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Taiji Tu Shuo (Explanation of the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate)

Before the creation of heaven and earth, what was the form of Taiji? This is likely unknowable. However, by inferring from the Taiji within the human body, it must certainly be Taiji.
Before Taiji lies "Wuji" (Non-Polar), which is even more unknowable. Confucius stated, "In Yi (Changes), there is Taiji, which generates Liangyi (Two Modes)." He never mentioned Wuji. So, what exactly is Wuji? The existence of Taiji in humans results from the interaction of Yin and Yang. Before this interaction, when scattered within Yin and Yang, it is Wuji. During the chaotic period of heaven and earth, when Yin and Yang had not yet separated, could there have been a Wuji waiting for interaction while scattered in Yin and Yang? Without knowing the Post-Heaven Yin and Yang, there would be no Pre-Heaven Yin and Yang. After creation, the Post-Heaven Yin and Yang interact to form the Taiji that constitutes things; before creation, the Pre-Heaven Yin and Yang interacted to form the Taiji of heaven. Thus, when the Pre-Heaven Yin and Yang had not yet interacted, being scattered and without order, this was the Pre-Heaven Wuji.
The term "Wuji" was doubted by Lu Jiuyuan, and Zhu Xi believed in it and annotated it, though he did not explain the principle in detail.

Taiji moves and generates Yang; when movement reaches its extreme, it becomes still, and stillness generates Yin; when stillness reaches its extreme, it moves again. Movement and stillness are mutually their root.
What is Taiji? It is chaos. Taking the Taiji in the human body as an example, at the moment of conception by father and mother, there is a point of spiritual light, bright and red, descending with the essence, serving as the root of the whole body. In heaven, it is called Ming (Life/Destiny); in humans, it is called Xing (Nature). This is what is meant by "not departing from Qi." Those who practice the art of Stillness can naturally see this when sitting alone. Su Shi's poem says, "At midnight, a single point falls into Huangting," which likely refers to seeing this state. Humans are born from heaven and earth, so the Taiji of heaven and earth should not differ from this. The discussion on movement and stillness differs from that of Zhang Zai (Zi Yuan) of the Han Dynasty. Zhang Zai said, "One movement generates Yin and Yang." Here it says, "Movement generates Yang, stillness generates Yin." This is because opposing Yin and Yang arise from movement, just as giving birth to sons and daughters requires movement. Flowing Yin and Yang may arise from stillness or movement; as movement and stillness alternate, Yin and Yang are inexhaustible. Just as the four seasons cycle, winter gives way to spring. The flow of Yin and Yang is the ceaseless sincerity of Zhi Cheng (Ultimate Sincerity). Zhou Dunyi explicitly states this to encourage people to engage in Zhi Cheng. Generating Yang through movement is easy to understand; generating Yin through stillness is difficult. I will now elaborate on the theory of generating Yin. "Stillness" refers to profound obscurity. The obscurity of a cosmic cycle occurs in the Xu and Hai periods; for a year, in the Xu and Hai months; for a month, in the last five days; for a day, in the last two hours. This is the natural way of heaven and earth. If one can comply with it, moving without appearing to move, then the mechanism of Yin conceiving within Yang arises; being still without appearing to be still, then the function of Yang issuing from Yin arises. One might call this "Yang generates Yin, Yin generates Yang." Since movement and stillness are mutually their root, this is indeed Zhou Dunyi's view.

Dividing Yin and Yang establishes Liangyi (Two Modes).
Yin and Yang separate themselves; they do not divide Taiji into Liangyi. Therefore, although Yin and Yang are divided, Taiji remains intact. If Taiji were transformed into Yin and Yang, Taiji would be destroyed, and how could heaven and earth continue to exist? Speaking of heaven and earth, Qian (Heaven) is above and Kun (Earth) is below, separated and not communicating. Speaking of the human body, Li (Fire) symbolizes the Heart, taking the image of the middle daughter, belonging to Yin; what the heart stores is Xing (Nature). Kan (Water) symbolizes the Kidney, taking the image of the middle son, belonging to Yang; what the kidney stores is Ming (Life/Destiny). Ancients said: Before a person is born, Xing and Ming are united in one body, forming an immortal substance. Once out of the womb, Xing disappears, and Ming does not see Xing; thus, one becomes ordinary rather than sage-like. This division of Yin and Yang is like a couple turning against each other and no longer living together; if they do not perish, is unheard of. Observing this, the subsequent natural functions become indispensable.

