line position solid harmony lines, and numerals 7 & 8 must therefore end the series at exhaustion both middle lines broken/gapped disharmony line, completing the register 1 numerals 1 8. Repeat exactly for register 2 numerals 9 16 [Fig. 12].
16 10000
15 1111
14 1110
13 1101
12 1100
11 1011
10 1010
9 1001
8 1000
7 111
6 110
5 101
22
4 100
3 11
21
2 10
11
1 1
Credit: Kevin Mequet
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Fig. 12 Wen Wang Quadragram Matrix by binary number theory Fourth binary extrapolative rule16 Quadragrams Sandwiched & Completion
Now we can confidently complete the Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix. Insert sequentially each quadragram between each hexagram bottom and top lines, 1 quadragram for every odd/even numeral pair to complete the register 1 numerals 1 32; then repeat exactly for the register 2 numerals 33 64 [Fig. 13]. We have now correctly derived the Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix using binary number theory.
64 1000000
63 111111
62 111110
61 111101
60 111100
59 111011
58 111010
57 111001
56 111000
55 110111
54 110110
53 110101
52 110100
51 110011
50 110010
49 110001
48 110000
47 101111
46 101110
45 101101
44 101100
43 101011
42 101010
41 101001
40 101000
39 100111
38 100110
37 100101
36 100100
35 100011
34 100010
33 100001
32 100000
31 11111
30 11110
29 11101
28 11100
27 11011
26 11010
25 11001
24 11000
23 10111
22 10110
21 10101
20 10100
19 10011
18 10010
17 10001
16 10000
15 1111
14 1110
13 1101
12 1100
11 1011
10 1010
9 1001
8 1000
7 111
6 110
5 101
4 100
3 11
2 10
1 1
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 13 Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix by binary number theory Fourth binary extrapolative rule16 Quadragrams Sandwiched & Completion
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2 As compelling and beautiful as this recreation of the Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix by extrapolation from binary number theory is, regretfully, it is not how he devised his matrix from Fu Xis trigrams. Now using our new eyes developed from extrapolating the matrix from binary number theory lets recreate what Wen Wang did some thirty-one-hundred or so years ago. At the beginning of this essay I said we would return to the Fu Xi Trigram Sequence. Let us use the same formatting rules and conventions as we did for the Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix. Therefore, each trigram consists of 3 line positions with 2 line options for each giving 23 = 8 total distinct characters in this sequence. Using our binary extrapolative rules we have 4 exponent characters 11 = 1, 21 = 2, 22 = 4 and 23 = 8. So the beginning first trigram seed character is 3 solid harmony lines, the second trigram character is 2 solid harmony lines under 1 broken/gapped disharmony line, the fourth character is 1 solid harmony line under 2 broken/gapped disharmony lines, and the ending final exhaustion character is 3 broken/gapped disharmony lines. The register 1 characters consist of numerals 1 4 with bottom solid harmony lines, and the register 2 characters consist of the numerals 5 8 with broken/gapped disharmony lines. The odd numeral characters have top solid harmony lines, and the even numeral characters have broken/gapped disharmony lines. Therefore, the middle line position binary extrapolative rule must give the third character to be bottom solid harmony line, middle broken/gapped disharmony line, and top solid harmony line; the fifth character must be bottom broken/gapped disharmony line, middle solid harmony line, and top solid harmony line; the sixth character must be bottom broken/gapped disharmony line, middle solid harmony line, and top broken/gapped disharmony line; and the seventh character must be bottom broken/gapped disharmony line, middle broken/gapped disharmony line, and top solid harmony line [Fig. 14]. QED
2
3
22 x8 x7 x6 x5 x4 x3
21 x2
11 x1
Credit: Kevin Mequet
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Fig. 14 Fu Xi Trigram Sequence by binary number theory First Fourth binary extrapolative rulesComplete Sequence
Wen Wang had this much venerated and valorized sequence to mediate Between Heaven and Earth in his mind as he worked. Having extrapolated his matrix from binary number theory we can see how easily he extrapolated from the Fu Xi Trigram Sequence to make a more compelling matrix matching the complexities of Heaven and Earth that would be the most rational arrangement of character divination. All he didliterallywas multiply the 8 characters by the 8 characters to make a graphic depiction of that multiplication in an 8 X 8 = 64 character matrix. This is where Leibniz was truly and tragically blind. Had he eschewed a default hierarchical Western colonial overlay upon the East he could have seen that the characters could never give themselves to a Western representationalist binary numeral systembut were instead, hidden plainly in sight, the pictographic depiction of 8 X 8 = 64. If you take every character and divide it into a lower and upper trigram then the operation becomes glaringly obvious. The lower trigram for all 8 characters in the bottom first row is the first Fu Xi Trigram Sequence character. Then the second character for all 8 characters in the second row, and so on through the top eighth row [Fig. 15].
