The phrase “Hou De Zai Wu” comes from the Xiang Ci of the Kun hexagram of the Book of Changes: “The earth is Kun, and the gentleman carries things with thick virtue.” “Hou De Zai Wu” has now become a commonly used idiom that is deeply loved by people. The profound thoughts contained in it are an important support for the excellent traditional Chinese culture. Because “the reason why the sage wrote the Book of Changes is not the same”, in today’s rapid development of science and technology and information, exploring the subtle and hidden meanings in it is still of great practical significance to improve people’s quality and cultivation and promote the process of modernization. The author believes that the word “Hou” in “Hou De Zai Wu” not only means to plant and accumulate, but also means to stay behind and be in a lower position; its word “Zai” not only means to carry and tolerate, but also means to generate and be firm.
1. The idea of firmness in “Hou De Zai Wu”
The literal meaning of the word “Hou De Zai Wu” contains the philosophy of balance between body and function, in which virtue is the body and carrying things is the function, and the two need to maintain a dynamic balance to maximize their value. Just like a boat, only when the weight of the goods loaded in the boat matches the size of the boat can the maximum function of the boat be reflected. In order to increase the loading function of the boat, the boat must be enlarged. If the loading limit of the boat is not weighed and it is blindly overloaded, it will inevitably cause the danger of capsizing. Cheng Yi said: “There are people who get the words but fail to understand the meaning. There is no one who can understand the meaning without getting the words.” The admonitions and warnings such as the balance of body and function contained in “Hou De Zai Wu” have been discussed by many predecessors. If we want to explore more subtle and hidden meanings, we have to carefully taste the “Book of Changes·Kun Gua”.
The hexagram of “Kun Gua” is: “Kun, Yuanheng, it is beneficial for the female horse to be chaste. The gentleman has a place to go, first lost and then found the master, it is beneficial. Make friends in the southwest, lose friends in the northeast. An Zhen is auspicious.” There is no “Hou De Zai Wu” in it. The word “Hou De Zai Wu” comes from “Kun Gua·Xiang Ci” “The terrain is Kun, the gentleman uses Hou De Zai Wu”, which is the words to explain the hexagram of “Kun Gua”. Cheng Zhuan says: “The image under the hexagram explains the image of the hexagram; the image under the line explains the image of the line.” This sentence means that the gentleman imitates the earth after looking at the shape and the hexagram, so as to cultivate virtue and take on important responsibilities. Confucius said: “Books cannot express all words, and words cannot express all ideas.” Written words often cannot fully express all the author’s thoughts, so Cheng Zi said: “The sage often takes the most important part and writes it in words.” Because of the limitations of language expression, the sage often only takes the important part when explaining the scriptures with multiple meanings. What is the relationship between the hexagram of Kun and “thick virtue carries all things”? Why should the gentleman imitate the earth? Let’s first look at the explanation of “Tuan Ci”.
“Kun Tuan” says: “Great is Kun Yuan, all things depend on it for life, and it follows the will of Heaven. Kun is thick and carries all things, and its virtues are boundless. It is broad and glorious, and all things prosper. The female horse is like the earth, and it walks on the earth without boundaries. It is gentle, smooth and loyal. When a gentleman walks, he will first lose his way, and then follow the will of Heaven. He will make friends in the southwest and walk with his kind. He will lose friends in the northeast, and finally he will be happy. The good fortune of peace and loyalty should be boundless.” The general meaning is: Great is Kun Gua’s vitality. All things rely on it to gain life, and can grow in accordance with the changes of Heaven’s way. Kun Gua represents the earth, which is thick and carries all things, and its virtues are boundless. The earth embraces all things in the world, and promotes the glory of Heaven’s way, silently promoting the development and growth of all things to be smooth and prosperous. The female horse is feminine, similar to the earth, and walking on the earth will not be different because of the territory. Like the earth, it has the characteristics of being gentle, docile, benefiting others, and maintaining loyalty. If a gentleman rushes to act first, he will lose his way. Only by being docile and following behind can he discover the eternal law. If you make friends in the southwest, you can only move forward with the same kind; if you lose friends in the northeast, you can get a masculine master, and finally there will be celebration. Adhering to the principle of loyalty and docility can bring good luck, because it corresponds to the earth’s virtue of following the way of heaven and endless growth.
“The Book of Changes·Xi Ci” says: “Tuan means material.” It points out that “Tuan Ci” is the language of judging and exploring the meaning of a hexagram. “Kun·Tuan” explains that the beauty of Kun’s virtue is because it follows the way of heaven and supports life. It can have the vitality of giving birth to all things like the earth, and it can also accommodate all things and help all things grow naturally, so it can “have boundless virtue”. If a gentleman wants to “walk without boundaries on earth”, he should first “respond to the boundless earth”, strengthen his own morality, learn the virtue of the earth carrying all things, carrying forward the glory of heaven, and silently promoting the growth of all things. It can be seen that “a gentleman carries things with great virtue” is not only a warning to gentlemen that only by learning the earth’s solidity can one maintain success and carry blessings; it is more of a warning to gentlemen that if they want to “have a happy end”, they must cultivate morality and “travel the earth without boundaries” like a mare to take on the responsibility of supporting all things. “Cheng Zhuan” says: “Qian gives things, Kun does not respond, then there is no life, and once it can create life, it is moving.” The “carry” here should refer to taking the initiative to bear, like a mare, holding on to chastity, rather than passive static bearing. From a literal point of view, there is no difference between “carrying things with great virtue” and “carrying blessings with great virtue”. If we look at its source “Kun Gua”, there is a difference between “carrying things” and “carrying blessings”.
