The Seal of the Unity of the Three — Vol. 2 - The Golden Elixir

138 II. Commentaries, Essays, and Related Works
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friend Cai Yuanding 蔡 元 定 (1135–98), an expert of the Book of
Changes with whom Zhu Xi corresponded regularly on details of
interpretation. The final version of the commentary owes much to
Cai, who closely examined the text with Zhu Xi in early 1197. 8 The
commentary was almost certainly completed shortly thereafter,
between the end of 1197 and the beginning of 1198. 9
Zhu Xi, whose interest in the esoteric traditions of Taoism is also
documented by a commentary to the Yinfu jing 陰 符 經 (Scripture of
the Hidden Response), signed his work as “Zou Xi, Master of the
Dao of Unity-in-Emptiness” 空 同 道 士 鄒 訢 . In this unique appellation,
formed by paronomasia, Zou 鄒 is another name of the ancient
kingdom of Zhu 邾 , whose graph contains the graph of Zhu Xi’s
surname, while the graph 「 訢 」, usually pronounced xin, is also
read xi and, in one of its uses, stands for the word xi (“bright,”
usually represented by 「 熹 」), which is Zhu Xi’s first name.
The Kaoyi is—at least in principle, as we shall presently see—the
earliest extant exegesis of the Cantong qi based on a critical examination
of different redactions and editions. As Zhu Xi states in his
postface, 10 his work was inspired by the disappointing state of the
text, due to alterations introduced by earlier editors and commentators.
Upon completing his commentary, nevertheless, Zhu Xi acknowledges
that in the Cantong qi “there are still many dubious and
obscure points” (shang duo yihui 尚 多 疑 晦 ). His appraisal of the
literary quality and the difficulty of the text has been frequently
quoted in later works:
『 參 同 契 』 文 章 極 好 、 蓋 後 漢 之 能 文 者 為 之 、 讀 得 亦 不 枉 、 其 用
字 皆 根 據 古 書 、 非 今 人 所 能 解 、 以 故 皆 為 人 枉 解 。
The text of the Cantong qi is exquisite. It must have been written by a
8
Zhuzi yulei (Classified Sayings of Zhu Xi), 107.2670; also quoted in
Zhouyi cantong qi [kaoyi] (CT 1001), 3.8a-b.
9
On the genesis of Zhu Xi’s commentary see Azuma Jūji, “Shu Ki Shūeki
sandōkei kōi ni tsuite,” especially pp. 176–78; and Kim Yung Sik, “The Ts’ant’ung-ch’i
k’ao-i”, pp. 101–5 (especially p. 104). In 1198, Zhu Xi also wrote a
short essay entitled “Cantong qi shuo” 參 同 契 說 (On the Cantong qi), where
he criticizes certain interpretations of cosmological cycles in relation to the
alchemical “fire times.” See Zhu Wengong wenji (Collected Writings of Zhu
Xi), 67.25a-26b.
10
Zhouyi cantong qi [kaoyi], 3.8a.
© Fabrizio Pregadio and Golden Elixir Press 2012