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23 8x
23
64 8x
23
63 8x
23
62 8x
23
61 8x
23
60 8x
23
59 8x
23
58 8x
23
57 8x
7x
56 7x
55 7x
54 7x
53 7x
52 7x
51 7x
50 7x
49 7x
6x
48 6x
47 6x
46 6x
45 6x
44 6x
43 6x
42 6x
41 6x
5x
40 5x
39 5x
38 5x
37 5x
36 5x
35 5x
34 5x
33 5x
22 4x
22
32 4x
22
31 4x
22
30 4x
22
29 4x
22
28 4x
22
27 4x
22
26 4x
22
25 4x
3x
24 3x
23 3x
22 3x
21 3x
20 3x
19 3x
18 3x
17 3x
21 2x
21
16 2x
21
15 2x
21
14 2x
21
13 2x
21
12 2x
21
11 2x
21
10 2x
21
9 2x
11 1x
11
8 1x
11
7 1x
11
6 1x
11
5 1x
11
4 1x
11
3 1x
11
2 1x
11
1 1x
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 15 Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix by Fu Xi Trigram Sequence Lower Half of HexagramsTrigram the same for each character in a row
Every single characters upper trigram in all 8 rows is the same Fu Xi Trigram Sequence character distributed sequentially left-reading [Fig. 16]. Or congruently put another way, each column of characters has the same upper trigram.
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23 x8 x7 x6 x5
22 x4 x3
21 x2
11 x1
23
64 x8
63 x7
62 x6
61 x5
22
60 x4
59 x3
21
58 x2
11
57 x1
23
56 x8
55 x7
54 x6
53 x5
22
52 x4
51 x3
21
50 x2
11
49 x1
23
48 x8
47 x7
46 x6
45 x5
22
44 x4
43 x3
21
42 x2
11
41 x1
23
40 x8
39 x7
38 x6
37 x5
22
36 x4
35 x3
21
34 x2
11
33 x1
23
32 x8
31 x7
30 x6
29 x5
22
28 x4
27 x3
21
26 x2
11
25 x1
23
24 x8
23 x7
22 x6
21 x5
22
20 x4
19 x3
21
18 x2
17 x1
23
16 x8
15 x7
14 x6
13 x5
22
12 x4
11 x3
21
10 x2
11
9 x1
23
8 x8
7 x7
6 x6
5 x5
22
4 x4
3 x3
21
2 x2
11
1 x1
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 16 Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix by Fu Xi Trigram Sequence Upper Half of HexagramsTrigram the same for each character in a column
A pictographic depiction of 8 X 8 = 64 [Fig. 17]. QED
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23 x8 x7 x6 x5
22 x4 x3
21 x2
11 x1
23 8x
26
64 8x8
63 8x7
62 8x6
61 8x5
60 8x4
59 8x3
58 8x2
57 8x1
7x
56 7x8
55 7x7
54 7x6
53 7x5
52 7x4
51 7x3
50 7x2
49 7x1
6x
48 6x8
47 6x7
46 6x6
45 6x5
44 6x4
43 6x3
42 6x2
41 6x1
5x
40 5x8
39 5x7
38 5x6
37 5x5
36 5x4
35 5x3
34 5x2
33 5x1
22 4x
25
32 4x8
31 4x7
30 4x6
29 4x5
28 4x4
27 4x3
26 4x2
25 4x1
3x
24 3x8
23 3x7
22 3x6
21 3x5
20 3x4
19 3x3
18 3x2
17 3x1
21 2x
24
16 2x8
15 2x7
14 2x6
13 2x5
12 2x4
11 2x3
10 2x2
9 2x1
11 1x
23
8 1x8
7 1x7
6 1x6
5 1x5
23
4 1x4
3 1x3
21
2 1x2
11
1 1x1
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 17 Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix by Fu Xi Trigram Sequence Lower Half & Upper Half of HexagramsLower Trigram by Upper Trigram gives 64 unique hexagrams by pictographic depiction
Now anyone can easily extrapolate the Wen Wang 64 Hexagrams Yijing (Book of Changes) matrix as was done some thirty-one-hundred or so years ago. 3 Did you by any chance notice the characters in the Wen Wang Hexagram Matrix that are red on the bias from character position 1 through 64? At numerals 1, 10, 19, 28, 37, 46, 55, and 64 [Fig. 1]? As Western sequential numerals they make no sense. But as a
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pictographic depiction of numeral operations they do. Look closely at each character. Notice anything distinctive? If youre paying attention to this essay it should now stand out for you. Each character is a graphic depiction of Fu Xi Trigram Sequence numeral character squares or x2. Each one has a lower and upper trigram that is the same. This is graphic depiction of Fu Xi Trigram Sequence numerals 1 X 1 = 1 giving a single hexagram character, the seed hexagram symbolizing Heaven. Fu Xi Trigram Sequence numerals 2 X 2 = 4 giving a 2 X 2 hexagram matrix comprising 4 characters. Fu Xi Trigram Sequence numerals 3 X 3 = 9 giving a 3 X 3 hexagram matrix comprising 9 characters. Fu Xi Trigram Sequence numerals 4 X 4 = 16 giving a 4 X 4 hexagram matrix comprising 16 characters. Fu Xi Trigram Sequence numerals 5 X 5 = 25 giving a 5 X 5 hexagram matrix comprising 25 characters. Fu Xi Trigram Sequence numerals 6 X 6 = 36 giving a 6 X 6 hexagram matrix comprising 36 characters. Fu Xi Trigram Sequence numerals 7 X 7 = 49 giving a 7 X 7 hexagram matrix comprising 49 characters. And finally, Fu Xi Trigram Sequence numerals 8 X 8 = 