Visual Alchemy: Alchemical Yijing Diagrams 丹道易圖 in the Illustrated Commentary on the Wuzhen Pian Based on the Zhouyi 周易悟真篇圖注

The <i>Illustrated Commentary on the Wuzhen Pian Based on the Zhouyi</i> (周易悟真篇圖注 <i>Zhouyi Wuzhen Pian Tuzhu</i>), authored by the Ming dynasty Confucian scholar Cheng Yiming 程易明, is an illustrated alchemical text that integrates the elixir methodology of <i>Wuzhen pian</i> 悟真篇 (<i>the Awakening to Reality</i>) with the images and numbers (<i>xiangshu</i> 象數) system of <i>The Book of Changes</i> (<i>Zhouyi</i> 周易). Centered on Daoist alchemical theory and elucidated through “<i>Yijing</i> diagrams” (<i>yitu</i> 易圖, diagrams based on the <i>Yijing</i>), it stands as a masterpiece within the tradition of alchemical <i>Yijing</i> studies (<i>dandao yixue</i> 丹道易學). Building on a review of the scholarly history of <i>The Wuzhen Pian</i>, this article focuses on the alchemical <i>Yijing</i> diagrams (<i>dandao yitu</i> 丹道易圖) in the <i>Illustrated Commentary</i>, exploring their terminological definitions, theoretical origins, and diagrammatic systems. By analyzing the structure of cosmology and internal alchemy practice theory (<i>neidan gongfulun</i> 內丹工夫論) as presented in these diagrams, this article demonstrates that the <i>Illustrated Commentary</i> not only inherits the theoretical legacy of early <i>Yijing</i> diagram scholars such as Chen Tuan (陳摶) and Yu Yan (俞琰), but also displays a unique systematic and intuitive approach to illustrating <i>neidan</i> practices through xiangshu diagrams (象數圖解). Notably, diagrams such as <i>“Mundane Continuation</i> vs. <i>Alchemical Inversion”</i> (<i>shunfan nixian</i> 順凡逆仙), the <i>“Three-Five-One Mathematical Model”</i> (<i>sanwuyi shuli moxing</i> 三五一數理模型), and the <i>“Fire Phases”</i> (<i>huohou</i> 火候) reveal attempts to construct an alchemical theoretical system centered on <i>Yijing</i> diagrams. The article further posits that the <i>Illustrated Commentary</i> bridges the gap between images–numbers <i>Yijing</i> studies (<i>xiangshu yixue</i> 象數易學) and alchemical visual hermeneutics, offering a fresh perspective centered on internal alchemy for the study of “<i>Yijing</i> Diagram Studies” (<i>yitu xue</i> 易圖學).

Abstract licence: CC BY

A person counts once a day per paper. We keep no cookie and no address: a reader is a hash that changes every day. Any month under five reads shows no number.