The
Illustrated Commentary on the Wuzhen Pian Based on the Zhouyi (周易悟真篇圖注
Zhouyi Wuzhen Pian Tuzhu), authored by the Ming dynasty Confucian scholar Cheng Yiming 程易明, is an illustrated alchemical text that integrates the elixir methodology of
Wuzhen pian 悟真篇 (
the Awakening to Reality) with the images and numbers (
xiangshu 象數) system of
The Book of Changes (
Zhouyi 周易). Centered on Daoist alchemical theory and elucidated through “
Yijing diagrams” (
yitu 易圖, diagrams based on the
Yijing), it stands as a masterpiece within the tradition of alchemical
Yijing studies (
dandao yixue 丹道易學). Building on a review of the scholarly history of
The Wuzhen Pian, this article focuses on the alchemical
Yijing diagrams (
dandao yitu 丹道易圖) in the
Illustrated Commentary, exploring their terminological definitions, theoretical origins, and diagrammatic systems. By analyzing the structure of cosmology and internal alchemy practice theory (
neidan gongfulun 內丹工夫論) as presented in these diagrams, this article demonstrates that the
Illustrated Commentary not only inherits the theoretical legacy of early
Yijing diagram scholars such as Chen Tuan (陳摶) and Yu Yan (俞琰), but also displays a unique systematic and intuitive approach to illustrating
neidan practices through xiangshu diagrams (象數圖解). Notably, diagrams such as
“Mundane Continuation vs.
Alchemical Inversion” (
shunfan nixian 順凡逆仙), the
“Three-Five-One Mathematical Model” (
sanwuyi shuli moxing 三五一數理模型), and the
“Fire Phases” (
huohou 火候) reveal attempts to construct an alchemical theoretical system centered on
Yijing diagrams. The article further posits that the
Illustrated Commentary bridges the gap between images–numbers
Yijing studies (
xiangshu yixue 象數易學) and alchemical visual hermeneutics, offering a fresh perspective centered on internal alchemy for the study of “
Yijing Diagram Studies” (
yitu xue 易圖學).
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