Yang transforms and Yin combines to generate the Five Elements (Wu Xing): Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth. They are arranged in sequence, and the Four Seasons proceed.
When observing the Taiji Diagram, I initially doubted the placement of Yin and Yang. On the side of Yang movement, two Yang lines sandwich one Yin line, resembling the Li trigram. In Yi Jing, Li represents the middle daughter and belongs to Yin, yet here it appears as Yang. On the side of Yin stillness, two Yin lines sandwich one Yang line, resembling the Kan trigram. In Yi Jing, Kan represents the middle son and belongs to Yang, yet here it appears as Yin. Even Zhu Xi's annotation states that Fire is Yang and Water is Yin. The Taiji Tu Shuo aims to clarify the principles of Yi Jing. Confucius said, "Yang trigrams have more Yin, Yin trigrams have more Yang." How dare one overturn Confucius's statement in the Xici? There must be a reason. The transformation of Yang and combination of Yin involve cultivation功夫 (Kung Fu/effort), unlike the biological union of man and woman which requires no learning. Fire being Yin and Water being Yang is the common principle. However, for those with the功夫 of Stillness, Fire is not ordinary fire; it is generated from Kan Water, sufficient to open meridians, making it True Yang. Water is not ordinary water; it is generated from Li Fire, sufficient to subdue steaming, making it True Yin. By extension, Wood generates Fire; calming Fire nourishes Wood, so Wood planted in Fire does not burn. Metal generates Water; refining Water forms Metal, so Metal sinking in Water does not dissolve. Fire generates Earth; drying Earth cultivates Fire, so Fire residing under Earth does not extinguish. This is the sacred功夫 of reversing Yin and Yang, i.e., True Water and Fire. Otherwise, since Yin is essentially still, why is there stillness without stillness? Since Yang is essentially moving, why is there movement without movement? Regarding the Five Elements, saying they are "arranged in sequence" refers to the chronological order. In heaven, it is the natural origin and integrity; in humans, it is the natural beginning and end. It is not merely about having功夫, as discussed further below.

The Five Elements are unified in Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang are unified in Taiji; Taiji is originally Wuji.
These two sentences reiterate the previous text but in reverse order. At first glance, they seem insignificant, but they represent the功夫 of returning from the many to the one, as Confucius described as "one thread." All things in the world belong to the Five Elements, which cannot be fully enumerated. Gathering things back into the Five Elements starts with the precision of Gewu Zhizhi (Investigation of Things and Extension of Knowledge) and continues with the subtlety of transformation. However, if the Five Elements remain in their respective places with fixed boundaries, mutual generation cannot supplement deficiencies, and mutual restriction cannot control excesses, the vitality of heaven and earth would cease. Therefore, the Five Elements must be integrated into Yin and Yang, allowing divided things to gradually reunite. Yet, the Yi Jing states, "One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao," referring to the human path. To fully align humanity with heaven, Taiji is the Dao, and Yin and Yang have not exhausted their subtleties. Thus, Yin and Yang must return to Taiji. Through this, one fulfills Nature (Xing) and establishes Destiny (Ming). A virtuous person approaching sainthood might think they could stop. Alas, does not the Book of Songs say, "The workings of Heaven are soundless and odorless"? Taiji has no substance but still has form, which is not the ultimate reality. Clarifying that Taiji is originally Wuji adds another layer of功夫. Heaven and earth cannot limit it, ghosts and spirits cannot know it; scattered, it leaves no trace; gathered, it has no body. Since ancient times, apart from Confucius, who else could be the歸 (guide)?

