In this paper, I ask to explore the thread of abstract thought from the early Yijing易經 (Classic of Changes) to the metaphysics of Laozi and Zhuangzi; from Lao-Zhuang philosophy to the political practice of the Huang-Lao; and to the Yizhuan易傳 (Ten Wings) and the art of divination. By observing the key concepts common to the different texts and authors, we find that Huang-Lao manuscripts and the Ten Wings share their core cosmological and metaphysical assumptions, their practices of cultivation, and their ideal sage ruler who grasps the principles of heaven and earth. The main difference among them is that for Daoists, self-cultivation was sufficient to grasp the Dao and become a sage ruler with penetrating insight to the workings of heaven and earth, while for the Yi scholars, self-cultivation was emphasized in the context of the art of divination .