Li Zhi's Studies of Yi – Daoist & Zen Interpretation 李氏易因

Also known as Nine Correct Principles of Commentary on the Zhouyi.

Authored by Li Zhi, a scholar of the Ming Dynasty, this work was completed during the Wanli reign period.

It was recorded as four volumes in Bibliography of the History of the Ming Dynasty.

The existing version in The Daozang has six volumes and is included in the Supplementary Daoist Canon.

As a work interpreting the sixty-four hexagrams of the Zhouyi, it first presents the scripture text of each hexagram, followed by a comprehensive discussion on the implications and philosophical principles of the hexagram images, with appendices of the theories put forward by Confucian scholars such as Wang Bi, Cheng Yi, Su Shi and Fang Shihua. Its interpretation of the Zhouyi focuses on philosophical connotations, bearing a close resemblance to Zen Buddhism, which is consistent with Li Zhi’s philosophical thoughts. This book was cataloged both in Volume 55 of A Study of Confucian Classics by Zhu Yizun, a Confucian scholar of the Qing Dynasty, and in the catalogue of uncollected works under the Zhouyi category in Annotated Bibliography of the Siku Quanshu. Its theoretical system is deeply rooted in the ideological system of Taoism, and the analysis of hexagram images is closely linked to the five elements theory in traditional Chinese philosophy.