Author Profile

Liu Xiaofeng

Associate Professor, International I Ching Research Center

Liu Xiaofeng is an Associate Professor at the International I Ching Research Center specializing in Yijing aesthetics and literary theory. His work explores how the Zhouyi shaped the deepest categories of Chinese aesthetic thought — image-idea, balanced harmony, and the rhythm of firmness and yielding.

Academic Biography

Liu Xiaofeng is an Associate Professor at the International I Ching Research Center. He earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Academia Sinica, where his research investigated the deep influence of the Zhouyi on traditional Chinese aesthetic categories.

Professor Liu's monograph The Zhouyi and Chinese Aesthetics traces how core concepts from the I Ching — such as yixiang (image-idea), gangrou (firmness-yieldingness), and zhonghe (balanced harmony) — shaped Chinese theories of art, literature, and aesthetic experience across two millennia. His work also explores the application of Yijing wisdom in contemporary humanities education and personal cultivation.

At I Ching Wisdom, Professor Liu authors articles on love, relationships, cultural comparisons, and the lived emotional experience of engaging with hexagram symbolism.

Research Areas

Yijing aestheticsChinese literary theory and hexagram imageryComparative study of divination and symbolic systemsHumanities education and personal cultivation

Education

2009

Ph.D. · Philosophy

Academia Sinica

2004

M.A. · Aesthetics

Academia Sinica

2001

B.A. · Chinese Literature

National Taiwan Normal University

Expertise

Yijing aesthetics and the philosophy of art

Literary and cultural interpretation of hexagram imagery

Comparative study of divination systems as cultural forms

Editorial Focus

Exploring the aesthetic and emotional dimensions of hexagram readings

Comparing I Ching symbolism with other cultural and divinatory traditions

Making hexagram imagery vivid and personally resonant for readers

Articles

Hexagram LoveMay 5, 2026

Hexagram 2 (The Receptive) in Love: I Ching Guidance for Relationships

What does Hexagram 2 (The Receptive) reveal about love and relationships? The four fundamental aspects of the Creative—“sublime success, furthering through perseverance”—are also attributed to the Receptive. Here, however, the perseve... Explore how the I Ching guides emotional connection, dating, and partnership dynamics.

Hexagram HealthMay 5, 2026

Hexagram 2 (The Receptive) in Health: I Ching Guidance for Wellbeing and Vitality

What does Hexagram 2 (The Receptive) suggest about health and wellbeing? The four fundamental aspects of the Creative—“sublime success, furthering through perseverance”—are also attributed to the Receptive. Here, however, the perseve... Explore how the I Ching frames the balance of energy, rest, and renewal.

Hexagram LoveMay 5, 2026

Hexagram 9 (The Taming Power of the Small) in Love: I Ching Guidance for Relationships

What does Hexagram 9 (The Taming Power of the Small) reveal about love and relationships? This image refers to the state of affairs in China at the time when King Wên, who came originally from the west, was in the east at the court of the reigning ty... Explore how the I Ching guides emotional connection, dating, and partnership dynamics.

Hexagram HealthMay 5, 2026

Hexagram 11 (Peace) in Health: I Ching Guidance for Wellbeing and Vitality

What does Hexagram 11 (Peace) suggest about health and wellbeing? This hexagram denotes a time in nature when heaven seems to be on earth. Heaven has placed itself beneath the earth, and so their powers unite in deep harmony.... Explore how the I Ching frames the balance of energy, rest, and renewal.

Hexagram LoveMay 5, 2026

Hexagram 12 (Standstill [Stagnation]) in Love: I Ching Guidance for Relationships

What does Hexagram 12 (Standstill [Stagnation]) reveal about love and relationships? Heaven and earth are out of communion and all things are benumbed. What is above has no relation to what is below, and on earth confusion and disorder prevail.... Explore how the I Ching guides emotional connection, dating, and partnership dynamics.

Hexagram LoveMay 5, 2026

Hexagram 16 (Enthusiasm) in Love: I Ching Guidance for Relationships

What does Hexagram 16 (Enthusiasm) reveal about love and relationships? The time of ENTHUSIASM derives from the fact that there is at hand an eminent man who is in sympathy with the spirit of the people and acts in accord with it. H... Explore how the I Ching guides emotional connection, dating, and partnership dynamics.