2. The principle of staying behind in “thick virtue carries things”
The phrases “thick virtue carries things” in “Xiang Ci” and “Kun thick carries things, virtue is boundless” in “Tuan Ci” are both explaining the Kun virtue of “female horse’s chastity” and “first lost and then found the master” in “Gua Ci”. Because the word “thick” is most likely to remind people of the depth and breadth of the earth and its characteristics of accommodating all things, the academic community generally interprets “thick” as a verb “thick planting, accumulation”. If we carefully taste “Kun Gua”, we will find that this “thick” also contains the behavioral principle of staying behind and being in a lower position.
The original text of “Xiang Ci” “The earth is in a low position, and the gentleman carries things with thick virtue” should mean: the image of Kun is like the earth carrying all things in a low position in accordance with the way of heaven. The gentleman observes this Gua Xiang and learns from the earth, and takes on important responsibilities with deep virtue. The “thick” comes after the “position”. The Original Meaning of Zhouyi says: “Instead of talking about weight, we talk about the smoothness of the situation, which shows that the high and the low are infinitely dependent on each other, and the extreme smoothness is extremely thick and contains everything.” It can be seen that Zhu Xi has interpreted “situation” as “following the situation”. The first sentence of the Xiangci talks about the earth and Kun, and the second sentence talks about the gentleman. It is obviously a correspondence between the law and the behavior. Its “thickness” is the obedience to the law of “situation”. Zhu Xi’s interpretation of “situation” should be in line with the original meaning of “Yi”. “Following the situation” means staying behind and being in a lower position. The meaning of following the situation and staying behind is contained in the Guaci, Tuan, Xiang, Yaoci and Wenyan of Kun Gua.
The Guaci “the chastity of the female horse” (reasonable obedience) and “get lost first and get the master later” (acting first will lose the direction, and following behind will have spiritual support) have made it clear at the outset, directly pointing out the virtue of following the situation and staying behind of Kun Gua. The Tuan Ci explains it as follows: “First you lose your way, then you will find the way.”
Yao Ci Chu Liu: “Walk on the frost, and the ice will come.” (If you step on the thin frost, you can infer that the thick ice will soon appear) The Wen Yan explains it as follows: “It means to follow the way.” This shows that from the thin frost to the solid ice is also a process of following the way of heaven.
Yao Ci Liu Er: “Straight, square, and big; without practice, there is no disadvantage.” (Be upright and innocent, act according to principles, be generous to others, and go to strange places without practice, there is no disadvantage) The Wen Yan explains it as follows: “Straight is its righteousness; square is its righteousness. A gentleman is respectful and upright inside, and righteous with square outside. Respect and righteousness stand, and virtue is not alone. Straight, square and big, without practice, there is no disadvantage, so there is no doubt about what he does.” This shows that Liu Er is not suspected because he respects justice and principles in the position of being behind.
Yao Ci 63: “Containing beauty can be chaste. Or follow the king’s affairs, without success but with an end.” (Containing beautiful literary talent is enough to uphold the right path. If you follow the king to do things, you can attribute your achievements to the king, and there will be good results) Its “Wenyan” interpretation says: “I dare not succeed.” It warns that Liu San should follow the trend and stay behind.
Yao Ci 64: “Closing the bag, no blame and no praise.” (It is like keeping silent like tying up a bag; for oneself, you will not be blamed or praised) Its “Wenyan” interpretation says: “The sky and the earth are closed, the wise man hides… It means being cautious.” The retreat of the wise man is naturally the behavior of following the trend and staying behind.
Yao Ci 65: “Yellow skirt, Yuanji.” (Wearing yellow skirt and pants, not showing off your nobility will get auspiciousness) Its “Wenyan” interpretation says: “Yellow is in harmony with reason.” Liu Wu can be in the tunnel represented by yellow, be reasonable, rectify his duties, and abide by the etiquette he should do, which is of course a move to stay behind.
Yao Ci Shang Liu: “Dragons fight in the wilderness, their blood is dark yellow.” (Dragons fight in the wilderness, the sky and the earth are dyed dark yellow with blood) Its “Xiang” interpretation says: “Dragons fight in the wilderness, their way is exhausted.” Shang Liu is the top of the whole hexagram. Although it is feminine, it has power. It does not know how to follow the trend and stay low, which leads to a war of dark yellow and dark yellow. It shows that not following the trend and staying behind will definitely bring unexpected disasters.