64 giving an 8 X 8 hexagram matrix comprising 64 characters and the last exhaustion character symbolizing Earth [Fig. 17]. The appropriate convention is to refer to these combinations relationally as lower trigram by upper trigram, not arithmetically as lower trigram times upper trigram. In the figure diagrams the convention used is lower trigram 1 8 by upper trigram 1 8. So the hexagram 3 X 7 = 21 denotes the sequential 23rd hexagram with lower 3rd trigram by the upper 7th trigram delineating a matrix of 21 characters bounded 3 up by 7 across to the left. 4 To my western eyes this matrix at first looked like a digital binary calculator because I saw the characters sequentially, not as Wen Wang or his contemporaries would have seen them. I now understand this was a serendipitous happenstance of its simultaneity with binary number theory. While not intended as its primary function, because it follows binary number theory laws, it can be used as a sequential digital binary calculator in the following way.
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If we exchange sequential Arabic/Hindus numerals for the hexagram characters we get 1 64 in an 8 X 8 numeral matrix. Now lets flip and rotate this matrix for western convention upper left corner start position, right reading top to bottom. You manipulate this manual calculator digitally using your index finger following binary arithmetic operations [Fig. 18].
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 18 Wen Wang Yijing Digital Binary Calculator (Patent Pending) Interpretive info: right-reading; red, exponent numerals; blue, odd numerals; black, even numerals; yellow, register 1 numerals; and green, register 2 numerals.
Place your finger or a stylus on the character that you wish to begin the calculation, and then count sequentially to get the result. If adding, count forward to the right from the first addend numeral the number of the second addend to achieve the sum. If subtracting, count backward to the left from the first subtractend numeral the number of the second subtractend to achieve the resultant subtend. If the second subtractend is larger when you reach numeral 1 tap your figure or stylus again, count once againbecause there is no (0) in this calculatorand continue counting backward to the left, the resultant subtend is a
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negative number or a deficit. If multiplying, count the multiple forward to the right, such as 4 X 5, start at numeral 1 and count 5 sets of 4 characters till you reach numeral 20. The answer is 20. You could also correctly count 4 (5s) forward to the left. If dividing, do the reverse of multiplying, such as 20 / 5, start at the numeral 20 count the divisor 5 backwards to the left, thats 1 (5), another 5, thats 2 (5s), count another 5, thats 3 (5s), another 5 which brings us to numeral 1, thats 4 (5s), the answer is 4 with no remainder. If theres a remainder note it with the resultant dividend. What happens if your calculation exceeds 64? Start adding or subtracting (64s). Lets suppose an answer of 103 wants to be obtained. How do you deal with it? You count to 64 and then start from the beginning numeral 1 again and keep going, such as 64 and 39. The answer is 64 and 39. So running debt or surplus totals would be formatted in multiples of 64 and a remainder under 64, if any. Extraordinarily large numberswith carecan be manipulated. Conveniently, the numerals and design tells you what to do; its self-embodied and complete. By using very simple rules it does the work of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division very similar to the binary numeral system. But this isnt what Wen Wang invented his matrix to do in his time. He invent this singular matrix to produce what he said would become the most rational system of divination. 5 Lets now turn to an important consideration. Why do human beings regardless of disparate evolutionary cultural development strive to embody existence into systematic mathematical objects? The posing of this question seems to be at the heart of this essay and might provide a methodology for finding common ground cross-culturally for promoting profound dialog and mutually illuminating inquiry.
