I Ching

Author: Xu Qitang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-05-01
Features: The Book of Changes (also known as the I Ching) was listed by Han Dynasty Confucian scholars as the foremost among the Five Classics and is one of the "Three Great Mysteries." It is an ancient philosophical work cloaked in religious superstition, preserving the rich and pragmatic dialectical views of ancient people. Its profound philosophical content has influenced Confucianism and Taoism. In light of this, the purpose of this book is to promote the culture of outstanding traditional philosophical classics, adhering to the principle of innovating while preserving the old for contemporary use. This book is part of the Translation and Annotation Series of Chinese Classical Masterpieces, providing detailed annotations and translations for its text. The Book of Changes is divided into two parts: the Classic and the Commentaries. The Classic includes the images, hexagrams, and lines of the sixty-four hexagrams, while the Commentaries consist of the Upper and Lower Tuan (Judgments), the Upper and Lower Xiang (Images), the Wenyan (Textual Explanations), the Xutici (Prefatory Discourses), the Xugua (Sequential Hexagrams), the Shuogua (Interpretations of the Hexagrams), and the Zagua (Miscellaneous Hexagrams), collectively known as the "Ten Wings." The Book of Changes is an ancient philosophical work cloaked in religious superstition, preserving the rich and pragmatic dialectical views of ancient people. Its content begins with the principle that "the interplay of yin and yang constitutes the Way," asserting that the movement and change of things are endless. It further speculates that when things reach a certain stage of development, they will transform into their opposites. It proposes philosophical propositions such as "When things reach a limit, they must change; when they change, they find a way" and "When heaven and earth undergo transformation, the four seasons are formed; the revolutions of Tang and Wu followed the heavens and responded to the people." It holds that the development of things is essentially a process moving from contradiction toward harmony and continuous cyclical repetition.