The Non-Realism of Yijing’s Correlative Cosmology

This paper reassesses the Yijing (Book of Changes) by examining its correlative cosmology and the role of embodied perception in meaning-making. While Cheng Chung-ying interprets the Yijing as encoding objective cosmic patterns, this paper argues that its cosmology exemplifies interpretive non-realism, where human engagement shapes meaning. However, the Yijing remains constrained by its problematic conception of the cosmos and its reliance on predetermined meanings and values, which risk obscuring the more fundamental role of bodily perception in generating meaning. To address this, the paper highlights imaging (xiang 象) as an abstracting-concealing process that reawakens awareness of the living body. This perspective suggests that the Yijing should not be seen as a system of fixed meanings but as an open-ended, embodied practice of world engagement.