ABSTRACT
The Master said, “Writing cannot fully express what is conveyed by speech; 22 speech cannot fully express ideas [yi 意]. 23 Does this mean it is not possible to know the sages' ideas fully?”
The Master said [in response to his own question], “The sages developed images [xiang 象] 24 in their attempts to express ideas [yi 意] fully, arranged the hexagrams to encompass fully the myriad forms of human deeds, and appended words and phrases to the hexagrams to express fully what they wanted to convey. The sages embraced the principle of change to unblock obstructions and bring out fully what is advantageous, and through drumming and dancing they fully invigorated the spirit.”
(Text prepared by Luo Xinzhang, translated by Martha Cheung)