In the generation of the Five Elements, each has its own nature.
Taiji generates heaven and earth; heaven and earth each possess a Taiji. Heaven and earth generate the Five Elements; each of the Five Elements also possesses a Taiji. The Taiji of the Five Elements is not only identical to each other but also identical to the Pre-Heaven Taiji. Taiji is the Nature bestowed by Heaven (Tianming zhi Xing). The Book of Documents states, "The Sovereign Heaven bestows inner goodness, possessing constant nature." The word "constant" implies that despite the vast diversity of creation, their nature is universally the same. Why does this text say the Five Elements each have a specific nature? The answer is that the Five Elements also have the nature of Qi and Material Force (Qizhi zhi Xing). For instance, the five flavors used in medicine vary in warmth and coolness, verifying that "each has its own nature." This is not the Nature bestowed by Heaven. The truth of Wuji and the essence of Yin and Yang (Er Wu) blend exquisitely to condense.
The previous text discussing the nature of the Five Elements was not limited to the human body. Referring to the human body, the Five Zang Organs correspond to the Five Elements, each having its nature and its Wuji. However, the Post-Heaven Wuji differs from the Pre-Heaven Wuji. The Pre-Heaven Wuji is the Wuji connected to Water and Fire in the diagram. What is "True"? It is the "point of spiritual light, bright and red" mentioned earlier. What are "Er Wu" (Two and Five)? "Two" refers to the second line (Liu Er) in the lower trigram, representing the younger female; "Five" refers to the fifth line (Jiu Wu) in the upper trigram, representing the younger male. The hexagrams pair Two and Five. That is all.

The Way of Qian completes the Male; the Way of Kun completes the Female.
Qian and Kun refer to parents; Male and Female refer to children. The truth of Wuji arrives first via Qian, and Kun responds, forming a Male. If Kun arrives first and Qian responds, it forms a Female. Both Qian and Kun possess Wuji, hence each has its Truth. The first to enter takes precedence, and the later entrant cannot contest. The production of yin and yang in heaven and earth is similar.

The interaction of the two Qi generates all things; all things generate each other endlessly, and changes are infinite.
Endless change is the ceaselessness of Ultimate Sincerity (Zhi Cheng).
Only humans receive the finest essence and are the most spiritual. Once the form is generated, the Spirit emerges and consciousness develops. When the Five Natures are moved, Good and Evil are distinguished, and ten thousand affairs arise.
The preceding text discussed Heavenly Dao, but annotations often focus on the human body because Heavenly Dao is hard to grasp, whereas pointing to the human body is more intimate, helping readers understand clearly. This section specifically discusses human affairs. What does "finest essence and most spiritual" mean? Feathered creatures embody the Fire Virtue of the South; shelled creatures embody the Water Virtue of the North; scaled creatures embody the Wood Virtue of the East; furred creatures embody the Metal Virtue of the West. Only humans, as the leaders of creatures, embody the Earth Virtue of the Center, as Zuo Qiuming stated: "Born receiving the center of heaven and earth." Because they receive the center, they combine the energies of the sun, moon, and five planets, achieving perfection. Although sages and commoners differ, their spirituality is one. Form is material constitution (Qi Zhi); Spirit is the nature bestowed by Heaven (Tian Ming). The Five Natures encompass both heavenly mandate and material constitution, so movements and emotions can result in good or evil. If one acts without artificial effort, like Emperor Shun who acted from benevolence and righteousness rather than performing them, avoiding evil and leaving no trace of good, one avoids "affairs." Human good and evil are intentional, creating "many affairs." Evil brings guilt; good brings no merit. Dealing with ten thousand affairs while trying to manage every detail leads to countless flaws, ultimately failing to remedy them. This is grasping the branches and forgetting the root, stirring soup to stop boiling, rather than removing firewood from under the pot.

The Sage establishes the human pole (Ren Ji) by defining centrality, uprightness, benevolence, and righteousness, emphasizing Stillness.
Centrality and uprightness are Taiji; benevolence and righteousness are Yin and Yang. Using Taiji as Substance (Ti) and Yin and Yang as Function (Yong), this is the study of clarifying substance and applying function. Inner sageliness and outer kingship both derive from this, seemingly leaving no regret. Yet the Sage does not rest on self-satisfaction but strives for the功夫 of Stillness. Zhu Xi later changed "emphasizing Stillness" to "emphasizing Reverence" (Jing). Later followers of Zhu Xi argued that Jing is inferior to Jie. However, Jie involves force, while Jing is natural. Stillness is vast as heaven, accomplishing transformation without intent. Even the mind of "single-mindedness without deviation" is merged and forgotten. The Sage's "unknowable divinity" returns to centrality, uprightness, benevolence, and righteousness, reverting to emptiness and wholeness without leaving traces. Is this the Wuji of humans or heaven? Why measure it?
Thus, the Sage's virtue matches heaven and earth, brightness matches the sun and moon, order matches the four seasons, and fortune/misfortune matches ghosts and spirits.
All these are actions without intent. Heaven does not know its virtue; the sun and moon do not know their brightness; the four seasons do not know their order; ghosts and spirits do not know their fortune/misfortune. Following the naturalness of nature without prejudice, only the Sage gathers complete truth, responding naturally and unintentionally. Though seeking no alignment, the great scope of heaven and earth cannot exceed his range. Once the substance is established, the function becomes divine, without worry of neglecting one part for another.

