The germination of metaphysical thought from Pre-Qin through Han Dynasty
c. 200 BCE – 200 CE
During the Qin-Han transition, Chinese metaphysics began to differentiate itself from astrological divination and turtle-shell or milfoil divination, gradually forming an independent system that calculates personal destiny from birth time. During this period, numerological activities were extremely vibrant: Jing Fang introduced the Na Jia method into Zhouyi divination, and Dong Zhongshu used yin-yang and five elements to explain the resonance between Heaven and humanity, providing philosophical legitimacy for metaphysics. In the Eastern Han period, Wang Chong offered profound discussions on fatalism in Lunheng; although he did not create fortune-telling techniques, he systematically argued for the objective existence of 'ming' (destiny), laying the ideological foundation for the independent development of later metaphysics.
Jing Fang — Western Han Yi scholar who created the Na Jia system and the eight-palace hexagram sequence, introducing the stem-branch and five-element systems into Zhouyi divination, becoming a common source for later six-yao prediction and metaphysics; Dong Zhongshu — proposed the 'resonance between Heaven and humanity' theory, using yin-yang and calamities to explain human affairs, giving metaphysical calculation a cosmological basis
Lunheng · Minglu Chapter — Wang Chong's systematic treatment of fatalism, proposing 'when ming decrees poverty and lowliness, even achieving wealth and honor will still bring disaster,' the earliest work in Chinese intellectual history specifically addressing the problem of fate; Jingshi Yizhuan — Jing Fang's incorporation of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches into the sixty-four hexagrams, pioneering the technical paradigm of combining stems and branches with hexagram lines
The germinal period of metaphysical thought accomplished two foundational tasks: first, establishing the philosophical consensus that 'ming is Heaven-ordained,' and second, creating the technical path combining stems and branches with hexagram lines. Although the Bazi fortune-telling technique was not yet mature, core elements such as Na Jia, Five Elements, and stem-branch were already in place, awaiting the historical moment for their integration.
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