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Leibniz and Western Europe held the view that mathematics is at the heart of all creation and human endeavor. It is the perfect unchanging language of G-d in Western Europe and of the Son of Heaven in China. Through ancient antecedents, both in the European and East Asian continents, Li Madou reintroduced China to this view reinvigorated and exhorted by Christopher Clavius, Matteo Riccis mathematics teacher at university. As was noted at the beginning of this essay Qin Shihuangdi precipitated a titanic discontinuity in Chinas intellectual continuum. It was a breach so vast that it could not be mitigated internally, but awaited a chance encounter from outside her borders in the late 16th century Ming Dynasty by Li Madou from the Great West. That chance encounter would set in motion events of unforeseen consequence. Until Li Madou wrote in Mandarin a treatise on mathematics translating Euclids Elements into Jihe yuanben (1607)literally translated as the origin of quantity but more-widely known as Elementary Treatise on Geometrya small rivulet of reconnection could not develop into a flood of reclaimed arithmetic expertise. Lauded by the Chinese literati as an exemplary homage to Confucius Li Madous preface quoted from Christopher Clavius translation of Euclids Elements. It was an oversell of mathematics to the Chinese to bolster a skeptical Chinese Imperium of its value and virtue. Ironically it was the same oversell as was Clavius preface to bolster a skeptical Roman Catholic Church of the integral value and virtue of arithmetic in the syllabuses of their universities. Clavius compared mathematics to a fountain from which the other branches of science gush; Ricci compared it to a ladder leading up to the peaks of knowledge.8 After an arithmetic drought of 1,800 years the importance of mathematics to Chinas well-being and promotion of good societal order fell upon receptive ears. The downside is that this view falls prey to an overdominant condition, whereby creative speculation, language and the arts become secondary endeavors. One can so easily mistake
Ibid, p. 254
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mathematical objects as interchangeable, even replaceable, with reality. Unfortunately, this is not so. We have reached a philosophical and scientific impasse that must be surmounted. The case is laid out quite clearly and succinctly by Lee Smolin in his latest book, Time Reborn (2013), where we must accept the reality of time suffusing the universe, events as real in the moment, time as the passage of successive moments with directionality, novelty and change in an unbounded, open-ended, evolving Leibnizian Universe of relationality, fundamentally unpredictable and uncertain, but extravagantly diverse and unique. He says Leibnizian because he takes as a given two important principles of Leibniz: The Principles of Sufficient Reason and Identity of the Indiscernibles,9 or Univocity of Singular Uniqueness.10 The problem to be mitigated is summed up quite nicely by Smolin:
Mathematics will continue to be a handmaiden to science, but she can no longer be the Queen.11
Mathematics and sciencethe same as the arts/humanities and the sciencesmust be interrelated and interplayed the way Deleuze formatted his two numerical series interacting in intensity and extensity giving rise to his formulation of the virtual and actual, both/and, neither preferenced or annihilated, distinguishable but indivisible.12 And so the same must be said of this extrapolation of Wen Wangs Yijing Hexagrams which culminates Leibniz unrequited inquiry begun three centuries ago.