The Gentleman cultivates it and finds auspiciousness; the petty person violates it and finds misfortune.
Those who neither cultivate nor violate are Sages. Those who cultivate or violate are Gentlemen and petty persons. The Sage initially has no concept of auspiciousness or misfortune, returning from the many to the one, seeing the origin clearly. He need not force himself to cultivate, yet naturally cultivates all; he need not forbid violation, yet naturally violates nothing. This is acting with ease. The Gentleman, knowing there is auspiciousness, regulates himself by principle, anxiously cultivating it. Though his功夫 varies in depth, he creates benefit. The petty person, knowing there is misfortune, is tempted by desire, resolutely violating principles. Though his faults vary in severity, he invites disaster. Where spirit reaches, heaven and earth respond; success or failure, longevity or early death are determined thus.

Therefore it is said: The Way of Heaven is Yin and Yang; the Way of Earth is Softness and Hardness; the Way of Humanity is Benevolence and Righteousness.
This is from the Yi Jing Xici. Everyone knows Yin/Yang, Hard/Soft, Benevolence/Righteousness. The difficulty lies in establishing their Dao. "Establishing" means standing prior to them, in a state of serene openness, attached neither to desire nor to principle. From this serene openness, Yin/Yang, Hard/Soft, Benevolence/Righteousness arise. Their generation is inexhaustible, fitting everywhere. Calling it Yin yet it is Yang; calling it Hard yet it is Soft; calling it Benevolent yet it is Righteous. Vast and deep like a spring, emerging timely. The Three Daos of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are distinctions made by observers; in oneself, there is no room for calculation. Collecting it hides it in one heart; expanding it fills the six directions. Grasping the standard of Harmony and Neutrality, one performs the functions of positioning and nurturing. Who but one with great virtue can participate in this?

It is also said: Tracing the origin and returning to the end, one knows the theory of life and death.
Where there is beginning, there is end; where there is life, there is death. Life and death are knowable, but what precedes birth and follows death is unknowable. How is this known? Observe the Fu hexagram: the movement of one Yang indicates life. Observe the Gou hexagram: the sprouting of one Yin indicates death. Moreover, life is the root of death; observing conduct during life reveals death. Death is the mechanism of life; observing the state at death reveals life. Generally, upon birth, each person has a heavenly mandate. Qi accompanies Ming; Li accompanies Qi. Li governs Qi, perfecting Jing; Qi strengthens Li, solidifying Shen. Life is life; death is also life. For ordinary people, indulging in human desires causes Li to fade away. Although Qi does not dissipate immediately, lacking a master, it cannot last long. Death is death; life is also death. Occasionally, there are literary spirits, comfortable mediocrity spirits, or grievance-holding bitter spirits. Their lingering spirit refuses to dissolve, lasting only like lightning or flint sparks, existing between being and non-being, perhaps for hundreds of years, let alone living as long as heaven and earth. Reflecting on this, the Three Teachings are all named Dao. Laozi's talismans, Buddhism's mantras, and Confucianism's poetry/prose are obviously not the original intent. Even millennia ago, Laozi rooted deeply and held fast to the One, preserving nature through destiny; Buddhism harmonized and condensed, achieving completion, preserving destiny through nature; Confucius fulfilled nature to reach destiny; Mencius nurtured nature to establish destiny. All practiced dual cultivation of nature and destiny, beneficial and harmless. Does this not make the theory of life and death clear in the mind? Great is Yi! This is the ultimate.