On the transmission and transformation of the Ancient and New texts of the Yi-ology——Simultaneously on the authenticity of Zixia Yi zhuan

Departing from the transmission of the Yi-ology in the beginning of the Han dynasty (206 B. C. -220 A. D. ) , this paper by comparison analyses the transmission of the Yi-ology of both the ancient and new texts. It particularly points out that, owing to the lack of teachers' transmission and fixed transmission, though some scholars studied the ancient-text Yi concurrently, they held different opinions on it. This point can be seen in Zhouyi zhengyi juanshou (Preface for the Rectified Meanings of Zhouyi, complied by Kong Yingda [547-648]). All received historical documents claim that the text used by Wang Bi (226-249) was based on Fei Zhi' s (1st cent. B. C.) ancient text. But drawing reference from the silk manuscript of Zhouyi,I doubt that Wang Bi's text was not only based on the ancient text but also on the new one. In addition, based on the silk and bamboo slips manuscript of Zhouyi, this paper proves that Zixia yizhuan (Zixia's Commentaries on Yi)was indeed an ancient text that has origin and was transmitted in the pre-Qin period (before 221 B. C.) and analyses the reason why it was not included in Hanshu yiwenzhi (Bibliography in the History of the Western Han).