Shao Yong

Shao Yong (1011–1077), courtesy name Yaofu, posthumously titled Kangjie, was a Northern Song philosopher and Yi scholar. He is known alongside Zhou Dunyi, Zhang Zai, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi as one of the "Five Masters of the Northern Song." He founded the learning of prenatal image and number, using the cycles of yuan, hui, yun and shi to deduce the cyclical evolution of the cosmos and history, integrating Yi learning, philosophy and historical thought. His works span philosophical discourse, poetry and folk literature, including the Huangji Jingshi Shu, Guanwu Pian, Guanwu Waipian, Yichuan Jirang Ji, Yuqiao Wenda and Meihua Yishu. The Huangji Jingshi Shu systematically sets out his image-number system; the Yichuan Jirang Ji expresses ideas through accessible poetry; and the Yuqiao Wenda examines heaven, earth and human affairs in dialogue form, with a modern Chinese translation available for present-day readers. Shao Yong's thought has had a lasting influence on Eastern philosophy and the fate-calculation tradition, and his works combine speculative depth with literary interest.