References

• 《四庫全書總目提要·卷3 經部·易類三》

Source: The 'Houzhai Yixuel' (厚齋易學) is a 52-volume commentary on the 'Yijing' ('I Ching') written by Feng Yi (馮椅, courtesy name Yizhi 儀之, also given as Qizhi, pseudonym Houzhai) of the Song dynasty. Feng was a scholar from Nankang DuChang, whose other works—such as 'Yi Shu Shi Yu Ming Meng Ji Shuo' (易書詩語孟輯說)—were largely lost to history. However, his collected interpretations of the 'Yijing', known collectively as the 'Houzhai Yixiuexue', survive in fragments within the Yongle Dadian (永樂大典), a massive Ming dynasty literary compilation. The work comprises three distinct sections: 'Jizhu' (輯注; "Collected Annotations"), 'Jichuan' (輯傳; "Collected Commentaries"), and 'Wuchuan' (外傳; "Outer Commentary"). According to historical records, Feng initially compiled these as separate texts but later merged them. The Hu Yigui (胡一桂) in 'Qimeng Yi Zhuan' (啟蒙翼傳) noted that Feng revised traditional titles—such as changing "Tuan yue" (彖曰; "The Tuan says") and "Xiang yue" (象曰; "The Xiang says") to "Zan"—to align with the interpretations of Wang Anshi and Zhu Xi. Additionally, Feng reclassified parts of the 'Xici Zhuan' ('Xi Ci Zhuan'; 繫辭傳) as part of a three-volume 'Shuo Gua' (說卦), following an alternate classification from the Sui dynasty. However, this structure was not fully preserved in later versions of the text. The Yongle Dalian preserved only 'Jizhu' and 'Jichuan', omitting the 'Wuchuan'. Modern scholars have reconstructed these sections into separate volumes: four for 'Jizhu', 30 for 'Jichuan', and 18 for 'Wuchuan', restoring Feng's original intent. The 'Jizhu' focuses on interpretations of the 'Tuan' (彖) and 'Xiang' (象), while the 'Jichuan' elevates these sections to canonical status, relegating the "Ten Wings" ('Shiyi') to secondary commentaries. The 'Wuchuan', in contrast, treats the Ten Wings as primary texts and incorporates diverse perspectives from earlier scholars such as Yu Yan (俞琰) and others. Feng's textual choices often reflect older interpretations, including variant readings of classical terms—e.g., using "Chang" (常) instead of the modern "Shang" (裳) in the 'Kun Gua' (坤卦), or rendering "Du Meng" (瀆蒙) as "Duan Meng" (黷蒙). He also proposed editorial corrections, such as adding missing names to certain hexagrams and deleting superfluous words from the 'Gou Tuan'. These revisions demonstrate his critical engagement with traditional texts. The 'Jichuan' section is particularly methodical, organizing each hexagram into subsections like 'Guaxu' (卦序; "Hexagram Sequence"), 'Guayi' (卦義; "Hexagram Meaning"), and 'Tuanyi' (彖義; "Tuan Meaning"), offering detailed analyses. It also preserves fragments of now-lost works by scholars such as Zhang Ruming, Li Chunnian, and others, making it an invaluable resource for reconstructing early interpretations of the 'Yijing'. The 'Wuchuan', while influenced by Wu Renjie's classification of the 'Xici Zhuan' as part of 'Shuo Gua', was criticized by Dong Zhenqing (董真卿) in his 'Zhouyi Huitong' (周易會通) for its deviations. However, some scholars, like Ming dynasty's Yang Shiqiao, defended these changes as aligning with the 'Sui Shu Jingji Zhi'. Despite such debates, the combined three-volume structure of 'Houzhai Yixuele' is widely regarded as a foundational contribution to Song-Yuan era 'Yijing' scholarship. During the late Yuan and early Ming periods, Feng's work was highly influential. For instance, Wang Biao of Poyang compiled multiple 'Yijing' commentaries into 'Jingchuan Tongjieshi' (經傳通解集釋), using Feng's texts as a base. Although many contemporaneous works have been lost, 'Houzhai Yixule' remains a critical source for understanding the evolution of 'Yijing' studies in China. The title itself underwent changes over time: Hu Yigui, Dong Zhenqing, and others referred to it as 'Yiji', while the 'Song Shi Yiwen Zhi' (宋史藝文志) called it 'Yixue'. To distinguish it from Wang Shida's similarly named work, modern scholars—following the 'Wenxian Tongkao' (文獻通考)—adopted the full title 'Houzhai Yile' to reflect its authorship and historical significance. ==References== * 《四庫全書總目提要·卷3 經部·易類三》 {{AI-summary}}