The Zhengyi Xinfa 正易心法 The True Meaning of the I Ching by Daoist Ma Yi

The full name of Zhengyi Xinfa is Ma Yi Daozhe Zhengyi Xinfa (The True Meaning of the I Ching by Daoist Ma Yi). It was written by Daoist Ma Yi, with annotations by Chen Tuan in the early Song Dynasty. According to Fozu Tongji (A Comprehensive Record of the Buddhas and Patriarchs) Volume 43 by Shi Zhiqing of the Song Dynasty: "Chen Tuan received the teachings of the I Ching from Daoist Ma Yi and obtained the 42 chapters of Zhengyi Xinfa written by him, which elaborated the principles governing heaven and humanity and criticized the flaws of previous Confucian scholars. Chen Tuan then annotated it. Later, he received the secrets of Hetu (River Chart) and Luoshu (Luo Chart), revealing the mysteries of the I Ching. Even Confucian scholars of the Han and Jin dynasties such as Zheng Kangcheng, Jing Fang, Wang Bi, and Han Kangbo were unaware of these secrets." This refers to this book.

When the Zhengtong Daozang (Orthodox Daoist Canon) was compiled in the Ming Dynasty, this book was mistakenly believed to be lost and thus listed in the Daozang Quejing Mulu (Catalogue of Lost Books in the Daoist Canon). In fact, it was not lost; it was just that insufficient efforts were made to search for it at that time.

Zhengyi Xinfa consists of 42 chapters, each with annotations. The preface states: "The 'Zhengyi' (True Meaning) refers to the hexagram diagrams, just like the main text of today's classics. The commentaries by Zhou (Wenwang) and Kong (Confucius) are also annotations. The four-line verses in each chapter are the core teachings, and the explanations below are the elaborations."

This book mainly interprets the principles of the I Ching from the perspective of images and numbers, and is one of the representative works of the Daoist school of image-number studies in Yi learning. The annotations and the main text complement each other, forming a perfect integration. Through the analysis of Yi principles using images and numbers, the annotations reflect Chen Tuan's thought of "Xiantian Yi Xue" Innate Yi Learning. Chen Tuan used this thought to correct some errors in the traditional Confucian Yi learning. For example, the annotations say: "In ancient times, when the hexagram diagrams were clear, the Dao of the I Ching prevailed; in later generations, when the hexagram diagrams were unclear, the Dao of the I Ching was not passed down. Therefore, the sages had no choice but to add words. Shallow scholars, upon seeing these words, thought that the I Ching was limited to them, and thus the teachings of Zhou and Kong were isolated, with people no longer aware of the profound meanings of the hexagram diagrams, treating them merely as literal explanations. This is like 'buying the casket while returning the pearl.' Since the Han Dynasty, this has been the case—how could the Dao of the I Ching not be obscured?"