Is Zhouyi superstitious or scientific?

Zhouyi, I don't know what kind of pictures emerged in everyone's mind when I first read these two words. According to the investigation and study, many people first think of either a sage-like veteran or a fortune teller sitting in the street with the words fortune-telling in front of him. Of course, most people think of the latter. As we know, fortune telling is absolutely correct, whether in our daily life or in our serious textbooks, it is indeed included in the dross. But in the subconscious of people in this world, Zhouyi is often inseparable from fortune telling, so Zhouyi is covered with a strong superstitious color.

In Zhouyi culture, geomantic omen, palm reading, divination and numerology are all very important components. They are all branches of Zhouyi theory, which greatly enriched and developed the theoretical system of Zhouyi. But these things are superstitious to most people, but is Zhouyi really superstitious?

I remember hearing such a story. In the Tang Dynasty, a man had a headache and it was useless to seek medical advice everywhere. Finally, I went to Sun Simiao, the imperial doctor, to treat him. Sun Simiao didn't give him a prescription, but asked the man to move his bed a little. But it was this small change that cured the man's long-standing headache. It is superstitious for most people to solve the headache by moving the bed. But the fact is not what we thought. Sun Simiao, an imperial doctor, observed the man's room and found that his bed was facing the direction of the wind, but the man didn't realize the discomfort caused by these subtle winds after he fell asleep. Only when they wake up, the headache caused by the wind will attract the patient's attention, so Sun Simiao can cure his headache by moving the hospital bed without prescribing medicine.

Having said that, I think of palmprint medicine, which is a hot topic in traditional Chinese medicine. Through the lines of the palm of your hand, you can see how your immunity is, how your recent physical condition is, and even find and remind yourself of diseases that you have not found at all. Do these remind you of your own hands involuntarily? In fact, this also belongs to the category of Zhouyi culture. Different small areas in the palm also correspond to the heart, spleen, lungs and other organs of the human body. These have greatly promoted the research in the medical field.

Zhouyi is actually reflected in all aspects of our lives, but we don't notice it because we don't specialize in Zhouyi.

For example, a recent popular article, "Diseases of human body come from moisture in the body", seems to have nothing to do with Zhouyi, but in fact, the principle of geomantic omen in Zhouyi has been fully used here. Not only is there feng shui outside the human body, but there is also feng shui inside the human body. All diseases are caused by wind and cold entering the human body, which leads to the confusion of airflow inside the human body, and the airflow in some areas of the human body will be hindered, which will lead to pathological changes. The phenomenon of stroke can also be explained by the internal geomantic omen in Zhouyi. Similarly, we can also adjust the feng shui inside the human body by adjusting our emotions.

Another example is the science of modern housing design, which is actually interlinked with Zhouyi culture. To give two simple examples, in Feng Shui, the installation and placement of doors and windows, beds, desks and other items at home are all particular, mainly based on indoor air flow. Let's close our eyes and imagine that we can enjoy the taste. If the bedroom has a window, the air will flow in the room after entering. At this time, change the position of the cabinet or desk or even small objects at will, and the direction of the air flow will change. Feng Shui in Zhouyi refers to the general direction of indoor air flow. According to common sense, we all know that our bedside should not face the big window or gate. Because when people fall asleep at night, the wind enters through big windows or gates, which is easy to cause headaches and colds, just like the patient who went to Sun Simiao at the beginning. The conclusion of Zhouyi Culture on this issue is the same as above, but its language is more professional than our current chat tone.

Moreover, the location of the house is related to Feng Shui. As descendants of the Chinese people, we should all be familiar with it. In Zhouyi, it is generally said that houses generally face south, or their backs face northwest and southeast. At first glance, I have to say it's superstition! But think about it carefully, can this have anything to do with the geographical knowledge we have learned? Zhouyi was written by China people in the northern hemisphere. In the northern hemisphere, most of the wind in a year comes from the cold wind in the northwest, especially in winter. Because the Siberian cold wind is blowing down, we are frozen in thick cotton-padded jackets and try to stay at home, but if your door is facing the west wind, as soon as you come out and go in, the wind will pour into the house. If you close the door, it will also drill into your room at random in ordinary places such as the crack of the door. Under the intrusion of this cold wind, it is a miracle that people do not catch a cold. On the contrary, the southeast wind is warm air from the equator, drifting from the ocean. When there are many southeast winds, it is time for us to take off our big cotton-padded clothes and put on long sleeves or short sleeves and live happily. Facing the warm and friendly southeast wind is much better than facing the threatening and rude northwest wind. Sitting north facing south or sitting northwest facing southeast is a good way for people in the northern hemisphere to locate houses. Looking around, our house is really built like this. Is it necessary to say that Zhouyi is irrational and superstitious?

Feng Shui is a discipline, which combines geography, ecology, architecture, philosophy, and even psychology and other humanities and natural disciplines. It pursues a high degree of harmony between the humanistic beauty of architecture and the natural beauty of the environment, so as to achieve the perfect state of harmony between man and nature. We should treat it reasonably, don't wear superstitious colored glasses, and directly incorporate it into the dross.

Many ideas in Zhouyi are of great practical significance now. For example, its idea of pursuing balance is of great significance for protecting the environment and maintaining ecological balance now. In Zhouyi culture, there is a potential central word, whether you look at Feng Shui or something else, that is balance. However, we humans have been frantically demanding from nature. We cut down trees indiscriminately, over-cultivated, over-grazed, and reclaimed land from lakes, so nature punished us by means of mudslides, land desertification, sandstorms, and shrinking lake area. Many of our current economic development is at the expense of environmental resources, and this concept of balance really deserves our deep consideration.

Zhouyi can also assist the study of natural science. Nowadays, many natural scientists begin to read the Book of Changes while conducting scientific research, so as to inspire themselves and assist their scientific research. But at present, liberal arts talents who study Zhouyi still account for the majority. I think our research on Zhouyi can't be limited to liberal arts talents. Those who study natural science should also spend some time studying Zhouyi, so that Zhouyi can be gradually interpreted or deciphered by modern science with the joint efforts of liberal arts talents, which is also conducive to assisting the development of human cause to a greater extent.

I think many people now directly regard Zhouyi culture as superstition, and a big reason comes from those charlatans who have little knowledge. Nowadays, most fortune tellers on the street just learn a little about Zhouyi, and then come out to make a living under the guise of Master Zhouyi. This shift is mysterious and superstitious, but people don't know why. People think this is unreasonable and unreliable, so Zhouyi has been labeled as superstitious.

Zhouyi is not a superstition, but a science that has not been fully explained by people. How can we give the profound Zhouyi culture the title of superstition when modern people can't explain its phenomenon and understand its essence well? Zhouyi is a precious and mysterious gift left by our ancestors. We should try our best to explore its mystery, absorb its beneficial nutrients and guide us to engage in scientific research and conduct ourselves. Never let the word superstition blind us and bury the real glory of Zhouyi culture.