On Cai Qing's Yi-ology

Cai Qing(1453-1508),who lived in Ming Dynasty,was a well-known thinker in the history of Yi-ology.His most important work is Yijing Mengyin.Cai proposed the theory of Three Yi to interpret Original Meanings of the Zhouyi by Zhu Xi,categorizing Yi into the universe's Yi,human body's Yi and Yi of the Yi-book.Each of the Yi comprises Yin and Yang,and embodies the principle of changing.Yi of the Yi-book parallels universe's Yi and human body's Yi,and was the imitation of the latter two.Yi-book contains significant images and microscopic principles in perfect unity.Cai accepted Zhu Xi's view that Yi was the book of divination but downplayed the role and significance of divination and advocated the idea that fortune came with righteousness.Cai's thinking through Zhu Xi's Yi-ology actually developed Zhu's ideas about Yi.It is no surprise that it became the mainstream of the study on Zhu's thoughts about Yi at his time and has exerted a great influence in his time and ever since.