“Thick virtue carries all things” is the language of “Xiang Ci”. “Xiang Ci” is an explanation of “Gua Ci”. Gua is composed of Yao. “Gua Ci” is the source and “Xiang Ci” is the flow. The source is clear and the flow is clear. Through the above analysis of the “Kun” hexagram and Yao Ci, it is not difficult to find that “thick virtue carries all things” in “Xiang Ci” contains the meaning of following the trend, staying behind and being low. The “thick” and “after” here are interlinked. “Thick virtue” means “latter virtue”, which is also consistent with the idea of ”high virtue is not virtue” in “Tao Te Ching”.
3. The practical significance of “Hou De Zhui Wu”
The Yixue culture is an important part of Chinese traditional culture. The “Hou De Zhui Wu” wisdom of “Hou De Zhui Wu” can not only promote the harmonious development of society, but also improve personal quality and cultivation. It condenses the simple and kind character of the Chinese nation for thousands of years and provides a strong spiritual pillar for mankind.
In the Battle of Changshao in the Spring and Autumn Period, Cao Gui, a man from Lu, used the wisdom of “Hou De Zhui Wu” to seize the favorable opportunity to realize his “far-sighted plan”. When Qi invaded Lu, Duke Zhuang of Lu appointed Cao Gui as a general to fight. The two armies confronted each other at Changshao. The high-spirited Qi army beat the drums to launch a flood-like attack. When Duke Zhuang of Lu was about to beat the drums to issue an order to fight, he was persuaded by Cao Gui. When the Qi army beat the drums for the second time, Cao Gui still persuaded Duke Zhuang of Lu to hold on. When the Qi army beat the drums for the third time, Cao Gui thought the time had come and proposed to Duke Zhuang of Lu to counterattack the Qi army. As a result, the Lu army won a decisive victory in one go, forcing Qi to return the land taken from Lu. Because Cao Gui was well versed in the wisdom of “Hou De”, he brought peace between Qi and Lu.
Cao Cao, who “held the emperor hostage to command the princes”, also adhered to “Hou De” and followed the orthodoxy of “the world’s people value Liu”. He personally went to Luoyang to welcome Emperor Xian of Han to build the capital in Xu County, and then gradually unified the north, achieving his own brilliant life and laying the foundation for the later unification of the Western Jin Dynasty. The famous Battle of Guandu in history, where the weak defeated the strong, is also a portrayal of Cao Cao’s adherence to “Hou De”. After winning the two battles of Bai Ma and Yanjin South, Cao Cao calmly withdrew his army to Guandu, only defending but not attacking, waiting for the tired. After three months of stalemate with Yuan Shao at Guandu, Cao Cao took advantage of the situation and attacked, turning the tide and defeating Yuan Shao, making his political strategy widely recognized and his army becoming the most powerful force in the north. When Liu Bei was defeated by Lu Bu and surrendered to Cao Cao, someone advised Cao Cao to “do it early” (it would be better to kill Liu Bei as soon as possible), but Cao Cao refused because of his “later virtue”. The historical books also affirmed Cao Cao’s adherence to “later virtue” when commenting on Cao Cao and Liu Bei: “Cao Cao’s group is more focused on post-strike, and often waits for the incident to happen and handles it calmly; Liu Bei’s group is more cautious and focuses on prevention in advance.”
There are also countless stories of people who achieved self-improvement and promoted social harmony because of adhering to “later virtue”. They are all interpretations of the wisdom and value of “thick virtue carries all things”. In today’s increasingly fast pace of life, the rapid development of science and technology information can easily make people have a blind competitive mentality, and people’s physical and mental health, interpersonal relationships, and tolerance will be greatly impacted. If you can calm down and savor the meaning of “thick virtue carries all things”, your mind will be purified, and all kinds of pressure will be relieved and cured.
“Virtue carries all things” originates from the idea of ”the chastity of a female horse” and “first lost and then found the master” in the hexagram of “The Book of Changes·Kun”, which has been explained and developed in the “Tao Te Ching”. Chen Guying said that the “Tao Te Ching” first introduced the Yi into Taoism, which led to a substantial breakthrough in the study of Yi. The philosophical thinking and improvement of the Yi in the “Tao Te Ching” laid the basic spirit of the later study of Yi and cast the general scale and structure of the later “Yi Zhuan”. The “Tao Te Ching” advocates the view of staying behind and being inferior in many places, especially in Chapter 67, which severely points out the harm of rushing to be the first and competing for strength: “Not daring to be the first in the world, so you can become a tool… Abandoning those who are behind and being ahead, you will die.” The meaning of “staying behind in the trend” in “Kun” is consistent with the view of “the superior virtue is not virtue” and “strike back” in the “Tao Te Ching”. The “Tao Te Ching” is a classic that has had a profound impact on people’s real life, which shows the great practical significance of “Virtue carries all things”.
Author of this article: Taoist Master Qiu Qinghui
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