I Ching

Author: Jin Jicang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: "After adding me for several years, at fifty to study the I Ching, one can avoid great mistakes." — Analects·Xu Er. From the historical stories and customs and institutions in the hexagram and line texts, we know that these are records from the early Western Zhou period. Many of the records are disjointed, probably because several divination texts were compiled together. At that time, the divination officials edited the hexagram and line texts in the order of the hexagrams and lines, forming the I Ching. "I" means "simple and easy," referring to the simplicity of divination compared to divination methods. — Zhu Ziqing, Classics for the People
A nation's culture has its source and flow. The least essential thing here is that the vast majority of the people should know what the true source of traditional Chinese culture is and what its basic flow is. As publishers, we have no need to explore this issue, but we have the obligation to present publications that reflect the source and mainstream of traditional Chinese culture to the people. Thus, there is this set of Essential Library for Chinese Families. This is a publishing plan that is nearly boundless, but it reflects the sincere hearts of us as publishers. We know that the Chinese family is the basic unit of Chinese culture. If Chinese cultural families possess the fundamental classics and representative works of the Chinese nation, then this will undoubtedly help promote our excellent national culture and forge our great national spirit. This is the original intention behind publishing this set of books. Therefore, this series is based on classic traditional cultural masterpieces and is divided into six volumes:
Volume 1: The Classics of the Hundred Schools of Thought — Includes 16 pre-Qin foundational works such as the Book of Songs, the I Ching, the Analects, the Mencius, the Han Feizi, etc. They are the source of life for the Chinese nation. Zhang Zhidong said, "Pre-Qin writings are worth a thousand gold." This accurately summarizes the works of the pre-Qin philosophers.
Volume 2: Selected Works of Famous Poets and Writers — Includes personal selected works of 21 renowned literary figures such as Tao Yuanming, Wang Wei, Li Bai, Du Fu, and Yuan Haowen. This selection focuses on Tang and Song Dynasty literary masters, representing the highest achievements of Chinese lyrical literature.
Volume 3: Masterpieces of Historiography — Includes the Zuo Zhuan, the Four Histories, and the Zizhi Tongjian. They are the essence of Chinese historiography. To understand history, one must start with these works.
Volume 4: Comprehensive Selections — Includes Tang Dynasty poetry, Song Dynasty ci poetry, Yuan Dynasty qu poetry, the Thousand Poems, and the Essentials of Classical Chinese. These are all tested and renowned selected works, intended to broadly supplement the shortcomings of the Selected Works of Famous Poets and Writers in capturing the essence of Chinese literature and poetry.
Volume 5: Notes and Miscellaneous Works — Includes 15 widely accepted miscellaneous works from the Three-Character Classic to the Zeng Guofan Family Letters. In fact, they embody the deeper connotations of the excellent culture of the Chinese nation.
Volume 6: Dramas and Novels — Includes 18 dramas and novels from the Romance of the West Chamber to the four great classical novels. These represent the peak of Chinese literary creation. To some extent, they are like the Three-Character Classic in that they contain the fundamental spiritual nourishment that has nurtured the Chinese people.
To be responsible to readers, we do not seek immediate success in publishing but adopt a strategy of publishing in installments and gradually building a scale. We do not aim for economic benefits from a single book or a single time but strive to continuously expand our readership. Our hearts are in harmony with the vast readership, so we are confident that we will have a broad market.
The I Ching was originally a book of divination, but it contains profound philosophical content. Through the evolution from the Classics to the Commentaries, the I Ching rose from a book of divination to a philosophical work. Its ideas have had an extremely profound influence on the history of Chinese scholarship, thought, and even the way Chinese people think. The I Ching consists of 64 hexagrams, which later generations divided into the Upper Canon and the Lower Canon. The Upper Canon contains 30 hexagrams, and the Lower Canon contains 34. The Upper Canon elucidates the laws of nature, while the Lower Canon elucidates the laws of humanity. In reality, the I Ching speaks of the times of heaven, meaning it speaks of humanity. Heaven and humanity are almost indistinguishable in the I Ching.
The I Ching speaks of the "Three Natures" (heaven, earth, and humanity). Those who interpret the I Ching believe that the reason each hexagram has six lines is related to the relationship between heaven and humanity. The laws of heaven are yin and yang, the laws of the earth are soft and hard, and the laws of humanity are benevolence and righteousness. Combining the three natures with two principles, the I Ching has six lines.
The logical thinking of the I Ching is that first comes heaven and earth, then come all things, and then come men and women. Just as all things are born of ancestors, so too are humans.