Lee Smolin, Time Reborn, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Boston, NYC (2103), pp. 114 - 7 Gilles Deleuze, Difference & Repetition, Columbia University Press (1968 French, 1994 English), p. 37; the author is synthesizing Deleuzes thought which he synthesized from Leibniz and Spinoza. 11 Lee Smolin, Time Reborn, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Boston, NYC (2103), p. 251 12 Clayton Crockett, Deleuze Beyond Badiou, Columbia University Press, NYC (2103), p. 40
10
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Li Madou had no patience, let alone a spirit of accommodation, with what he termed the several thousands of charlatans peddling false fortune-telling in the Imperial Capitol.13 He was undoubtedly referring to Yijing divination. This was an unfortunate colonial misunderstanding. I would desire correcting it and welcome an open dialog to deepen my understanding of this long-beloved Chinese tradition in the Confucian ideal: The Master said, Reviewing the old as a means of realizing the newsuch a person can be considered a teacher. 14 We seem, regardless of differing evolutionary cultural development, to be extraordinarily concerned with the avoidance of risk and detriment by attempting to transform unruly, unpredictable, uncertain existence into orderly, controllable life with the benefit of certainty. This is at root a zero-sum game. We must eschew this illusory wish for an authentic relationship with reality that includes time and acclimatizes us to becoming comfortable with uncertainty. Wishing mathematics to remain the Queen of science in the West is not so dissimilar with wishing the Yijing to give some certainty in an uncertain world. Mathematical objects can only approximate processes in time in the world and never perfectly model or replace them. I could confidently say Heideggers Being the World would fit nicely here. So like everything else the interpretive project must extend to mathematical objects: useful handmaidens but never Queens, as is demonstrated in this essay. We must come to a place where we realize that to live fully we must live joyfully into uncertainty. Perhaps we can more effectively connect with each other cross-culturally if we share our mutuality in certainty and together venture beyond it? Coming full circle, lets reconsider Wen Wangs Hexagrams. If we perform the same operation upon the 8 X 8 = 64 matrix as we did to produce the Yijing Digital Binary Calculator we get a relational matrix of Fu Xi trigrams multiplied by themselves [Fig. 19].
Michela Fontana, Matteo Ricci: A Jesuit in the Ming Court, Rowmann & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., (2011), p. 262 14 Ibid, p. 243; Confucius, Analects (2, 11)
13
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1x1 1x2 1x3 1x4 1x5 1x6 1x7 1x8 2x1 2x2 2x3 2x4 2x5 2x6 2x7 2x8 3x1 3x2 3x3 3x4 3x5 3x6 3x7 3x8 4x1 4x2 4x3 4x4 4x5 4x6 4x7 7x8 5x1 5x2 5x3 5x4 5x5 5x6 5x7 5x8 6x1 6x2 6x3 6x4 6x5 6x6 6x7 6x8 7x1 7x2 7x3 7x4 7x5 7x6 7x7 7x8 8x1 8x2 8x3 8x4 8x5 8x6 8x7 8x8
Credit: Kevin Mequet Fig. 19 Relational Wen Wang Yijing Hexagrams from Fu Xis Trigrams 2 Interpretive info: right-reading; red, x characters; blue, odd column characters; black, even column characters; yellow, register 1 characters; and green, register 2 characters.
We cannot know with certainty how Wen Wang used his Yijing Hexagram Matrix for the most rational method of divination. It is lost to us now by the actions commanded by Qin Shihuangdi. But just as we have reconstructed here how the matrix was originally created, it might be possible to inductively reason how the methodology of divination might have been conceived by Wen Wang. An idea of Stuart Kaufmanns might help us here. It posits that in a relational world one must look for what can happen next, or the processes of the world follow the Principle of the Adjacent Possible.15 In a relational Yijing Hexagram Matrix devised from multiplying Fu Xis Trigrams by themselves relationally, might we look for relational operations of divination based upon Kaufmanns Principle of the Adjacent Possible? I would like very much to investigate this further with Chinese scholars.
15
Lee Smolin, Time Reborn, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Boston, NYC (2103), p. xvi
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Copyright 2013 Kevin Dobson Mequet; Zhou Wen Wangs Development of Yijing (Book Of Changes) 64 Hexagrams: An Inductive Recreation of Binary Extrapolative Operations. It is intended for strictly individual personal use. All rights are reserved. It may not be reprinted without obtaining prior written permission from Kevin Mequet. It may not be altered, misquoted, truncated, misattributed or plagiarized. Please adhere strictly to competent academic citation and attribution.

Zhou Wen Wang's Development of Yijing (Book of Changes) 64 Hexagrams

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