Abstract

The objective of this dissertation is to determine Fei Chih's place in the development of I-ching studies. Such an objective is completed in two main stages. First an extensive account of the development of the I-ching from its inception through the Early Han is presented. Then an analysis of Fei Chih's I-ching philosophy which defines Fei Chih's place in this account is carried out. ;Chapters 2 through 4 deal with stage one. Chapters 2 and 3 explain the origins and courses of development of the I-ching text and '10 Wings.' Chapter 4 describes the development of I-ching studies during the Early Han. ;Chapters 5 and 6 are concerned with stage two. Chapter 5 focuses on extant remnants attributed to Fei Chih. All such remnants are translated into English, concise analyses of these remnants are carried out, and on the basis of these analyses a preliminary attempt is made to determine Fei Chih's place in the development of I-ching studies. Chapter 6 examines the problem of the relationship between Fei Chih and the ku wen school. Emphasis is placed on one particular ku wen school theory which appears to offer insight into Fei Chih's I-ching philosophy, and which helps to further clarify Fei Chih's place in the development of I-ching studies. ;The results of this dissertation show that Fei Chih's I-ching philosophy embraced old and new elements. Three points stand out: Fei Chih adhered to a commentary tradition that can be traced back to the late Warring States period and the creation of the '10 Wings' as commentaries to the I-ching text, Fei Chih's transmission of a ku wen I-ching suggests that he adhered to at least one I-ching related philosophical concept that can also be traced back to the late Warring States period, and Fei Chih's I-ching philosophy was influenced by the emergence of a hsiang shu based 'augury centered' approach to I-ching studies during the second one hundred years of the Early Han. ;An English translation of Ma Kuo-han's reconstructed version of Fei Chih's ku wen I-ching, an annotated bibliography of Fei Chih, and a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and English language general bibliography that lists over 2200 books and articles are appended to this dissertation