The purpose of this study is to discuss Lin Xiyuan's main purpose in and characteristics of writing Yi jing cunyi. The first part emphasizes four aspects: (1) the relationship between Yi jing cunyi and imperial examinations, (2) Lin4liviewpoints on the theory of Confucian classics and the Yi, (3) the meaning of "image-taking," and (4) the theory of illusion and reality. It is still debatable whether Lin Xiyuan's Yi jing cunyi merely followed the ideas of Zhu Xi's Zhou yi benyi and Cai Qing's Yi jing mengyin or whether he developed and extended his own thoughts. Although Lin borrowed ideas from Zhu Xi and Cai Qing, yet there are some differences between the purposes of Lin4nli Yi Jing cunyi and those of Zhu Xi's and Cai Qing's studies. The former tries to master classical books for practical applications, while the latter put emphasis on explaining them. After further studying the meanings of gua, the explanations of hexagram lines, corrections and extensions of philosophy, the theory of li and qi, the detailed investigation of the principles, and the ideas about practical statecraft based on Lin's Yi jing cunyi, we conclude that Yi jing cunyi follows the ideas of Zhou Yi benyi and Yi Jing mengyin, and at the same time makes great contributions towards the interpretation of hidden meanings and application to practical statecraft.